And We're Off!

Everything we own is now stuffed in and on our van!

As of today, the Nagels are officially mobile. We spent all day yesterday and today packing every square inch of our sweet new van, and cleaning our house. At 5pm this evening we hit the road.
When we moved to Colorado Springs eight years ago, the very first exit we took was Uintah. Interestingly enough, we found ourselves getting onto the interstate tonight from the Uintah on-ramp.
The Lord is soooo good. I still need to tell the story how we came to own the, "Miracle Mobile" but that will have to wait for another day. We rolled on down the road and made it to Dalhart, TX. It's going on 1am now and all the kids are sound asleep in this cozy little hotel room.
A few weeks ago during one of my prayer times I felt the Lord tell me that the things I was praying about were taken care of. ie. the van, and the house. He sure took care of the van, so we know He has a great plan for the house.
This evening, just 2 1/2 hours into our trip, our realtor called to let us know we had an offer come in. Wow! When God makes a promise, He sure knows how to deliver.
Well, it's off to bed for me now so I can rest my weary bones. Much love to you all and we'll try to update at every available wi-fi spot we come to.

Simple Miracles

Tonight as I was putting the kids to bed the bulb in their night-light flickered and then burned out...as night-light bulbs tend to do. To help calm them and get them to sleep I told them a story of a boy and his mom. They were driving home from church one Sunday when they ran out of gas. They were in the middle of nowhere and all they had was a jug of water.
Just that morning in Sunday School, the little boy had heard the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding. He said, "Mom, why don't we pour that water in the gas tank and ask the Lord to turn it into gas?" The mom was not happy about the idea, but after quite a while decided to give it a try. They prayed and the car started right up.
Rachel and I often tell our children that there is absolutely nothing impossible with God! At the end of my story, I stood up and said goodnight. That's when Smith said, "Dad, we should pray for that night-light." I thought to myself, "Crap! Now I have to put my money where my mouth is."
I prayed for it as I flicked the on/off switch back-and-forth. Nothing happened, and I was ready to leave the room. Smith said, "Dad, we should each take a turn praying for it." So...Zaisy prayed as I flicked the on/off switch back-and-forth. Nothing happened.
As Smith is praying, I see the bulb flicker and then burst back to life. I stood there in awe and the kids eyes were as big as saucers.
We serve a big God! Nothing is impossible for Him!

Praise God!

Some of our friends donated a sweet Ford E150 Conversion van to us for our ministry. We are beyond ourselves with excitement. We'll post pictures of it and the full story soon.
The Lord is so faithful and good!

I miss Stan.
Many knew Stan as a brilliant scientist. Some knew him as friend. I had the unique perspective of knowing Stan as my father-in-law.
Being who he was to me was frightening enough in and of itself. Stan was one of those rare people that actually took the time to think about what he was going to say before it came out of his mouth. That simply added to the level of fear and respect I had for him. Sometimes I would ask him a question, and then after several moments of silence I would begin to wonder if he had heard me. He always did…and if I was patient, he would often share of his great wealth of wisdom.
For some reason, still beyond my explanation, Stan always believed in me. Getting married as young as we did, we had many friends and family members that were not too happy about it. At one point we were close to calling the wedding off and postponing it until an indefinite date. He called me on the phone on Easter Sunday and said he saw no reason for us to wait and encouraged me to push ahead with the plans. Wow! What a boost of confidence that was.
I had the pleasure of knowing Stan personally for about 3 years before his life was stolen away by a cruel cancer. It seems like such a short time, however, to this day, I draw on some of the great advice that he gave me.
One time he was scheduled to be the main speaker at a health conference in Brazil. He asked me to get up early and drive him to the airport. We both had underestimated the morning traffic and he ended up missing his flight. I felt terrible. It was then that he looked at me and said, “Jon, a long time ago, I learned that you just have to roll with the punches.” He always said so much by saying so little.
Oh, how I long to pick up the phone and hear his voice. I would love to share with him all of my big plans and big dreams. I know he would be so excited. I know he would still believe in me. And I know exactly what he would say, "Stop worrying about tomorrow and just roll with the punches!"
I miss Stan.

