Thou shalt move to Guatemala!

Okay, so it wasn't an audible voice and I didn't hear those exact words, but there is no doubt in my mind or my heart that moving to Guatemala is right where I am supposed to be.

As I have mentioned before, I have always loved missions. I first started learning about missions when I was about 7 years old, and I wanted to go on trips to help people ever since then. I remember crying at the airport when I was 10 because my parents were going on a mission trip, and I wasn't crying because I was going to miss them (even though I was going to), I was crying because I didn't get to go. Twelve was the "golden age" to go on a mission trip, so 2 weeks after my twelfth birthday, I boarded a plane to Mexico, and I haven't stopped going since then.

I knew that missions would always be a part of my life. I wasn't sure how it would all unfold, but I knew that I was going to live internationally and serve others. I studied International Relations in college, I knew that having this background would be helpful, I understand government relations, and this degree can help me get into countries where having only a Bible degree would keep me out. For awhile, I thought I might work in the Foreign Service, but then I realized that it wasn't really my heart. I did want to help people and bring humanitarian relief, but more importantly I wanted to minister to the biggest need that people have and that is knowing Jesus personally, and experiencing His great love and that missions was the avenue that God wanted to use me in!

So... last year in July, as I was leading a missions team of youth to Guatemala from my church, The Branch, I began feeling that change was on it's way. It's hard to describe exactly what the "feeling" felt like, but it was as if the Holy Spirit was preparing my heart for what was to come. I knew that some changes were about to take place in my life, and I knew that God was doing it all, and so I began to dig into the Word even more and just prayed that I would be led by His peace and that I would know what to do.

That trip was a great time of surrender. I think that word has become the theme of the past couple of years of my life. Surrender is a beautiful thing. It is also very difficult at times. Many times in order for us to walk in the fullness of all that God has for us, we have to let go of our own plans and ideas. Such was the case for me, I am a planner, I schedule everything and I like to know what is going to happen and when. Of course, I know that the plans that God has for me will be better than my own, but that doesn't mean that laying down my dreams gets easier, it's painful, it's frustrating, it's confusing, and it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! When we decide to let go of everything we are holding onto for comfort, for fulfillment, and we give it all to God, He picks us up and totally amazes us!

When I was in Guatemala last summer, I began reading Psalm 37, this is a familiar passage, but I knew that God was speaking to me through it. The first part that spoke to me were verses 3&4 which say, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires." WOW! I had read this verse so many times, but it was now jumping off the page. Suddenly, I was felt like I should write down my heart's desires. The funny thing is that when I started writing down the things that I really did want and desire more than anything, my self-made plans didn't really match up, I had ideas and plans and I thought it was what I wanted, but when I really sat down and thought about it, I had made those plans a long time ago, and since I am a planner, I just wanted to accomplish the goal. Hmmmm, not really the AMAZING dreams that I thought I was holding onto, huh?

So, I decided to surrender. I went over everything and told God that I laid every idea I had about what my life should be, how it should look, what I should do, where I should be, EVERYTHING at His feet! It was a tearful time, full of peace and joy! I knew that His ways are higher, but then after surrendering, I was able once again to experience His ways, and can I just say that they are SO GOOD! Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Well, I knew that verse, but honestly, I was trying to figure it out, because ummm.... I think I have a good imagination and I can think of some pretty awesome stuff, so beyond anything I could imagine, had to be pretty crazy, right?

Well, He did it, I surrendered, and He did far beyone anything I could imagine, and He did it in EVERY area of my life. I know that I have been led by Him every step of the way, the paths He has taken me down are very different than anything I would plan, and THANK THE LORD that they are, because they are SO AMAZING, I mean literally they are BEYOND ANYTHING I COULD IMAGINE, hmmm, exactly how the Word says it would be.

So, that's that, and now I am going to move to Guatemala, and the joy that comes from obedience is wonderful, I love it, and I am excited to see how it all unfolds. The Bible doesn't promise that it will be easy, but it promises that He is there every step of the way, and that our lives will be full of peace, joy, hope, love and everything else that we need! YAY FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS AND GRACE!! He is soooooooo good!

Guatemala - Before the "Big Move" - Finances

As with any move, there are a lot of expenses that come into play.

Besides the monthly support that I need to raise, there are some other "pre-move" expenses that have to be covered and planned for. There is the training, the shipping of my items, and various legal fees. I also will take some intensive Spanish training when I first arrive to Guatemala, so I have to have those fees covered. I believe that about $1500 will cover all of that.

In addition to that, I have to find a car...

I need a car while in Guatemala for obvious reasons, I have to go places... It is not safe for me to ride on the buses there, and I am not allowed to travel alone, unless I am in a car.

I need to get a car that is in good condition and that can withstand really bumpy, often unpaved roads. The driving there is pretty crazy, and so I would like to get a SUV, so that I feel more protected, and so that I can sit higher up and see what is ahead (to change lanes there, you just pass in whatever lane you want going whatever direction and I will be living in the mountains, so it's curvy, therefore I like to know what's ahead). I would also like to get a Toyota, Nissan, or Mazda, because those are common cars there, and so I can get them repaired or worked on more easily, without having to ship parts from the states.n I think my ideal car would be something like a Toyota 4Runner.

