SWAG

For those who like watching award shows, attending conventions, or are simply obsessed with The Office, you probably know what SWAG is. However, for those in the dark, let me fill you in. SWAG (Stuff We All Get) are the trinkets given away in award shows to the presenters (a quick search on TMZ.com may allow you to find out what the presenters to last night's Grammy Awards walked away with; I am sure that it was at least a TAG Heuer watch, Swarovski crystal, and a new Bentley). On the convention floors it includes the free frisbees given out by the booth next to yours. However, you do not have to be in showbiz or be a corporate salesman in order to get SWAG; you can just be a missionary!

On Friday we welcomed the initial team from North Shore Baptist Church in Queens, NY. The rest of the team will be arriving on Thursday of this week. It is like having family come into town. We have known many in the church for about 5 years or so. Kirsten and I have worshiped with the saints at NSBC numerous times and have been encouraged greatly by their ministry in the Big Apple. The church is also a supporting church financially, practically, emotionally, and spiritually. One of the ways they do this is by bringing us SWAG! To be honest, Kirsten and I actually pay for most of the stuff through various online dealers but then send it to Queens to be packaged and brought down. This allows us not to have to pay 17.5% sales tax on top of hefty shipping and import fees. Goodies such as taco seasoning, books, MATERNITY CLOTHES (for a quickly growing mommy), and other odds and ends completed this year's SWAG.

The stuff people sent down for us is great, and we are incredibly thankful for it all! But the point of this post is not to talk about stuff but about God's grace shown through the faithfulness, kindness, and love of the saints. God's provision for us in the ministry is mind-blowing. There are too many examples to list although we make it a practice to try to name them anyway (Psalm 40:5). For those that sent items down for us, we are humbled by your thoughtfulness, and we give God praise for your generosity. Even more important than stuff are the people. As I said already, spending a month hanging out and serving God and his people with our dear friends from NYC is a tremendous blessing, encouragement, and privilege.

Please pray for the ministries throughout the next 3 weeks. The team will be doing extensive, in-depth discipleship training which we are praying will lead to much fruit over the long haul. The team will also be doing medical ministries by way of hosting general medicine clinics around the church circuit as well as a dental clinic to extract teeth for free. (Last year the dentist extracted around 500 teeth in five days!) Please be in prayer with us for the ministries, those ministering and those being ministered to that all that is done will be for the glory of God and the good of his Church!