5 Minute Monthly: March

March was a mixed bag here in the Mann family. Half of the month was a beautiful routine of normal simplicity, while the other half felt like a crazy whirlwind of exciting busyness. Though it felt like a challenge, I thoroughly enjoyed this whole month. But what I appreciate most from this past month are the things that God taught me and how he grew me and our family closer to him in ways I couldn't have expected. This month's mixed bag included high emotions, crazy connections, utter exhaustion and complete thankfulness. So here is a look into the March Madness of the Mann family and God's goodness through it all!

Life Happenings

The beginning of the month was peaceful and filled with family quality time. Sometimes Tyler and I would stay up late playing board games just the two of us, other nights we would all have dinner with friends or family. During the day we both strove to work hard in the tasks the Lord has given us to do. I have come to love the daily routine of taking care of Josiah. Our active son is always kicking, grabbing, cooing and smiling. He is generally an easy-going guy and that became such a blessing when we hit the crazy side of March.

Leaving on a road trip, our first stop was a wedding. This meant a whole lot of meeting and greeting with those close to us. It was such a fun time; there is nothing like the encouragement and companionship of friends who are family and family who are friends. Even Josiah got to meet some new little friends and see his cousin again!

After the wedding, we traveled on to Pennsylvania. While there, it was our goal to visit with and share our mission with as many people as possible. It was such a crazy, busy awesome time and it just flew by. During our trip we saw the Lord working and witnessed his presence, provision and protection in places we didn't expect.

Tyler and I went to Sight and Sound Theaters in Lancaster where we watched Daniel, a show that emphasized the power of prayer. After the show, there is a general call to come up front and be prayed for-- which Tyler felt like we should go do. In our brief conversation, we discovered that she had already known of us through a mutual friend and her and her team have been praying for us by name. Her prayer for us was that we would learn to wait on the Lord, his timing, and trust him. We felt seen by the Lord and loved by him because a girl who we didn't know knew us by name. That moment was so special, and helped us to remember that God sees us, he is in control, and we can trust him.

We left Pennsylvania feeling like we did all we could with support raising, but wondering if it was enough. We drove through the night to get home, hoping to beat an incoming snow storm, but only an hour away from home we had a very minor accident. In attempt to take an exit, Tyler slid on the icy road and plowed through an exit sign. Our car was stuck, the heat had failed hours ago, and now our only car was damaged. And yet, the Lord protected us! The car, surprisingly, still ran, we all were (so thankfully) unharmed, Josiah was safe and warm and the damage was minimal. Thank the Lord.

When we got home, Tyler had originally planned to work, despite having come off an exhausting week. However, because of the accident, he decided to stay home and rest with Josiah and I. He missed those two days of work, but we yielded that time to the Lord, acknowledging that he will supply our needs. Then it happened: we received a check in the mail that was the exact amount of two days wages. The Lord provides! After reflecting over that trip, we realized the things we expected to happen didn’t, but we did learn about the Lord and his character. And despite everything, that is far more important in the long run.

Missions Update

This month our support raising has been humbling because we did a lot asking and much wondering. Being humbled is a very good thing, for in it we learn so much about the Lord and his timing. We have really been experiencing these truths this month, because a lot of our future plans relied on us meeting 50% supported by the end of this month. We made many asks and explained to many people what we needed, but it hasn't been easy and is not yielding the fruit that we thought it would. This leaves us wondering a lot of things, the biggest one being if we will leave in August or not. As of right now, that question still remains unanswered. We don't know what is in store for us, but until we have clear direction, we will continue pursuing what we feel the Lord has called us to do. However, not meeting our percentage goals does not mean we are forced to throw in the towel. We will press on and continue to support raise, just with a later launch date than we initially hoped for.

There are many things I don't understand, but this month reminded me that our God is powerful. He makes his presence known, he protects us, watches out for us when we don't deserve it, and he provides in ways that are unexpected. I am learning to trust him and his timing, and I am thankful that he has brought us this far. The month of March was a mixed bag. But throughout that mix, there was a whole lot of the Lord. And for that I am thankful.

Pray With Us

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and keep up with us. We do really ask that you would keep us in your prayers, especially that God would provide the support we need to do the work he has called us to do. We are thankful for the Lord’s provision, and that he gives to his children according to his perfect timing.