Its about time...to go!

Ok, so I added a link to our blog so that you could check out the presentation that we have been sharing and realized that the last blog was like over a month ago!  So, I believe it's about time for an update.  Well we have been quite the busy bodies lately with me working several side jobs for friends and family (thanks to all for the opportunity to serve!) and Lora has been crazy time consumed with scanning all of our pictures that were taken prior to owning a digital camera.  To help you get a better idea of how many pics that is, we did not own a digital camera until Jara was 6 yrs old and we had been together for 2 yrs prior to Jara being born!  Did I mention that Lora really likes to take a lot of pictures?  Dude, we are talking a LOT of pics are being scanned.  This is all part of the process of lightening our load and getting rid of stuff so that we do not have to store much while we are gone.  On another note, we are at like 34 days and counting til we reach the departure date of Dec 7th and at this point the only thing we are waiting on is our invitation letter from the Ministry of Justice in Spain.  Once that arrives we are jettin' to Chicago to turn in the visa apps and then praying for the hand of God to move once again in order to process the visas quickly!  All in all we are ready to go when the Lord sends in His perfect timing!  We just know it is very close and the good bye's are starting to set in so bitter-sweetly.  We have a busy month this month in that we will be sharing the testimony at Horizon Central this coming Sunday, the women's ministry is having a bake sale and benefit dinner after church for us on the 14th, we have been invited to go to Lafayette around the 21st and we are having a Stayton Send Off benefit concert on the 27th!  We are looking forward to some sweet fellowship and hope to see many of you along the way!  That's about it for now.  Continued thanks for your love and support!  Paz!  Jared

Glory to God

Good morning all and happy Saturday to you!  Been a while since I have been on here, but when you have a wife as awesome as mine who does such a fine job of writing, you wouldn't want to attempt to write either ;)  Anyway, hello to all.  We are so blessed to have you in our lives and we thank you for all the prayers thus far.  The journey has only begun, so first and foremost, please continue to pray.  We are just over 60 days out from our goal departure date and we are feeling overwhelmed with all that still needs to take place.  I do however have complete peace about the whole thing so I praise the Lord for that!  We do have quite a bit of funds to raise yet, plane tickets to purchase by Nov. 1st as well as all of the visa paperwork to come together so that we can drive it to Chicago to be sent to Spain for processing.  But you know what?  God is good all the time and we know that all things work for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Amen? Amen!  Our biggest prayer is that we want God to get all (what does all mean?...ALL!  :) the Glory.  So please pray that we would continue to live out our faith daily and trust in Him for all the provision for this journey.  As I have said before, this is not about us, but about Jesus and the testimony that God is establishing through us and through all of you.  Please also to remember to pray for the Hoeft family often!  God is using them in mighty ways and has entrusted them with the opportunity to be forerunners in coming alongside the current leadership in seeking Him to establish His vision for this church in Rincon de la Victoria.  No small thing!  Pray that the Hoeft's would be being filled with the Holy Spirit for wisdom and direction as well as protection from the enemy.  Prayer is one of the most (if not THE most) powerful weapons we have in the spiritual warfare and we have the privilege to pray directly to our Father in Heaven and communicate one on one!  How powerful is that!  To have an audience with the Creator, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  Again, no small thing.  Ok, time to wrap this up...in closing, please pray that we would be humble as we continue to share His testimony and have peace in that all will come together in His timing.  En el amor de Jesus.  Jared

God's Gifts

Today, I'm reminded of God's Gifts.  It's Laila's 5th birthday.  She is an amazing gift in our lives.  Her arrival into our family was very unexpected.  It was one of the very big lessons that God is in control and I am not.  As we were trying to prevent adding to our family, God was planning to bring increase to our family.  Yes, He does indeed know better than I!  Laila has brought much increase to our family. Laila is such a gift to us all, but, at times, I feel that she was a gift just for me.  She is so much like her mother it is scary sometimes.  Jared calls her "Mouth Jr." and says God must think since he could handle me that he could handle another like me. God has used her to teach me more about myself than anyone else on this earth. Her birth has brought amazing life to our home and our lives.  Her birth also brought new direction.

