Unless the Lord Builds the House....

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

"...the builder of all things is God." Hebrews 3:4

This past week, both of these verses were in my reading for the day. The word "build" stuck out to me like it was written in red. I have been reflecting on these verses since then, trying to prayerfully  consider what God was trying to say. And even now as I sit here to write out my thoughts, I remember that the name of our blog is "Kingdom Building" .... I'm seeing a theme here! 

In these verses, what screams out to me is ...... "Give God the hammer!" How often do we take the hammer out of God's hands and try to "build" things on our own- whether it be our ministry, our reputation, our holiness, our personal growth, you name it. And yet, when we look in the Bible we find a repeated theme of God wanting us to submit our will, our plans, our everything to his control so that he can accomplish his plans. 

And then I'm reminded of this verse:

 " For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and unseen whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things  have been  created   through him and for him . " Colossians 1:16

So for me, this theme has been a bite of the so-called "humble pie". I do not do myself or my Savior any favors by trying to work, work, work. In fact, I work in vain. But when I hand the Lord the hammer and let him do the building and creating- what he has been doing since the beginning of time ... Jesus is glorified, I'm not burnt out, and there is fruit - in season! 

We are getting ready to head home to the States and we have been contemplating all the conversations we will have  updating people on the 8 months we have spent so far in the Dominican Republic. And ya know, it has not been what we expected! It has been unexpectedly hard and good in different areas. But one thing I can confidently proclaim is that the Lord is "building the house" ... and his kingdom, for that matter! It does not look like what we thought it would, but we are trying daily to "hand over the hammer" so that the Lord can do his work and nothing is done in vain. 

Ministry / Family Updates:

- The month of May was full of visitors! So thankful for family and friends who were able to experience our life here....

- Gabe is 10 months old, is now an expert crawler and is exploring other forms of getting around (climbing up and off things ....)! He continues to be such a source of JOY in our lives, we are excited to spread that joy while back in the States.

- We have reevaluated our budget / current funds / ongoing needs and have determined that some more support raising will need to take place while we are home! I think some unexpected costs that are taking a toll on our budget are: gas at $6/gallon, car repairs (mountain driving can be tough on a car!), ongoing baby expenses, and the list of things that cost 2x more here than in the States. We are hoping to raise between $ 300 and $ 500 more per month. 

A huge thanks for all of your support and prayers! 

Blessings, 

Jamie, Matthew and Gabe

Run, Forrest, Run!

Recently the students and staff on campus participated in a 5K "Color Run" in Santiago. I (Jamie) actually did not participate in this one... BUT the idea running a race relates to a passage I read in Scripture recently, and using this recent race as an example seems to make sense. Imagine all of the runners lined up at the start line. Lots of energy, excitement, and maybe even some nerves. Now what would happen if there was no finish line? Or, better yet, the race officials tell you there is a finish line, but they don't tell you where it is? If you've never been to Santiago, Dominican Republic, it is the second largest city in the DR, aside from the capitol. Being in Santiago is hectic. Especially if you are not familiar with the area, it would be easy to get lost. I'm imagining all of our students and staff running around Santiago "like chicken with their heads cut off". As soon as the race starts, I can see a few determined runners set out to find the finish line, but the majority of them quickly lose steam at the thought of the slim chances of ever finding the finish line. With no end in sight, what's the point of running the race? 

And that brings me to the passage. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, "24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.26 Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air." (HCSV) 

This passage hit me like a 2x4 across my forehead. Do not run aimlessly. I felt the Lord nudging me to consider what my "aim" or goal is. What am I running towards? Or am I running around like a chicken with my head cut off, with no real purpose in mind? Sometimes I relate to the latter more than anything. Even being here in the DR, having moved here for a specific purpose and having constant reminders that I'm not "home", it is still easy to get into the day to day and lose sight of the purpose behind everything I do. 

We all have specific callings on our lives that may differ from person to person based on how God gifted us. As I reflect on the ultimate goal of everything I do, I'm reminded that it all serves to point towards the Lord. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory." (1 Corinithans 10:31, HCSV)

We think of you all often and pray that whatever you are doing, that it is with an attitude of praise and for the ultimate goal of glorifying God! That is what unifies us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Praise God! 

A few recent encouragements for us, as we "run the race" here in Jarabacoa, DR:

For this painting, we could only use two colors of paint! 

