Update 11

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Do not copy, forward, distribute, or post this letter on social media View this email in your browser Catching Up With the Byrd’s! Our last few weeks here in New Zealand have looked much different than we expected. Even at 23 I can see how man can plan things but truly it is God who directs your steps. God is moving and doing something though we aren’t exactly sure what. We have seen incredible parts of creation, pursued relationship with the body of Christ and some amazing locals and missionaries, heard powerful truths from the Father, had days were we click perfectly and days we don’t. We have been amazed at the Lord’s provision, been forced into deep places of trust, and have fought indwelling sin and seen little victories that cumulate into renewed mindsets and living with “all things that pertain to life and godliness”. Some Final Exploring in NZ Just after Christmas, we took a one month break from work to head back to the South Island to travel and explore. The one place that was on the top of my list for NZ was a place called Milford Sound. It is deep in the Fiordland National Park (no service, no bathrooms, just nature and mountains and lakes and fiords and sounds). It was the most incredible piece of creation have have seen and may ever see. It screamed the glory and majesty of our Heavenly Father! With one word, not only did he place these mile-high mountains but he made every single other mountain and piece of creation with that same word. He spoke and it was. Take a second to really meditate on that and watch as your anxieties and cares of life fall away in the light of the all powerful and sovereign God. A Soujourners Christmas Christmas was incredible- we had a sort of “sojourners” Christmas with a few families from Church. We immediately invested in and began serving at our church and have seen God abundantly bless us and provide for his sojourning kiddos through the local body. We have made some deep friends, been challenged, encouraged, humbled, and left with gratitude and deep thanks for our local body.  One of the deepest relationships we have been able to build has actually been another American family who sold all their possessions 3 years ago and left everything to follow Jesus in calling them to the local Maori people group. They have personal connections with Francis Chan and I see them living out so much of what he teaches about living for eternity and God’s purposes for his church. Please keep the Smith* family in your prayers!   It’s a Pen // You’re an Eternal Soul   Sometimes I feel like a broken record in sharing the process of God renewing my mind. Most of my sin struggles are internal so I love sharing what God is doing such that His strength is made perfect in my weakness and great Glory can be given to Him!  One day at work, our boss had walked past our van during lunch and asked for a pen. I grabbed the first pen I saw and gave it to him. It happened to be Stephens favorite pen and the one he likes to use for transcribing scripture. I forgot to ask for it back. A few days later, Stephen is looking for his pen and asks me about it. I realzie that I forgot to ask for it back and my thoughts started from “I have let down my husband” and spiraled downwards into “I will always be a disappointment and wil never be good enough”. Sounds drastic right?! It feels insane even writing it now. But one sinful thought pattern I am working to replace is this one that sees only the negative and then goes downhill in discouragement and disappointment. Completely authored by the enemy and then accepted by my flesh. This iniquity makes my brow subconsciously furry as I write because I hate it. I am called to hope. Our God is a God of hope. He does not look at me and get discouraged and think “well she will always be negative and miserable”. He does not give up on revealing sin (in love) and disciplining me. So why would I give up?! What happened next was like a flood of love and grace from the Holy Spirit. Stephen looked at me and said “thats a pen, you’re an eternal soul. I care much more about your heart than a silly pen”. This was absolutely shocking to me in the midst of feeling like I always am a disappointment. I have seen many times people choosing their self seeking desires without the care for how that may affect another human and these experiences shaped my view on things havin more value than my heart. To see, in a small way, Stephen forsaking his preferences and things for the furthering of the gospel of grace working in me was the tender voice of hope I needed to remind me that these lies WILL be broken off and that in obedience and faith, I will see the Spirit transform my mind. I am blessed among women to have a husband who seeks, above all else, to present me to Jesus on that final day clothed in the beauty of righteousness and holiness. And I am confident that in the large and the small, He will continue to choose my heart over his preferences and self seeking desires in order that Jesus may be glorified and His gospel revealed through the covenant of marriage!   Living in Peace & Trust (By the Grace of God Alone)   Right now, the enemy has been tempting me with anxiety. Every few days, many thoughts will flood my mind of all the things to be anxious about. The thoughts, like a cloud, will try and cover all the positive and beautiful thoughts of trust. We got a text from our boss when we got back from traveling that there will be no more work until harvest time in March. Which means, that when we expected to slam out 12 hour days for two weeks straight to make it through the next month and a half before we return to the states, we were met with no jobs. There is no where that will hire someone for less than 2 weeks so we were put in a place of intense dependency upon the Lord for the last weeks here, next month in Asia, and a little time in Australia before flying back. We had planned and prepared, knew just what we would need to go through Asia, traveling, learning culture in the 1040, and visiting missionaries along the way, and then were met with a curveball: work is cancelled for a month and a half. Talk about the perfect place to choose anxiety or trust! And lets get real- this anxiety about provision is disobedience to Jesus’ command in Matthew 6: “be anxious about nothing”. So when the thoughts come flooding: What if we don’t have enough to make it back home? What if we can’t eat? What if we can’t get a plane ticket back for me and I am stuck in Hawaii (I guess there are worse things ;) while the one whom my soul loves is on the east coast? What is we don’t sell either of our vans and are in an even bigger pickle? What if what if what if. Life always has a handful of “what if’s” to make us anxious and distract us. All anxiety does is destroy both mind an body (like hello who likes knots in their stomachs and all the myriad of ways that anxiety manifests itself). We have seen God abundantly provide (through his body here in NZ!), why would we doubt his faithfulness now to provide all our needs. Like, come on, He gave us a house for free (not to mention- on the beach, super nice, with food in the fridge), many meals in the homes of church members, and deep edification through brothers and sisters. Ultimately and most importantly, He has given us Himself. The Prince of Peace dwells within. Such an astounding mystery that changes everything. He is always faithful. Th question is: will I choose faith, will I choose trust, will I choose Him in His unchanging character over whatever temptation may come?  I pray that His Spirit would empower me to do so. I pray this for you too. Thanks for keeping up with the Byrd’s!! We treasure each of you and are so thankful for your prayers and support!! Lifting Requests  The ending of seasons are always bittersweet but we are ready to step into the next thing that the Father has for us in His Kingdom purposes. We are so honored that you have chosen to walk through this life with us in some sense. The fact that you are even reading this makes me feel loved to the core of my being. So as always, thank you for your support and love in our life. There are so many things to come and my heart is strengthened in the knowing that you care to be a part of it all. There are quite a few things I would ask for you to pray for and thank you now for that. God is answering what YOU have asked of him in these prayer requests. I cannot ask for anything greater than for you to take these things to the throne of the King over all the universe and intercede.  For our trust in what the Father has with us selling our cars and that they would sell (we leave in just 5 days!). That the Lord would use the Smith* family powerfully in the sharing of the Gospel and the furthering of His Kingdom here. For an ever deepening intimacy in our marriage that displays to a world, full of broken marriages and hearts, the covenant love that Jesus has for His Bride. For the courage and faith that leads to obedience such that we would step into every small or large thing that the Spirit leads us to For God’s strength to carry us through all of the travel over the next month (we have around 9 flights and many thousands of miles to travel!)    Some Fun Pictures :) This is Lake Tekapo and it is the bluest water I have ever seen! It is pure glacier water from Mt. Cook. It is also a “dark sky reserve” so light pollution is limited and the stars were incredible- surpassing even those I got to see in the Sahara! There are caves here over 100m below the surface of the earth and we got to absail into one of them- literally into the depths of the earth! *names have been changed for their security Do not copy, forward, distribute, or post this letter on social media

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