When Laila was born, we were in a time of transition.  Jara had started school in all day kindergarten.  We had moved from the community that we had been living and working in for 5 years.  Jared was seeking other employment.  It was a time of change.  It was a time that God started moving in our hearts and lives.  Looking back, He began then the process of moving us into full time ministry.  As we moved from one community to another, we sought a new church home.  We found that home at Horizon Christian Fellowship where we still attend and are being sent out from.  It was here that God revealed to us the gifts that He had given us to use for His Kingdom.  We have both known our personality profiles and our strengths (and weaknesses) in the world.  (These things were taught to us early on in college and in our business and professional careers.)  But God revealed how He had bestowed upon on gifts through His Spirit.  We gained new perspective on those "strong personality traits".  Not just a "this is how God had made us" mentality, but these were gifts given to us by Him to be used for Him.  We also became aware that the talents that God has given us (like Jared's drum playing and Lora's decorating) were not just talents but gifts given by God...Why weren't we using these talents for Him?  God revealed His gifts literally almost overnight to us.  His Spirit moved and we moved in obedience to use our gifts and talents for His glory.  We became involved in the ministry at HCF in a much different capacity than we had been involved in the ministries in Greenwood.  It wasn't about our gifts and talents but more about God's gifts and talents He displayed through us.  It wasn't about being good at something, but it was about glorifying God with something.  God's gifts have changed our lives.  God's gifts allow us to be an integral part of His body.  God's gifts enable us to serve Him not on our own ability and strength but in His. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." (1Cor.12:4-6 NIV)  What are God's gifts in your life?  How are you receiving and using the gifts that He has given to you? God's gifts are priceless...especially His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.  And that's only the beginning of the gifts He wishes to give you!

God Remembers.

As we have worked through the last week and over this last weekend, God has called us to REMEMBER.  He has caused us to remember His faithfulness, His promises, His Truth, His provision and His love.  Lora attended a women's retreat this weekend and the theme was REMEMBER. She found it quite like God to continue His personal revelations to her into the public forum at the retreat. What was even more like God, He stopped Jared this weekend to times of remembrance as well (even though Jared had no idea the theme of Lora's retreat).

God started our remembrance with our last post regarding Jara's birthday.  Certain dates, especially birthdays, draw us in to look back on the past and give us perspective on the future.  The recalling of dates (Jara's birthday, Laila's birthday, our re-birth days, God's call in our lives into missions and ministry) has reminded us of God's promises that He has given us.  In the time since, we have been busy scanning our many, many photographs into the computer. (Trying to lighten our load, we are putting everything in digital format.)  Of course, looking at these pictures from the last 14 years of our relationship and even pictures from our school aged years, this process has reminded us of God's love for us.  For while we were still sinners, Christ died for our iniquities. He also reminds us of His faithfulness to us through any situation that we have and are to face in this life.  He reminds us daily as we spend time in His Word that His Truth is sufficient for all our needs, is counsel for all our questions, and is absolute for all our answers.  His Truth sets us free and calls us to rely on Him.  He has reminded us of His provision as He daily supplies our needs of food and clothing and as He brings people into our lives who desire to come along side of us on this journey as financial sponsors and/or prayer partners.

God has been calling us to remembrance of His work and His hand in our lives.  By calling us to this remembrance, He reveals His love... God remembers.  God remembers us.  He wants to show us that He loves us.  He remembers... when He spoke but we chose not to listen yet despite us He still prevailed, when He provided protection from the enemy's attack on that road, when  He gave us a choice and we chose Him, when He provided the money or that job just at the right timing (His timing), when He was faithful to see us through the consequences of our disobedience to Him, and on and on.  God remembers that He loves us.  He sees the Son that bears scars of that love.  Yes, God remembers.

God Blesses.

  God continually blesses us on this journey.  It shouldn't surprise us that He loves us so much.  After all, He did send His Son to die for us.  Yet, we are still in awe at His grace, love and mercy. As we delight in Him, His majesty is just further revealed to us.