-Art program is back up and running, to the right is a picture of the first paintings that were created in last Friday's art class!
- This must be "Visit the Morley's" month, as we had friends here over the weekend and have 3 different groups of family members visiting yet this month! Such an encouragement to us to share our lives here with people we love!
- We've mentioned CMA being in transition, but are encouraged that a new couple moved on campus this week and there are several new staff coming in the next several months.
- We purchased tickets for our first trip to the States since we moved here- just over a month away!
- Gabe is 9 months old today! He's a speed crawler now and officially said his first word- "Da-da" :)

Our first of four visitors for this month, Dan and Meghan Hauser!

Keep running the race! We pray that the Lord encourages you to press through whatever you face today in order to best glorify Him.

In Christ!
Jamie, Matthew and Gabe

We have a new support video! Click here to watch it!

There is a horse in my yard!

All of my life I have wanted to own a horse. I was born with a love for horses, took riding lessons growing up, did 3 or 4 years straight of "Horseless Horse Project" in 4-H (sad, right?) until we leased a horse my last year so that I could actually show at the fair... you get the idea. So here I am, years later and in the Dominican Republic, with 4 horses at my disposal. And to be honest, for the first 6 months that I have been here, I have focused more on the fact that 3 out of the 4 are stallions and a little more on the rowdy side, definitely rusty with being ridden, and are smaller than your average horse. Plus, they just do things differently here. It is common to simply tie your horse up and let it graze, rather than turning it out into a pasture. They use different saddles,which don't always have the right parts. On top of that, we live on the side of a mountain, so finding a flat area to try and lunge a horse or do some practice-riding is virtually impossible. Let alone, trying to find time to ride with a baby!

To say the least, even though I would typically say that when I'm around horses, I'm "in my element", I have to admit that being around horses here, where everything seems different to me, I don't feel in my element at all! 

Just this past week, one of the horses has been tied up in our back yard consistently. One morning, I woke up and looked out my window to see this horse grazing and it suddenly dawned on me, "There is a horse in my yard! What a blessing!" It was as if I was able to recognize the blessing because my brain did not have enough time to register the list of negatives I'd been compiling. 

I've been reflecting on that  a lot this week. Sometimes our attitude about life is just a matter of perspective. You know, is the glass half- empty or half-full? A cheesy saying, but there is truth there! 

So, I'm starting to finally come around to embracing what is in front of me. The horse in my yard. The beautiful view. The pace of life here. The opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. I could (and have) found negative things to say about each of these things, but I'm much happier and at peace when I embrace them and give thanks for them. We have SO much to be thankful for. A little gratitude goes a long way.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.1 Thes. 5:18

You can be praying for ...
- CMA-we are in the process of hiring for several positions. Pray that the right people come along!
- Encouragement for staff here as we continue to go through the transition of directors 
- Our little family of three as we continue to adjust and learn and grow

We love and miss you,
Jamie, Matthew, and Gabe

come as you are

in the wave and rush of moving to a new country, taking up new occupations, meeting new people and hoping to make friends, naturally, a lot of expectations and dreams are formed. and we all know that feeling- when the newness starts to wear off and reality starts to take hold. the fog of adrenaline and excitement starts to lift and you are able to see a little more clearly. and of course, there is a mixture of "good" and "ugh, not so good"...

new friends. ever-changing job titles. fun adventures. lessons learned the hard way. ideas tried. ideas flopped. joy. tears. 

so is life, right? the "life of the missionary" is not any different at the core than the life of one who lives in their hometown. and that is what is becoming more clear to me (jamie) now, after 5 months. unfortunately, my bag of weaknesses and old wounds followed me here to the Dominican Republic. 

actually, no- it's not unfortunate! because no matter where i live, no matter what i do, no matter how old i am, my God is faithful. and gracious. and loving. and he invites me to come to him as i am. aka- broken, wounded, and messy. 

i don't think i needed to move to the D.R. to be reminded of this lesson, but it has come to me in a new light in the midst of different circumstances. so i suppose this post is a shout out to all of our friends and family back home, just letting you know that life is life here! but God is good and he is at work in us, even if it looks different than what we thought it would look like when we first moved here.

