October and November Highlights…..
Praises:
Fruitful trip to Southeast Asia and missions conference
The Lord protecting Darby, our daughter, who was in a car accident. It could have been much worse.
For the gift of the prayer and financial supporters that God has added to our team.
Prayer Requests:
Pray that we would know the proper time for Mark to leave his current vocation and focus full time on the work to which God has called us.
Major relational issues in our family. Please pray for wisdom to navigate.
Upcoming meetings with churches- pray that we would effectively communicate the ministry God us to.
Pray that God would continue to refine us as we move into vocational ministry full time.
Financial Support Update:
We are excited to share that we are more than one quarter of the way to our goal! We have currently raised 26% of our monthly support. We thank God for his provision and all of you for your support.
We are so thankful for each and every one of you! Your prayer and financial support mean the world to us! October and November have been very busy months for us.
In October our sending church, South Church, holds a 5-day missions conference. This conference has been an integral part of the Lord filling our hearts with a growing passion for the Great Commission over many years. It was very surreal and humbling to actually be missionaries at this conference for the first time. There were several moments that were quite emotional for us as we reflected on how good and faithful the Lord has been that He would choose to use us in this way. During the conference, we were able to meet with missionaries that were commissioned in the 1960’s who are now retiring. They encouraged us on how to keep Christ central in our lives and ministry. Another couple who has been long time missionaries gave us advice on how they prioritize time to be in prayer and in the Word. There were numerous missionaries who encouraged us in our support raising efforts. We were so blessed by our time with them! Below are pictures of our very first presentation table and us holding the Bosnian flag. In August, Mark went to Bosnia to meet with partners. Since that trip, we have continued to build relationships with those partners and are planning future ministry opportunities in Bosnia.
November 7-21- I (Kim) was in Southeast Asia. The team I was on did 3 conferences where we did Bible training for almost 300 women. A conference usually includes a lot of Bible training, crafts, and games. It’s a time for women who live very hard lives to learn, laugh, and fellowship with women from other villages.
First Conference: We were able to do just a 1 day conference where we celebrated and learned more about the advent of Christ. This conference was with many women we have met before, so it was a wonderful time of reunion. The conference was held in a building that I have been praying about for years. What a blessing to God answer the prayers for this church. It was great to be standing literally in an answer to my prayers!
Second Conference: We were in an area that we have never been before. The partners there are J & M. J & M are the most humble and loving servants of Christ! They run a school of over 600 students, as well as oversee over 10 church plants. They tirelessly work to make Jesus know in their area that is very hostile to the Gospel. At the conference we taught on the armor of God. Over the 3 days, we saw the Spirit work in a special way. Although there were language and culture barriers, the Spirit united our hearts to theirs. Only the power of the Gospel can do that! They truly became my sisters, and I will carry them in my heart until I see them again on this earth or in the presence of our Lord.
Third Conference: In a different city is where we met J & C. J was a pastor’s kid who rebelled against Christianity. By his late teens and early 20’s he was a drug addict who had hit rock bottom. That is where Jesus saved him. J says that he was saved “from the guttermost to the uttermost.” He met his wife in Bible college and they planted their church. One aspect of J’s ministry is that he does work among drug addicts. I love how our Redeemer creates ministry out of our past. God does not waste anything. J & C also do a lot of work among refugees and oversee many church plants. At this conference, the women seemed more educated, and many could speak English. Many are first generation believers. Many shared how their husbands beat them because they no longer do puja (worship to gods). We taught on the armor of God again. What I loved is how the Spirit moved in our teaching to include things we didn’t plan on saying, yet it was exactly what those women needed to hear. The power of the Spirit was particularly evident.
The pictures are just a few from the trip. Yes, those are the Himalayas. Psalm 57:5 “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!”
