Embracing Gratitude A Season of Thanks

“Where did the summer go?”

We ask the same question every year, holding onto every last ray of sunshine, knowing what’s to come in the winter months ahead. But every year, the few months of good weather seem to fly by faster than before.

Where did they go? What did we do with them? Did we make the most of it?

This summer has been a whirlwind for us. Working full time, writing, going to book signings, doing ministry, preparing for upcoming mission trips, and dealing with some unexpected health issues as mentioned in our previous newsletter. We’ve worked hard, anticipating what’s to come, but also trust in God to provide our every need.

For those of you who don’t already know, I spent most of the second half of August in and out of the emergency room with complications from my chronic autoimmune disease. On August 27, they sent me down to the University of Michigan for an emergency endoscopy where they found I had a severe viral infection in my throat that  spread to my stomach. I’m happy to report, that after taking two weeks of medication for it, I am doing much better.

However, we are still dealing with insurance issues regarding getting the medicine I need to eat properly. I have a months’ worth of medication left before which we are expected to pay $6,000, so please pray that we can figure out how to deal with that before the time comes (and again in January when the year resets).

As for those of you who heard about our struggle with this and stepped up to help, we wanted to say thank you! You all have seriously been such a blessing to us over this past month, and we couldn’t express enough how much it’s appreciated.

We had some encouraging news from our team in Australia this month. Many of our ABWE directors were able to finally pay a visit to the country and some great plans were made in regard to mobilizing future missionaries. There are multiple churches throughout New South Wales, Queensland, and even New Zealand that are ready for someone to step in and help them grow. As you can imagine, that sort of news makes us want to hop on a plane yesterday and get there as soon as possible!

While the Lord has us here momentarily, we know He is preparing a time for us in the future. We can only be ready when he says “Go”.

If you or anyone you know are interested in seeing what you can do to help, ABWE offers a wonderful short-term intern program. This is how I started missionary work in Australia and when I tell you it changed my life entirely, I mean it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about missionary work in Australia. It’s a great way to get your feet wet without committing to move there permanently right off the bat.

Thank you all for the prayers! Here are some prayer points for the upcoming month:

1. 1. Medication/Insurance Issues. Pray we can figure out what to do by the end of the month.

2. 
   

3. 2. Our 2025 OCC team. Registration is on Thursday. Pray the Lord will work through this trip and these people who are willing to attend.

4. 
   

5. 3. Book signing on October 18. Pray for good discussions with my readers. Pray I can gain some momentum going into the release of book two.

6. 
   

7. 4. Certainty Conference 2025. Trenton will be traveling to Ohio for a pastoral conference the beginning of October. Pray for safe travels and an open heart.

8. 
   

9. 5. Australia! There is so much going on. Pray for growth and direction. Pray for future missionaries to be sent. Pray that we can get there someday soon.

10. 
    

11. 6. Our marriage and family. Pray for Trenton and I. The past few years have been hard and it has taken a toll on our marriage and family. Pray for the spiritual attacks we see on a daily basis. Pray that things turn around for us soon.