some updates-
- matthew is kind of "in limbo" right now, still technically the pastor here on campus, while also working almost full-time in house with the students. this is tough and good all at the same time. recently matthew said to me with a smile on his face, "i'm definitely learning a lot!"
- while CMA (Caribbean Mountain Academy) is in a period of transition between leaders, we are trying to revamp the program and critically consider all aspects of what we do here. this is tiring and exciting all at the same time, but much prayer is needed for this organization as many decisions are being made that will affect our course in the future.
- in the midst of these changes, the special programming- namely, the art program and horse therapy, are on hold until we get more of the foundational aspects of the program set in stone. this has been a hard step back for me, but this is where i'm learning to trust in God's timing. and this is where i learn to wait patiently!
- Gabe is just thriving! crawling (oh my!), eating fun new foods, clapping, and teething (he has 8 teeth). 
- we shared a wonderful visit with my family at the beach this past month... so thankful to spend a whole week together! 

so this is us! learning, growing, and trying our best to Represent Jesus To Those in front of us. your prayers carry us through the ups and downs of life and ministry. thanks for remembering us in your hearts even though we are far away.

Aunt Abby with Gabe at Cabarete Beach, D.R.

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Climbing Mountains

Good- Hidden and Obvious

Redefining "Good"

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

I (Jamie) was reminded this week by a fellow staff member what Paul means by "good" in this verse. I tend to think of pleasant circumstances or everything coming perfectly together when I think of "good". But if you continue reading to verse 29, Paul writes, "...to be conformed into the image of his Son". This is the true definition of "good", that which is making us more like Christ. Looking at life through these lenses changes your perspective. It changes your attitude from, "Why is this happening to me?" to "Lord, how are you using this to make me more like you?". I have found great comfort in this truth the past few days. It puts me back in the position where I can still have joy even when things do not go as I would like them to because I know it is for my "good". Praise God! 

Gabe will be 6 months on Feb. 9th, hard to believe!

Victories 

We have so much to be thankful for! Not only have Matthew and I been able to look at the challenges we are facing here as tools that are refining us to better reflect the image of Christ, God has also been faithful in answering our prayers for victories in other areas. For starters, our brother, Adam, rededicated his life to Christ a few weeks ago. Even though we are miles apart, we celebrated when we heard the news and continue to rejoice that we are no longer just family on earth, but are forever joined with him in the family of God. In addition, my dad, who moved to Jarabacoa in December, got hired on to manage a local organic garden. This is right up his alley and such a cool answer to prayer! Also, within the past week, both my mom and mother-in-law finalized their plans to come visit us (one trip in March and the other in May). We really look forward to having our families here (and encourage all family and friends to visit!!). And just when you thought it could not get better.... one of our students dedicated their life to Christ yesterday in church. Wow, God you are good!

A sunny day on campus!

Even as I am typing out all of these praises, I am overwhelmed by the goodness and faithfulness of God. Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and support! And right about now, when most of you are experiencing snow and below zero weather, is a good time to remind you that the Dominican Republic is a beautiful, warm, tropical place to visit ;)

Prayer Requests 

• The Director/Pastor Scott Taylor and his family are moving back to the states this next week. This means I (Matthew) will be taking full responsibility as the campus pastor. 
• Pray that God will give me a strong vision for the future of the CMC (Caribbean Mountain Church), and that I will be able to plan out sermon topics for the next several months.
• In general God is challenging me in big ways to step up as a leader. One specific way is in discipling one of the students who recently surrendered his life to Jesus.
• Many nights I (Matthew) get to the end of my day and feel completely exhausted. Pray that I will be able to serve my family and ministry at a sustainable pace. 
• Ask God to empower all of the Crosswinds staff to be diligent in their devotions, and that He will continue to give them the strength and energy to pour out His love on the prodigal daughters and sons that we serve at the CMA.

With sincere love and thanks!
Matthew, Jamie, and Gabe

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New Year Reflections

Looking back on 2013, Matthew and I would agree that "change" is probably the best word to describe the year as a whole. This time last year, as we were looking ahead to what we imagined the year might have in store, there is no way we could have anticipated all of the changes we experienced! Praise be to the Lord, who, 1) prepared us for what was ahead before we even knew we needed to be prepared, 2) walked with us each step of the way, giving us what we needed for each moment, 3) brought so much good out of what the world would consider a tragedy (house fire), an impossibility (Gabe being carried to full-term, despite all the risks and potential complications), and just-plain-crazy (moving to another country with a 2 month old). It is those tragedies, impossibilities, and crazy decisions that God uses to take us beyond ourselves and into greater trust and reliance on Him. Only God can do that!

