We are so thankful for the Lord’s tender loving care and grace in this season. He has been working in this nation so beautifully, and in our hearts and lives too.
Ministry Updates…
About a year and a half ago, we were assigned a region just outside of our city with a population of about two million people for follow-ups with those who had received Bibles. Some of these people had questions and wanted to meet with a believer who might be able to help. Others were content with a weekly message of encouragement, while others have been interested in phone calls or text messaging.
When we started, our region was two years behind in waiting for someone to make contact. The good news is that we have now brought our region up to date for follow-ups! As a result, we have been assigned another region within our city for more follow-ups as well.
The outreach/mobilization organization that Erin is part of here spent time vision-casting and planning for the rest of 2022. Erin is slated to facilitate a course in the southern part of the country in March. She has meetings with other local leaders to partner together in running more courses this year. We are thankful for how God has been using these courses in our nation and the Middle East. Where we live there is a scattered population of people and it has been so encouraging to see and be a part of what God is doing among these diverse peoples!
Life here with our neighbors continues to be fruitful, and we are finding that the Lord is continuing to open doors for us. Dave is meeting regularly with some of the young adults. They frequently come to him with questions—looking for advice. Erin has ladies she is cooking with, and it is often in the kitchen that the best conversations happen.
Our church, where we attend, has opened up for in-person services this last fall. J shed tears freely when he was able to attend again, immediately commenting on how nice it was to worship with other people. Dave and Erin were asked to take on the role of Sunday School coordinators for the elementary grades, and have since been busy putting together curriculum, finding volunteers, and teaching classes.
Family Updates…
We were thrilled to be able to celebrate this past Christmas season with other people! We are so thankful for the community that the Lord has given us. We thoroughly enjoy getting together with friends here weekly. It was also a blessing to travel to the southeast part of the country and enjoy Christmas with friends. There were many different nationalities, languages, and traditions on Christmas Eve; it truly gave us a little taste of what heaven will be like!
Currently, J is in grade 5 and continues to be educated in the language here.
Praise Reports…
1. Erin and J’s residency permits were successfully approved again.
2. J was given an excellent report from the pediatric cardiologist at the end of November. He passed the extra tests he needed with flying colors! There has been no further worsening of his condition this year. We were all thrilled with the news, and J was ecstatic to get the go-ahead for another year—full of sports.
Our Prayer Requests…
1. The anointing of the Holy Spirit as we share both our testimonies and the gospel. Please pray for hearts to be softened and eyes opened to the good news of Jesus Christ.
2. The new believers O and Z—especially O, as he wants to be baptized soon. He’s had health troubles and has spent some time in the hospital.
3. O (different than above)—a young adult in our neighborhood that Dave is connecting with regularly.
4. God’s hand of protection over our family—especially our health in this season.
5. Our landlord has put our apartment up for sale. We don’t want to move, especially as it seems that the doors are so open where we are. The rental market is also in short supply right now. We are praying for a miracle in this situation.
Many blessings to you and yours!
Lots of love,
