This last month has been busy, fun, and exhausting. Around the middle of October we began collecting a few shirts, toys, and food items for the growing number of refugees within our borders. It was a project that started small but quickly grew to large-scale proportions. We recently, by the grace of God, shipped three completely full 18-wheeler semi’s to refugee camps in desperate need of help. It has been amazing to watch God work. He has been stirring hearts, opening doors, and mobilizing what we could never have done. We currently have friends within the camps ministering and seeking to share the Gospel while taking care of practical needs. Please pray for us as a church to have wisdom from God regarding this massive situation. There are more needs than we could ever meet. We are not trying to change the country over night; we simply want to follow Jesus wherever He leads. Our desire is to meet both practice and spiritual needs in a sustainable way.
The church locally is doing well. We are learning day by day how to live life together and live the Gospel each day. We are currently going through the Word to answer the common questions we get asked as a church, such as: Who are you? What do you do? What do you believe? Our hope is that we may be able to give answers that are Biblical, simple, helpful, and God-honoring. The church is maturing and beginning to take shape. Please pray that God would continue to lead and guide us. We will also be starting a men’s Bible study this month going through the book of John. It will be our first meeting held completely in the local language and led by locals. I couldn’t be more thrilled to take a back seat.
We as a family are, thankfully, continuing to do really well. We love being on mission in this time and place and are ever growing in the culture and language. We are currently praying through a new opportunity to move closer to the primary place where we meet and do life together. God has provided a ranch and hotel for us to use where we can meet daily, pray, and hold meetings. We can also house people here for the purpose of discipleship. We have been meeting here for awhile, but it has been hard to be really involved because of the distance from our current apartment. This new house would open a lot of language and ministry opportunities and stretch us to grow. Please pray that God’s will would be done, His way, and in His timing.
Lastly thank you to all of you who faithfully pray for and/or financially support us! We could not be doing what we are doing without your help. There are times when everything is growing, we see God clearly, and most everything is going well. But, there are other times when things are dark, slow, and hard. We truly need God for every breath and greatly appreciate your prayers on our behalf. May His Church grow, His enemy be shamed, and His glory fill the earth.