Another deep breath as we continue these steps in faith….  We have submitted our applications to Shepherd Staff Mission Facilitators.

God willing as we seek HIS plan – we will be leaving the states in about 27 weeks.  We have a LOT to do, to accomplish, to go through…  and honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming. So we have sat down and tried to make a plan to accomplish everything in a timely fashion that doesn’t leave us crazy in our last month which happens to also be the holidays.

SO – I’ve decided to ask your prayers.  I thought I would take you along with us on the journey here and each week ask your specific prayers on the things we need to accomplish.

We can not express how vital your prayers are to this mission and – it’s mine – that God will bind our hearts through your prayers in our preparations, that when we do go – you will be strongly conditioned to be praying for us regularly!

THIS WEEK:
1.  I must finish a bookkeeping task at church (numbers make my brain hurt)
2.  We will begin clearing out, purging and otherwise weeding through the family room and living room of our 30 years together. (a “keep, give away, trash” type task)
3.  Please pray as I also begin this week leading a 7 week study on GOD’S WAY (perhaps HIS perfect timing just for me!!!)
4.  Pray as Randy begins a LONG list of people to contact and also works on one looming piece of business that we very much need God’s favor on.
5.  Pray that we will acknowledge HIM in every step, every day – knowing that HE will direct our path.  (this will be our constant prayer)

This list could easily go on and on – but I tried to list those things that are heaviest on our minds and hearts.

Keep us accountable – and I will let you know how we do!

Pressing on to the goal – that higher calling of our LORD!
Kari

While this post has nothing to do with hurricanes or tropical storms… it is written while that’s the thought on most central Floridians radar.  I knew nothing about the storm that was brewing and made a trek to Orlando yesterday.  It rained the entire way there, rained all night as we camped out with Ben and Kerri Falleur and the kids, and it rained all the way home.  Just now, in fact, I am seeing more rain and winds whip around the lake out back as I sit on my couch and write this.

Kasi and I left early in the morning and I dropped her off in Kissimmee.  I proceeded to Orlando to attend church at Calvary Chapel South Orlando.  It was a miserable drive.  I had no idea where I was going, it was raining like crazy and the dreariness and overcast totally shot any sense of direction.  I didn’t know if was headed North or South and I felt this anxiousness rise up.  LORD, how can I ever survive in Kenya if I can’t even drive back roads through Orlando.  It seems I am finding lots of these thoughts popping up these days as I continue to process this call God has clearly spoken.

Lord, if you want me there this morning, HELP ME. By this time I was trying to convince myself it was “sign”.  I honestly am not sure how, I took a few turns just because I felt a tug to, and… I made it to CCSO about eight minutes before service.  I had an overwhelming awareness of God’s provision of direction and I felt my heart rest.  I’m sorry, Lord, for this anxiousness… i don’t know how You do it – but thank You.  God, open my eyes so I see Your hand at work around me.

I saw our good friends the Souzas just as I walked in the door, shaking off the rain. SO good to see that smiling face, albeit, a “what are you doing here?” shock. After our hugs and a very brief explanation, I got to meet a sweet young lady, Julie Visser, I have corresponded several times with about the mission to Kisii.  She has led a team that has kept us in prayer and I was so blessed to be able to thank her for that and very briefly share our current need for prayer.

I followed Robyn & Randy past my usual back row, past the second to the back row… all the way up to nearly the front row to join in a sweet song of worship.  My previously anxious heart melted into the truths of the words of the songs.

The pastor was teaching from Joshua 10.  He spoke of Joshua’s pattern of victory.  And how so often we allow apathy or complacency rise up, resulting in a loss of the sense of the power of GOD.  In Romans, Paul talks of not being ashamed of the Gospel of Christ – for IT is the power of God for salvation to all those who believe.  Pastor Charles went on to share a pattern for daily victory…

• Matt 22:37-40 – Love God and love others
• Prov 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord
• Matt 6:33 – Seek 1^st the Kingdom of God
• Rm 12:1 – Give yourself to God
• Eph 5:1 – Be imitators of God

The pieces I am sharing may be all over the place – but for me – they are very in line…  OH LORD – please don’t let me become apathetic, or complacent.  DON’T let me loose the sense of YOUR power!!!  Let me be bold for YOU, for Your Gospel, of YOUR Salvation.

