2021 Blog 9 - Aug/Sept

 Blog - August/September

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  - James 1:2-3

I'm not sure where to begin or how to explain all that has happened this month in the ministry. You pray for God to illuminate His path for you and when it becomes visible you take it. Sometimes that path is clear and you can see exactly the direction He is taking you. As you travel along that path, there are hills to climb, corners to navigate, and even fog can interfere with your being able to see clearly when the path is straight. Before you know it, the road that was paved with certainty and smooth, is now full of potholes or gravel appears to impede your travel. If you're not careful, you can become distracted and veer off course. You can easily begin to focus more on the environment and struggles, than on the one who sent you on that path.

Sometimes those difficulties are self-inflicted; you created the hills, corner or even got a shovel out and dug the potholes yourself, but other times those struggles happen because God is trying to teach you something or uses those corners or zero visibility moments to bring all things into focus. It’s funny how clearly you can see ahead, when the fog is so thick or the hill so tall, that you simply have to trust in Him! That is not always easy and when things don’t go according to your plan or you thought you were going to turn left, God comes along and reminds you; He holds the navigation rights and that He is always in control.

This month has been one of those months. We found out around August 11th that we would be losing the use of the warehouse that had become home for the past 4 years, at the end of the month. That we needed to move all our equipment inventory and our warehouse supplies out before the building would be no longer available. Come to find out that the business that had graciously offered this to be our home, was in financial trouble and were unable to maintain the bills to keep the doors open. All of a sudden the hill became very steep, the road that was straight was now full of left- and right-hand turns, filled with potholes and the fog descended to where you couldn’t see where to go. With no place available to move and over 120,000 pounds of inventory, we were lost. We knew we needed to move, but we weren’t sure where. How were we going to get shipments out to those who have requested and to remove the remaining inventory before losing it to locked doors.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”  - 1 Corinthians 12:12

In these past 35 days, starting on August 12th  we were able to pack 6 boxes (3,000 lbs.) headed to Russia, 2 boxes (950 lbs) headed to South America (Uruguay and Argentina) and 20 boxes (11,000 lbs.) packed and ready to ship to Croatia!  Along with that we were able to pack 87 palleted shipping boxes, 200 shoulder pads, 96 smaller boxes and plastic bins into several garages around the area and dismantle  pallet shelving so that we could move our remaining inventory to storage. Crazy as it seems, it was accomplished, with the help of some dedicated individuals, willing to walk along side us in a hot warehouse. When I say hot, I mean with no air conditioning and very little air movement except for a few fans we had connected to a generator. The electricity to the warehouse was shut off on August 16th. We cannot say thank you enough to those who came out and sweated alongside us and for the willingness of a dear brother and sister, to open their business yard, so that we could move in two 40 foot shipping containers to house our stuff for a while. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for all of you and for the Zielke’s and their purchase of one of those containers as well as allowing us to store those containers at the place of business. To Road Runner Shipping and Storage for giving us a driver and semi-truck to move what we had packed. To the men at Shephard House Rehab, who came to help tear down the pallet shelving.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?”    -  Hebrews 12:7

All of this is no surprise to God and we are blessed to see Him through it all. For the shipments to be picked up at the proper time and not in the way of us moving boxes to storage. For the individual people and companies willing to pitch in and make this all happen, makes me realize we couldn’t have done it alone and God provided the people necessary, when necessary! And all of this was done just in time, the day before Hurricane Nicholas came crashing in. The warehouse was flooded yet again, but we were already out and equipment remained dry. The pictures and video messages below make it all worth it and help us see the important work God is doing through the ministry of shipping donated sports equipment. Please take the time to watch and look at the smiles created through your support across the world.

Thank you, HiS PRINT!  from Kazakhstan

Packing for Russia

Packing for Argentina

Packing for Croatia

HBU baseball player willing to come and sweat alongside us to share God's collection

We send God's Word along with His love in every shipment around the world!

Shipments Ready

Packing Up for the Move

Organizing at the New Location

New Storage for the Equipment

Moving Across Town

Moved out just in time.  Flood of 4 inches the day after we moved.

Pay close attention to the blog next month. There will be some neat information on the construction project that will begin soon out at HiS PLACE. This will be our new HiS PRINT Headquarters and Storehouse in Alvin Texas on 10 acres of land.   Exciting stuff and blessed to watch God develop it and us through it all!  With the move complete we were able to see all that God has collected and the amazing way He has pulled this all together. It was a long and grueling 4 weeks, but all worth it.  28 boxes packed and shipped to countries around the globe.  83 boxes packed and moved to storage in shipping containers.  8 boxes moved to Road Runner Shipping warehouse.  86 boxes and plastic bins moved to 3 people’s garages.  AMAZING!

God bless each of you and thank you for your prayers!  HE DID IT! David