Update from June 30, 2021

 Greetings to each of you, 

 

 (PLEASE READ TO THE END FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR FAMILY)

 

You are receiving this email because you have been a faithful supporter of our family while we served as full time missionaries with Samaria Mission. 

These scriptures are just a few that Alicia and I embrace in our everyday journey called life. 

 

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. -Hebrews 10:36

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. -Proverbs 119:105

Alicia and I want to say … “Thank you!”   We have just completed 12 years on the mission field serving with Samaria Mission all because God called us to join Him in His work.  PaulAnn Church sent us out as missionaries, and we had a team of individuals as well as a few other churches financially and prayerfully support us over the years.  

The journey God sent us on for 12 years is forever part of our lives.    Just so we can clarify, God called us back.   Nothing more than God working within our lives brought us back off the mission field in South Africa.   

Samaria Mission is a wonderful, God centered ministry that continues to flourish as God continues to present opportunities to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the peoples of Southern Africa.  It is a ministry that is also able to help in the physical needs of the people, and to grow the church within South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.   We truly want to see Samaria Mission grow in the opportunities where God invites them to join Him in His work. 

Alicia and I have committed to continue to be a voice for Samaria Mission so that others can be involved in the ministry activities.   We have also committed ourselves to help as we can with other work such as formatting the translating material as the mission continues to work on this project. 

Now that we are back in the USA, God has called us to move back to where we began our lives in Amarillo, TX.   Many of you know that in 2020, we only came back for the month of March to help Alicia’s parents with her grandfather’s estate sale.   Our visit was like the Gilligan’s Island tragedy ….  our one-month tour became 13 months.   

During that time, we were able to do A LOT of work that needed to take place and spend a lot of time with our parents.   As time progressed, we knew God was calling us back to Amarillo in the future.  We thought the future was going to be a few years down the road, but God (in March 2021) revealed to us that the time was not years but now.   In March before we went back to South Africa, we had already begun to start putting the wheels in motion to sale, give, and find new homes for our belongings.  

We landed in South Africa on March 31st and in two months, God allowed us fly out of South Africa on June 2^nd with a few lingering finalizations of the sale of our house and one vehicle.   One of our good friends volunteered to become a Power of Attorney to sign off on documents to sale our house. I love how God uses His people to accomplish His plans.  

Alicia and I want to extend a thank for your continued prayers and support through our journey in foreign missions.  It came with growth within us which produced characteristics like flexibility, patience, contentment, and trust in the Lord in all things.   Our move to Amarillo is God’s calling to be available to our parents (as they are all in their 70+ years) as no other family members are nearby.  

God brought to us an opportunity to begin to earn an income through our health coaching business (which is something we would not have searched out on our own).  

We do still have expenses while waiting for our house and one vehicle to sell (we do have sale agreements on both – and they should be finalized by the end of September, Lord willing). 

Expenses for the Land Rover vehicle until sale is finalized 

- insurance  

-tracker service  

Expenses for our home until the sale is finalized 

-insurance  

-Wi-Fi 

-security service  

-our maid, Meriam, is working to keep the house dust free and the garden/yard maintained

 -pool maintenance  

-electricity and municipality rates etc. 

-and other maintenance issues that arise before the sale is finalized  

 

We sold, or gave away, our furniture, pots, pans, kitchen sink, bathtubs, etc.…. you get the picture …. everything!   We flew back with only 10 action packers of belongings!  So, we will be like newlyweds again but in our prime age of 39 (me haha) and mid 40’s (Alicia).

 

For the next few months, we will be living with Alicia’s parents in Amarillo.    We just recently were able to purchase our own vehicle.  (God provided one at a great price to get us wheels for the time being).   Luke and Kodie were married on June 19^th and we praise God we were able to be here for the wedding!!!!     

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

We are unsure at this time when and where in Amarillo we will settle.    With this being said, we have updated the elders at PaulAnn and we heard back from them and wanted to share this with you.  They have agreed to continue to support us for an additional 6 months (June 1^st – November 1^st).   The PaulAnn Elders have also asked that we would contact all of our other supporters and let you know that any funds received for us AFTER December 1, 2021 will not be eligible for a tax exemption (and will need to returned to donor OR sent on to Samaria Mission).  

