A New Year

Happy 2016! I can’t believe we are already halfway through January. Where does the time go? Matt and I hoped to have some time to catch up over the holidays while students were home, but the holidays came and went so quickly and now it’s already January 13th!

While our holidays weren’t exactly quiet, it was such a sweet time! My parents came from Texas to visit my brother’s family and us. We ate a lot of yummy food, watched football, played with our one-year-old niece and just enjoyed being together. Then, the day my parents left, Matt’s dad flew in to celebrate Matt’s grandma’s 95th birthday. What a time of fun celebrations with family it was!

Now that the holidays have quieted down, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the past year and share with you our prayers for 2016:

2015 – the Lord will provide

• In April, we flew out to Spokane for the first time. The trip was exhausting. We left with more questions than answers, and knew if we were going to move to Spokane God was going to have to work mightily.

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  In May, Matt graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. After three and a half years of hard work and the grace of God, he had his Masters in Divinity.

• In June, Matt was offered the assistant pastor job in Spokane. God was at work providing a position for Matt that we never could have dreamed up — to live in the same state as my brother, to have the opportunity to minister to college students, to learn from a seasoned pastor, to be a part of a church plant. This position didn’t look easy – we would have to raise our own support, but God was at work.
• In July, we began support raising. Matt and I had raised support before, so we were prepared for the feelings of defeat, the worries of wondering if God would provide, the fear of “what if….” Oh y’all, how the Lord provided! How he used YOU to work out his plan for us!
• In August, we moved out of our apartment and into a basement apartment that a church family provided. Again, the Lord knew exactly what we needed in his time.

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  In September, we left Charlotte and began our three-week trek across the US. The Lord used those three weeks to prepare me for Spokane. When we left Charlotte, I was not ready. I was not ready to leave our sweet, life-giving friends. I was not ready to settle into a new church, a new city with new people. And yet the Lord knew my heart, my fears, and so he used those three weeks to help me adjust. By the time we reached Jackson, WY, I was ready. I was still full of fear, but I was ready to get to Spokane.

• October 1st we arrived in Spokane with our suitcases and no place to live. Matt’s aunt and uncle took us in for nearly three weeks while we searched and searched and searched for a home. I felt like we were never going to find a place to live. Each time we sent in our application, there were two more people in front of us. In mid-October, God placed a beautiful home in our hands. It’s better than we could have dreamed. Oh how you would think I would learn to trust him and rest?! Unfortunately I’m too much like the Israelites in their wanderings.
• In November and December, we watched God work as he provided students for us to meet with, friends for us to share life with, and a sweet church in which to grow and serve.

In many ways, God has met all my fears with an abundance of blessing. Isn’t that how he works? He loves to give good gifts to his children — he meets me where I am and provides in ways I never could have imagined.

2016 – a prayerful year

• Coram Deo: We are thankful for how the Lord is bringing visitors to the church each Sunday. Our prayer for 2016 is that the Lord would raise up men to be elders and deacons, and for continued strength and encouragement for Kyle, the senior pastor, and Matt as they lead and make decisions.
• Matt’s Ordination: Matt has started studying for licensure and ordination. This coming spring he will take 5 written exams and two oral exams. We are hoping for him to be ordained at the May presbytery meeting. Please pray for time and diligence to study now even when it seems far off.
• Students: We currently have students from three college campuses and Fairchild Air Force base. We spent the last few months getting to know them. Our goal this semester is to deepen those relationships and be more present on the campuses. Pray that the students would see their need for Jesus and love him more.
• Support: As mentioned above, God has been so faithful in providing support for us to be in Spokane. Please pray for our remaining monthly support to come in and as we continue to support raise this spring and summer. We need about $500 more in monthly support. If you would like to support us monthly, please click here.

Seeing how the Lord provides and reflecting on his goodness to us is a balm to my fearful heart. We forget so easily, don’t we? How did the Lord provide for you in 2015? Share of his gifts in the comments!