Knowing What We Need

It has been almost three weeks since we completed our training at Mission Training International.  Our time there was, is, and will continue to be of inestimable value.  It was so significant, in fact, that I want to share here several insights we gained.  "Insights" actually is too small and simple a word for what we received.  You'll understand more as we share more on this blog.  To begin with, however, I'm simply going to post here Leslie's reply to an email from a friend who inquired about our time at MTI:

I'll respond on my part about the training since I'm on the computer first today, and let Travis add on his reflections later....   I think the main thing that challenged and confirmed that we were in the right place at the right time at MTI in CO was that they said that God is more interested in our character -- in each of us looking like His Son Jesus -- than in anything that we could "do" for him.... So, if we are not loving our spouse and our children and if we are not knowing the presence and rest and mercy of Jesus in our own life, then we could not possibly show God's love to others. 

Also in studying scripture, just the acknowledgement that God is God -- there is no formula for life like, "If I do this, or if this happens here, then God will...." And also that God is Good -- there is nothing good in us, and only God has the power to restore and refresh us and only He can bring life from death -- we cannot do any of those things, so we should not strive for them, just lean on Jesus and trust Him because He knows us best and knows what we need in our deepest being -- a lot of times we do not even know what we need ourselves.  So, there you have it, deep thoughts by Leslie Hines :0)

Here's a quick update as well:

We returned to my parents' place after MTI, and enjoyed a week with both my brothers present.  A particular joy was getting to meet my younger brother's girlfriend, who visited us from Ohio.  A rare treasure of a woman.

After the clan's departure, we've settled into a routine where Leslie and I alternate days in taking care of kids and working on our departure for Uganda.  We've developed a loose schedule for the kids, their priorities being riding horses in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.  (My parents have two neighbors, each about 60 seconds away by car, who have given us unrestricted use of their beautiful pools!)  We're also focusing on establishing patterns of living that the Father communicated to us while we were at MTI.  Of utmost importance to us right now are patterns of communication, of rest, of play, and of a godly view of work.

We're aiming for the end of the summer for Uganda.  We're excited because this at last seems very doable.  We're slugging through the details of leaving, as well as pushing to raise a final few hundred dollars of monthly support.  (If you're one who would like to join us in this way, email me at hinesfamily@gmail.com.) 

Here are some fun shots from our return trip from Colorado back to Texas: