Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 4/26/2012
Dear Family and Friends:
We hope that this update finds you doing well! We were blessed with a very merry Christmas, spending with our families and some friends. We hope you did as well.
Not much has changed for us since you heard from us last. We both are working the same jobs and enjoying the challenges that God continues to put in front of us for this trip. One such challenge has been getting the necessary gear together for our travels. Thankfully we have acquired many of our supplies already. Some of our more major purchases over the last couple of months were our tent, sleeping pad, a hiking pack, and clothes.
We have been blessed so far on our journey of raising support. We are currently around 34% ($10,000) of our total goal. We have reached our first goal/deadline of $7,000. That deadline won’t be due until two weeks before training camp (May 19th) so we feel good with where we are at. We are still avidly working toward our next goal of $13,000.
We have been praying for and brainstorming ways to raise more support as well as involve more people in what God has called us to do. So far we have come up with several possibilities. First we thought of having a fundraiser volleyball tournament at Grace University. Another would be to host a spaghetti dinner at church. Other potential fundraisers include a jeans day at Joe's work, and working with churches and youth groups. Right now we have had the opportunity to talk to four churches, and are waiting to hear back from them. We are passionate that the more people that can be involved, the more of an impact we can have.
We are very excited to put together prayer teams to support us as well. Prayer can move mountains, so with your prayer support, we know that God will accomplish amazing things through this trip. We would love to have your email address so that we can email you with the many prayer requests that we are sure obtain over our eleven month trip. We would like to ask you to commit to for choose a country that we will be visiting to cover in prayer. We are also looking for people willing to pray for us and our team or our trip in general. We will be sending specific requests for each country as well as our individual and team prayer requests. If this is something that God lays on your heart, please email us at joeabby531@gmail.com. You can also visit our blog: joeabbybeard.theworldrace.org.
Thank you for your love and support as we seek God and pursue His plan for us.
Love,
Joe and Abby
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 2/16/2012
Drawing near seems to be the motto of our lives right now. With our big trip drawing closer and closer it causes a chain reaction in our lives. From how we live our lives, our relationships (with each other and with God) and our funding for the world race.
Joe and I recently made the decision to move back into Omaha for the remainder of our time before the race. It will save us about $300 a month that we can put toward our trip. This was a big answer to prayer as we were debating about getting second jobs. It wasn't quite settling that another job was the right answer, so finding this opportunity was such a blessing! Although moving isn't exactly what I had in mind at this point, which can be a little stressful at times, it has also been a good way to prepare for the trip and fun to do it with Joe!
Tis the season of love and in our house I take this very seriously (which I am sure you all can imagine :) ). Joe and I have been becoming closer, especially as we get ready for the world race. As the only married couple going on our trip, as of yet, we are trying to prepare ourselves, as individuals and as a couple for the different things we will experience. It has led to many great talks and a deeper connection!
Last but most certainly not least, with the joys and trials of life, fundraising and preparing for a year long mission trip we have both been drawing closer to God. We recently started reading through James and memorizing verses. We also are surrounded by people pointing us to Him. With a wonderful family, great friends and the new group we are getting to know as our World Race family we are constantly covered in prayer and encouragement. But to me the coolest thing has been seeing how God provides for us! Like our new place to live, or the college student who gave $1,000 or when I wasn't sure how we could afford our travel insurance and a friend gave us $300 cash! God is just SO good to us and I can't wait to see Him really work some miracles!
James 4:8 says "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." So as our time comes closer for us to leave we cling to this truth and prepare our hearts for what God intends to do with us in our 11 month journey.
-Abby
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 12/28/2011
Well, Christmas for us was a very good time with family and friends. With being in the education field I, Joe, got 2 weeks off. So we spent the first of our little break in Minnesota. Abby was able to meet with her friends that she doesn't get to see that often. We spent a lot of time with her family and enjoyed every min. of it. While we were there, I was worried about the weather because we had to drive back to Nebraska. The second half of our vacation was spent in Nebraska at my parents house. At my parents house we got to spent a lot of time with them and my brother. The weather was also very nice and with one of Abby's Christmas presents we got to see Jupitor and it's moons. It was very awesome to see something that God has created.
We have been getting some of our support in and we are about at 20%. We have really seen some awesome stuff with people giving. We hope that God has something specail for us as we enter the New Year.
