God's Timing

Gonzalez Family in Thailand (Eventually) Vol. 1, No. 7

"Life, in general is full of uncertainty. But for the cross-cultural church planter there must be an abiding belief that every setback, every danger, everything-is ordained by the hand of the all-seeing, all-knowing God!:"

-Brooks Buser, President of missionary training organization Radius International

Patience

If we were on our originally planned timeline, Sara, the kids and I would be on the road at this point beginning our "farewell trip". We would be working through Texas, Arizona and eventually onto California as we looked toward a June 4 departure out of LAX. However, when Thailand extended their ban on international arrivals through May 31 (due to Covid-19), our flights were cancelled and the next available departure date was July 2. So, we went ahead and booked those flights and we are eagerly staying informed about the situation in Thailand to get a better understanding about whether or not we will be able to get there in early July. We have never had more uncertainty in our life than we do right now.

I wish I could tell you that the quote at the beginning of this post perfectly reflects my mindset and that I have the peaceful vibes of some of the surfer dudes I was hoping to encounter during our couple of days in California early next month. Instead, I have to admit that some nights I am a bit of a basket case wishing I could develop and execute the perfect plan without any inconvenient disruptions. It is at times like this that I am very thankful that God saw it fit to make Sara my wife. Her calming confidence in God's perfect plans remind me of how great He is and that He has has demonstrated time and again that He is worthy of my trust. So we wait on the Lord and rejoice in His sovereignty.

Serving at Wellspring

One positive development resulting from our delay is the opportunity to serve as an Interim Associate Pastor at Wellspring Church in Webb City, MO. It is privilege to come along Scott Smith and the rest of the Wellspring Leadership team and learn from them while simultaneously contributing to our congregation's ongoing mission to make disciples of all nations through Gospel-centered worship, service and community. If you live in the Joplin area, I encourage you to come visit us any Sunday morning at 9 or 10:30 am. If you are interested in learning more about this wonderful congregation but can't be here in person, please join us for our live service being broadcast on Facebook at 9 am on Sundays. Yet another way to be involved in what God is doing in this church is to listen to the Wellspring University Summer Series Podcast. Episodes will be published once a week. If things go as planned, I will only be on staff for about six weeks but I am thankful nonetheless for the opportunity.

Specific Prayer Request

• Selling our Home - Our house is still on the market. Last week we began listing with one of our close friends, Andrew Spieker. It is our hope that this house will be a blessing to another family as it has been a wonderful blessing for us these last three years.

• Covid-19/Thailand - There are many reasons to pray for how Covid-19 has impacted our world. One area I would seek prayer for is how the virus may or may not impact Thailand. Obviously, we hope things open up enough for us to begin our service there. However, despite Thailand's high quality healthcare, there are many parts of the population that would be especially vulnerable to the disease if it spread wwhile having little access to a medical professional. So, as always, pray for peace and the glory of God even if it surpasses our understanding.

• 49 days until launch (maybe)

Thank you for keeping up with this part of our journey. I am eager to begin writing updates from Chiang Mai but I also want to make sure we are keeping everyone informed of our status and prayer requests. Please let us know how we can pray for you as well. You can send us a message through the website or you can email me directly at JMGonz05@gmail.com.

"Wait for the LORD, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD."

Psalm 27:14