Partner Profile: Joe and Laura Rule

Joe and Laura are extraordinary people. Let me explain. From the first time we met them we've known that they are caring, encouraging, and welcoming people. I guess you could say, we just clicked. They are a young couple, we are too. Lindsey and Laura grew up in the same church.

While meeting them, they shared about their involvement in many different areas of ministry even as a newly married couple. They've helped to build homes as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity on weekends when not at work. They serve at their church helping to lead the missions efforts locally and globally.

They welcomed us into their Sunday School class to share about our ministry. We enjoyed getting to know everyone there, learning how they are already involved in missions, and sharing even more ways they could get involved.

While meeting with them the first time, Joe zeroed in on one of the biggest struggles missionaries face in preparing to leave for the mission field...how to provide for yourself while raising support to leave for the field. Most missionaries face the dilemma: do I continue to work full-time which will provide for my family and delay our departure by reducing the amount of time to focus on support raising or do I work part-time or resign altogether which reduces the amount of money to live on but also potentially reduces the time required to raise support by enabling you to focus on it full-time. Thanks Joe and Laura for helping us in our pre-field journey so that we can continue stay focused full-time on support raising/partnership development and get to the field sooner.

People like Joe and Laura humble us. We don't deserve their support and encouragement. But it is evident that Christ worked in their hearts to have a passion for what Christ is doing in and through Lindsey and I. Joe and Laura's commitment to us through their friendship, prayers, support, willingness to help us connect to their church, and leadership in many other areas encourages us and motivates us to continue serving faithfully as God uses us both in the United States and abroad once we arrive in Uruguay.

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The Missionary Life: Serving the Senders

Missionaries only do their work/ministry in other countries right? Well, not so much. But wait, their ministry only starts once they leave the country, right? Well, not really.

These are common ideas. I used to believe them. I thought missionaries only went to other countries. Some do. Some just go to another region of the U.S. But even those who leave to serve in other countries don't serve in only that foreign country.

Confused yet? I hope not. Part of our ministry is in the U.S. You got it, part of our job description is located in the United States. What is that exactly? Good question.

We feel called to serve the senders. Family, friends, churches, small groups, and foundations SEND us. They SERVE us. So much focus is on them that there is even a good book title Serving as Senders. But, wait, we enjoy serving the senders too (not just the other way around).

As we wait on God to work in the hearts of our senders to commit all our monthly financial pledges, we serve our senders. Part of the privilege of serving as a missionary is getting to invest our time, abilities, and more in our senders. Let's flesh that out.

On Wednesday night we were invited to attend a friend's church in my hometown. We not only attended but contributed to the teaching. We prayed with people. We encouraged others. We look for

ward to returning and serving the people there again.

If you have had a role in our development, praying for us, financially supporting us, mentoring us, connecting us to an opportunity, or some other aspect of our lives, THANK YOU. We are humbled by the commitment shown by our senders. We covet your prayers. God has used and continues to use you to encourage us to persevere as we raise support. THANKS.

We look forward to serving you. We look forward to updating you on what God is doing around the world. We look forward to listening to your struggles, to praying for you, to celebrating your birthdays, anniversaries, births, weddings, graduations and more. We also hurt when you hurt and grieve when you grieve the loss of a loved one.

So many times our senders have served us. Thanks. We hope you not only know of but can experience and feel our passion for serving you. Thanks for allowing us to be your hands and feet in what God is doing around the world.

What about Parents of Missionaries (POMs)? They deal with loss, grief, and ambiguity when their kids leave home for another country. We'd appreciate others serving our parents while we are gone. Learn how here.

Not just our parents, though. All senders should be prayed for, loved, encouraged, and ministered to. Thanks for letting us serve you, the senders.

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Expectations...

Expectations can be high. Sometimes they are too low. Sound familiar?

While completing our pre-field training (ie missionary bootcamp) at the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT), they challenged us to consider our expectations. Interesting. What do I expect of my family? What do I expect of my friends? What about churches?

