Monday morning we had the opportunity to be a part of another container loading party.  As usual, I took photos and in almost every photo there is a smile on everyone’s face.

There is a certain kind of joy that one feels when serving others that you just don’t get in any other way.  It really did feel like a party!  One of the reasons for that sense of joy was that the driver of the truck was a good friend of the driver we had for the last load to the Ukraine, and since this load was also headed for the Ukraine, the driver brought a friend from the Russian Speaking Church in Meridian, Idaho.  They have a youth group that goes to the Ukraine every summer to work and share the love of Jesus.  They were so excited to hear about the ministries of Hands of Hope NW, and how much Hands of Hope NW has donated to the people of the Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.

David Ferdinand showed him the map on the wall indicating the containers that have been sent out from Hands of Hope NW.

The driver was very impressed with the ministry of Hands of Hope NW and even helped us load the container and was so excited to do so! Visiting with us as time allowed.

The Driver helping us load the container for the Ukraine

There was a point when some of us were not sure that everything was going to fit inside that container, as it was filling fast and there seemed to be so much more to fit into it.  But thanks to the new way they weigh and measure the cube of everything, the estimations made based on that were almost exact!

That is in a large part due to the dedication of the loading crew that meticulously fills every open space in keeping with their goal of not packing any air, but rather sending a full load.

After we filled the container, we had a time of prayer before closing the doors and sealing the load.

A word of prayer prior to closing up and sealing the load

Then we had a time of fellowship as the crew watched the videos Todd had made of other container loading parties and volunteers and then we had lunch!

The driver visited with us and even stayed for lunch and fellowship with the crew!

The driver having lunch with the crew before taking the load to the port!

I saw a recent post on Facebook by a friend who is also moving. She indicated that she was almost to the point in time where she wished that the house they were leaving, “might possibly…catch on fire!” I can truly relate. Connie and I are in the middle of going room to room with boxes labeled: 1) Give to the family, 2) Place in the garage sale, 3) Pack up carefully for long-term storage…those pictures and keepsakes that are near and dear, 4) Be considered for placing in one of our 4 suitcases going to Asia.   I need to give her long back rubs and lots of love these days.   We are very excited about being part of the Asia Pacific Team and the incredible ministry.  The move just comes with the territory!  Hang in there hon!

We are in the full swing of the speaking schedule! We have just completed speaking and sharing at the OR PAC  NMI  Convention.  The OR PAC District is our original home sending district and it was so good to see friends and family there, and to worship at Medford First in the sanctuary where we knelt at the altar some 25 years ago and said “Yes, Lord”.  We again reaffirmed our commitment to go where God leads as we listened to several missionaries from around the world, including some that we will be serving with on the Asia Pacific Region.

We knelt at the altar with other friends that we have grown to love as they step out in faith and head to the mission field as well.  What a wonderful time spent sharing from the heart.

There were several youth and young adults there that spent some time with the group of missionaries asking questions and the time concluded with them going to the front and stating that they had felt a call to missions and a wonderful time of prayer.