Mini-missionaries

Sometimes I wonder if we're doing the best thing in bringing our kids on the mission field. I wonder if they will have problems adjusting, or be a hindrance in accomplishing our ministry. I wonder why God called us to the mission field now, in our lives, when we have these four little kids. I mean, is this really a good idea?

For some odd reason, every time we go out to eat lately, we get Mexican food. Our last few meals in America, and we can't stay north of the boarder. Last night, upon reccomendation, we sought out an "authentic" mexican restaraunt. Sure enough it was right on. Bright yellow paint, out of date calanders with maps of Mexico on the walls, and staff that spoke no English. I tried to make out some Spanish in ordering our food and got nothing from the two young, teenage men but blank looks. Both Jon and I tried to laugh and smile to communicate nonverbally, but these guys didn't budge. We had only Davis and Ax with us, so we let Davis sit on the counter so he could get to tell the man his order himself.

Suddenly, the young men came alive! They smiled and laughed at Davis' attempt at ordering. They spoke to each other in Spanish and enjoyed watching everything else Davis did. One of the guys even blew up a balloon and we all laughed together when it popped unexpectedly in his face. We left smiling and waving and all because of Davis.

In a culture where children are innocent and enjoyed, I realize that our children are missionaries too. In fact, they might just be the key to places that Jon and I could never get to on our own.

This is the Body

Tonight our family attended the first official Saturday night service of a church in our community. I knew we would see a certain number of our friends there, but in actuality, I could see only a few people we hadn't met yet. It was great! In a way, it's going to be sad to know what we'll be missing every Saturday night in our home town. You see, everybody wants to belong. It's important for people to feel like a part of something bigger than themselves. To know that if they don't show, people will miss them and wonder where they are.

Our friends are neat people. Most of them are not all that wealthy. A lot of them work for local ministries or are themselves ministers. One of our friends came up to us tonight and asked, "Besides your house selling and a car, do you have any other needs." I thought for a minute about this friend. I knew he was saying, "Is there something I have that you need?"

I love that about the body of Christ. You don't have to have tons of money to do ministry. Or a huge church to preach to. You don't have to do everything. Just do what you can. Sometimes I find myself not helping at all because I feel like what I have to give just isn't enough. But God does not ask me to use what I do not have. This friend took our family out to eat at a local fast food restaraunt tonight. We hung out as families and they told us the funny stories of how they met. It was really great. They met a real need in our lives of food and fellowship.

It's just like the Cheers song, "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came." That's the body of Christ.

Heavenly Storehouses

Recently, I took Smith and Zaisy for a hike. One of the first interesting things we came to was a pile of rusted metal with the remains of what appeared to be a car all twisted up inside. It was sad.

This season of life has been extremely unique for our family. I've read lists of regrets that people often have at the end of their lives. They wish they would have spent more time with their kids when they were little. They wish they would have burned their keepsake candle when there were still others around to enjoy it with them. They wish they would have lived for the day instead of spending so much time worrying about tomorrow.

At this point in our lives we don't know a lot to be for certain, but we do know that God has called us to go to Mexico. We don't know why we're still here, but we do know that God is more interested in the journey than the destination. Some of the lessons we've learned over these last several months are priceless. They could never be taught in a school. I will caution you however, if you ever read, "The Breaking of the Outer Man, and the Release of the Spirit," by Watchman Nee, and you invite the Lord to break your outer man and release your spirit...He will do it. It's not fun, but the fruit is delicious.

I've never been a huge proponent of home-schooling, mainly because the examples I had of home-schooled kids growing up were pretty sad. One of our home-schooled friends became a master of making absolutely anything out of cardboard and duct-tape...however, I don't think he ever learned much more. But as we spend time pouring into our kids each day, reading the Bible with them, discussing different scientific theories, and so on, it's been such a joy to be on the offensive for once. We're realistic in knowing that this season won't last forever. Soon we'll be on the field and busy...but we're really trying to soak it up now.

We're trying to live life without anymore regrets. We're trying to get to a point where we know how to use today's provision for today and stop worrying about the fearful tomorrows that never really come. We're trying to soak up all the joy and laughter that our children have to offer today, knowing that soon they'll be grown with families and concerns of their own.

