Greater Than Our Expectations

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” –Ephesians 3:20

The preceding verse was gloriously at work within us over the last two days. Yesterday, we left the United States and arrived in Guatemala. Stan Clayton, our Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, sent us a text message that stated he was praying for our family. He also included the reference to Ephesians 3:20 in that message. That verse was a proclamation of how God was going to exuberantly display his greatness in ways that we did not ask or imagine.

Our experience in the Pensacola airport is a testimony to God doing immeasurably more than what we expected. Since we have been preparing and packing for this journey, we expected to pay for a few extra pieces of luggage. If anyone has a baby or small child, than you know how much luggage is dedicated to him or her. (Honestly, we pack three bags when Cadence stays at her grandparents’ homes. Half of our vehicle is overflowing with her toys, and her closet contains more clothing than the racks at Goodwill)! When we arrived at the airport, we unloaded the bountiful offering of luggage. Collectively, we had one large suitcase that weighed 72lbs, a small suitcase that weighed 55lbs, a trunk that weighed 61lbs, pack and play that was packed full, two backpacks, a car seat, and a stroller! We were unsure if we could bring the stroller, car seat, and pack and play. We figured that we would have to pay $100-$150 for our extra luggage, but we were under-estimating! An amazing lady from Continental Airlines assisted with our check-in. When she weighed the bags, she informed us that the excessive weight would be an additional $400 charge, and that did not include paying for extra bags. I almost passed out, but God was about to show out. The lady offered us a huge duffle bag, so we used that bag and began moving things from one bag to another until everything was under 50lbs. The only problem was that this new bag would bring our checked luggage count to five bags, and we could only check two bags. Let me interject at this point and proclaim how God done more than we could ask or imagine. When we went back to the desk, the lady informed us that we were Continental Airlines Elite Access Members. Let me assure you, the only thing that I have from Continental is frequent flyer miles. I wondered if the lady changed our status, but she said that we were classified as Elite Members when she first looked up our tickets. The amazing part of this newfound membership is that is grants each traveler the ability to check-in three bags without an additional charge. Plus, it allowed us to bring an extra piece of luggage for the baby. Wow! The overwhelming feeling that I had was that God is in control and is working things out that we have not imagined or expected!


We were exhausted by the time we arrived in Guatemala, and we went to the house and passed out. Later, we joined Pastor Max for a church service. During the meeting, he encouraged us to stay strong and read Psalm 91. Both of those aspects of worship impacted us and our direction this summer. 


Today, we have been extremely busy! The priority of the day was to secure and settle into our new apartment, and find a vehicle. Somewhere in there, we found time to start a bank account for the church plant in Santa Rosa el Rodeo. Thankfully, everything worked fine for the apartment. Unfortunately, the same is not true regarding the vehicle. Please pray that God will provide a vehicle that will be used for his glory and affordable. 


We are so thankful for God being God! He is YHWH or "I Am!" He is doing immeasurably more than what we ask for or expect. The following verse in Ephesians  proclaims, "To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations!"