New Year, New Focus

DR Trip Sep 2011

I praise God for 2011!

Many things to be grateful for, including, but not limited to:

• Deeper walk with God, more sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit
• Family is enriched--more time with Melissa & children; still need to improve but thankful for the time to spend with them
• Making ends meet financially--always need to be vigilant in taking care of the family. Praise God for food, shelter, clothes, and a vehicle to get around with.
• Learning how to get things done--one thing off the bucket list is a family missions trip. By God's grace, we were able to go to the Dominican Republic (all twelve of us--Chuck, Marge, our family, and Jeff's family). We learned how to honor God, to love one another as a testimony to everyone we met, and to love the people in the Dominican Republic.  This trip was one of the highlights of the year.  The other highlight was the polar plunge on New Year's Day 2011 where we jumped out of our comfort zone and dove into the icy waters of Winona Lake with many others to show ourselves and to ask God to help us go beyond ourselves to honor Him. Because of the polar challenge, we made plans to go to the DR. We made it happen with God's help and provision. 

Polar Bear Plunge 01.01.11

Overall, the Butler family has much to be thankful for. We praise God for His generosity. We seek to honor the Lord more in 2012. May you and your family seek to take the challenge to do great things for God. As William Carey, the great missionary of the past said, "Expect Great Things, Attempt Great Things" in 2012.

"Catch a Wave...And your out of your comfort zone"

Missions trips s-t-r-e-t-c-h you.

Every day we have experienced new things: new foods, new schedules, and new activities.

The Dominican Republic is on the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The country is surrounded by water. I am a Navajo and our traditional lands is surrounded by four sacred mountains on high desert plateaus.  So it is a stretch to engage the water as one who's ancestors engaged the desert.

So when my bro-in-law Jeff asked us to go out-of-our comfort zone and go surfing. Part of me was excited for the new adventure. And the other part of me was a bit uneasy.

However, our family has been on a quest from the first day of 2011. On Jan 1, 2001 we jumped in the iced-over Winona Lake with other "polar bears" to declare that we would go beyond our comfort zones this year.

Rafi & Gustavo of Macao Surf Camp

Our family took another step out-of-our-comfort zones. Each child had fears. But each one overcame them. We praise God for new Christian friends from the Macao Surf Camp--Rafael & Gustavo. They minister to Dominican youth by training them to be surfing instructors. Each youth has dropped out of school in junior high because high school demands extra money to pay for transportation. Please check out their fb page and pray for their upcoming Christian Surf Camp in October. 

My favorite story is Carissa. Her countenance had traces of tears forming in her precious little eyes. But she cautiously listened to the instructors, followed her personal trainer's directions, and after two wipeouts, rode her first wave onto the beach. I was so proud of her. The smile that glowed from the beach out to me was priceless. 

So when you take your missions trip with your family. Take the lead. Experience new things. Then debrief with them to instill confidence in the Lord and to guide them as they experience challenging obstacles.