France Saturday, 5-18-13

     I wanted to elaborate on a few tweets and Facebook posts you may have seen from us over the past few weeks.
    Most of you know by now that we can't reach our goal of leaving for France in the fall.  We still need more financial support, but even if God provided it, the required course we were hoping to attend in July is full.  And so, each time we find out that this phase of our journey is not yet finished, we're left with a lot of questions, sometimes mixed with feelings of guilt and failure, wondering if we had just done something "better" or "smarter," would we have reached our goals.  As if more human effort and ingenuity was all we needed!  But God reminds me over and over that this journey, and our lives, is just a tiny thread in the divine tapestry that He's weaving.  This is truly BIGGER than me or my family.
     I always liked the thought that we should pray that God would allow us to be a part of something so big that only He could pull it off. And I believe He's doing that.  This isn't something we can just "make happen" without his powerful, providential hand, and I'm thankful for it.  There will be no doubt who deserves the glory when we step off the plane in France!  God will have made a way. 
     Then the question becomes, "So why is God taking so long, lol!" Yes, timing.  The time is not yet right for Him to receive the maximum amount of glory.  Also, I believe He's still up to something, and again I think it goes beyond just preparing me and my family for church planting.  I think it's that and more. Without being too presumptuous, allow me to share a couple of reasons I think He's holding us here a while longer. 

Not to sound too much like a Garth Brook's song, we long to get to France, but also thankful for many things & people in our lives... (1/2)
— Brandon Burch (@burchworldteam) May 6, 2013

...That we wouldn't have experienced if God allowed us to go to France a year ago.God is doing something bigger than "us" (2/2)
— Brandon Burch (@burchworldteam) May 6, 2013

     For example, we have a great group of friends and family that I call our "faith team" that we've been able to meet with about once a month to pray and organize our efforts.  If we had been allowed to leave for France a year ago, many of this group would not have been a part of this process.  

Karis found out that we're not leaving for France this fall.Her response: "I think God wants us to tell people here that He loves them"
— Brandon Burch (@burchworldteam) May 8, 2013

Reminds me that this interim period is not just for future preparation, but present purpose!2 Pet. 3:9
— Brandon Burch (@burchworldteam) May 8, 2013

    That was truly a precious moment for us!  But take a look at that verse. --  9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. -- I know I'm not dealing with the immediate context, but don't the principles apply here as well?  God isn't slow about anything!  But everything He does is for a purpose, to reconcile the world to Himself.  I believe God wants to use us to involve more people in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.  I believe there are friends, co-worker's, family members, people that we're still to meet "as we're going" that need to hear the Good News.  So yes, please continue to pray that God would provide the funding needed to take the gospel to France.  But in the meantime, pray that we would be His ambassadors here and that His purposes will be accomplished through us.