I can either buy a car in Guatemala or in the states. There are pros and cons to both. Buying a car in Guatemala will cost more than it does here, plus, there is no way to research if the car has had any issues in the past, but there is less paperwork to be done, and I don't have to pay the high tax fee to bring it in from the states. Getting a car in the states means that there is more paperwork, and the car has to be paid off before it can be taken out of the country. Plus, I have to pay the taxes and shipping to get it into Guatemala. But, the cars from here usually cost less and they can be checked out more thoroughly. So, I am weighing the options. I believe that I will look for a car in the states, and see what I find... I know that God will lead me to the right one for the right price and it will all fall into place, and that He will provide for all the needs.

I really am learning to trust A LOT. I know I have said it over and over, but His faithfulness is so great and I love the fact that we can be led by His peace! When we know we are in His will, then we can trust confidently that He is faithful who promised and that He has it all worked out!

Guatemala - Monthly Finances

Fundraising... oh, the exciting word! I must admit that the thought of fundraising can loom quite strongly over the excitement of moving to Guatemala. I am the type of person who likes to work hard for my employer, prove that I am worth the investment and therefore EARN the money that I make. Hmmmm... needless to say, the fundraising process is one in which God is stretching me, teaching me to trust, and reminding me that some things just can't be earned.

As a missionary, I am responsible to raise all of my support. This support covers all of my living expenses (housing, food, transportation, etc), legal fees (and there are quite a few for moving and residency issues), travel, organization fees (15%), required insurance, as well as covering costs for outreaches and other ministry involvement.

My goal is to raise $2000/month in committed support. This would be more than enough to cover my expenses, plus there would be some leftover to use for additional ministry items, emergency expenses, etc.

Before I can move to Guatemala, I must have at least $1200 in committed monthly support. This is a requirement from Living Water Teaching to assure that when missionaries move there, they have some backing and that they will at least be able to cover their basic personal living expenses.

Please prayerfully consider becoming one of my sponsers. I believe that myself and Living Water Teaching are good ground to sow into. The missionaries of Living Water Teaching are hard workers, and are determined to fulfill the call of God on their lives, and I am thankful and honored to be joining them.

If you would like to support me, please contact me at karadixonmissions@gmail.com. I can give you more information on how the support process works and the different ways in which you can help!

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. II Corinthians 9:7-11 (NLT)

All of my support is ran through Living Water Teaching. Checks can be made payable to Living Water Teaching, and in the memo section please write my missionary number, which is 11500. (Donations are tax-deductible, LWT is a 501(c)3 organization).

Guatemala - Before the "Big Move" - To Do's

Moving is quite a job. I just moved from my apartment, back into my parent's home so that I can save money towards my move to Guatemala and so that I can have more quality time with them before I leave. That packing experience was... exhausting, because I had to go ahead and pack the things to ship to Guatemala, pack things to go to my parent's house and then pack things that I would need to store for a little while. I did have some amazing friends helping me out, which was greatly appreciated!!!!!

So, I get to move again in six months and I am pumped about all that entails! For now though, there are tons of things that have to get done in order for that to happen.

First, I will be going to Oklahoma for some training. I will be working in Living Water Teaching's school, and therefore, my week in Oklahoma will consist of training on how the school works, the curriculum, classroom management, etc. From there I will go down to Texas to Living Water's headquarters to meet all of the stateside staff, finish up some paperwork and contracts, and get the rest of the logistical things taken care of.

Living Water ships a container with all the Shoebox gifts and other items to Guatemala each year. It takes several months for the container to get to Guatemala and clear customs, so everything that I want shipped has to get to Texas by August. So, I have to ship everything from Charlotte to Texas really soon! So, I decided to drive to OK and TX so that I can load up the car with as much as possible, and therefore save some shipping cost at least on the Charlotte to Texas segment (I never knew how expensive shipping was), and then I will ship the rest of the stuff later.

Hmmmm... there is a lot to do, and sometimes I begin to feel overwhelmed with everything, because all of this is on top of all my regular responsibilities, but then I am reminded that God has it all figured out and that it will all get taken care of! I am soooooooooooo thankful for my God who cares about every detail of our lives! His faithful love is forever!!!!

Guatemala Newsletter

Here is a look at my first newsletter for Guatemala! I am so looking forward to moving there! I know that is where God wants me for the next season of my life! So, take a look... Oh, and if you click on each page, it will show you a bigger version so that you can actually read it ;-)

All About Living Water Teaching

Living Water Teaching is the organization that I will be serving with in Guatemala. The picture above is from their 2008 Bible School Graduation. The heart of Living Water Teaching is the Bible Institutes. By training students in the Word of God and ministry skills LWT is able to have exponential growth in their effectiveness and outreaches. Through the Bible Institutes throughout Central and South America students are able to learn, grow and return to their home prepared to reach their community, country and the world for Christ!