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 12/2/2011
Abby- There are SO many things, thoughts, and feelings I have about this trip that I don't think that I have fully processed yet all that we will experience, or that I will be able to until we are on the trip but I want to let you in to a little of what I am feeling. For starters there is an overwhelming feeling of excitement! Excitement for what God will do through us, what He will do in us and just the trip in general. But after that wears off a little there is fear and a feeling of inadequacy. I am afraid of all the new and uncomfortable things I will be put into, scared that I won't be able to handle everything we go through. I think about how I am a controller, a picky eater, a prideful woman and a selfish person, how could I possibly go into the world and make any difference. But in the midst of me thinking of my faults God reminds me that in my weakness He is strong, that this trip is about changing people for Him, not me and that it is all for HIS glory! This gives me the strength to continue perusing this trip and the excitement is back again for what God is going to do!
Joe- I think that this trip is going to be very stretching for me. It will be hard not being around the things that I am use to. I really think that it is going to be a growing experience for me, both spiritually and world view. Throughout this trip I am going to learn how the rest of the world thinks and reacts to Christianity. I am very excited to see how I will be used for the greater good of the kingdom and with in a group of people that I do not know.
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 12/2/2011
Welcome to the Beard's blog! We are thrilled that you found your way here! I want to take this space and time to tell you a little bit about our blog and what we hope will happen here. Joe and I have limited Internet access so it is our plan to blog at least once a week. We will be sharing what God is doing in us, where we are at in preparing for the trip and any other information we think our friends and family would enjoy knowing. We will be very open and honest here and hope it will bring insight and encouragement to you as well. On our blog already we have some good stuff. First, we have our ABOUT page, this is a general overview of Joe and I. Then we have the SUPPORT US tab, here you are able to donate to our trip! Another tab allows you to SUBSCRIBE to our blog so you get updates at your email every time we post something. We also have a couple blogs already, including our support letter. You can contact us any time by hitting the CONTACT button and using any option to get ahold of us. We would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, encouragement and any way that we can be praying for YOU! Thank you for your love and support, we wouldn't be able to do any of this without you!!!
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Posted in Support by Joe & Abby Beard on 11/16/2011
Dear Family and Friends,
We are writing to you because we have been given the exciting opportunity to go on a mission trip! This trip will take us to 11 different countries in 11 months. We will travel to: Ireland, Ukraine, Russia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Asia, and Malaysia. In each country, we will be able to experience a different type of ministry; we will be helping widows, young children, homeless, those affected by sex trafficking, and whoever God might put in our path. We are so looking forward to what God has in store for us with each of these experiences.
We have been married now for a year and have moved in to a three-bedroom house just bordering Council Bluffs, IA. We are renting this beautiful house from a church. It has been a blessing to live in a place where we can see so much of God’s beautiful creation! This has also given us the opportunity to spend time with friends, and host several special events. We are both working, and enjoying what we are doing, but feel that God has so much more for our future.
Abby has spent the last year as a nanny for a family with three children. She is really enjoying her job working with these kids, and has certainly gained some good experience being a parent. This year has also allowed for Abby to spend a lot of time with her friends, which has been her ministry.
Joe is a teacher’s assistant in a 6th grade classroom and has been there for a year. Joe was in a 3rdgrade classroom last school year, so this year has certainly brought new challenges. He is able to help with the Language Arts and Math each day as he splits the day between the two classrooms. Joe graduated with a degree in Camping Ministry in 2010. After he completed his internship, we really wanted to get back into Camping Ministry, but the opportunities were very limited. Since then, we have patiently waited to see where God was leading us. We believe that this is the next step He wants us to take together.
In order for us to take this leap of faith, we are going to need to overcome the large financial obstacle that lies in our way. Because God has given us a peace about taking on this challenge, we know that nothing will be impossible with Him. However, we are not going to be able to do it alone. Our team will be leaving July of 2012 and returning May of 2013. We will need to raise a combined total of $31,000 in order for each of us to go. These expenses will cover all of our meals, lodging, air, land, sea travel, administrative cost, coaching costs, debriefing costs, set-up costs, and training camp cost. We would ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with us as we seek to meet this goal. Although we are greatly in need of your financial assistance we would also ask that you consider supporting us in prayer as we do not yet know what all this trip will entail. We are also planning to have a meeting, in the near future, with you to show just what is in store for us, so you should expect to hear from us again very soon! Please feel free to contact us anytime and be sure to check out our blog at: joeabbybeard.theworldrace.org.
