5 Minute Monthly: August

Prayerful discernment, emotional conversations and busy, busy days!

That about sums up our August. It is clear that God is working and directing our lives in ways we might not yet be able to understand. There have been plenty of ups and downs as we experience the weight of emotional and spiritual battles.

One of the things the Lord has been teaching me through it all is the purpose and gift of marriage and the strength of its unity. This month, due to support raising, church changes, and just life, I found myself doubting and just sad. In those moments, Tyler was there to remind me of the goodness of God and his sovereignty over situations. Then there were other days where Tyler became discouraged, and I encouraged and lifted him up with the words he gave to me. The result is that my relationship with my Savior feels stronger than it has been before. Tyler and I have found further unity in prayer as we come to the Lord to discern our next steps. We have had many emotional conversations as we we work through navigating our future, and together we have faced our busy days loving that we do them as a family unit. So here is our update of the last month of summer and how the Lord has brought us through together.

Life Happenings

Our days have been full of family, friends, and the joys they bring. This month we attended a wedding reception, celebrated some birthdays (mine included) and enjoyed a baby shower. We had several dinners-- some were for support raising, and others just for the joy of having people over. Tyler preached his first sermon at Element (our church) and Josiah experienced his first overnight camping trip. I played lots of volleyball, Tyler and I both played lots of board games, and Josiah just played...lots!

We tried our best to soak in the last days of summer with walks in the sunshine and trips to the lake. My days home with Josiah involved trips to the park, playing in the grass and sand, and finding ways to entertain a now-mobile baby. Our big boy is crawling around and saying words like "bath" (ba) and "dada" and sometimes "mama." He eats anything put in front of him, and is generally a very happy little guy - except when teething. Tyler continues to faithfully provide for our family by working carpentry, but he is also really enjoying being on staff at Element and thankful for the opportunities it presents! On the days he works at the church, he'll always come home excited. He loves sharing about his church day, and gets really excited about the visions and thoughts on how the church working to build leadership and discipleship within the body. It's clear that my husband's heart is dedicated to ministry and I love seeing his passion towards church growth!

In this season, it's become clear to us that the Lord has called us as a couple to discipleship. Wherever we are, I know it's our goal to pursue that calling first and foremost. We're really looking forward to being a part of the mission and vision of the Church in the UK in this way!

Ministry Update

For most of the month of August, we had little support come in and it wasn't from lack of trying. This was discouraging for us to say the least, and made us question how God is calling us and where to. However, we believe the Lord is faithful, and he continues to show us that he is and that his patience is far greater than we could ever understand. Towards the end of the month, we were really blessed by a few new supporters that bumped us up to about 69%! As soon as we reach 70%, there's a lot that starts to happen, but the biggest thing is that we will be applying for our visas. As you can imagine, this is a big step for us! Once our visas are in hand, it would take something the size of a pandemic to stop us from going. Being that close to our goal is an exciting thought! We still will have 30% to raise after we have our visas, but we and AT3 are fully confident that we will be launching in January! This is something that we would ask you to earnestly pray for us for: that would finish support raising strong and that God would provide the means for us to go, to pursue the calling that he's put on our hearts.

As for current ministry, we have been continuing to build connections with our church and community, and we've been working to be an encouragement to those around us. Tyler is on a rotation for preaching, as well as teaching the kid's class once a month, and has loved to be a part of both of those. Investing in people and relationships within the church has been heavy on our hearts, and as a result, we've been brainstorming ideas to further foster and build connections and community within our church. The Lord has been showing us that our main ministry is to invest in people, build true and lasting friendships, and use that as the avenue to share the gospel and grow deep disciples. We strive to do this wherever God has us, to the glory of his name.

Pray with Us

We thank the Lord for his goodness and grace, and we thank you all for your faithful support and prayers. The Lord is working through you. We love you all!