Even more difficult question: What do they all expect of us? Oftentimes disagreements come up. Expectations are not established. We argue. We misunderstand. We fail one another. We fail ourselves.

We want to set realistic expectations. Not only for our ministry but also for our personal lives. We want to give ourselves time to really improve our Spanish. To learn a new Spanish accent. To take the time necessary to learn Uruguayan culture, worldview, interests, and heroes. It does take time.

We want to discuss expectations with family, friends, churches and others. Do you know why? We value you. Yep, you got it. We value you. If we understand the expectations (ie "the rules for playing the game"), we'll understand one another, we'll encourage one another, we'll be less frustrated with one another, we'll reduce surprises and show grace when surprises do occur.

What are your expectations of us? Share with us. Not only your expectations of what we'll do but of how you'd like us to serve you. To keep in touch. To call. To email. To skype.

Discussing expectations builds healthy relationships. Be on the lookout for future blog posts about what our expectations are for family, friends, and churches. Don't read "expectation" as "requirement." Read it more as a hope or desire.

We expect to let others down. Others will let us down. We hope to continue to build relationships in new ways. Distance may be a struggle. But relationships can and will evolve. I mean, after all...what did you expect? :)

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Father's Day Thoughts from my Grandfather

For Father's Day, my grandfather wrote his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren a letter. We thought we'd share it with you.

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Father’s Day Thoughts to my Eight Children - by Dr. George Plonk, Sr. (aka Racehorse Plonk)

As a father of my five children and Esther’s three children, our 23 grandchildren, and my 19 great-grandchildren, I can relate to every Dad who wants to give his best to his family. Together with my wife Margaret [who passed away in 2003] and my wife Esther, we have walked through many

experiences with our children – teething, first steps, the first day of school, peer pressure, college, and weddings. With every child who came into our house, I have wondered, “Do I have what it takes?” At times, I have felt overwhelmed by the thoughts that I am responsible to lead, guide, and direct my children in the ways of the Lord. He has chosen me to lay down my wants and needs and to pour myself into the care and supervision of our children. And, He has chosen you, just as you are, to be a father or a mother to your children. He knows your longings, dreams, and goals. He knows your exhaustion, frustration, and worries. He knows the overwhelming fear of inadequacy that sometimes creeps in.

God’s reassurance is that his power is made perfect in our weaknesses. His strength is complete when we need him the most. Can you be the father or mother God wants you to be? Do you have what is takes? Through the power of Christ, the answer is always, “yes”.

I feel that I have been blessed to have such wonderful children. I am extremely pleased with every one of you. I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for coming to my 90^th birthday celebration with your children and grandchildren. What a wonderful experience that party was…the experience of a lifetime!

“Happy Father’s Day to all of you.”

Love,

Dad

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How to make a Waffle Cone - Blowing Rock, NC

Sometimes in life you watch something occur and you ask how or why. Every had that happen to you? On Thursday evening that happened to us. My parents took us to dinner. Afterwards we stopped for ice cream.

We walked in. It smelled REALLY good. I wondered why. It was a waffle cone maker. A woman was making waffle cones from scratch...batter, waffle maker, shaping waffle in shape of a cone, and then letting the waffle cone dry so that the next day they could fill it with ice cream for their customers.

We videoed the process. We found it to be amazingly simple but fun. Enjoy the video. We hope you will. We like to share things with our friends, family, supporters, etc so that you can experience and walk with us through our life and ministry.



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Barista Makes Portraits of Coffee Foam

Barista makes portraits out of coffee foam. Huh? Is that possible?

Those were the questions I asked too. Apparently a man in Colorado makes portraits of people using the foam in their coffee. The portraits are not stick figures, they look like pencil drawings of the people who come in to the store.

