Rachel: Our Newest Team Member

Yesterday we picked up our newest team member from the airport - Rachel Reilly! She will be here until the end of November and will be working with us to help care for Eden and Baby Edgmon, freeing me up as well as Blake to meet with students and do other ministry work. 

We started praying early last year that God would bring us someone to help out with childcare - it’s tough to be thousands of miles away from family members and having to cut ministry efforts almost in half. While our first ministry is to our children, we do also have a responsibility to continue in what God has called us to here in Ireland with university students. Rachel is an answer to prayer and will be an integral part of God’s movement here on campuses across the nation. 

Please be in prayer for her as she acclimates to life here, gets over jet lag, and gets to know our precious first born (who is a force of nature to be reckoned with). We are so thankful for her and are excited to get to know her more!

(Also, many of you have been asking. We are still waiting to hear back about our visa. Please pray. Our current visa will expire in 18 day. We are at peace that God will provide.)

Fast Food or Fast Faith

Matthew 14:13-21 - When Jesus fed the 5000, we get fixated on the kid with the fish and bread. But it's not about the kid (in the Matthew version that I read, he's not even mentioned). It's about Jesus and what he did...and what he asked the disciples to do in the first place. 

They suggested a logical thing - it's getting dark. There's no food here. There's food in nearby villages. People should go find some dinner before they're stumbling around in the dark looking for a KFC before it closes. Jesus, out of the blue, tells them to produce some food for them. What?

And here it is: when he asks us to do something, go somewhere, give something, talk to someone, etc....and we lack the obvious resources...what is our response?

In the story, the disciples actually started asking around for food. They had nothing to offer in and of themselves, so they gave their small resource to Jesus. He made it happen, gave it back to them, and they ended up feeding a ton of people. 

Was it their ingenuity and quick thinking that saved the day? No. It was all the grace of God. When our resources look skimpy, we shouldn't panic. We shouldn't give up the task because there isn't an abundance of stuff/knowledge/money/time in front of us. God has the ability to provide that abundance. We need to be faithful with the scraps in our basket. He can turn those scraps into a feast. 

We write this post to challenge and encourage ourselves. We pray it blesses you as well.  Thank you for your faith as you pray and support us here. Together we are walking in God’s provision.

God Knows the Details

Yesterday we went to Open Arms Church in Newbridge to see our friends, Ron and Sharon, before they leave for the U.S. on Thursday. It was our last time to see them for the foreseeable future. They had visa issues too, and after several appeals were told they could not stay in Ireland. So they will be heading back to New Mexico, and we will be praying for them to quickly return. 

We were so happy to see them and have a chance to catch up. As we talked with them and shared stories, here's a few things that really stuck in my head.

• As one of the pastors at Open Arms said, Irish Immigration holds no power that God didn't give them. If He wanted the Hassetts to stay in Ireland, they would be staying in Ireland.
• They feel called, committed, and commissioned to this new and unexpected direction. Their attitude is great, and their hearts are set on fulfilling whatever call God has for them. 
• I want to be like Ron and Sharon when I grow up. They worked "secular" jobs until retirement. THEN they became missionaries to Ireland. Their willingness to serve God no matter their age, the cost, the position, or the detour is an example of which we should all take note. 

Let's join together this week in praying for Ron and Sharon. Pray for a smooth transition, fruit in their new direction, and quick admittance back into Ireland.

Katy and I are still awaiting our visa clearance. There are good days and bad days. Talk with this couple increases our faith that no matter the result, God will be directing our path. Thank you for all your prayers and support.