Here is more background information about them, along with their Vision, and Tenants of Faith.

Background Info

After dissolving their Ohio construction firm in 1976, Jim and Marion Zirkle and their three children moved to Broken Arrow, OK. During two years of intense study in God’s Word, Jim was presented with an opportunity to minister to a group of missionaries working in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. It was during this time of ministry that the Spirit of God called him to Central America. Soon afterwards, the vision that today guides the entire ministry began to unfold.

Living Water Teaching was started in 1979 by the Zirkles. Since then, the work of this ministry has grown to include outreaches in eleven countries around the world. The Word of God is going forth by way of Bible schools, evangelistic campaigns, medical clinics, Operation Shoebox, and through the ministries of the graduates of the Bible Institutes in each of these countries.

When their Douglas DC-3 aircraft went down on November 1, 1998, taking the lives of Marion’s husband, son, son-in-law, two missionaries, and six group members from the United States, she knew that the vision was not completed. She picked up the mantle on that fateful night, and by the grace of God, continues running with the vision of changing Central America for Jesus.

On July 12, 2003, Marion married Pastor Clarence Wright and they, along with the Living Water Teaching family, are taking the gospel to Belize, Cuba, Mexico, the six countries in Central America, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay in South America.

Living Water Teaching is in its 30th year on the field and has currently graduated over 29,000 Bible school students. The ministry has seen over 700,000 born again over the last 29 years. More than 100 denominational groups have trusted us to train their leaders and young people. The commission of Living Water Teaching is to make disciples, and send them out to do the same.


Vision

The Vision of Living Water Teaching (As directed by the Holy Spirit)

• Convert My people to the Word, not to religion.
• Train them in righteousness.
• Show them by example My power to change lives by giving spiritual conditioning to their spirits, by way of the Word.
• You are to train My sent ones to go on and do greater than I have shown you by building on your errors and successes.
• The vision is transferable, but My commission is not! You are to carry it forth into all of Central America.
• Trouble the waters of Central America as the angel troubled the waters of Bethesda. Trouble them with faith, healing, and salvation.

Tenants of Faith

The program and activities of Living Water Teaching shall be based upon and at all times shall be consistent with the following beliefs:

• The Bible is the mind of Christ, and it is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21; Hebrews 4:12.
• There is one God manifested in three personalities: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Isaiah 45:5,6; I John 5:7; Matthew 28:19.
• The reality of Satan and his present control over unregenerated man does exist. I Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11, 12; II Corinthians 4:4.
  

Christianity is based upon the following:

• The deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; John 10:30.
• Born of the Virgin Mary. Luke 1:26-35; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23.
• His sinless life. Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22; II Corinthians 5:21.
• His miracles. John 3:2, 11:45, 20:30.
• His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood. Isaiah 53:4,5; I Peter 2:21-24; Colossians 1:14.
• His body resurrection. I Peter 1:21; Galatians 1:1; Romans 1:4.
• His ascension to the right hand of the Father. Acts 1:19-11; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1.
• His personal return in power and glory as Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings. Matthew 24:30, 25:31; Thessalonians 1:7-10.
• The fall of man and his lost of estate, which makes necessary a rebirth through confession and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 10:9,10; I Corinthians 15:21,22.
• The reconciliation of man to God by substitutionary death and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:5-10; II Corinthians 5:18.
• The resurrection of believers into everlasting life and blessing in Heaven, and the resurrection of unbelievers unto everlasting punishment in the torments of Hell. John 5:28,19; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Mark 16:16.
• The present supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit, Who bestows the spiritual gifts of: the word of Wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, various kinds of tongues, in and among the believers on the Earth since the day of Pentecost and continuing until our Lords return. I Corinthians 12; John 16:7, 13:15; Ephesians 4:8.

For more information about Living Water Teaching, please visit their website at: http://www.livingwaterteaching.org/.

Youth Guatemala Trip

I just returned from Guatemala yesterday! It was an amazing trip! I had the wonderful honor of leading a team from my church's youth group. Boy was it fun! These teens are hilarious, they had me laughing, hard. They have so much joy and know how to enjoy life, moment by moment. More than that though, they truly love God! Their desire to serve God and to share His love with people is so inspiring and encouraging! These teens are seeking God each day, determined to fulfill all of His dreams for their lives, and I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to help with that!

While in Guatemala, we went to a town called Santo Tomas La Union, and ministered in parks, bus terminals, various communities and other similar locations. We performed dramas that shared of God's love, and how He is the only one that can fill that void in our lives. The Gospel was presented, and then we went and shared with the people who watched the dramas. It was so great to see the team walk in boldness, unashamed of their love for Jesus, and passionate about wanting others to experience the love, joy, hope and future that He gives! Approximately 335 people gave their hearts to the Lord! Isn't that awesome?!

My desire is to help people, and help them in turn help others. So, having the opportunity to help train teens for missions and watch what God does in their lives just brings me great joy! God used them to do so much this past week, and at the same time, He did so much in them!

God is so good and His faithful love never ends!