Yahweh Jireh- The Lord Will Provide

To travel to the Dominican this fall, we needed to apply for passports. It sounded like a simple enough task. Gather birth certificates from our safe, fill out the applications, schedule our appointments, get our pictures taken, and pay the fees. Right? Sure. That would be how it would go in a perfect world. 

Our passport experience was quite different, though. With busy schedules for each of us, finding time to get everyone to their appointments was a challenge. Also, I discovered that Zack's birth certificate apparently was lost throughout the years of wrestling sign-ups, so I had to apply for a new one, which took weeks to arrive in the mail.

Also, I should have known that one parent cannot apply for a child's passport; you need both parents. This meant that we needed to plan for a day when their dad could meet us to sign the kids' applications.

Then, the day that Adam was scheduled to get his passport (which was incredibly difficult to schedule due to him working 12 hour days, six days a week), we discovered that both mother and father needed to be listed on the birth certificates, which they apparently didn't do in 1978 when Adam was born. So, we hurried up to Erie for a new birth certificate and made it back just in time for his appointment at the post office. 

The postmaster said it could take 6 to 11 weeks for our passports to come back. When she counted the weeks at our final appointment, there were 12 weeks left before our departure. 

I think God is teaching us to not be anxious through this process. Our preparing and going on this trip is in obedience to His calling. It would be so much easier to not go. It would be so much easier to pretend that I don't hear the Holy Spirit and ignore the obvious signs leading us to pursue this. If it is God's will, we will go. It is really that simple. If the funds are there, we will go. If our passports arrive in time, we will go. It is our job to pursue this journey, and God will make a way. He alone is our provider.

Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Getting Scrappy

 

We have discovered that asking for donations is difficult for us. In an effort to raise funds for our upcoming mission trip, we decided to ask friends and family to donate any scrap metal that they may have. 

We will also be offering fall clean-up services!

Here are pictures from my uncle's gracious donation. We are able to involve the kids in this and Zack his honing his skills in differentiating the different types of metal!

Anna was not home this day, but she will be getting in on the action for our next scrap haul. 

We would appreciate your support

 

(Dominican Republic flag)

Hello again, from our family to yours!

We are excited to share more about the opportunity that our whole family- Miranda, Adam, Bella, Anna and Zack- will have to serve in the Dominican Republic this November with a team from the Federated Church. Over the years, our family has sought ways to serve within our own community, but the Lord put it on our hearts to step a little further from our comfort zone this time, and we are thrilled to see how God will grow our relationship with Him! I have already witnessed His perfect timing and provision in this journey. I recently sold a fence we were no longer using, which provided the exact amount we needed to cover the cost of our passports! Bella commented, “Wow, God gives you exactly what you need at just the right time!”

To give you some information about our trip, we will be serving in the community of La Represa for the week of November 22^nd-28^th. The Federated Church has officially partnered with a man named Nelson Paulino and his school, Casa Misionera, since the winter of 2022. Our church has also had the privilege to support one of the Casa Misionera students named Cristian.

We will have a variety of opportunities to serve during our trip, including:

- A visit to Remar Orphanage where we will deliver food and have a celebration with the children

- In home food distribution, fellowship and prayer to 20 families in great need

- Church service at Cristian’s church where his father is the Pastor

- A 3-day VBS at the school in La Represa, where Cristian’s mother is the principal

- Minor repairs and maintenance projects at the church and school

- A potluck dinner at the church to fellowship with their members

I'm writing with two requests. First, I am asking for your commitment to pray for our family before, during, and after the trip. I would also request prayers for the mission of Casa Misionera, the work we will be doing while there, as well as the team going. We have a team of 32 people, 14 of which are children and teens!

Second, the cost of the trip is $2,000 per adult/teen, and $1,500 per child, so that is a total of $9,500 needed for our family. We are following the Lord’s lead and trusting for His provisions! If God has blessed you financially and you would like to contribute to building His kingdom in this way, this trip may provide that opportunity for you. 

To give you an idea of the financial breakdown for this trip, the in-country cost for teens and adults is on average $140 per day, and for children it is about $62 per day. Our plane tickets are roughly $1,000 per person. 

Your gifts are tax deductible if the contribution is made to the Federated Church. There are two ways you could give:

1) Go to the link below for an online gift. Choose “Mission Trips”, type DR-22 — Bernhardt and amount you feel lead to give. https://www.kindridgiving.com/App/Form/2bf807f9-17f1-4f8e-96d9-2a662fe394e2

2) You could send a check to the Federated Church, 11995 Main Street, East Springfield, PA 16411.  Please attach a separate note that says DR-22 – Bernhardt to your gift.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, prayers and support. 

God, was that you?

 

Hello, and welcome to my very first blog. I really wanted a way to capture as much as I could about how God is moving in our lives though this mission trip to the Dominican Republic, so I decided to give blogging a try. 

We attend the Federated Church. In May, this family mission trip to the Dominican Republic was announced during a service. I had never felt a calling to go on a short-term mission trip before, but this time was different. Leading up to this announcement, I had recently been asked by a few people if I had ever been on a mission trip. I'd respond with something like, "No, there is so much I can do here to serve, that I don't really need to leave." They would listen to my reasoning and then politely encourage me to go on one. So, when I heard this family mission trip announced in church, I was surprised that I felt a nudge in my heart that our family should go.

Admittedly, I hesitated...I ignored...I did not make any plans or preparations to attend any of the meetings.  Then after church the day of the first meeting, a woman from our couples Sunday school class approached me. She started out by telling me that she was stepping out of her comfort zone, and this wasn't really "how she operated", but she felt the Holy Spirit was putting it on her heart to ask us if we were going to the Dominican Republic meeting after church. I told her I wasn't planning on it, but since the Holy Spirit put it on her heart to ask, that I would attend.

I listened to the information and was excited about the idea of my kids being able to participate in the projects in the Dominican. I also learned the trip would cost more than we could cover out of pocket, but I figured if the Lord was calling us to go, He would provide. We each put our $100 deposit down by June 1 and started planning our fundraisers. We are excited to see God move through us, our families and our friends. We are thrilled about the bonds we are building with our DR team and the communities we will be serving. Thanks for joining us on this faith-building and humbling experience! Please keep us in your prayers. 

With love,

Miranda

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p.s.  We are following the Lord’s lead and trusting for His provisions! If God has blessed you financially and you would like to contribute to building His kingdom in this way, this trip may provide that opportunity for you. 

To give you an idea of the financial breakdown for this trip, the in-country cost for teens and adults is on average $140 per day, and for children it is about $62 per day. Our plane tickets are roughly $1,000 per person. 

Your gifts are tax deductible if the contribution is made to the Federated Church. There are two ways you could give:

1) Go to the link below for an online gift. Choose “Mission Trips”, type DR-22 — Bernhardt and amount you feel lead to give. https://www.kindridgiving.com/App/Form/2bf807f9-17f1-4f8e-96d9-2a662fe394e2

2) You could send a check to the Federated Church, 11995 Main Street, East Springfield, PA 16411.  Please attach a separate note that says DR-22 – Bernhardt to your gift.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, prayers and support.