Well, we have finished up our third month of full-time deputation. It’s almost like we are real experts now. 😊 We have definitely been blessed on the road. We are both in good health, and Baby Emma continues to be healthy and grow normally.
It didn’t make it into our last prayer letter, but we had a special blessing the last week of January. We were able to be a part of the Missions Conference of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was born in Grand Rapids, although my family moved from Michigan when I was just two months old, so that was a treat for me personally. However, even more special was getting to meet with the new pastor there. PJ Pallini, a good man Emily and I went to college with, and his family just recently took the pastorate there at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Pastor Pallini is doing a great job, and we had an awesome time getting to go soul winning, present our work, and spend time with the church family. I’m looking forward to hearing how God will continue to use that church in Grand Rapids.
On Valentine’s Day, Emily and I were able to help one of our supporting churches put on their Valentine Banquet. In the days leading up to the banquet, Emily especially helped with decorating the venue and preparing the food. Decorating has never been one of my strong suits, so I was given other ways to help. The theme for the banquet was “Medieval Times,” so I got the job of “Court Jester.” This basically means that I wore some goofy clothes, wore a silly hat, and told a bunch of corny jokes to those in attendance. I also had an orange thrown at me, but that would take too much time to explain. I’m just grateful that I wasn’t the only one laughing at my jokes.
Honestly, this is an excellent example of what we try to do at the churches we visit on deputation. One of the things we love most about deputation is when we get to be a blessing and a help to churches. We never know precisely how we are going to be a help to the churches we visit. When Emily and I started deputation, we decided that our number-one goal when we were at a church was to be a blessing and encouragement to the church. Whether that is cleaning a toilet, setting up or taking down chairs for an event, or having fruit thrown at us, we love serving however we can.
That all the world may know,
Caleb Christiansen