  Today, eleven years ago at 11:21pm, He blessed us with our first born daughter, Jara.  She truly was a gift from God, finding out that we were pregnant with her on Christmas Day 1998.  She was also a gift from God that reached out to us, to reveal His love and desire to commune with us. We had been refocusing our lives on Christ for a little over a year before her birth.  But something about becoming parents, it spurred us into overdrive.  It caused us to jump right in, no second thoughts, and dig deep into a faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior.  Upon her birth, we began full force serving in ministries at the church we were attending and haven't looked back since.  At her dedication to the Lord, we also got baptized through submersion.  We publicly proclaimed a commitment we had both made almost two years earlier. Jara was used by God.  She is a reminder to us of a turning point in our lives where we decided that standing on the sidelines wasn't enough, but it was time to enter the game.  We didn't just go to church.  We became part of Christ's Church.

   He has brought us far over the last 13 years as we began our walk with Him again.  He has blessed us more in the last 11 years that we have walked in unwavering faith and obedience to His Word.  He blesses us even greater now as we have sold out completely to Him and His Work and His Call upon our lives for full time work in ministry.

  When He spoke to our hearts regarding mission's work, we weren't sure where, when or how that was going to look in our lives.  Then as Jared was called out of a secular job and into full time studies at Bible college, we knew that God was up to something big in our lives. We knew that He was preparing us for what His will was for our lives.  We just had to walk in complete faith and obedience.  During the year of Bible college, God used that time to redirect our lives, our thoughts and our priorities.  Now, He is sending us. Really US?  It humbles and blesses us that our heavenly Father would see fit to use these imperfect and unworthy voices to spread His Word, hands to do His Work, and feet to go to all nations.  "It's not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.  It's not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."  Yes, God Blesses!

  We pray that God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you.

God Rocks!

 Thanks to all who have been praying for the sale of our car.  Your prayers were heard and God provided a buyer for it this weekend!  The offer was too good to pass up, but still leaves us paying a little over $800 to pay off the loan.  Not an expense we were wanting or needing to take on this week, but God Rocks.

  Thanks to all who attended our sale this weekend.  We were able to sell off MANY things.  We started the sale with 18 tables full of items and plenty of free standing items as well.  At clean up yesterday, we only had 5 tables of items remaining and 3 free standing items!  The items that we still have for sale are some of our higher dollar items (Cybex Arc Trainer, Dining Table, Large mirrors, some weight sets, a hi8 Video Camcorder, and several Partylite collections). We are going to attempt to get these items posted on a few different websites so see if we can generate any buyers from there.  The sale was profitable.  The money from the sale is almost enough to cover the difference on the car!  God Rocks!

  We are going to be working on translating our marriage certificate and birth certificates into Spanish this week.  (A Spanish translation must accompany the originals when we submit for our visas.)

  Wednesday, September 1 is a special day in our home.  JARA TURNS 11!  We will be making the most of celebrating the blessing that God gave us in her on that day eleven years ago.

  God rocks our world!  I pray that you feel the rumble in yours as well.  Thanks for following along and allowing the aftershocks of God in our life reach into yours.

God Moves.

WOW!! God has moved mightily in the last 24 hours at the Stayton's home. Let me give you a recap and share the works He's done.

  Thursday morning, we were stirring and awake at 5:30am which is no small feet on an ordinary day, let alone on a morning when didn't go to bed until 12:30-1:30am.  As we awoke, Lora was reminded that it was 11:30am in Spain and a good chance that our friends, the Hoefts, might be online at Skype to give us all the details of the meeting he, Dave, had on Wednesday with the pastor, Pablo, and interpreter/elder, Caesar.  This meeting discussed his and our involvement at the church as well as some logistical details for us while living there. (We had a meeting with our missions coordinator, Diana, at Horizon Christian Fellowship, our sending/home church, and, from that meeting, we had other questions and felt an urgency to get the ones we already has asked answered.)  So, we skyped Dave and he was on.  Not only was he on, but he was with Pablo and Caesar, whom we have never seen "face to face" but have had only communicated via email.  It was a divine appointment set by God.  It was surreal to hear a Pablo, through Caesar, express his excitement and eager desire to have us there serving with them.  We are just as eager and excited.  The introduction also revealed how badly we need to dive in to learning the language! It was further confirmation of God's call upon our lives.  We are right where He wants us and are going where He is leading.  We also got a lot accomplished in our conversation with Dave regarding the plans for us when we arrive. (We will need to be prepared to hit the ground running!)  We are going to be provided a three bedroom apartment that is within the church's building.  Thanks to a very generous gift, the furnishings for our living space beyond what is already in the apartment are going to be provided.  We've established that our living expenses should be rather minimal and need about $1000 a month of financial sponsorship to sustain us while in Spain.  We were able to get our passport numbers to Dave and the church leadership in Spain.  These numbers allow them to write a formal letter that has to approved in Spain by the government and then sent to us to include in our visa application packet. Our FBI background checks have been submitted and we are hopeful to get them back in about three weeks (at least that was our request to have them returned).  We have also contacted our church's travel agent, who specializes in missionary flights having relationships with airlines for discounted tickets.  We have asked that she start checking availability for flights to Malaga, Spain on or around December 7th.

