So I’ve been feeling that we really needed to share with you where we have come from. Hopefully in doing that we can learn where we are going all the while praying we can inspire someone else with our journey. So in a brief story Id like to say that I (Angie) did not come from a christian family. Every type of abuse was happening in that family. My family was lost and alcoholics and drug addicts my entire life. Angry. bitter and hopeless is still running rampant within my family tree. When I was 16 I met a boy and he was a “christian” which I had NO idea what that even ment! Soon after we started dating we were Boldly invited to a “fun youth event” riiiiiiight. Little did I know that I would give my life to Jesus at 16 at that “event”. From there on my life circumstances didn’t immediately change but I had HOPE. When you are at your rock bottom Hope is a beautiful thing. I have watched Him break chains of abuse, alcohol, drugs, anger in my life. It has nothing to do with me but everything to do with my God. which is exactly why I have such a desire to point people to Him. I havent done everything right. Trust me. That is how He works though he equips the un equipped. He uses what society throws away. He loves the “un lovable.”

As we prepare to go to New Zealand there are so many things that we are consumed by.  We are pushing in this week and expecting Him to show up in awesome ways! We know that we look crazy…we even think that we are crazy! We know its insane! What are we to do when God calls us SO clearly other than take an audacious step in our faith that we feel we never regret. I would rather live my life failing everytime taking big steps for God than living in fear too afraid to take a step at all. Besides maybe we are a fool? I will be a fool for Jesus any day.

Philippians 3:8
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

Thanks for reading!! Keep on praying for us!

P.s we only need 49 more people to give 300.00 and we are there! Please consider donating to this. We cannot tell you how humbled He has made us thru it all. Thank you! Thank you!!

Platts

So most of you have heard me bragging about how funny my kids are. Right? Well this is one of those times. So if you don’t like that go ahead and go back to whatever it was you were doing. For the rest of you thanks for stopping by.

My kids are how shall I say this…challenging? No. Lets just say they have a will and know how to use it. However they are also the sweetest and really amazing boys this side of the river. Like today…

I was cleaning my kitchen listening to Eli & Max in the backyard playing. They were standing on our retaining wall and “swording” each other. Max got Eli pretty good and said “Ha! take that Devil” Eli (apparently didn’t want to play this whole good vs. evil game) said ” Max!! I don’t want to be the Devil!” Max says ” too bad I called Jesus first”. Then I hear him jab him again(right after I told him NO JABBING.) He says even louder ” That’s for making my mom cry and making her worry about New Zealand!”  Wow.

Now we are pretty open with our kids. We pray about it and we tell them what “faith” is. As if we know.  At that moment I started to cry and knew that my almost four-year old understood it. Even perhaps better that we do. I did not grow up in a christian home, it sucked and was insane. So when I see my kids “get it” its an amazing-super-proud-my-God-rocks kind of moment. Thought I’d share it. It definitely put a smile on my face. Thank God we get to start over with our lives and have the option to make different choices. Thank God his mercies are new every morning. Thank God for spunky lil boys that take after their mama.

Ang

Many of you ask how you can help…the obvious answer is giving and praying.

A lot of you are already so there are a couple of things we are asking.

1. Our house just finally sold!! Hurray!! This is a great and awesome thing! However we are in need of a place to stay. We close here on June 27th. So less than a month, until we leave. I know we are a family of five and that’s a lot of people so please pray and ask God first. We are  trusting Him again on this. Thank God its summer…maybe the county park is an option. KIDDING!

2. Please pass the word around. However you pass stuff on these days, facebook, Blogs, emails, twitter just plain ole talking is good. We Need to sell some of our big stuff. Entertainment center, couch, chairs, dressers, john deere lawn mower. We do not want to store this stuff.  We have no room!

3. Please be praying for us. We are just a tad bit stressed and trying to remain calm under it all. We know you are…we have some that have a certain time of day that pray for us everyday. We feel it!

