Dear Partners and Friends,

We are finally home. Living in Colorado has been a dream all these years and now our faith has become sight! We are so thankful to the Lord for how He has taken such good care of all of us through this transition – protected us, encouraged us and provided for us.

It’s been almost a month since the move and since our last post and every day has been a walk of faith, all of us endeavoring to set one foot down in front of the other. Lilian B. Yeomans said this about walking by faith…“God delights in His children stepping out over the aching void with nothing underneath their feet but the Word of God.”

Our whole staff has done just that – picked up their lives, left it all, sold their houses, and moved their families with us in order to build the House of God. We are so pleased with them, as we know the Lord is. Such a loyal, faithful, all-heart, dedicated crew! 

Each day brings new adventure. We keep telling people it’s like a wildlife show around here. In fact, our very first morning waking up in our new house, we stepped out on our front porch only to see a moose walk across our yard! Our eyes widened and our hearts started beating a little faster as we imagined him saying to us, “Welcome to the neighborhood guys!”

All that to say, we are enjoying our simple mountain living. Our kids have settled into their hiking boots, spending most of their time exploring the land and geocaching. Let’s just say they are having the time of their lives! 

Every morning I have been waking up and praying this prayer, “Father, help me build your church today, for your kingdom, and for your glory.”

And He is answering, showing up every day in every way. He has directed me to read different passages of scripture where men and women had it in their hearts to build His house, a place where His presence could live.

After the children of Israel prepared a willing offering from their heart to build His house, God told Moses, “…let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8 NKJV).

King David said in 1 Chronicles 28:2, “…Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it.”

Jeremy and I have found that real satisfaction in life only comes when we keep His house in our hearts, when we spend our time building His Church, building up His people, advancing His kingdom, doing the work of the ministry and doing it with all our heart. You may say, “Well, I’m not called to stand in the pulpit and preach so this topic is irrelevant to me.” But I want to encourage you that you do have a ministry, everyone does! If you’re wondering if there’s more to life, then know that there probably is! If you feel dissatisfied and unfulfilled, it may be time to begin praying this prayer with us, “Lord, help me build your church, for your kingdom, for your glory.” 

Later in this passage, David turns to all of the people in the assembly and says, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself!” (1 Chronicles 29:1 NLT).

I love how David has such honor and reverence for building God’s house. He realizes that the temple he’s building is not just for mere men but for God Himself to come and make His home among them!

Then speaking of his own finances, David says, “Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble. And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?” (1 Chronicles 29:2-5 NLT).

I’m sure it took a lot of time, energy, and heart to gather up an offering like that. In verse 9 we see the people respond with joy in their giving, “Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.”

We are also rejoicing at all that the Lord has done through you our partners in this Buy Up/Build Out project so far! Over half of the funds needed to complete this part of the project have come in and we know the rest is on its way.

So many of you, like David, had it in your heart to give of your time and resources to build this house and we are believing with you for a harvest on every seed you have sown! 

This week we are finalizing the architectural plans, picking out finishes for the sanctuary, and working on the children’s wing while renovations to the church building are underway! Here’s a look at the initial blueprints of the first floor/sanctuary where we will be able to seat approximately 500 people, as well as early renderings of the entryway and lobby.

Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come. 

Much love,

Sarah