Monumental Changes For Our Family

Our family has two very personal history-making changes this very week!!

First, a few posts back, while telling the story of our van, I mentioned that Dw has been Uber driving.

This hubby of mine works long hours pouring into our ministry International Voice of the Orphan (IVO) and I’m super thrilled to report that IVO is currently feeding about 16,000 meals a month to orphans and vulnerable children around the world!!

ugandan-orphans-1550009 (1)

We love that God has trusted us with such a vital ministry but we realized some time ago that we needed to supplement our income.  So Dw started Uber driving.  The best hours to drive are always late at night! And that late at night stuff is not easy on our already weary not-so-young bodies!

Dw would usually stay out until he made $100.  I’d wait up praying and then throw open the door in the wee hours and cheer for him and thank him for working so hard.

We knew that supplementing our income was necessary and we had been praying that God would open up something else! Here in Phoenix we have a private Christian university that’s pretty huge – you may have heard of it?   Grand Canyon University.

GCU

Dw applied to teach as an Adjunct (fancy word which means part-time) Professor and each time someone else was chosen for the class he had applied to teach.  We were like, “Okay, Lord, he’ll keep Ubering.  Thank you so much for Uber!!!”

Then one day he got an email asking if he would like to apply to teach a Business Law and Ethics course.  Well me-oh-my!! That would be right up his alley, having been an attorney for 10.5 years in the early days of our marriage.

We knew this had to be the Lord since Dw hadn’t even heard of the opening and definitely had not applied for it.  So he applied and the rest is history.

He started yesterday!!  I am so stinkin’ proud of this guy.  He’s so willing to serve however and wherever God wants to use him!! FullSizeRender

Surprisingly as an Adjunct, the pay is about an equal wash with driving for Uber – but a joyous perk is that he will not have any late night driving around the city of Phoenix. (So very thankful, thankful, thankful!)

Now some may ask, Does this mean that you won’t be doing International Voice of the Orphan anymore?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

We are committed more than ever to be the voice for the voiceless!

We actually believe that Dw’s influence to the students who the Lord brings him to teach, will be lifelong.  With many pastors, youth pastors and leaders apathetic to the plight of the orphan, we think our sincere passion for the orphan can be a powerful influence to any of the 14,500 students attending GCU! 

The mantle on our lives is profound and we do not take it lightly!  We are excited at all God will do through this new avenue to spread the plight of the orphan –  because we know it’s so crucial.  

GCU-Arena

Anyway, Dw and I will continue to work earnestly to feed, care for and partner with The Gem Foundation each day.  But truthfully, we could use your help.  The Gem’s needs are many and their resources are small.  Would you please pray about helping care monthly for the broken-bodied Gems we love so much?  Please also pray about GO’ing with us on the next GO team trip (in December).

But as I mentioned, Dw beginning as an Adjunct Professor at GCU is not the only monumental change for our family this week.  

There is another monumental change coming imminently!  

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 Stay tuned.

32 thoughts on “Monumental Changes For Our Family

  1. That is an awesome opportunity for DW. And YES, no more late night driving. I know you are more than happy about that. Now, I am going to lecture about this cliffhanger you left us with. You know I don’t like those and always try my best to figure out what it could be but your photo leaves me without much of a clue. Come on, sweet friend, don’t make us wait too long!

  2. YAYYY!!!! So, so, so excited for Dw – that’s awesome!! But in other news…..NOOOOO to the cliffhanger!! 🙂 Ahhhhh!

  3. Congratulations to DW. I am so happy he doesn’t have to be gone late at night. What a great example your family is to all of us. Yes, God puts us in different places and DW is definitely going to have an impact for the orphan wherever he is. Also, ………..I think I have your cliffhanger figured out!!! Does it have something to do with the 19 you mentioned in your last post? The numbers didn’t add up. I came up 2 short. Someone having twins? I hope so! We will just have to wait. God bless you all.

