This post is so long over due we hardly know where to start. As most of you know we were anticipating going to Africa in September of this year. However, Jesus once again had different plans in mind. He started leading us down a different path of what ministry looks like in Bridgman Michigan. It was a very challenging and confusing time for us as we were so eager to go travel and serve Jesus, while the whole time He had been using us and is still using us here! We still totally believe He used us in our fundraising and time of preparation over the past year of our marriage. We were able to speak with so many people and raise money that we sent to Zehandi to help start their Malawi mission work. The Lord truly brought fruit from our efforts even though the end result looked completely different than what we imagined. So, here we are one year later, living in Bridgman and still being missionaries. We are a part of Bridgman Young Life which is an incredible organization that is very mission oriented and totally following Jesus. We also are involved at Immanuel Bridgman serving, loving, and praying for our community. We thank Jesus so much for all He has taught us this year and all He continues to teach us every day. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and supporting us! A million thanks to all who donated to our mission as well; we are beyond thankful that Jesus used that money exactly how He intended to - to help His people in Malawi and in Michigan.
If you're interested in Young Life or Bridgman Young Life
check out our
Facebook page: Bridgman YoungLife 
or click here : Southwest Michigan YoungLife
God bless!
Scott and Sami

Change in Plans

Scott and I have had a slight change in plans this past week. We found out from our contact that they would like us to wait until September to come (instead of leaving in June like we had been planning). There were a few reasons behind this change, the major one being our contacts are coming to the U.S. in July to fundraise for the orphanage. We are so excited to have them here and are hoping they will get a chance to come visit with our church family as well.  It was a slight curveball from Jesus, but we have honestly come to expect nothing less. He has always known far better than we do what is best for His Kingdom. We were a little thrown at first, our hearts were completely prepared to leave, but we are happy to spend the summer here in our beautiful little beach town. We know the Lord has big things for us here, too. We cannot wait to see what is in store. We love learning to live in the present and are thankful for every reminder that we are not in control and we do not live for ourselves.
We live for the One who gave us life.

Please, keep us in your prayers as we make these changes in our plans and continue fundraising!

A few housekeeping things:
We are planning on keeping our commissioning date the same. The commissioning will be May 25th at 11am at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bridgman. There will be a potluck luncheon afterward! Please come out and spend time worshiping and talking with us!
We also will be speaking at Immanuel on May 18th at 9am and 11am sharing a little bit of our story and all Jesus has done in us and for us over these past few years.
The rummage sale we were planning will now be held on September 6th from 8am-3pm also at Immanuel in Bridgman.

We have some awesome flyers Scott made floating around with this and more information on them, so be on the lookout for one of them!

all praises to our King

God is just so good to us!

Everything is coming along so smoothly for us so far in our planning for Africa. We have been extremely blessed by donations and prayers this month and our hearts are simply overflowing with joy and praise. We have just a couple thousand dollars more we would like to raise to cover flight costs and then hopefully have an abundance to donate toward the orphanage. [Our donation website, everribbon.com, does not take into account checks that have been mailed to us or any pledged monthly support, so the amount raised that is shown is not accurate.] We are working on getting together our visa paperwork and will hopefully have it all completed and ready to send in by the end of April. We are just simply awestruck by the support we have received by our church, family, and friends. The Lord truly has it all worked out and we haven't a worry in the world. He will accomplish His will in us.

Just to give you a heads up, we are working with Immanuel in Bridgman MI to put together a rummage sale to help raise funds. We are scheduling it for Saturday May 24th, so mark it on your calendar! Please feel free to start collecting anything that you'd like to donate to our rummage as you start your spring cleaning (although its still snowing in Michigan)! We will let you know the specifics when it is all set in stone.

We are also speaking tonight at Immanuel at 7pm if you are in the area please feel free to stop by!

Thank you a million times for all the prayers you have been showering on us in these past months. God is faithful and is certainly at work in our lives.

Happily Ever After

Our wedding was absolutely incredible! We are so thankful for all our friends and family who made it of of the most memorable day of our lives. We also are just so in awe of how the Lord showed up that day and every day! 



We are happily living life here in Michigan and we are starting to prepare and fundraise for our mission. I cannot even begin to explain how beautiful and wonderful this season is for us. Scott is the worship leader at Immanuel and has also been blessed with a full time job! We just love the life He has given to us here and all the lessons we are learning about life and love in marriage. We are anxious to leave, but we know we are exactly where the Lord has called us for now. We are currently in the process of looking into booking our flights, getting Sami's new passport, and filling out visa information and meeting the requirements. It looks a little daunting right now thinking of all that needs to be done in the next 3 months and all the money that we need to raise, but we are not worried in the slightest. We have seen the ways in which God has guided our life and provided above and beyond for our needs, so we know we will have all we need to do what He has called us to do.We have just really been living moment by moment in the Lord. Truly just being romanced by Him and being in Him is just a wonderful life to live. We know we have many many challenges that await us, but we know that He has already overcome the world! So, what's a little fundraising? Please pray with us as we begin to raise funds for our journey. We have a lofty goal of $20,000 but we know it is more than possible! With this money we will be able to support our family for two years in Malawi and pay for our plane tickets. We are praying that Jesus completely overflows our accounts and exceeds our goals, so that we can help pay for the needs of the orphanage! 

Please check out our new donation site: https://www.everribbon.com/ribbon/view/16265 





see more of our wedding pictures at:
 http://coleestelle.blogspot.com/?m=1

Just Beginning

"There's nothing special about us. But we're proof that ordinary people...can be converted to a radical faith in a radical Savior. Why not join us?"

David Platt

We are so excited and humbled by the call the Lord has placed on our hearts. Our wedding is quickly approaching and we are doing our best to stay focused on what Jesus has for us in each and every season. Our hearts are sincerely rejoicing and overflowing with all He has done for us. When we both fell in love with the Lord we never imagined the plans He had in store for us. He brought us both together and has since been continuously teaching us how to be His true disciples. We could not be more thankful that the Lord is asking us to shine His light through our life and our marriage. It is absolutely incredible how God has given us a chance to show His beautiful sacrificial love to the world through loving one another in our marriage. We are fearlessly trusting Him to lead us and provide us with all we will need to carry out His crazy plans for our life. The support we have been receiving from all our family and friends is a huge blessing! We cannot thank you enough for encouraging us and keeping us in your prayers as we begin our lives together. 

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."

Romans 12:1-2