So as I look ahead to 2014, I'm trying to take these reflections into consideration. I have a peace knowing that God already knows what this year holds and he will continue to be faithful to prepare us, walk with us, and bring good out of whatever trials we may face. This is especially encouraging as a lot of changes are taking place here on campus. On the mission field, just as people are called here, they are also sometimes called to go back home. The director of CMA and his family have been called back home and only have a month or so left on campus. This will directly affect Matthew, as he will be the only pastor on campus, at least for a time. Praise God for the opportunity, but also prayers for the added responsibility! 

As for me and my little sidekick, Gabe, we have enjoy quite the variety of activities! Most recently, "we" have helped put together an art room for the students. Just yesterday we had our first set aside time for the students to do art and it was very exciting to see what they produced! I have also done a few EAL (Equine-Assisted Learning) sessions with the students and our campus counselor and have had a great response from the students involved. It is very exciting for me to be able to combine passions and ministry! Gabe is certainly doing his part here on campus, bringing joy to students and staff with his smiles and laughs. He will be 5 months this week and is almost sitting up on his own, has two little teeth already, and is still just as happy as ever. 

Thank you in advance for praying for our campus and the changes happening here, for our family as we continue to adjust, and for success with new program ideas that are being implemented! And a praise- we have a renter for our house back in Indiana! 

Blessings as we enter into this new year!
Matthew, Jamie, and Gabriel

Seeing God's Beauty

All of these photo's were taken on the ride back from a day at Cabarete beach. Our youth struggle to see all the good
that God is doing. They struggle to see the God's beauty, and His goodness. The Christmas season is especially
hard, because like Mary, Joseph, and Jesus they are far away from their home. As Jesus's family had to flee into
Egypt, so our youth are in a foreign country. Please pray that God will communicate His love and grace into
difficult situations.

The staff that live with the students here on campus also need prayer. It is difficult to always be pouring out to the needs
of others. Please pray that God will renew their strength, and fill them with the constant peace of Christ. Please pray that
Jamie and I will minister diligently, and continue to build up the body of Christ at the Caribbean Mountain Academy.

Merry Christmas,

Matthew, Jamie, & Gabriel

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Un Tubo Nuevo

There have been many exciting occurrences that have happened in the almost two months we have been in the Dominican Republic. One of these is that John, Jamie's dad, will be renting a place in Jarabacoa and will move there this December. He came down with us, and was a great help in getting us settled in. John has been very quick to adapt to the Dominican culture, and has made some great connections with the people here. John also bought a motorcycle, and I have been watching it while he is gone.... and riding it too, of course. However the other day the back tire was flat, so a couple of the students and I loaded it onto the back of a truck and took it to the Isla gas station about a mile away from the school. They can  fix a flat for about 100 Dominican Pesos ($2.30). After we unloaded the motorcycle the students went back to the CMA for class. Once the motorcycle mechanic got the tube out of the tire we realized the valve was busted, so I needed un tubo nuevo (a new tube). After conversing with the mechanic, and not understanding anything, I realized I needed to go into town somewhere to get a new tube. This was fine, except I had no ride, so I started calling Jamie on my newly acquired phone, but was unable to get a hold of her. This turned out not to be a problem, because I looked down the road and she was driving by. What better timing! Right when I needed her.  I waved, but my mistake is that I was also smiling. They thought about stopping for me, but the other staff member with Jamie said, 'he must be fine, he wouldn't be smiling if he was stranded.'  So there I was, stranded at Isla, and I had to make a choice. I could walk back to the CMA, or I could take a step into an unknown direction, looking for an unknown store to buy the bike tube. I started walking towards Jarabacoa, and then I was faced with another decision. Should I be angry at my wife for not stopping, or let it go and realize I am not as big a deal as I sometimes think myself to be. Thankfully with God's help I was able to choose the latter, and can now laugh about it. As I kept on walking a concho (motorcycle taxi) pulled in front of me and offered a ride, I showed him my busted tube and he figured out I needed a new one. With the help of the taxi driver, I was able to get un tubo nuevo, get back to Isla, and have the motorcycle fixed. 

This Fish was also new territory. It tasted great!

Full-time ministry is new territory for me, and it has it is having it's challenges. I am preaching every other week, doing two weekly youth lessons, and building relationships with the CMA youth through other activities. My greatest challenge is asking; where does God want to take this ministry? What should Christian discipleship look like? How can I balance my schedule while maintaining a thriving family life? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic? I ask that you would pray for discernment and direction as the other staff and I are working through these questions. Recently their has been an onslaught of injury and sickness among the staff, and we are beginning to more deeply perceive the battle that is not against "flesh and blood," but "against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Pray that God would give us the "spiritual armor" necessary to take a step of faith into an unknown direction. Pray that we would act as the body of Christ, and as one staff member is praying, that we would be, "God's instruments of grace" to the students. 