Like that pile of a car we saw on our hike, everything that you can buy with money, everything that we spend so much time working for and investing in...will one day burn up. We're learning to invest in the Heavenly storehouses where our treasures will never be destroyed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I was a kid, my mother would put on a huge Valentine's day breakfast. It was pretty much the only time of year that we used the good china. She always made oatmeal (with lots of butter and brown sugar-yum!) and something red to drink (usually Cran-something). We'd all eat at the dining room table with a long, white table cloth. And there were decorations all over the table and each person had a little present by their plate. Good times.

So, this was our version. May you enjoy your memories for years to come.

Hope In God!

It was exactly 10 years ago today that I got down on one knee and proposed to Rachel. We took the kids to the park today to enjoy the beautiful weather and were recounting the memories of that night. I asked her if she could have looked 10 years into the future, saw us with 4 kids, living in Colorado, trying to move to Mexico, and jobless, if she would have reconsidered. She said, "No way!" I think I got a keeper.

I got a call from our realtor this morning. Apparently, the one couple that was interested in our house ended up getting their bid accepted on their 1st choice house. Good for them! The couple that came yesterday liked everything about it, however, they couldn't figure out where they would put their big screen tv in the living room. Oh well...the wait continues. We're glad to be counted worthy of this faith building experience.

One of the big lessons that we're learning on this path is about where we choose to put our hope. If we hope in man or in money we always end up getting let down. They will always fail you. However, when you put all of your hope and trust in God, He will never let you down. He is not a man that He should lie. He has made certain promises to us, and rather than be discouraged today, we find ourselves encouraged by the fact that He is in control. We choose to stand on His promises and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no matter what happens, He is good!

Cheese and Crackers

There was a man taking his family on a vacation cruise. They were not wealthy people and could only afford their passage, but no more. Every night they would sit in their rooms and eat cheese and crackers for dinner. Finally the very last night on the boat, the father decided to splurge and take his family out to the dining area to eat. He asked the maire' d how much it would cost for his family to dine. "But sir," the shocked servant replied, "all meals were included in your ticket price."

I've made many decisions in my life based on money. "We only have this much money, so we can't have that," or, "We could never do that because it is way too expensive!" I realize that everyone has different reasons for spending money based on what they deem worthy. Clothes, cars, events, food, fun, looking good.

This weekend we were invited to a birthday party at a local fun-plex in our town. We had never taken our kids there before because it's so expensive. I told Jon that I'm tired of making decisions based on money. These were good friends and we wanted to be in their lives, so we went. When we got there, her mom bought my kids' tickets without hesitation. It was super fun! I'm so glad we didn't sit at home doing nothing when the provision was already taken care of!

Don't sit in your room eating cheese and crackers. Everything you need is already paid for. -a message from your Dad

Nagel Status Report

What a ride this has been so far! God is amazing and we are learning to enjoy His presence more and more each day.

Emotionally we're all doing quite well. We're excited to hit the road and see what lies ahead. The kids are doing great with their home schooling. For reading, Smith, Zaisy, and I have a goal of reading through the entire Bible together this year. We read 3 chapters a day. I read the first one, Smith reads the second, and then Zaisy and I alternate verses on the third chapter. Boy, reading through Genesis sure sparked some interesting questions! Luckily, our kids are all amazingly intelligent, so they're easy to teach.

Just in the last two or three weeks, Davis seems to have really gotten over the "two-year-old hump" and is now such a joy to be around. He's even eating almost everything we put in front of him now. He adores his older brother and sister and will do anything to make them laugh.

We've had about $4,000 come in for the van so far. Praise God! We're currently shopping, test-driving, and narrowing down our selection. We really like the 15 passenger Ford E350 models. Let us know if you see anything good out there.

Last Thursday we had another showing on our house. The people have a bid in on another house here on the West-side...but there is two other bids on that same house. They said our house is second on their list.

Then today, which is the last day of our original listing, our realtor gets a call from a "drive-by." They loved everything about the outside of the house and are coming for a showing tomorrow from 12-1pm. They said if they like the inside as much as the outside they will place a bid tomorrow. Praise God! He is never late.

