Garage Sale This Weekend

This weekend is our first (and hopefully our last) garage sale to support our trip to Taiwan. Since we are moving halfway around the world and we can't take the majority of our stuff it is only logical that we sell EVERYTHING we own to support our trip. If we can't bring ourselves to make sacrifices then how can we ask other people to make sacrifices to support us.

So if you're in the area, come by and buy some stuff! If you aren't in the area but would still like to support us as we prepare to serve on the mission field in Taiwan, you can donate through Gofundme.com or Paypal.

Thank you all for all of your prayers and support! They are greatly appreciated!

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy and Christiana

Skype Interview with Giraffe

Waiting for our interview with Giraffe to start.

This past weekend Jimmy and I went to Fulton to visit my family and to celebrate my sister Mary's birthday. We knew it was going to be a fun weekend anyway, but then we got an email saying that Giraffe English School would like to have a Skype interview with us on Friday night! Well, no problem. We cancelled some of our plans and re-arranged others so that we could be sitting on my parents' couch at 8 P.M. on Friday night to Skype with the school's recruiter.

Although we were told that it was only going to be a voice interview we decided that we would still dress up--just in case. You want to make a good impression and since Skype does have video options it's way better to be safe than sorry. In the end, we ended up being on video while our interviewer was voice only (I don't blame her since it was 9 A.M. Saturday morning her time!).

The interview lasted approximately one hour and fifteen minutes (according to the call timer). It seemed to go well, and this week we hope to hear whether or not we will officially be offered the two positions in Taichung. Until then I guess we will just have to continue to wait and pray.

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

One Third of the Way to Taiwan

Today we have reached approximately 1/3 of our goal funds! It's exciting! Thank you to everyone who has bought stuff (our house is starting to look empty!) and/or given donations to see this ministry opportunity through. We will be accepting donations until July 17th which is our deadline for having all of our funds raised. By July 17th, it's our goal to have three months of Taiwan expenses set aside.

This will allow us to travel to Taiwan, reside in temporary housing (a combo of hostels and hotels), get around (by bus, taxi, or subway), and eat while we find a job and wait until our first paycheck. Although we hope to find employment quickly--we even have a few interviews set up already--it can still take up to a month after our first day of work before receiving a paycheck since 99% of all people working in Taiwan are paid on a monthly basis.

Pray for us as we seek God's will about where to live and where to work. Pray that our phone interviews go well too.

We still have a couple of "big ticket" items we need to sell to help push closer to our financial goal. They are: a 2002 Ford Windstar Minivan, a washer and dryer set, the desktop computer (can be viewed on the for sale page), a Queen Mattress set, and one couch. If you or anyone you know are interested in these items you can email us at iwantthemustions[at]yahoo.com or private message us on Facebook.

Don't forget our Garage Sale starting on Friday, June 28th at 8:00 AM!

What's Next on the List?

We're moving to Taiwan in less than 2 months! Saying that seems so unreal, but it's true. So you know we are leaving but you might be wondering what's next on our "to do" list. Here's a very basic rundown...

What's Next:

• Get our Taiwan Visitor Visas
• Have a Garage Sale (June 28-30th)
• Either Donate everything that doesn't sell or have a second garage sale
• Financial & Legal Stuff
• Accept final donation (by July 17th)
• Say Goodbye

I am sure there are a ton of little things that I am forgetting, but like I said these are the basic things we need to finish in the next 46 days. Thank you to everyone who has given donations and/or bought stuff. We are getting closer to our goal of having two months of expenses and travel/paperwork costs covered. We couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions or want to know how you can help, please feel free to facebook, email, text, comment, or contact us in any way!

Grace and peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

Why Taiwan?

Ok, so you have heard our big news (or if you haven't you can learn about it here). If you are like most of the other people we have talked to the first question which might pop into your mind is "Why Taiwan?" Let's talk about it.

There are 3 basic reasons why we are moving to Taiwan:

#1 It's what God is calling us to do right now.
Since our time at McCarthy has closed we have been praying and seeking advice of our Christian mentors and other Godly people in our lives we trust. It has been clearly confirmed that even though we don't have a place to live or a place to work (yet), we are supposed to move to Taiwan at the end of July. As my (Christiana's) mother has told me numerous times in my life--including when I called to talk to her about this, "If that's what God is telling you to do then you better do it!"

#2 It's an opportunity to do ministry differently.
Christiana has a real heart for students and for missions, and I have been working with students for more than 15 years but I have always been on staff at a church. This is a chance not only to get out of our comfort zones and explore a new culture, but it is also a chance to be able to focus on ministry without the pressure of being "on staff". Not being on staff will also allow us the opportunity to parent with multiple local churches and ministries. Also, teaching English will allow us to stay in Taiwan and to meet a multitude of students, parents, and others who will want to talk to us and build relationships with us (allowing us to share Jesus) just because we are native English speakers. It is a WIDE open opportunity.

#3 It will be good for us.
Moving to Taiwan will be good for us. It will broaden our world view and help us to see outside of our Western mindset. In addition, when we talked to Jimmy's surgeon (Find out more about Jimmy's surgery) he brought up a valid point...it will be easier to eat healthier, be more active, and lose additional weight anywhere that's not America. If for no other reason but the increased amount of walking we will be doing to transport ourselves from one place to another it will be good for us.

As I am sure you have figured out, there are many reasons why we decided to move to Taiwan. However, these are the big 3. So please pray for us. This is going to be a challenge even though it's what we believe God is calling us to do. If you want to find out how you can help, please visit our FOR SALE page or our GoFundMe page.

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

Hello, everyone! Jimmy recorded a special vlog for you so you can hear our BIG announcement from our own lips. So here it is...

Our Big Announcement

View Items FOR SALE

Thanks for stopping by to hear our big announcement. You can follow our Journey here on our blog or keep up with us on Facebook or both! If you have any questions, feel free to email us, Facebook us, or comment below.