Grace and Peace,

Matt

New Country, New Adventures!

This month has been a whirlwind! It has almost been a month since we arrived in the Dominican Republic, and we have packed many new experiences in that short amount of time! From meeting our new friends here at Caribbean Mountain Academy, to Matthew starting his new job, to getting settled in our home and buying our car. We have been practicing the language and are learning all kinds of things about the Dominican culture. We are also getting used to some of the differences here... such as regular power outages, "island time" and unreliable internet :).  

A few highlights- first of all, the trip down here went amazingly well and we definitely felt the many prayers being lifted up for us that day. Gabe has proved himself to be an amazing traveler- what a blessing! Not only that, but since the second night we were here, he has only been waking up once in night! Praise the Lord! Our second week here, we purchased a car, which has allowed us to do a little bit of exploring of the island. We have gone up further in the mountains to Manabou and Constanza, have gone to the north coast to Sasoua where Gabe had his first beach experience, and I (Jamie) also went on a shopping trip to Ikea in Santo Domingo, the capital, with some other female staff.

This picture was taken on the way to Constanza

In terms of ministry, Matthew has jumped right in! He will be preaching for the second time this Sunday, is leading a weekly youth group and Bible study for the students, in addition to helping out with morning devotionals. Phew- he has been busy! As for me, I have been spending time getting to know students and staff, as well as making our house a home and being a mommy. In addition, we both are officially on the "missions team" and will help out with the numerous missions groups that will visit the campus in the coming months.

To say the least, we feel abundantly blessed. We both are confident that this is where we are supposed to be. As it has been said before, "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will". Continue to pray for fruitfulness in our ministry here! And hopefully you will be hearing from us more often (via blog posts) once we get some of our internet kinks worked out!

Gabe is a natural island baby! He is 3 months old tomorrow, hard to believe!

With many thanks for sharing with us on this journey, 

Matthew and Jamie

P.S. Our mailing address is: 
Matthew or Jamie Morley 
3170 Airmans Dr. Unit 3039-CMADR 
Ft Pierce,FL 34946
*Note: We pay $2/pound for every package we receive! 

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Three, Two, One...Jump!

Bungy jumping 144 feet over water in Taupo, NZ

Here come the butterflies...

It's the feeling you get whenever you are getting ready to do something terrifying, yet exhilarating... you know, the fluttering in your stomach making you feel nervous and excited all at the same time. It is when you are facing a fear that you are not sure you want to or are able to face... like bungee jumping when you are afraid of heights! 

In any other circumstances, I don't think I would have considered bungee jumping. But I was on a college mission trip to New Zealand and we were informed that bungee jumping was invented there. On top of this, we only had a few days left in the beautiful country, so it was the perfect recipe for spontaneity. 

It was all excitement until I walked out onto the platform (picture on the left) and they started putting the cords around my feet. It was at that point that I let the staff know, "I don't think I can do this!". They gently informed me that at the count of three, I would jump head first towards the water. And before I knew it, they were counting and I was jumping. I had my "3 seconds of courage", which for me was more about clearing my mind long enough to forget about my fear than it was about becoming more brave. 

And here we are. Just days before we take the jump into this exhilarating, yet terrifying adventure awaiting us in the Dominican Republic. And yes, the butterflies are fluttering! Thoughts have crossed my mind that were similar to the day I jumped head first from a 144 foot platform: "I don't think I can do this!" and "Am I crazy?!"... and yet I hear God's gentle reply: "With man this is impossible, but with [me] all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). 

Be Careful What You Ask For...

"The best things in life are the things that give you butterflies": This quote was stated by one of my co-workers during my first trip to the Caribbean Mountain Academy in February. The recurring theme of that trip was faith. It came up in my devotionals, in Sunday's sermon, and in conversations with people on campus. This theme of faith was also being lived out each day by the staff members who all had made the decision to leave their comforts and step out into the unknown... in faith. I remember telling the Lord, "I want a faith like that, whatever you have to do please bring me to a place of deeper faith in you". I would have never guessed that God's way of answering that prayer would be calling me and my family to exercise our faith by moving to the very place that prayer was prayed! 