As the service ended, I felt the Lord had brought me there to let me know, to remind me that He will always lead in triumph in Christ!

I turned around to shake the hand of the young man behind me.  Brian Plunkett is his name. He was visiting from California, went through the Bible College, has been to Nairobi 6 times, is very good friends with the Pottengers and had served with Ed and Kelli Compean (both CC Missionaries in Kenya) and knows them very well.

WHAT?????  I was in Orlando for the purpose of meeting Kelli – to grab a few hours with her while she was so close. Yep, I stood there and cried.  Just one hour ago after a fit of anxiousness, I cried out and asked God to show me HIMSELF.  Brian asked to pray with me and he and Randy Souza lifted me up, asking God’s blessings, His provision, His direction, His power and His affirmations.  He lifted the mission and the people of Kenya that are filling my heart with each passing day.  He prayed for hearts to receive this Gospel, this Power, this Salvation – we had just sat there and been reminded of.  So encouraged at this point, I quickly met Pastor Charles, his wife and a few others and scurried back out into the rain with a renewed mind.

I went on to meet Kelli.  We sat for nearly 4 hours, talking, praying, sharing and praying some more.  I knew that Monday morning when I met this woman in a mall in Nairobi, when I fell into her arms and immediately begin to cry, I just knew I was going to really really love this woman!  She and Ed spent a few hours with Randy and I that day.  They listened and they encouraged.  They allowed us to share and they gave us much counsel. She is a direct gift to me right now and the fact that she is not only in the states for the next 6 months, but she was also in Orlando and could meet me for the afternoon…  honestly, can ANYONE tell me otherwise….

…we serve a faithful, gracious, merciful GOD and HE desires for us to know Him intimately and pour out good gifts!!!!!

There is a part of me that feels I should present myself these next 6 months in a tall, determined, confident manner.  I don’t want to appear to be wavering.  I don’t want to come off uncertain.  After all, I am, at 50 years old, with such a sweet wonderful SAULGOOD life of family, friends and ministry, 3 perfect grandchildren with another on the way and the reality that THAT basket could continue to fill, my precious family all back together again, Saturday morning breakfast has resumed…all this and I am…. after all….. moving – to AFRICA!?!?!?!?!?!!????!!

HOW CRAZY IS THAT????  How bizarre is this?

But I am here to tell you, there is NO doubt in my heart that God has called us to do this.  Again – I don’t know how it will end up looking – but He has asked us… is He worth it?  And we know without question, without doubt, without wavering… HE ABSOLUTELY IS!

This storm may have snuck up on me, storms can do that if you don’t keep watch.  I think this weekend was a reminder to me to keep watch, keep watch and pray.  I have a God Who has good works He has lined up for me…  good works, powerful works, that I GET to be a part of…  I also have an adversary, who like this storm, wants to destroy me and those works.

BUT – greater is HE that is in me and HE leads me on to triumph!!  PRAISE HIS NAME!

Thanks for reading — I promise to keep them shorter….   Kari.

Well – it would seem the seasons truly are changing… the pages really are turning…

We have NEWS in the SaulGood camp… some you may already know…

Kasi has graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in California and has returned home and is awaiting God’s direction in the next chapter of her life as she seeks to serve HIM wherever she can.

Cory & Elizabeth are settling into their new home and their new life and are enjoying the chapter of newlyweds.  Only 4 months married and it is as though Elizabeth has always been a part of this crazy family.  What a blessing!

Ryan & Rachel are expanding… with news of #4 joining the clan in February 2013!!  Ryan is now on staff at Calvary as an Assistant Pastor, and Rachel, well, she’s kinda busy.

Johnny, Ruth and Levi continue to capture all our hearts and watching this next generation is more blessing than anyone deserves!  I could go pages and pages here but I will direct you to facebook with this one – it’s complete with pictures… and pictures… and more pictures.

In the initial post of this blog… the change of seasons…  I shared what God had been doing in mine and Randy’s hearts towards Kenya.  If you didn’t read that you might want to go back to catch up a little here…

… continuing THAT post…  God did provide and Randy did return to Kenya for 2 months this past March.  I joined him for the last 2 weeks.  While he was there Randy discipled 8 young men, teaching them Inductive Bible Study Methods and spending 6 hours a day / 3 days a week studying, praying and searching the scriptures.  During this time he had many other men ask to be a part and asked if they, too, could be taught to study the Word.