Thanks and God bless,
Joe and Abby
Joeabby531@gmail.com
402-297-6851- Joe
651-387-4580- Abby
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 11/5/2011
Both Joe and I grew up in great Christian families that set a great standard of what a person in love with a God should do with their lives! From very early ministry something both of us had considered. Beth (Joe's mom) majored in missions and did some mission work with her father in Honduras so it was prevalent in his life. I had an Aunt in the mission field, as well as the many missionary stories my mom would read us, kept the thoughts of living a life serving God in a full time ministry alive. As we grew up the call to working for a ministry remained important to both of us.
Joe got his calling his freshman year of college at a youth retreat that he was a sponsor at. That is when he transferred to Grace University, where he ended with his camping ministry degree. All throughout high school I served at camp and knew that serving people in a full time capacity was where God was calling me. While I was a grace Joe and I met and started dating. When we started talking about our future we knew that being involved in a full time ministry was where we were suppose to be headed. In the beginning phases we thought it would be a camp, similar to Camp Forest Springs, but while in our internship at CFS God opened our eyes to all the other possibilities. In all our discussions going oversees was always a possibility but neither Joe or I have had much experience with other cultures (Joe went on a two week mission trip to Mexico) so we weren't sure if that is where we should look. When we graduated and got married we wanted to take some time before we jumped back into a ministry and wanted to see what serving God looked liked as a couple outside a ministry. While we were "taking time off" we kept our eyes and heart open to where He would lead us next. We have takes with, applied and looked into multiple opportunities that were state side and nothing panned out till now.
When Joe found this ministry we were really excited about it for a couple big reasons. The first is goes to so many countries that if being abroad is where God wants us it will be made clear and we will have a really good idea of where in the world would be a good fit for us! Second is World Race focuses on deeping the relationship between you and God for ever racer. This will be huge for Joe and I as we are headed into ministry as a couple! We are soo excited to see all that God has in store for us in this trip!!
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Posted in General Posts by Joe & Abby Beard on 11/3/2011
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)
Hey Christian -
I saw you this morning as you dragged yourself out of bed. You had plenty of time to look good for your friends at school, but no time for prayer- good job! As a matter of fact, most of the time you don't even give God thanks for your food (or anything else for that matter), or pray before you go to bed. You are so amazingly ungrateful, I like that about you. I also love it that you think the Bible is a boring book. I truly admire anyone who thinks the double-edged sword of the Spirit is a butter knife. I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living. Fool, you are still mine.
Don't forget that you and I have a long-standing relationship where I deceive you, and you listen to me. Why do I do this? Because you are made in the image of the One I hate, so I hate you as well. Jesus kicked me out of heaven, but He died for you- which is another reason I hate you. God has a picture of you in His wallet; I have a picture of you on my flaming dartboard. So my plan is to tempt you to do the very opposite of what God would want, all the time making it seem like that's the fun thing to do. I will be grinning from ear to ear as I watch you yield to my voice and trash your life. I take great pleasure in seeing tears come into the eyes of Christ as He watches you spit in His face with your lifestyle. Sometimes I wonder if the nail prints that He bears for eternity still cause Him pain as you trample His grace.
Oh, and if you have some "holy cause" idea that you are going to get serious about living for Jesus, forget it. Just think for a minute about all that you would be giving up: watching dirty movies and visiting trashy internet sights, cussing people out, stealing, lying, being hypocritical, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, being judgmental and unforgiving, back stabbing people, disrespecting adults, and those in leadership positions, no respect for the Church, and bad attitudes- just to name a few. What kind of life would that be?
So I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say "thanks". You think you have the best of both worlds by trusting in Christ and living for me, but in reality you are of all people most to be pitied. Thank you also for keeping your mouth shut whenever your friends ask you about Christ. Not only is your silence keeping the gospel away from them, your double standard life is causing dozens of others to doubt Christianity- rock on! I already have reservations made for your friends, so don't mess that up.
Bye for now, but I'll be back at a more opportune time. Make sure you burn this letter so that no one sees it, plus as you look into the flames you'll see a preview of what will happen to your pathetic life accomplishments on judgment day. Keep up the good work!
Warm Regards,
Satan (a.k.a. Angel of Light)
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