REQUEST:
We are sending you this update so that you are aware of where we are and what our plans are at this time.   We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us until the end of November 2021.   We pray and hope that we are able to contact you and PaulAnn SOONER to say that we no longer need the support.   We have seen God move quickly in our lives throughout the years, but we also have learned that God’s timing may not be our timing.

In order for us to plan and begin a new budget, we would appreciate if you would let us know whether you will be able to continue supporting us through the end of November 2021 or if you need to discontinue your at this time.  Again, we are truly grateful for all you have done and we are trusting God as we move forward.  

When the time comes for you to move your support, we would love to share with you some opportunities within Samaria Mission that could use funding going forward, if that is something you desire to do.  

As always, we would love to connect with you and answer any questions you may have. 

In God’s grace and goodness, 

Mark and Alicia Raley

 

 

 

 

 

Update from March 28, 2021

 
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. -Psalm 199:105

 

What a great verse to read and meditate on!

 

Alicia and I know that the past few newsletters, emails, messages, and video were lengthy, so we are just going to give you some quick understandings about what God is doing in our lives.

 

·      We fly to South Africa on Monday (29^th of March).

·      We will arrive in South Africa on the 31^st.

·      We will be returning in order to finish what God called us to start 12 years ago.

o   Yes, we are leaving the mission field in South Africa

o   This is God calling us to return to Amarillo

·      Upon our arrival in South Africa, we will begin selling our belongings.

·      We don’t know how long this process will take, but we are trusting God

·      We will continue to serve with Samaria Mission until our final days in RSA

 

 

Please pray for us as this new transition in our lives are taking place.  We trust the Lord and now that His way is always best.  We love serving with Samaria Mission, love the people we serve with, love Christ Baptist Church, and love the country, but we love God more as we should and have to be obedient to His direction in our lives.  His Word is a lamp for our every step and His Word does light our path as we go through this journey called life.  

landed in Polokwane 

The Vaughan's took us to Mugg n Bean. We had a lot of catching up to do! 

our home - 13 months later 

Heidi missed Mark!  Tex unfortunately died several months before we returned

Beginning of a HUGE change (still catching up)

 We want to start this letter with a few wonderful quotes that have impacted our lives and journey. 

 

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”― Jim Elliot

 

“Obedience is costly to you and those around you, but disobedience is far more costly” (paraphrased from Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby)

 

“1. God is love—His will is always best. 2. God is all-knowing—His directions are always right. 3. God is all-powerful—He can enable you to accomplish His will.” 
― Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God

 

 March 17, 2021

This year has been one for the books of history for sure and will change how certain things are done around the world.

 

Who would have thought our one month visit to assist Alicia’s parents with Alicia’s granddads property would have lasted a year with several lifestyle changes.  We wondered how our visa status was going to be renewed after RSA revoked all visas.  When it came to it, Alicia’s parents needed us for a longer time than the intended one month stay.  We are still selling and organizing some of the property in Borger, Texas as this is written.  The property still needs to be sold so that Alicia’s parents are freed up from this and they can enjoy retirement once again.  During this time, another relative of Alicia’s passed away, this time, the relative lived in Amarillo.  We were able to continue to help Alicia’s family with yet another estate sale to help relieve family of such a task.  

 

Also, during our year, we were able to help our parents.  Mark’s mom (stepmom) has Parkinson’s Disease and she has been trying to fill out documents to submit for compensation as a result of the disease.  Mark’s father has had several surgeries in the past and suffers from leg and back pains.  He even took a spill and broke his arm one day.  So, we were very thankful we could assist them while we were here.  

 

With all this being said, we thank God that we were able to have this year to be here with our family.  We see them maturing (aka getting a little older in life) and currently there are none of their children living in Amarillo that assist them in life.