  WHEW! I warned you God has been busy with divine appointments to confirmation on the call to discernment and vision for a timeline. As I sit here with all of our passports beside me, stacks of items priced to sell, and the very small pile of items to store, I am amazed at the work of God's hand in our lives. I'm humbled to be loved by Him, used by Him, and moved by Him.  God moves everyday in big ways and small.  Keep your eyes open to how He's moving you!

  Thanks for sharing in the journey that God has prepared!  The Stayton Family

God has a Plan.

  One of my (Lora's) life verses is Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his path." (NKJV)  God is continually challenging me with this verse in my life.  I like plans, making plans, knowing what's ahead and prepare.  God, however, reminds me daily that He is in control, not I! Just when I think I know what He has planned for me, what I thought I knew becomes something else.  I can see looking back how God tried to prepare me for His plan, but I was too busy constructing my own or doing what I thought was in His plans yet I wasn't quite hitting the mark He had set up before me.

  I was really hoping that we would be able to journey to Spain early this fall.  Unfortunately, the visa paperwork process is tedious and takes time (at least three months).  I was really bummed about plans being foiled, but, as my husband so gently reminded me, "We will get there when God wants us there."  Now, I know that it will be around the holiday season before we are probably able to go. I can see God's goodness in giving us more time to spend with friends and family before our two year commitment in Spain.  I was excited to get to have an entire semester teaching my PE classes at Horizon Christian School again and more time to prepare our whole family in the language and culture of Spain.  But God continues to stretch me even in this time, I received a phone call yesterday morning that I would no longer be teaching at the school. While the principal was not actively seeking my replacement at this time, he received an inquiry into the position and decided since there was an interest, now was the time for the change.  I'm very sad to be leaving the children after only two weeks.  I know that I will see them, considering how much time I spend over in the building, but it's not the same.  I know that God has a plan and is directing my steps.  I just thought I knew the plan. Not having this job will significantly impact our income until we leave.  I'm waiting to see what God has for me through this loss.  Perhaps, He's clearing my plate because I need some more time in preparing for Spain each day.  Perhaps, the money doesn't matter; after all, He is our provider.  It's definitely an interesting turn of events.  Thank you God for always being in control!  (Thank you God that I am not!)

The Time Has Come.

  Well, Camp Indy has wrapped up for the summer.  Our family took a much needed week's vacation to spend time together as a family and to have an early celebration for the girls' birthdays coming in September.  Now, the time has come for Spain.

   The time has come that we must start all the many, many preparations that we need to complete before we can leave for our two year commitment in Rincon de la Victoria, Spain.  We are busy selling all of our material possessions in moving sales and on the Internet (Craig's List, etc), getting Visa paperwork and supporting documentation together, start raising support for our mission, and gathering financial sponsors.  The selling of household items is going well.  The selling of some of our bigger items, such as our car, our Cybex Arc Trainer, and a couple furniture pieces, is slow with few to no offers.  We are meeting with people to share our testimony and the call that God has laid out for us in Spain.  We are busy with home schooling the girls, concentrating on the Spanish language and culture as well as a few of the main curriculum  areas for their grade and age.  While I continue to teach PE at Horizon Christian School, Jared stays busy with various handy man projects that friends, family, or the church have hired him to complete.  We are still living on Horizon's campus to cut monthly living expenses to as little as possible as we prepare to leave.

  The time has come for God's call to be put into action.  Join us in this time.  Join us on this amazing journey that God has called us to embark upon in the mission field in Spain. 

En el amor de Cristo

Just in

trying to figure this whole blogging thing out!