As much as we both like coffee, we never thought of this. I'm so encouraged many times by the creativity people demonstrate in our world. The question is, how can I utilized the things around me today to creatively do something in a way that impacts others.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Recipes from Lindsey's Kitchen: Squash and Sausage Casserole

Squash and Sausage Casserole

1 or 2 yellow squash
1 onion
1 lb of sausage (I prefer lean)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Wheat Thins

Brown the sausage in a pan. Drain.
Slice squash into thin slices. Do the same with the onion.
Place squash and onions in the pan with the sausage.
Keep the heat warm enough where the onions and squash will steam.
Serve on top of Wheat Thins and top with cheese.

This is a very NC meal that I learned how to cook once I got married to Brad, and now we eat it at least a few times a month! There is literally no way that I could share this recipe without giving credit to Brad's grandmother Kathleen and his mom Barbara who have graciously shared the recipe and cooked it for the Bridges family for years.

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New Podcast: May in Review by Brad and Lindsey Bridges

May in Review - by Brad and Lindsey Bridges

bradandlindsey's Podcast

Take a couple minutes to enjoy our most recent podcast where Lindsey interviews Brad about our activities, blessings, and more in the month of May.

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Anatomy of a Partner Church: Dewitt Evangelical Free Church

Yep. Some people just do things really good (or is it well?). Some churches also do things REALLY well. Dewitt Evangelical Free Church (DEFC) demonstrates one of those.

Many people have asked us what a partner church should do, what we expect, how they can be involved, etc etc. Maybe you are sitting there thinking the same thing.

Partner Churches do just that...they partner. Is that simple enough? Partner churches engage in ministry with us. They teach us. They encourage us. We serve them. We serve the Lord together with them. We partner.

DEFC has taught us what it means to partner with a missionary. They pray. They invite. They engage. They open their doors for us to share. They give financially. They dialogue with us about our goals, plans, objectives, hopes, fears, and struggles. They become our friends.

Early in May, we spent three inspiring, productive, and relationally compelling days with the people of DEFC where they invited Brad to speak to the men's Saturday morning Bible study, attend a small group Saturday night, preach in both Sunday services, speak in Sunday School, and we both spoke to the youth group on Sunday night.

Outside of those activities we were floored by the servant hearts of the youth who helped us prepare our mailing we sent out, the young farming couple who made a large contribution to our ministry, and the Van Ommeran's who graciously opened up their home to us and acted as ministry catalysts for us.

DEFC, thanks. Thanks for teaching us about what missional partner churches do, who they are, and what they are all about. We hope we've encouraged you as well and look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with you in ministry. Enjoy this video of one of our visits to Dewitt Evangelical Free Church and the impact they made on us!

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Partner Profile: John and Marti Sanborn

As I merged off the Tollway in Dallas, I heard the exciting news. John said, "Brad, our men's group met this morning and made an encouraging decision that will impact you guys."
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My mind immediately rushed back to our arrival in Phoenix, AZ where John Sanborn met Lindsey and I at the airport. After not seeing John for almost three years, there he was to greet us, help with our luggage, drive us to his house, loan us he and Marti's car, and serve us lunch. We were floored.

Not only did John and Marti greet us warmly but they also integrated us into their lives for the 7 days we were in the Phoenix area. We spoke in numerous churches, attended John's men's breakfast one morning, spoke in small groups, and even had a chance to spend some time with family friends.

After connecting us to numerous churches that yielded many committed prayer partners and 7 monthly financial partners pledging their support, John and Marti had something else in store for us. They took us to the Grand Canyon. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Stunning. They realized that every day was full while in AZ and that we needed a day off (believe it or not our Saturdays and Sundays are almost NEVER days off, so we take our days off during the week). Marti recommended the best salad in all of AZ at The Hideaway Restaurant, so of course we "had" to go to Sedona to try it out (GREAT idea Marti!).
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When all these memories finally had been processed in my brain, I heard John's exciting news. Another men's bible study he attends decided to commit to supporting us monthly as a group.

We appreciate you John and Marti. We appreciate your friendship. We are encouraged by your passion for missions. You inspire us to work towards getting to the mission field soon knowing that people like you are partnering with us.

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