Preparing for ARC

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared and ark for the saving of his household.

Hebrews 11:7

In 11 days, on September 10th, I will be leaving Arkansas and heading to California to attend Crisis Response International disaster relief training at the ARC Intensive.  I am excited, anxious to begin this adventure.  Training in disaster relief and ministry that will reach the harvest in times of crisis.  The Lord has given me complete peace as I have been working towards preparing to go on this trip.  That is the only way I could leave my husband and children for 63 days.  I am so blessed to have parents that live in the same town as I do, who are willing to take care of their grandchildren and help them with their homeschooling, activities and chores at home.  The children will be taking care of our chickens, dogs, cats, honey bees, and the garden as my husband works 5-6 day work weeks.

I have already assembled a notebook for my Mom that contains the kids schedules and will soon be printing their school work.  Well, Autumn's will need to be printed but Caleb's is AOP Switched on Schoolhouse so that won't be too difficult to transfer to my parents home computer while I'm gone. 

The Lord has so faithfully provided for my financial needs for this trip.  I had to depend on Him for every penny to make this work.  My prayer has been and still is, Lord prepare the hearts of those whom you would have partner with me in this calling.  The first support I received was handed to me in an envelope and the person said, "This is provision from your Heavenly Father".  Little did this person know, the night before I spent praying and crying out loud to the Lord about how difficult it was to see how the provision was going to come, even though I knew He would do it.  I told Him exactly how I felt, what was difficult and what I was wrestling with inside, and then asked if He could just show me a little provision.  When I opened the envelope not only did He show me His provision, He showed me there is a vast difference between "my" little and His little.  It was a definite faith builder.  Support has consistentl come in since that time. 

Less than 60 days ago I began my support raising efforts.  As of today I only need a bit more to meet the cost of training fees and travel.  I trust the Lord completely to provide this and more since I know He knows my needs better than I do. 

If you are hearing from the Lord to partner with me, please know there is no amount too small.  Every gift is from the Lord and a complete blessing.  If you desire to partner with me you can contact me at liveprepared@cox.net .  I would love to visit with you and share my heart.  You can also view the original post about my training here.

I am asking that everyone please keep me in their prayers as I walk out this calling.  Pray not only for me but for my family.  I also ask that you pray for seed to be sown into future support raising when I am called to deploy to disaster or assist in training others.  I will need to develop partnerships and, as a wife, stay at home mom/homeschool teacher I will definitely be able to use some of my own skills to earn money from home.  Pray the Lord will provide ideas that will be profitable and a good use of time that does not take away from my responsibilites to my family. 

I will continue to provide updates while I'm gone via this blog and Facebook.  It may only be once a week since we are going to be living Off Grid with limited power. 

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog.  I can't wait until I can share more with you about my learning and experiences.

ARC Intensive Training Update

In 30 days I will be in California, in the high desert, near Big Bear Mountain, training to respond to disasters in times of crisis.  Training to bring Jesus to those who are experiencing crisis. 

Tonight at the prayer set that I serve on at The Pointe, we were singing and praying and the Lord opened my eyes and showed me that not only should we respond to crisis that comes from natural disasters and economic crashes, but we should be watchful for those crisis moments happening around us each day.  The neighbor who lost their spouse to cancer and needs to know they are loved after all the family has gone back home.  The family down the street...the new one who doesn't have an income because they lost their job and moved in search of new work; who has children to feed and get to school; school supplies to purchase; needs to plug into a church; just needs to know they are welcome and that they have value.  Sometimes we forget, when we are comfortable, that others are not.  That they are lacking.  They need to know we care and who their real provider is.  They may or may not be believers in Christ but they need encouragement and edification regardless.

I am walking in a new season.  One that I feel will challenge me in ways I've never considered being challenged.  Shaping, molding, pressing, squeezing, change.  Good change. 

I am thankful for the desires the Lord has placed in my heart and I'm thankful He is directing my steps.  I am on track with my support raising and praying for the Lord to prepare the hearts of others whom He would have partner with me in prayer and finances.  If the Lord is speaking to you about helping me I would love to visit and share more about what I am going to do.  You can read about the training itself here:  http://criout.com/training/upcoming-trainings/disaster-relief-training/  You can read this blog entry to find out more about how the Lord has been preparing me for this training here:  http://sowingseedshomeschooljourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/crisis-response-international-arc.html

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me during this time.  Your prayers are a great help.  I have a peace unlike anything I've ever felt.  Thank you also to everyone who has partnered with me financially.  The Lord's provision through financial partnership is what is making this trip possible for me. 

I would like to reach out to the homeschool community and ask you to prayerfully consider giving a small gift.  Every donation helps no matter the size.  Most of my blog traffic comes from those who visit to read curriculum product reviews and a small donation (between $1-$5) from even 1/4th of that traffic would be a blessing.   If you are considering a donation they can be made through Paypal.  Thank you so much for praying and considering partnering with me. 

Yet I will Rejoice!

One of the scriptures the Lord gave me when He first began speaking to me about preparedness was Habakkuk 3:17-19.  There is a beautiful song written based on this scripture, by Melissa Mott.  It was recorded over 10 years ago in Israel.  I can't find any of her music on YouTube, but while searching for it I found the video below. 




Over the past 5 years as the Lord has been dealing with me about preparedness, He has taught me the importance of standing firm and knowing the need to rejoice in Him in ALL things.  No matter what we go through, no matter what comes along our path, NO MATTER WHAT.......our Joy is in Him and Him alone.  Learn to hold tight to Him, depend on Him at all times, no matter what your eyes see in the physical learn to walk in the spirit.  We can trust in Him at all times for all things.

I am getting more excited as the time draws near to attend the ARC Intensive training.  Will it be difficult?  Yes.  Will it stretch me?  Yes.  But I am ok with that because I know the Lord will be right there with me as He is always. 

I have written a blog entry that provides more detail about the journey I've been on for the past 5 years.  If you haven't read it yet you can do so by clicking here.  I've also written an entry about how the Lord spoke to me even in the process of learning to raise and keep a flock of chickens in our back yard.  You can read that here. 

Thank you to all of you who take time to read my blog.  I sincerely appreciate all of your prayers as I begin walking in the calling the Lord has placed on my life.