It has now been a year since we stepped back on American soil after three life transforming months in Africa. A lot has happened since being back. We once again traveled cross country from Lima, NY back to Redding, CA. We lived in a garage for 10 days, a camper for 3 months, and now after 6 months of being in our new place, we are finally beginning to feel settled. Seth also got a job with a logistics company and we are getting ready to welcome another little blessing into our home in just a few short weeks. Through all this, God has begun to stir our hearts for something bigger than we could have imagined.
After getting settled into our home we found God beginning to unpack the many things in our hearts that our time in Africa gave to us. We now know that going to the nations as a family is one of the main ways we feel called to reach the nations. While in Africa our hearts began to burn for the orphan and we have not been able to shake it. Through our trip we discovered that our desire is to collaborate with other diverse ministries and humanitarian organizations. We are developing strategic solutions such as working with orphanages to create family style housing and working with them to become self-sustainable. Of course none of this would be possible without God’s radical love enabling us to reach, serve, and defend the orphan in any way we can.
We have the opportunity to go again at the beginning of March 2015. We will be traveling as a family for 7 weeks in Cambodia, Thailand, and China working with orphanages and young people rescued out of sex trafficking. We will be partnering with Bob and Kimberly Johnson Ministries. Bob and Kimberly, with their 5 young children, will be leading our team.
We are extremely excited to be doing this as a family. We are delighted to invite you into this journey with us. Going to Africa, we received over $25,000 donated in under 8 weeks where we were able to love on orphans, see a bedridden man get up and walk after we prayed for him, and to see water spring up from a dry cave in a drought ridden village. Most importantly a dream to reach the orphan as a family was awakened in us. Thanks to all who partnered with us in that life changing journey which has become the beginning of a new way of living for our family.
We will need 30 to 40 prayer team members and approximately $18,000. We have already been able to meet our first deadline of $1,200. We are praying for $7,000 within the next two weeks to purchase plane tickets for our family of 6. After that, our last deadline for all other expenses (hotel, food, etc.) is due at the beginning of February.
There are two ways you can sow into our trip and both are tax deductible. You can make checks payable to Bob and Kimberly Johnson Ministries and mail to 1095 Hilltop Drive Suite 369, Redding CA, 96003 with Goodson/Asia 2015 in the memo line. Or visit our website, http://www.bobandkimberly.com/goodson-family, and give using either Paypal or Square Space. We do want to make you aware that Paypal and Square Space will charge a small percentage of your donation for processing fees. If you would like to pay with a direct deposit please contact us and we can provide you with the information.
If you would like to join our prayer team you can send us an email at growingoodsons@gmail.com with the day in the month you would like to pray for us.
Thank you for partnering with us and allowing our family to go to the nations to reach the orphan.
With hearts full of gratitude,
The Going Goodsons
“True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties…” James 1:27 (CEB)
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