Now we are just days away from making the big move, faith is what is fueling us forward. Certainly not faith in ourselves, because we know we can't do it on our own. Without the Lord behind us, pushing us forward, and in front of us, paving the way, this wouldn't be happening! But He is all around us, making this adventure possible for purposes not fully known to us. After all, it is not our job to know why He asks us to do these crazy things, it is only our job to walk in obedience through faith. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

So as we count down to the day of departure (Monday!), please partner with us in diligently praying for all that is to come and all that has yet to take place before we leave... 

A few specifics:

• An extra measure of grace to sustain us through all the "good-bye's" and "see ya later's"- both for us and for those who will be missing us (or mostly Gabe!) 
• The remaining 25% of our financial support to come through and our car to sell
• Our big travel day on Monday- especially that Gabe would travel well! 
• For our new community at Caribbean Mountain Academy

May you experience the Lord's blessing as you exercise faith in your own lives, as you face your fears and feel those butterflies! - Jamie

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Moving Mountains with Mustard Seeds

Pico Duarte is located near Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.
 It is the tallest mountain in the Caribbean at 10,164 feet. 

Matthew 17:15-20
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

First of all, how can a mountain be moved with only a mustard seed's worth of faith? I can imagine the disciples tiredly climbing up the mountain on one of their trips to Jerusalem, and jokingly telling the mountain to get out of the way. To truly understand what it means to move a mountain with a mustard seed we need to dig into the story. 

Jesus accuses His disciples and the gathered crowd of unbelief. They were lacking in faith. Perhaps the disciples didn't believe God was powerful enough to deliver this boy. I doubt it, since the disciples were firmly entrenched in Old Testament theology. They know Yahweh has all power to do all things. Most likely they disbelieved God's Holy Love. Did God truly want healing for this boy? Perhaps the boy's oppression was a result of his dad's sin? Is it God's will for little children under demonic oppression to experience freedom? In Jesus' earthly ministry, He was all about making the kingdom of heaven a present reality. Jesus claims that His life is the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah's words, 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind..."  Luke 4:18-19

The ministry of Jesus is not only an affirmation that God is all-powerful, but that he is also all-loving. When we are encountered with a mountain standing in the way of the Gospel we can confidently ask the Lord for it to be moved. This past June, Jamie and I decided to step out in faith move our family to the Dominican Republic. We are confident that this is how we can best live out the Gospel message in our lives. There has been some smaller mountains standing in our way, but thanks to the prayers of friends and family God has cleared the path before us. Right now we have raised 55% of our financial support. We also know of several others who are planning to support us, and when they do we expect this number to go up to 80% or more before we depart on October 14th! 

We are excited to leave, but we believe our faith will be truly challenged once we are engaged in ministry. Thanks be to God that the One in us is greater than the one in the world. Please continue to pray that God will infill us with His Holy Spirit, that we would seek to listen to His direction and guidance. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

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Life Update

       

 Thirty-four days and our family will be moving to the Dominican Republic! We have had many transitions this past month, of course the biggest one being the birth of our son, Gabriel Andrew Morley. Gabe is one month old today, and we are thankful to God for how well he has been doing. Almost two weeks ago Gabe had his first of many big traveling experiences. We moved from Marion, Indiana to Marysville, Ohio and are now living with Jamie's parents.
 
         This past Sunday Jamie and I were able to share at my home church, the Raymond CCCU, our passion and vision for working in the Dominican Republic. We are so thankful for the great generosity that was shown to us. Our family was prayed over, and also given a generous offering. We feel very blessed to have the Raymond church on our support team!

Praises

 We are very thankful that we have found two great homes for both of our dogs. June and Jazz now live with two different families. We pray that they will be a blessing for these families as much as they have been for us. Another praise is that we have been able to catch up with all of our family that lives in Ohio. We have raised 27% of our financial support, and know of several others who are going to support us. For everyone who is supporting us financially and prayerfully, you truly are apart of our ministry. When we go down to the DR and face different challenges, we will remember all the prayers that have already been said. We are grateful to all of you who are joining with us in this journey.

Prayers

• We are applying for a $3,000 dollar grant from The Grace Foundation. Pray that God will give us wisdom in sharing our mission with the trustees. 
• Our house in Marion still needs to sell. 
• Safe travels as we leave for Florida this Friday to visit friends and family. 
• Pray that God would provide the remaining 73% of our financial support, and that we would be faithful in seeking it out.

Grace Peace and Love to you all,

Matthew, Jamie and Gabe


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