But those who wait on the LORD , shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

коли под наемIsaiah 40:31

Happy Fall Everyone!

It has been a year since we attended Mission Training International. It is hard to believe that we are still here in the U.S., yet hard to believe that it has only been a year!  We want to thank each and every one of you who have been praying and supporting us in various ways on our path that the Lord has set in front of us.   Our catch phrase over the last months has been “In HIS time, not ours”. We pray each day that we are doing HIS will in our daily lives and for contentment where we are.

School has once again started here at our house.  Michael is in the 9th grade this year and he just turned 11 on the 15th.  It is so hard to believe he is getting closer to being a teenager.  He is growing by leaps and bounds and we have a hard time keeping him in clothes that fit.  School is not going the best this year, to be honest. We are dealing with a pre-teen, after all, who knows more than we do.

Art is still working at P Tool and Die and has been able to do side jobs for Danielle’s mom this summer. He has put in a front walk way and a back patio as well as some electrical and landscaping.   Art will be spending the month of October teaching the adult Sunday school class through the book of Ruth and showing all of the typologies of Christ throughout the book.  The adults seem to be really enjoying a different way to look at the book.

Danielle has, in addition to teaching Michael, been investing her time and energy into mentoring a few younger Christian girls and keeping up the day-to-day tasks associated with maintaining a house and family. She has also served as a mentor on an e-mail based study group online, as well as teaching Sunday school for children ages 8 -12.

Together, we are taking advantage of the time that the Lord has given us here, before we ship out to Africa. Besides getting more involved with teaching at church, we have put a much stronger emphasis on developing friendships. It seems kind of silly to get close with new people, just to say goodbye and leave them behind, but we would like to develop strong friendships that will not suffer due to our physical absence. It has been very encouraging to spend time with other devoted Christians, where we build each other up in Christ as well as hold each other accountable in our walk of faith. We wouldn’t even dare coming together without Bibles in hand. It is our prayer that each of you also has at least one relationship like that!

Our lives continue to consist of waiting on the Lord, and praying for guidance in gaining the remainder of our needed financial support. We know that He is faithful. We know that Congo is His calling, not our personal dream. He will provide. In the time between now and then, we thank you for the part that you have chosen to play in this adventure. We also thank God for your prayers and support, and also for the opportunity to be used by Him to reach the people of Congo, and the chance to share the eternal rewards of our obedience to the call with each of you! Please continue to look for our updates and to lift us up in your prayers.

Together, for His glory,

Art, Danielle & Michael

We have a bit to tell you, even though we just mailed out a prayer letter. If you didn’t get one please email me and let me know, since we are still trying to iron out our final mailing list.

First of all, thank you to all who continue to pray for us. The prayers we receive are a blessing each and every day. Your prayers have not returned unanswered; we are now at 52% support!!! Praise the Lord we have broken the half-way mark! Also, please remember your prayer needs are a concern to us and we desire to be lifting you up in prayer as we know you do for us daily.

We are still praying and relying on God for our daily needs in the holding pattern that our lives are currently in. We continue to go to work, home school, take care of our home, build friendships and be active in our church. However, do not
mistake this as settling in here and not wanting to be in Congo! We pray daily for the ability to get over there and do the Lord’s work in a place that it is so needed.

We are in the beginning phase of praying and hoping to plan a trip in January to visit some of our current supporters, as well as hoping to meet some more prayer partners. We hope to visit Mt. Hope Church in VA, some friends in N.C., and our huge hope would be to visit a supporter in FL. Would you be thinking of people that you know that we may be able to get in touch with along the way? Currently, we have 164 committed prayer partners. This is such a blessing, but of course, we would love to have more! After all, we need all the people we can get praying for us to stay strong in the Lord and to hold on to Him in the times of testing that will follow.

Financially, we are looking for 133 more people to support us at $10 per month. That amount is not much when you really think about it. That is less than dinner for 2 once a month at McDonald’s! Please don’t think that we are asking for money. This just really puts the dollar figure in a tangible perspective. The Lord will provide, in His time. We do ask, however, that you pray about it and share this ministry with others you know. Also, we would love the opportunity to come and personally share our story, calling, ministry, and pictures with any who would be interested! So, please join us in
prayer for gathering laborers together for His harvest and sharing our ministry with new prospective partners.

The prayers that we need specifically regarding this trip (in January) are:

• That God will provide contacts to share with
• That He will provide the financial needs for making this kind of trip
• That He will provide guidance in making decisions for this trip

Thanks again for all your prayers and support over the last year and a half!!