There's something special about a new year. It's a time of reflection, of anticipation, and of hope. You may be looking back at a 365-day period that didn't exactly go the way you had expected it to. Maybe things were tough, and maybe you thought you'd never make it to the end, but here you are, staring at a new chapter, ready to make it better than the last. We've been there, and this year was definitely difficult in so many ways, but the wonderful thing about living a life with Christ is knowing that there is always hope. Every day, every month, every year is a new opportunity to be better and to do better - to watch Him work in ways you never imagined He could. So, don't lose hope! You've just stepped into 365 new opportunities to do just that!
Ministry Update
The month of December was filled with tons of opportunities to share the hope of the Gospel through events surrounding the Christmas season. As a result of the outreach committee started this year at our church, we were able to participate in two very special events which drew in many people from within our families and communities that are otherwise unchurched. The first was held on December 16th. A group from our church took the time to sing some Christmas Carol's in our town's Gazebo, all of them dressed in Dickens style costumes. The second was on December 23rd and 24th. For months, we had been memorizing lines and attending practices for HBC's very first Christmas play, and it ended up being a huge hit! All of the actors did a phenomenal job sharing the message of Christ's birth, and in the end, we had about 150 people show up to enjoy the show. For New Year's, we were able to enjoy a fun, celebratory night with the teens, playing games, making cookies, and listening to a message given by Trenton on the dangers of a sinful world. And on December 31st, our one-year anniversary of attendance at HBC, Trenton was able to preach our Sunday morning service.
Life/Health Update
We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on December 15th (I don't know whether to believe it or not because it feels like we've lived an entire lifetime since then), and enjoyed some family time toward the end of the month, traveling down state to visit Trenton's Mom's side of the family and spending Christmas Day with his Dad's side. Following our candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve, we visited Hanna's family for a few hours, so our holidays were very busy but also blessed! Health-wise, there are not many updates, other than a praise. Hanna has been back on her medication for over a month now, and so far it has not caused her any issues. She is scheduled for another EGD in April of this year just to make sure everything is still as it should be, but otherwise, she is enjoying being back on three of the six food groups she had been taken off of during the two months of treatment.
Writing Update
Book two of the "What I Call Home" series is well underway. Hanna spent the majority of the month plotting, world-building, and working on character development. The book will be longer than the first, and there are about three times as many characters, so the planning has been very in-depth and she is excited to see where it leads. She started working on the first draft about two weeks ago as she waits for her editor to send back the final draft of the first novel, which still does not have a release date.
On the Field
We have not received much news from the field this month as December is usually a very busy time for most of the missionaries there, but would like to mention that National Australia Day is being celebrated on January 26th. It is celebrated every year in honor of the 1788 landing of the first fleet and raising of the union flag by Arthur Philip at Sydney Cove, New South Wales. So, if you are able to enjoy some meat pies, laminations, or Bundaberg on the 26th, feel free to celebrate with us or make mention of the country in your prayers as you go about your day.
As we close out our first update of the new year, we wanted to take some time to thank those of you who have invested in us over this previous one. You may never know how much God truly used you to help and encourage us during a very difficult time, but we praise Him every day for it. Our monetary progress has been slow, and that can sometimes be discouraging, but our growth in every other way has been substantial, and we thank you all for being a part of it. May the Lord continue to bless you all in 2024, and may He use you in abundant ways!
Prayers
Pray for our church and the growth we are seeing there. We had a planning meeting on the 3rd, and there are a lot of big steps being made in the ministry.
Pray for the formation of the mission team we are hoping to lead to Uganda at the beginning of 2025. Pray for all the details that will need to be worked out before.
Pray for Hanna's writing journey. It's very time consuming and she has been a bit discouraged by how long she's had to wait on the editor for the first book. Pray she has peace in knowing that God's timing is always best.
Pray for two individuals that we will potentially be discipling this upcoming year.
Praises
Praise that Hanna's is reacting so well to her medicine! The first time around it regularly made her sick, so praise God that all seems to be going much better so far.
Praise for salvation! Trenton has been inviting a coworker of his to church for about half a year now. He came a few months ago and recently accepted Christ! So, praise God for that!
Praise God for our church, for all the people who regularly invest in us and for all the opportunities we've been given to serve there.
Important Reminder!
Just a reminder that our ministry emails have changed. The updated ones are below, so please keep them for your records. Thanks!
We look forward to serving with you in the new year!
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