We are alive and kicking in Glasgow, Montana. God has been moving in some amazing ways since you last heard from us. We pray that you have entered this new year of 2020 with a new sense of purpose and direction. April and I are both reeling from just how quickly the holiday season came and went.
I’d like to start things off with an apology for just how long it has taken me to get a newsletter written and distributed. Since our last video, April and I have sold our home in Malta (Praise the Lord!!!), begun homeschooling the six school-aged kiddos remaining in our home, and been given access to a brick and mortar location on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to increase the reach of Matthew 28 Nineteen Ministries. What a mighty God we serve!
Yes, throughout the summer of 2019, April and I prayed about and began homeschooling all our kiddos in the fall. It has been challenging for sure, but so rewarding and a blessing to us. We agreed before setting off on this new adventure to reevaluate at the end of one year and are open to whatever the Lord decides is best.
The job that I took on in order to pay for a second home in Glasgow has hindered some of the benefits of homeschooling considering we have yet to enjoy the flexibility and freedom to travel. We are both incredibly grateful for the resource that God has provided through this additional vocation, and we are focused on using it to recuperate some of our equity that we lost in the sale of our Malta house. But to be clear, we are immeasurably grateful to the Lord for finally selling our home in Malta!
Concentration of Focus
Our focus at Matthew 28 Nineteen has begun to transition from separate ministry efforts into one blended effort to share the earthly and eternal life transforming gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of you know that I began serving as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Glasgow, Montana, in July 2017. From that moment it has been my goal to keep Matthew 28 Nineteen distinctly separate from the church for a myriad of reasons. The primary reason being the belief that I needed to keep my activities as pastor and missionary clearly independent of one another considering the majority of our monthly support was coming through, and continues to come from, the people God has called to partner with us financially through Matthew 28 Nineteen Ministries.
It has become clearer to me now that God has uniquely placed me into the leadership of Calvary Baptist Church to call out the parishioners there to join us in our mission.
OUR MISSION:
To love God and love our neighbors by crossing boundaries, serving the needs of others, and equipping them to do the same.
He is using Matthew 28 Nineteen, and subsequently its supporters, to supply a catalyst and outlet for serving in a mission field so close to home. God is at work in Glasgow, Montana! My prayer for my role as pastor at Calvary Baptist Church is that I will be an effective tool of God to inspire our people to reach outside our four walls and give of their time, talents, and resources. I also pray that God will continue to provide us with the resources to grow, equip, and send new missionaries.
Clarity of Focus
God has also brought clarity to our focus in our outreach to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation by gifting us access to the physical location of Pahin Wakpa Baptist Mission located in the community of Frazer, MT, thirty miles east of Glasgow. What an
amazing blessing to be given the right to come onto the Reservation and be permitted to host Christ centered gatherings. We started there, meeting every Sunday afternoon immediately following our VBS outreach event in the summer of 2019. God has blessed that effort in several ways. First, he has sent several children and youth and a few adults to our meetings. We have enjoyed getting to know each of them and have sought to strengthen and encourage them as best we can. We have also had some families that live and farm nearby Frazer begin to join us in these weekly gatherings. God is working in Frazer! That weekly emphasis has recently been changed, however. Due to some financial constraints, we are now only planning trips to Frazer once a month. This monthly gathering will serve to help us in accomplishing our vision.
OUR VISION:
To fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19.
We will gather monthly to share a meal, enjoy some music, and engage in ministry by sharing the gospel and providing discipleship to all whom the Lord calls. Please pray for our efforts in Frazer.
Prayer Requests
We continue to covet and appreciate greatly your prayers. We would ask that you pray for our discernment about a home in Glasgow. This is one of our most pressing prayer requests considering our need for adequate space to raise the rest of our kiddos and provide a strong base of operations for Matthew 28 Nineteen. We pray that God would make it clear whether we are to buy again, continue to rent, or if perhaps He has a solution we have not yet considered. No matter what, we pray that God’s will would be done in this area.
April and I would also request your prayers for our marriage, our parenting, and our decision to homeschool. Prayers for more time to travel as a family. This travel would provide us much needed opportunities to at long-last visit family, make ministry updates possible in person, and give our family a much-needed break from some of the constraints placed on us by serving in such extreme cold weather conditions and the general rural nature of our community.
Our biggest prayer request is for stronger connections in all facets of ministry. We pray for a stronger connection to those that we minister to regularly. We pray for a stronger connection with the wonderful local community in which we live, work, and serve. We pray for a stronger connection with churches and individuals near and far to follow the Lord’s leading and come serve with us as Matthew 28 Nineteen Missionaries. We pray for stronger connections with churches, organizations, and individuals that would partner with us long-term to help provide the much-needed resources to continue our mission here in Montana.
God bless each of you. Thank you for continuing to partner with us in prayer and financially. We could not and cannot do this without God’s people faithfully and generously giving to God’s work.
