April 2025 Newsletter

 

Weekend Trip to Chiquimula A highlight from the month of March was a return visit to our former work area in the Department of Chiquimula.  We spent seven years living and working in that part of Guatemala.  The years were long, hot, and hard.  But, because of God's goodness and faithfulness, we saw fruit from our labor.  What a blessing it was for us to be able to return and see that fruit continuing to grow. We made home visits in the villages of Muyurco and Porto Suelo and had a wonderful time of fellowship with the church members in Nearar.  They greeted us with a warm welcome and surprised us with a meal and cake for dessert.  Getting to be with all of them again warmed our hearts.   We were able to sit and listen to them share and then pray over them.  We went to encourage but left feeling like we were the ones encouraged the most. Continue to pray for these villages and the believers there.  Pray that they would stay strong in their faith and not get discouraged.  Pray that they would be light in that dark part of the world.  Pray that the church would be proactive to share the Gospel and that they would grow in numbers this year.

If you would like to read more about our weekend trip there and see more photos, click on the button below: Chiquimula Visit Kid's Outreach Another highlight was a Saturday afternoon kid's outreach activity we did with the pastor and his family in Xenacoj.  They have been doing outreach in a neighboring community, and we enjoyed getting to go along with them this particular week and help. Getting to work with the kids brought us all great joy.  We sang, played games, had Bible study, colored, and enjoyed a snack. It was a full afternoon, and we were all tired by the time it ended. Pray for the kids in this community.  Pray for Pastor Saul and his precious wife Dori as they reach out to them and share the gospel there.

Coming Up... In April we will make a trip to Mexico to visit two of our IMB missionary families that we supervise.  Pray not only for our travel but that our time there would be productive.  It is always helpful to go and see them in their work areas.  It gives us a better understanding of their lives and helps us be able to better support them. Plus, it helps strengthen our relationships. That's the part I really love. Pray that we would be a great encouragement to them while there! We will also travel to Quetzaltenango to attend a retirement celebration party for Gary and Lily Stone. They will be retiring in early May after close to forty years of missionary service.  Pray for them as they pack up and prepare to return to the U.S. Pray for sweet goodbyes here and for an easy transition to life in the States. On April 16 we will officially have another teenager in the house.  Ben will be turning thirteen!  Pray for him to grow immensely in the Lord this year.  Pray for us as we lead, guide, and disciple him.  Pray that God would surround him with others who will help him in his walk with the Lord. On April 27 we will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary.  Pray that God would strengthen our marriage and that it would be a testimony that points others to Christ. Pray for the Americas The Americas are home to 644 million people.   18,000 souls enter a Christless eternity here every day.   The need for the gospel is urgent. God works through our prayers to impact lostness.   Join us in prayer for the lost in the Americas:   Pray for the 99 people groups with no known believers to encounter the gospel.   Ask God to raise up laborers to engage the 178 unreached groups with church-planting strategies.   Lift up the churches and missionaries working tirelessly to bring the hope of Christ to this vast and diverse region.   The Great Commission compels us to love the lost and pray for every nation, tribe, and tongue.   Let’s commit to praying for the Americas until every soul knows Jesus! Get Involved! Whether you’re an individual, student, pastor, or church, you can help reach every nation with the gospel. Click on the button below to learn more. Get Involved www.imb.org

March 2025 Newsletter

 

Mission Team Update Thank you for praying for our mission team last month.  We hosted a group from our IMB home office in Virginia. We had five people come down to meet our missionaries, see where we live, and serve alongside us.   They split their week between Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango, Ixchiguan, and Antigua.  They took part in three worship services, shared words of encouragement and testimonies throughout the week, and made several home visits. This team was hosted by our family, the Stones, and the Englishes as well.  It was a full team effort. They were a special team to host and a lot of fun for everyone.  I love that our home office is making field visits available to our staff.  It helps us connect with them and helps them get a better understanding of our lives on the field.  We will always be grateful for our home office staff and the way they go above and beyond to support our missionaries serving around the world.  They are a blessing to everyone and now we are blessed to know a few more of them in a personal way.

Intermissions Conference 2025 Thanks also for praying for our time at the Intermissions Conference.  As always, it was a fantastic weekend of worship, fellowship, and relaxation. Our speaker was Dr. Steve Moore from Portland, Oregon. Worship was led by Avenue Church in Waxahachie, TX.  We had a preschool team from Scottsdale Bible Church in Scottsdale, AZ. Lastly, the children and youth were led by additional members from Avenue Church.  Our boys loved their youth leaders and said it was one of their favorite conferences ever.  That is always good for a parent to hear.   Intermissions is special to not only our family but to each one who attends. We are thankful for this yearly event that fills us up in so many ways. Summer Sojourner There are currently six spots remaining for students to serve as Summer Sojourners in the Americas this summer. Do you know a college age student who would like to spend their summer on the mission field? Reach out to Janna Smith@ JDSmith@imb.org for all the details.   Application deadline is March 15th.   Please pray that these requests will be filled! A Praise Update   In mid-February we attended a service with Pastor Saul in Xenacoj. David preached and shared the Gospel with those attending.  A highlight was seeing one of the ladies that we had visited with Pastor Saul back in January attend the service with her two small children.  Seeing her walk in brought a smile to all of our faces.  It was the first time she had attended the church. Pray that God would continue to work in her life and draw her to salvation. 2O24 IMPACT   Pursuing the lost through missionary presence 1,609,869 People heard the gospel 144,964 New believers 66,628 Baptisms 378,820 People trained in church planting 1,656 People groups impacted 2,409 New churches formed Your partnership with the IMB is having a direct impact on gospel access, gospel belief, and gospel multiplication all around the world.  Want to learn more about how your support is making a difference? Click on the button below- Our Impact Thank you for praying and thank you for giving! Things to Pray for... We will be back in Xenacoj in late March to help Pastor Saul and his family lead a children's outreach event.  It will take place in a neighboring community that they are trying to reach.  Pray for the hearts of each child that will be attending the Saturday afternoon event.  Pray that God would use our family to point them to Christ. We have a tentative plan to travel to Chiquimula mid-March to check on the church and the work that is taking place. Pray for our travel and that the Lord would use us to greatly encourage the believers there. Pray for our homeschool.  We are on the downhill stretch and only have nine more weeks to go in the school year.  Pray that we would stay focused and finish well. Lastly, we are eagerly awaiting our upcoming Stateside Assignment that will begin this summer. We are extremely excited but at the same time trying to make wise decisions in these last months of how to focus our time so that we can finish out strong.  Pray for us over these next few months as we prepare to step away for a short while and transition to furlough. Our family celebrating Regina's birthday in late February Thank you for praying for us!