 

We have always searched God and to continue to follow where He leads.  There is no doubt that in 2003 that God was calling us to join Samaria Mission.  It took 6 years to fulfill the calling, but the calling was His time.  Almost 12 years have passed by since we moved in 2009.  We have learned to listen to God and to hear His voice.  We have learned to be flexible and to continue to grow our faith with the qualities that 2 Peter 1:1-11 describe.

 

We have heard God telling us that a change was about to occur, and we have been seeking the timing of God, once again.  We had this same moving of the Holy Spirit between the years of 2003 to 2009 but sought God’s timing as we knew He had called us into the mission field.  

 

A few things we need to note, 

*God continues to provide for us.  

*Every supporter continues to pray for us, support us, and show concern for us.  

*After struggling about not having peace in our lives when January came around and looking at booking flight tickets, we sought counsel with our pastor in San Angelo, and other close friends that are our prayer partners, they all confirmed with us that God is a God of Peace.  

*When we don’t have peace about a decision in our lives, we had to ask ourselves why we are not having the peace that God gives.  

*The Lord told us through His Spirit that we should wait, so out of obedience, we waited.  

 

Unsure what the waiting was about, but in the midst of waiting, we receive confirmation from God that He is moving in our lives and the timing is now.   Also, during this waiting period, He has brought new friends into our lives, He has introduced us to a healthier lifestyle, and we want to walk a path with others as they struggle in their physical and spiritual lives. 

 

We are not going to say it’s been easy; Alicia has shed some tears knowing that God is moving in our lives. We know that Samaria Mission has been a valued part of our lives, in the growth of our spiritual walk, and in the listening of the Holy Spirit.  We thank God for allowing us to be part of Samaria Mission (staff and those we minister with and to), Christ Baptist Church in Polokwane, and all the people who have become our friends during the past 12 years.

 

We were hoping to find our way back to RSA (Republic of South Africa) to confirm what God was doing in our lives before making a decision.  It seems God brought His timing to the front.  We are excited to see how and where God is transforming Samaria Mission.  We are and will continue to be an advocate for Samaria Mission.

 

We want our friends, the staff, and others to know we are following God.  We want prayers and excitement as we follow God.  We have cherished our time with the Samaria Mission staff, the church staff, and all the other people we were involved with as we served with Samaria Mission.

 

We will return to RSA soon.  Our flight is booked for departure on March 29^th and arrival on March 31^st.    South Africa has been part of our lives for over a decade.  We love RSA, Christ Baptist Church, our friends, Mozambique pastors and people…. It has all become family to us.  Our prayer is that as we go back, we will finish well.  We need to prepare for the new calling God has in our lives, and that being the family, our parents need to have us around.  We know God is calling us back to Amarillo where our lives started.

 

After you read this, please take time to pray for us in this transition.  Accept us as part of the family of God that He is calling to fulfill a new chapter in our lives.  Please also pray with us for the selling of our belongings or finding new homes for belongings.  

 

If you are a supporter of ours, we ask that during this transition in our lives that you would consider your continuous support, as we travel back to South Africa at the end of March.  We will continue to serve with Samaria Mission until we leave.   We are truly grateful for your faithful support all these years.   We assure you that we will keep you informed as our timing and departure from Samaria Mission unfolds.  

 

“REALITY 4: GOD SPEAKS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH THE BIBLE, PRAYER, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THE CHURCH TO REVEAL HIMSELF, HIS PURPOSES, AND HIS WAYS.” 
― Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God

 

One last quote to ponder:

 

“When God “chooses” a person for His purposes, He does so according to the person’s heart! The person must have a loyal heart full of trust and faith. God must have a person who loves Him “with all [the] heart, with all [the] soul, and with all [the] strength” (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37).”
― Henry T. Blackaby, Created to Be God's Friend: How God Shapes Those He Loves

 

 

RaleyFamily4 Motto:

 

My Life

His Purpose

Our Journey

 

 

Love,

Mark and Alicia 

 