This can only, always ever be about Jesus. It really has nothing to do with the Platt’s, you are not giving to us, you are furthering His kingdom.

Thanks!

Samm & Angie

Yesterday before church, I went downstairs and thought I’m just going to get  alone with God..which with three boys is a RARE and beautiful thing. I started to journal and pour my heart out to The Father and grabbed my bible…(as soon as I did this I got 3 text messages and 2 phone calls) rather annoyed I turned my phone off. No I wasnt annoyed at you, I was annoyed I couldn’t get in the word that’s all. Anyways I prayed a VERY specific prayer that went like this. ” God I’m nervous and scared I need you to confirm it again. God I pray that TODAY you would have me read, see or hear the words New Zealand, then I would know.” Now that might seem weird but honestly when you are doing MAJOR soul surgery you need something to carry you thru the next valley you will be in. So I went to church we did our sunday small group and we came home.

Now every night we have been reading ” Is that really you God?” by Loren Cunningham the man who started YWAM 3o years ago in Hawaii.  It’s an amazing story how he came to know the voice of God all his life. I highly recommend this book! I didn’t want to read it, which is weird because normally I cannot wait until this time of night…kids in bed, us snuggled up reading together and then praying together, its awesome! However I was all like “nah” and Samm was all like yea just one chapter. So like the good submissive wife..ahem…I did. We were almost done with the chapter and I read one of the last paragraphs.

” I had no way of guessing that the launch pad we’d been looking for would turn out to be located in a tiny country halfway around the earth called New Zealand.”

The moment my eyes read New Zealand I bursted into tears. I’d forgotten that I had even asked Him for that it was almost 10:00. I wept and told Samm and he was just amazed and in awe of what He was doing. The way it hit me I just knew. We prayed and I knew that He was going to do it, I just don’t know how.

Today has been hard, I’ve been trying to focus my heart on what  His promises are. I say things like “we are only 6 weeks away and not even half there, God how are you going to do this? I say ” God Im tired. Tired of asking boldly like you have told us to do. Tired of being ridiculed for doing this. Just tired.” Somehow I reach out to Him and all I receive is His peace and gentle release. We are grateful for the support we have been given, so many prayers and people donating…however we know there is alot of you that are reading our blogs and tell us you are excited for us, we need your support. Both prayerfully and financially. We know that He will work in your hearts as He is in ours. Thank you so much for what you have done already.

Psalm 17:7 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to Him, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

So God has done some amazing things already here at the Platt household! We are around 7,000 total donated!! We are doing the fundraiser in three phases in which we are asking that a total of 100 people give 300 dollars. We have almost reached the first phase of thirty donations!! We only need 3000.00 more!! We feel so blessed and all together overwhelmed with His goodness! With the money you have given we were able to put a deposit down on Ywam to hold our spot and we also found some great deals on luggage! Our passports should be here soon and now we are waiting to raise that last 3000.00 so we can purchase our airline tickets! Again thank you! Through this all we have learned a few things..

1. God is in control..we have only the illusion that we are. This is a hard concept for many. However since I’m a control freak this is down right painful. I give it up to Him sometimes every hour on the hour.

2. He is faithful. Thru our family and friends and even perfect strangers He is using you to show us that He has this and will not forsake us. He is using people to be so generous to us so we can go and help change lives. We are so humbled.

So with that a few updates. We will most likely close on our house in three weeks!!! YIKES! Please be praying for that. Not just that it will go smooth but also for our hearts. This is our very first home where we had all of our babies and even though we know its just a home it was ours. We are thankful that God has given us buyers and we are ready for the new adventure He has for us.

We have mailed out all our support letters. Please be praying that the ones who will be giving will know our sincere gratitude. If you did not receive a letter but would like one please email me at platt14@msn.com.

That is all for now! I cannot wait to update you all with news that our first phase is done!

In His grip always,

Samm & Angie Platt

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast your burdens on Him, for He cares for you”