Praise & Prayer Request

– The Lord provided for those on our team who have families to take care of. In their absence, God protected and cared for them.

– I was able to connect on a personal and spiritual level with the driver, “N”, on our 5-6 hour drive to visit Nan’s mom in NW Thailand (from Chiang Mai) and on the way back to Chiang Mai from the village. I shared the Gospel with her, had many spiritual conversations, and was able to give her a New Testament Thai Bible. She is a practicing Buddhist. Her English wasn’t perfect (and obviously my Thai is nonexistent, ha), but God still provided ways for us to communicate clearly through translation apps and an app that has Biblical stories translated in almost every language. During part of our conversation, when I asked her where she thinks she will go when she dies, she said “down”. Pray for “N” to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus. 

– It was a blessing to have the opportunity to stay with Nan’s mom in her village. She and her friends were so welcoming and generous in our time with them. We were very well cared for and able to have good conversations with believers and unbelievers in the village. We even had the opportunity to harvest rice with Nan’s mom and the people from her village. This turned out to be a really sweet encouragement to the village, and we are so thankful God orchestrated that! They said none of the missionaries that have visited in the past have ever done work with them.

– We were able to connect with the Karenni church during the visit to Nan’s mom’s village, and even do a quick Gospel Conversations training with them one evening. On the Sunday we were there, we also got to join them on a visit to a neighboring Karenni village with some new believers. 

– We were able to do a Four Fields Training with a church on the Thailand – Myanmar border. This was a diverse group of people from Myanmar & Thailand, including several Mon (or 1/2 Mon) believers. The people who came to the training were engaged and interested, and it was a joy to be with our brothers and sisters in fellowship for several days. 

– None of us got sick, and God protected and provided for all of the travel we needed to do. 

Two big takeaways for me personally:
(1) I was reminded how important heart language is. For someone to respond to the Gospel, they first need to be able to understand it. I heard God’s confirmation to continue pursing Burmese language learning, so I can continue working for God’s kingdom among Burmese language speakers. 

(2) I felt completely comfortable being in a foreign context, and I am really thankful for all of the experience and exposure God has allowed me to have in Clarkston over these past 3+ years. I am continuing to listen to the Lord’s voice, as He prepares me for where He is sending me next. 

I am planning to return to Thailand in February to provide administrative assistance for a couple of meetings and trainings in Bangkok, and hopefully spend some time working with laborers in country. Details are still being worked out. I will share more when I’m able.  

Please pray for our family in the next coming months: That God would reveal His will for us here, that He would protect and preserve our family.

• That we would experience deep friendships with other believers, especially Maicey and the kids.
• That the gospel would be proclaimed throughout Alaska, especially in the hard-to-reach locations.
• That God would continue to encourage those who work in the villages, with all of the challenges that present themselves

Praises :

1. Carl’s 1st reunion in ten years with all his immediate family in New Zealand was a huge answer to prayers. Continue to pray that God will draw Carl’s family to Himself!
2. Two church leaders (F & J) we have walked with for 10 years in Cuba are starting new ministries as pastors of different congregations who had lost their pastors in recent times to migration overseas. They and their families see God in their new callings and are believing Him for great things in the years to come.

 Prayer Requests:

1. For Carl’s mother to come to deep faith, forgiveness, and peace in her heart from an ever growing relationship with Jesus. 
2. For God to provide the soul rest and life renewal for the Missionaries who will stay at Beginning of the Rest in 2023, also for those financial partners the Lord will use to help us to provide this much needed care.

HOPE: She is beginning a busy and important senior year of high school. She needs to begin applying to colleges. Pray for her to be sensitive to the Lord’s direction.

ELIJAH: He is blessed to be able to attend grad school. Pray for him as he transitions to a new place and the demands of grad school. He also needs to find a job that will cover his financial needs. Please pray for that to come together soon.

GABI AND NATE:  We praise the Lord that both have jobs and are settling well in Memphis. Pray for them to find a church and community there.

CAROLE: She is getting back into working as an aid on the Educational Support Team at Grace International School. Please pray for wisdom and energy.

MIKE: With several weighty innovation and media projects, pray for him to manage his time well, for skill and creativity, and for wisdom in decisions and leadership.

FAMILY: Pray for us to grow in our relationship and obedience to the Lord.

Praise Reports

• Huge praise we received our new visas and no issues thus far
• Praise the trainees were able to share the Gospel with 140 people in 2 days, and there were a few who repented and believed.
• Praise we had a great 3 weeks with Stephen’s family. Thankful they were able to come visit us in our new city.
• Praise we have an amazing couple able and willing to live and serve at the training center.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for the follow up with those individuals who heard the Gospel and believed during the training.
• Pray for our house helper, Ibu 
• Pray for the new couple at the training center and a couple other new national teammates joining our team in January. Pray for their transition, team unity, and for God to use them wherever they go.
• Pray for the process of forming a legal entity for the training center’s work. Pray the government will approve one of our requested names so we can move forward in the formation process.