More Random posts

 Urgent Prayer Request Part 2 

What started out as a journey across the river from one village to the next turned into a 3 night stay in the riverbed of the Limpopo River.   It was a stressful time for sure but we saw the hand of God at work.  It started out as just Mark, Luke and I and then help began to come from Lourens, a missionary who lived not far from where we were.  The next day Sean and his friend drove in from South Africa and William drove from Panhame.  Everyone worked together.  We spent 3 nights there and the truck was in the water for over 48 hours.  Praise God we were able to get it out and working again.   We had an adventure to get to Mabuzane still which included an overnight stay at the church in Dumela and more flat tires on trailers.  We arrived to Mabuzane with just enough time for Mark to turn around and head back to the border to get the CBC team while Luke and I stayed and worked with Masango and Jane and the church members to set up camp.  What an adventure.   As I sit here and type I know I journaled this journey somewhere.... maybe Facebook or in some random notes somewhere but I can tell you this... Mark, Luke and I will never forget this experience and how God was at work in every detail!   We are grateful for everyone, literally around the world who prayed for us during this time.  Mark and I were so proud of how Luke stepped up!  He is a strong young man and has a heart to serve.  He was a huge asset to this SAMIL rescue team.   By the way, it wasn't the first time a Samaria Mission Missionary was driving a vehicle that got stuck in the river ... it just happened to be Mark's turn.  Never nice, yet we saw God do a big things to get us out of the river.  

Random Posts over the last few years - blogged less and posted on FB more

Going Back in time a little .... I stopped blogging as much and began posting more on Facebook over the years.   I wanted to record these memories in our blog as well.  

March 5, 2018 

Luke is graduating High School in May! We are very proud of Luke and the hard work he has put in this school year to make this happen. We are also thankful for Kimberly who came to teach Luke four years ago. She has been a blessing to our family and an encouragement to Luke as he has grown through High School. We are also thankful that Brit was able to take Luke’s senior pics while we were all together this past Christmas.

“...If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

Fall/Spring of 2017-2018 School Year

Wow, Luke decided he wanted to graduate a year early and he worked really hard to make that happen.  Looking back we saw how God was the one to put that on Luke's heart.  His timing was perfect.  We found out 1/2 way through that Luke's Visa was going to expire the following year and that would have been the middle of his senior year.   It would have been very problematic.   We are so proud of Luke and how hard he worked to get all of his assignments finished.   We are grateful for Kim who spent the last several years teaching Luke and making sure he had the best high school experience a missionary kid could have - projects outdoors and in the kitchen!   Even while working hard in school, Luke was very involved in CBC - attending youth, serving in jr youth and helping with the sound on Sundays.  

Luke helping with a church Braai

Luke and Stephen loved to go hike in the Wolkberg Mountains 

Luke helping with sound at CBC

class time 

project time 

junior youth 

finished project and it turned out COOL

May 1,  2018

Well, our youngest just graduated High School! We are so proud of Luke and Stephen! They worked very hard this year and we were happy to celebrate with them today. We praise The Lord for sending Kimberly here four years ago to teach Luke! She worked very hard and has been a blessing a to our family!

We celebrated in our back yard by the school room. Our friends, who became family, came to support these two!

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

 

praying over Luke and Stephen

Brit was on FaceTime the whole time

June 6, 2018 

Celebrated this guy today! 18 years have flown by! Sure do love him! Thank you God for allowing us to be his parents! We are very proud of the young man Luke has become. Living 1/2 of his life in South Africa! Oh the stories he will have to tell for a life time!  

Most of his birthdays he had no choice but to celebrate with a team in Mozambique. I know it probably wasn't always his first choice but he always had a good attitude about it and usually celebrated with his birthday boti, Derrick. His 18th we were able to be between teams and home in Polokwane!

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

time flies! 

June 29, 2018

URGENT Prayer Request!!!!

Yesterday our set-up team left Matsilele village, Moz to move camp to Mabuzane village, Moz where the CBC team will be ministering from Sunday.

They had to cross the Limpopo River. The big Samil truck carrying all the equipment and towing the drill-rig got stuck in the river. It is day 2 for them camping on the bank with no favour getting the truck out.

Please pray as the Spirit leads.

“The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NASB‬‬