Family on Mission - Part 3

*Post written by Kelly Carson

Shellie has shared in Part 1 and Part 2 of this 5 part series, a little bit about the calling our family has and why we want to go on this trip as a family. This third part is now written from my perspective (Kelly).

For those that have not read the first two parts, I highly recommend it. For those who just don’t have time, here is the quick summary:

Last fall, we decided that rather than taking a trip to Europe to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we would instead use the money to take the family on a mission minded trip. So, in October we will be taking our entire family…yes our entire family including Lex, on a trip to an undisclosed location. We will be there for a week with a team of 13 individuals engaging in relational missions with a specific people group.

So when we discuss taking our entire family to this location, we usually receive some questioning looks. We have received these looks from our family, friends, and those who we have decided to share the details with. Now for some complete honesty, even I gave that look to Shellie when she originally suggested it. Now my reason is different than others. I am not concerned about safety like most. Instead, my questions came along the lines of “Are you serious…a 2 year old on a plane for 12+ hours?!?!?!” I also questioned whether Lex might be a distraction to the trip's overall purpose.

As Shellie and I discussed the matter more with our mission's pastor, I realized not only will bringing the entire family not be a distraction, but it could actually open up doors like never before. (Regarding the 12+ hour flight…well there’s no way around that one).

So, why was I so easily persuaded on bringing the entire family? Well, three years ago I actually got to visit this location with a group of 6 men. I saw first-hand the need for the gospel in this land and I also saw the barriers our group couldn’t break down because we were all men. When we spoke at our church afterwards, I even commented on the fact that not only did more people need to go, but we needed more diversity. 

I apparently forgot my comments when thinking about our own family.

You may now be asking, what doors can be opened by taking the family? For starters, I anticipate our family will raise some questions where we can explain the story of adoption within our own family and also our adoption into God’s family. (Romans 8:15). Second, we hope that sharing our family with them will show that we trust them and hopefully they will in turn start to trust us more. 

So as we prepare to go in October, I am reminded of the many people I got to see and engage with the last time I went. I look forward to sharing my family with these individuals and also sharing this experience with my family. This trip will be much different than the last in many ways, but my ultimate prayer is that we continue to build bridges and continue leading people closer to God.

In the meantime, if you would like to partner with us, you can do so in 1 (or more) of 3 ways: 

FIRST...
You can pray for our family and our team. We are a small team of 13 traveling to this undisclosed location. We would greatly appreciate your prayers!

SECOND... 
You can purchase a t-shirt and the proceeds will go towards our team traveling funds.

If you would like to pre-order a shirt, please let us know ASAP!
Here is a picture in case you wanted to know what it will look like. The awesomely talented Chuck Pope and Shellie worked on the design together. On a side note, it will be on really soft charcoal grey t-shirt material.
You can purchase one for $25.
(but you can always donate more)! 

  
THIRD...
You can give financially! Flying a family of 4 across an ocean is not a cheap endeavor. While we set aside money we have saved, it doesn't cover all of it by any means. If you would like to help us fund the rest of this trip, you can send a check, donate through PayPal (HERE) or through our church online. Here is the info on how to pay through the church website:

1. Go to: http://firstirving.org/give
2. Create an account (or login if you have one)
3. Under "give to" scroll down and find "Korea 2014"
4. Then pick one of our names in the next box.
5. Put how much you want to give and method of payment.

If we raise more money than we need for our family, the rest will go toward helping fund others going on the trip, along with gifts we will take to the people we will be visiting. 

Stay tuned for Part 4 to come soon!