Rachel and I are so excited about life right now. We made it through the fear and uncertainty stage, and now we're ready to get going. We don't know exactly where this road will lead us, but we're sure glad to travel it together!

ps. on Thursday our home phone will be turned off and we'll go to strictly cell phone use

STUFF MART

I’ve often thought when I come back from a trip to Wal-Mart with several bags in tow, “Where does it all go?” I mean, really now, I have a 1300 square foot house. Where am I putting this stuff? Well, I’ve spent the last few months figuring that out.

When the Lord told us to get rid of our stuff, I didn’t realize he meant all of our stuff. I’ve gotten rid of things that six months ago I thought I would keep for my whole life. I’ve sold my mom’s dresser and most all of my kids’ toys. We’ve cleaned out our kitchen stuff so we now only have two small tubs of utensils and appliances (half of which is taken up by our coffee maker). I’ve given away 95% of our clothes and I’ve realized something very important. I don’t care.

Every time I go through someone’s clothes (again) to try to fit it all into one duffle bag, I start out thinking that I can’t get rid of this stuff. I like it too much. But then... I get rid of a big pile and realize, I don’t really even like that stuff. Funny, huh?

So we have a garage full of “Goodwill stuff” and a shrinking pile of boxes and tubs labeled MEXICO. I just want everyone reading this to know that this experience I just related to you has been one of the most freeing of my life. I have said many times in my life, “I would give up anything for You, Lord.” I'm glad He took me seriously. I don’t want stuff anymore. I just want Him.

What a Guy!

Of all the things we've thrown out in the past months and realizing we could still light our whole garage on fire and still have enough stuff, we have managed to keep this. May I introduce you to What a Guy. He became a family icon first when Zaisy would tease her big brother with all the stunts he could do and always end in the same sing-song way, "Whaaat a Guy!"

We've tried to throw him away, but somehow he almost supernaturally reappears in our stuff as if to prove that he wants to go with us. So, we decided to take him along as our family mascot. According to the kids he can do a great number of fantastic feats, so he should be pretty useful to have around. He'll make a great missionary.

So, in the future, when we post pictures of our family around the world, keep a sharp eye out for our little mascot. He represents our family in many ways. He is fun-loving, ready to travel anywhere, smartly dressed, and able to anything. WHAT A GUY!!! (You should really ask Zaisy how to say it the right way.)

Good Book!

I just finished reading, "The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind" by Bill Johnson. Great book! It has really made me do some thinking and some soul searching.
The last chapter talks about heroes of the faith like, Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee Semple McPherson, and the Wesley brothers. Here's a brief excerpt: "They didn't start out as giants but they were possessed by a passion to pursue new territories that had not been occupied before, even when all logic and reason warred against them. They were like people on safari chopping down undergrowth in the jungle to move into uninhabited territory. They were fed up with seeing one standard in the Bible and another standard in their experience. That discontentment caused them to move dangerously into territory that had been inhabited by wild beasts, if you will."
He goes on to make a case, that if we would have ran with what these people fought for, if we would have made their celing our floor, where would we be today? Instead, we build memorials and monuments to the work they did and then don't do anything more.
He uses Luke 11:24-26 as an example. It's the story about the unclean spirit going out of a man. After going through dry places and seeking rest, finding none, he decides to go back. Finding the place put in order he goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than himself and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
The idea behind this all, is that when men and women rise up and take new territory and develop it, and then the next generation just tries to sit on it thinking it's "good enough", bad things will happen. I've heard people say that if you're not progressing and growing in your faith each day, then you are back-sliding.
He uses many real life examples to illustrate this point, but the one that really stuck with me is the Methodist church. John Wesley and his brother saw amazing moves of the spirit throughout their ministry. Instead of the church taking and running with what they had learned, they sat on it. Just recently the Methodist church ordained their first lesbian minister. Ouch!
I am fed up with seeing one standard in the Bible and another standard in my day-to-day experience! I know there is more. I look forward to moving into dangerous territory that has been held by the devil and his wild beasts for too long. And when my life here is done, I hope my children will make my ceiling their floor.