  4. Love God’s perfect provision for your family!! What a blessing DW will be to the staff, faculty and students of CGW! And ordinarily I would be on pins and needles with this carrot you’ve dangled in front of us. But I’m going to just be patient this time. Because I just KNOW it’s sooooo good it’s worth the wait. My hunch is it has to do with filling up some of those empty van seats of yours. Wondering if you’re maybe wading into the waters of foster care?? Eeeek! I know I said I would be patient. I may have exaggerated a teeeeeny tiny bit. But I’m sure gonna TRY to be be patient!! 😂

  5. Congratulations to DW!! Actually, I think that may be the university that a good friend is an adjunct at. It is, indeed, an amazing chance to be an influence! As to the cliffhanger…that looks an awful lot like wedding confetti?!?!? Maybe…a grandbaby on the way??

  6. Dearest Linny & DW! Congratulations on your new position! So thrilled with how faithfully God provides for your precious family!

    Oh but Linny you are such a stinker!

  7. Congratulations, to DW and your family!
    Linny, a few months ago, I messaged you for prayer about us possibly adoption little guy out of foster care. Long story short, it fell through due to red tape of an interstate adoption and members of the bio family throwing fits. Well, I have been fasting and praying about what little ones our future hold as we are getting closer to having our license to foster. Yesterday, I was on my way to work when I received a message from the current foster mom who has been one of my closest friends for 25 yrs and has had him since birth. (He turned 3 in June). The bio grandfather, who had been trying to adopt has had one sudden health issues and has decided to stop the adoption process. The most incredible thing is, he has decided to petition the state on our behalf! They meet with the caseworker tomorrow to see what needs to happen! Please please join me in prayer!

    1. I just stopped what I was doing to pray for you and this little one. Asking for favor with the authorities, for paperwork to be in the right hands at the right time and processed promptly, and for red tape to be cut.

    2. Oh wow! I will pray for you. I know how difficult it is to have an adoption stopped, especially after bonding in some way….this happened to us when we tried to adopt from Romania. But God has good timing and wow that he has turned the heart of the grandfather around. I hope the grandfather’s health improves and that somehow he can still be grandfather to the little one he obviously loves.
      Sandy in the UK

  8. Linny I am so excited for the new ministry for Dw! And very glad with you that he isn’t driving late at night. and I wonder if you might get your home filled even a bit more with university students who need a Mom and Dad nearby. You will continue to be in my prayers, especially Dw as he starts school again! I can imagine it will mean a lot of updating of current knowledge, too.

    And I am trying to work out who is left that is marriageable age 😉 but it just might be Linette’s idea of a grandbaby. Looking out for the next episode!
    Hugs!
    Sandy in the UK

  9. I think DW will make an excellent professor, AND I think he will be able to influence his students in ways other than law and ethics (even though those are both good things to understand!) because they will be drawn to the Holy Spirit working in him. I am excited for how the Lord is going to use this in your lives!

  10. Come on Linny… A few hours is long enuf to leave us hanging!!:)
    So happy for the good news of your husbands job. It’s always wonderful if daddy can be home evenings!
    Blessings….

    1. We are so thankful that Daddy will not be out driving in the wee hours anymore!! And to know that he will have the opportunity to influence for Christ and the orphan? The best!

      And I am trying to get it done for tomorrow!! But Friday, for sure!

  11. Mrs. Saunders;
    I just had a discussion with my son who happens to be in Mr. Saunders class and I would like to thank him as my son F Nathan explained that he has been the most influential awesome professor he has had. He also mentioned one day possibly taking a trip with your organization. Please thank him for reaching out to our young adults in such a positive manner. Blessings! Patricia Carbajal

    1. Your comment made my day! Thank you for your kind words. Dwight loves his students and together we prayed for them to be influenced toward Christ! We would love for him to take a trip with Dw sometime! He has 2 planned for late May/early June! God Bless you Patricia!

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