We have now traveled to almost 30 churches, and now 2 countries! We were in the Buffalo, New York area to speak at a couple of churches and neither of us had ever been to Niagara Falls, and so we walked across the Rainbow Bridge and into Canada. It was a nice place to visit but home is home :). We weathered the freezing wind and now we can say we saw the falls and got some pictures. That was a nice time and it fell on Seth’s 26th birthday, so that was a treat for us. God blessed us and allowed our car battery to last 6 years, but it finally went dead and we had to get a new one. God continues to bless us by allowing our car to keep going forward which enables us to connect with more people and grow our support team. We had great reception in New York and connected well with the church, and especially with the youth pastor and his wife.
Christmas is less than two weeks away and we are thankful for each one of YOU and how God has placed YOU in our lives. We pray that YOU are able to keep Christ the center of this season and enjoy your family. This Christmas is extremely special for Seth, this year Seth ‘s sister Jennie (and her family), and brother Jeremiah (and his family) will all be together for Christmas for the first time since 2002! Since both of Seth’s siblings are tribal church planters in Indonesia, this is a rare treat. With us planning to leave for PNG in a little over a year, who knows the next time they will all be together. This is part of the cost of missions, but one we all take with joy to serve our Lord and King.
This past weekend we had another opportunity to share our ministry during the Sunday school hour and hopefully answer any curious questions people have about tribal church planting. We also shared during the main service. Saturday night we were able to participate (along with those that braved the storm) with the church in a white elephant gift exchange and play some fun games. Seth gave a short message with the focus on how this time of Christmas ought to give comfort to those who are Christians, God kept His word from Genesis 3:15 and sent the seed that will crush the serpent’s head, Praise God for being faithful and keeping His promises!
Since we are celebrating Christmas in Pittsburgh on the 21st, we will head to New Jersey on Christmas Eve, there we will celebrate Christmas with Nicole’s family. We will head to Virginia later in the week to see family and possibly connect with churches and some supporters. The New Year will be ushered-in in Virginia for us, then we head to Michigan to participate in another Missions’ conference and begin the deputation trail full-force.
We are praying for you that you have a great time with your family during the holidays. Continue to pray for our safety as we travel and raise our support team. We greatly covet your prayers, and appreciate your partnership.
Stoking The Fires 