Our Dwelling Place | June 2024

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

~ Psalm 90:1-2 ~

As we prepare for our furlough or as some call it, "home assignment," we have been discussing the aspect of home. What is home? Some words that might describe this place are comfort, safety, belonging, acceptance, love. As we prepare to leave the country of our new home and enter the country of our former home, we realize that in either place, we may find some of those facets, but not all of them. Regardless of which country we are in, we find ourselves longing for the other in some form or another. This has been a reminder to us that as believers, neither country holds our true home. As we transition between our earthly homes, we remember that our true home is with God, and we must continually make Him our dwelling place. As our divided hearts are split between two countries, our ultimate longing is to be in our true dwelling place with God. As we prepare to enter the US next week, our prayer is according to 2 Corinthians 5:9 - “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”

Where we’ve been

This month has been a busy month with being available for those who need our time. There have been many occasions where we get a phone call asking for us to come give counsel, we have people coming to our home seeking Biblical solutions for their struggles. This has provided some new ways to minister to those around us as we conclude some of our other ministries. This past weekend, Jeff finished the module for Bible Institute, and the week prior, Lisa held her last girls’ Bible study. Next Saturday she will have one last meeting with the leadership women. We praise the Lord for His help over the last 3.5 years, but especially during the past 6 months. As we’ve had to navigate a lot of transitions, changing homes, and take on new ministry responsibilities, we echo the words of Psalm 121, “my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” We have also seen God’s help as we have been preparing for our next season of ministry. We have asked you to pray that God would provide someone to watch our home and that He would provide a vehicle for our Stateside travels. We are so thankful that God has answered our prayers in a way that is above what we could ask or think.

What we’re up to

This week we are breaking out the suitcases and packing for our trip. If all goes well, we will fly out of Quito, Ecuador on Monday, July 8th and arrive at Lisa’s parents’ house on the 9th. Please pray for safe travels and for flexibility, especially as we fly through the night. Jeff will be flying to South Carolina on the 10th to purchase our vehicle. Please pray that the paperwork process will go smoothly, and that God will help him as he drives back to Pennsylvania. We will have a week to get ready for our first conference in Colorado on July 20th-24th. You can find our full travel schedule HERE.

If you would like to give towards our ministry travels, you can do so HERE. This is a fund designated to help us with gas, food, and lodging while we are traveling. We have estimated that we will be traveling around 17,500 miles for the 10 months we will be stateside. Simon traveled with us when he was a baby (so he probably doesn't remember it), and Titus has not done such extensive traveling. We ask that you pray for them as we are traveling. Please continue praying for the ministry here, especially for our coworkers and the nationals who will be filling in during our absence.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for us. We look forward to seeing many of you and sharing what God has done and how He has opened up a door of faith to the people in Ecuador (Acts 14:27).

In His service and yours,

The Mayfield Family

The Double Scoop:

In our family devotions, we have been learning about service. We have been explaining to the boys that furlough is a season of service. We pray that our boys will learn to love and serve God as they learn to serve those around them. Please pray for them (and us!) as we navigate time changes, long hours on the road, homeschooling on the road, while striving to be consistent in our parenting.