Corey is our eldest son, and he is 8½. He is in fourth grade and enjoys history and science. On December 18, our Annabelle turned 6. She is in second grade and always keeps us on our toes. Marydia turned 4 on February 6! She is in kindergarten and is full of joy. Judson, our youngest, is 21 months old. He has fun playing with his brother and sisters and can spot a horse, his favorite thing these days, anywhere.
We had a great end to 2017. December was spent in Maine, where we were able to see family we hadn’t seen in six months. On Christmas Eve, we planned to pass out 100 Christmas tracts with candy canes. We ended up at the state mall and passed out a whopping 107 in 20 minutes!! The children loved it, and all 107 shoppers were delighted and very thankful. Praying that many seeds were planted!
This year we’ve already had 4 new churches partner with us. We are excited to be receiving over 50% of our support! We currently have 64% of our support promised by churches and individuals desiring to partner with us in seeing souls saved in East Africa. Praise the Lord!
During February and March, we are scheduled to be in Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Virginia to present the ministry. God continually provides for our travel needs. While we were at a conference in January, we were asked if we had any needs. As it turned out, the pastor’s sons worked on vehicles. Not only was he able to change my brakes, but he was able to change the starter, too, which died on us while we were there!
In August, my wife and I were having a conversation about our support. We had a tough summer with many meetings but no new supporting churches. While talking, I received a call from California. It was a pastor I had called the year before, but at that time he wasn’t able to have us in. He was calling because they had a missionary in Kenya come off the field and were looking to fill that spot with us starting in January. I was in total shock! In January, I eagerly opened our list of donors, and that church was there. Praise the Lord!
I recently went door knocking with a pastor. Our time was limited, so we asked God to lead us to someone who was ready to get saved. And you know what?! He did! The first door we knocked on was answered by a middle-aged man who grew up Catholic and expressed no eternal security. After just a few minutes, the man happily received Christ as his Saviour!
Meanwhile in Kenya, the nation is split over its 2017 election. Rioting and violent hate crimes between tribes are threatening the nation’s stability. There is some talk about splitting Kenya into two individual countries. If this happens, it would make it more difficult to travel to visit some of the nationals we work with.
Prayer Requests
• Pray for God to use our family on deputation.
• Pray for the family to stay healthy.
• Pray that our van keeps running.
• Pray that the protesting in Kenya ends and that the people come together.
The McDonalds to East Africa
