Blessings and Challenges

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday at Life Fellowship Church in George we sang these words together:

Help me now to live a life, that’s dependent on your grace; keep my heart and guard my soul, from the evils that I face. You are worthy to be praised, with my every thought and deed. O great God of highest heaven, glorify Your name through me.

The Lord is truly worthy of our praise and we are thankful for how He is glorifying Himself through the growth of His church in the city of George, South Africa. We want to praise the Lord for the opportunity we had to baptize seven people on January 30, and for 26 adults who affirmed our doctrinal statement and church covenant as an indication of their commitment to living out and advancing the gospel together through Life Fellowship Church.

We also praise the Lord for the renovation of the Inspire George Youth Center building and the opportunity we now have to minister to the teens in our community through the use of that building and the adjacent multi sport court. We now have teens enjoying these ministry resources every day of the week! The Lord is giving us an abundance of spiritual opportunity through these ministry tools He has given us.

We are also encouraged with the ongoing opportunities for ministry training through the Biblical Leadership Institute. The first of four courses scheduled for the coming year in George began this past Saturday with Dr. George Coon teaching Theology 1: God, Creation, and the Fall.

As if often the case, with blessings come challenges. While the Lord has been blessing in ministry, the last three years have been stretching for us as a family as we deal with the challenge of being on different continents. We are truly dependent on His grace in these matters. The Lord has made it abundantly clear to Danielle and me that we need to take some time to be with our youngest son, Grant, as he finishes high school in the States and transitions into the next stage of life. We are planning to take a “furlough” for approximately six months to focus attention on helping Grant at this important stage of his development. We will also use the time in the States to visit some of our supporting churches, share what God is doing in George with some new folks, and continue to raise funds for our ongoing ministry projects. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to navigate the difficulties of having important priorities on two continents.

The Lord continues to use many of you to be an encouragement and blessing to us personally and to the people of George, South Africa. Genuine partnership in ministry is a wonderful gift from the Lord. Thank you for joining us in His work. May He continue to be glorified!