That served as confirmation for Randy that God is calling for more in Kisii. There is a great hunger for God’s Word, a great desire to know how to study His Word and to grow in Christ.  There is a need for discipleship and training.  There is a need for encouragement in the WORD.

After much prayer and with much counsel, we have found ourselves expecting to move forward with desires we know God has put in our hearts.

We are still praying and planning but are looking at returning after the first of the year.  It has been strongly recommended that we attend a language and cultural program which is about 6 months.  The program recommended is in Nairobi and begins mid January.  Beyond that we are not yet sure how this will all unfold and what this is going to actually end up looking like.  We are prepared for a commitment of whatever it is God asks.  At this point we are thinking 3-5 years.  Again, we don’t know how this will look exactly and we are praying much.

Our desire is to see a pastor/leader training program in Kisii.  We can see a ministry/mission training program somehow weaved into this, bringing, perhaps, Bible College graduates desiring to train for missions, committing to a year, raising their own support and being a part of the pastor training.

We also want to see a deeper Biblical training happening with the students at the orphanage.  Beyond that we are simply looking to the Lord for HIS direction.

In the mean time and over the next 6 months, we will need to take care of many details.  We will need to raise support and align ourselves with some missionary management resources.  We will need to do some liquidating and some storing of things.  And, we will need to prepare for this “adventure” in several ways.

We ask that you join us in prayer… ask God to continue to confirm HIS leading!  Ask God to equip us for this next season of our life.  Ask God to go before us and pave the way in every detail.  Ask God to be transforming our hearts more and more into His image so our eyes are fixed on HIM.

God has blessed me and Randy beyond measure!  When we look back and see the faithfulness of our God and how HIS Hand is seen in every corner along the way through the 31 years of our life together…  we honestly find ourselves catching our breath.

And it is because of how clearly we have seen HIS faithfulness looking back – that we now find ourselves looking ahead with great expectation and tremendous trust of what HE has for us and what HE will allow us to be a part of.

So – lots will be happening quickly and I will try to keep this blog updated.

We thank you for your prayers!

Walking in faith…

Randy & Kari

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23 years ago….  enter…. Kassandra Nicole Saul.

WOW – I never could have imagine how she would touch my heart, touch my life, touch my eternity.

She was my little girl after two “all-boy” boys.  It was now time for lace and frills, bows and flowers, dresses and dolls.  I think back to the day she was born and I smile and take a very deep breath.  She was perfect in every way.  And she instantly wrapped the hearts of me AND the boys in the house.  Her daddy and her two big brothers adored her.

Growing up she would encourage the craziness of her brothers by simply laughing at them.  To this day she has this gut based laughter that was born and developed through years of laughing at them – and most times – they were just NOT that funny.  Today she continues to laugh at them…  at their jokes… at their antics…  at their craziness  and NO ONE can make her laugh like her big brothers.

She is the princess and everyone knows it and everyone is really totally okay with it.  She can rally those boys for whatever she wants and still knows how to work them both.

Her father – another story.  He simply melts in her hand, in her smile, in her love and in her heart.

All this – you would think she would have been a brat.  Not so. She was a sweet and loving child that grew into a little girl that was a joy to be around… into a teenager that was actually fun and happy and joyful.  As she got older and started high school, she solidified her relationship with Christ and that’s when the beauty and graciousness, the loveliness and kindness, the joy and laughter really blossomed and has made this little precious baby girl into an amazing, beautiful and love filled woman of God.

I am urged on by this girl…  urged on by her love for Jesus, her love for His Word, her love for friends, her love for her family.  I am spurred on to good works as I watch her serve with all her heart and as I see the desire of her’s for Christ.  I see her take everything to God, in prayer and supplication.  I see her acknowledge Him and trust Him in all she does, in all she needs, in all she desires.  I see her apply His truths in her life and I watch as God’s faithfulness illuminates through her.  Truly – this “child” amazes me.

I watch her with her added sisters, with her niece and nephews and how she loves her family  I watch her with her grandparents.  I watch her with her church family.  I watch her with her friends and as I watch her — in her sincerity, honesty, genuineness and pure love — I think — I want to be like Kasi when I grow up!

I have now seen this little girl God gave to me, this sweet child I raised in Him, this young lady I intercede for…  become this woman I am both inspired and encouraged by…  my very best girlfriend in the world…  MY DAUGHTER.