As most of you know, it has been a very difficult year for us, between moving twice, suffering from the aftermath of a car accident, dealing with health issues, a death in the family, working full time, and still trying to keep up with the ministry. But despite all of that, we can look back and see the immense amount of growth that has resulted from these experiences, and find an odd sense of peace. As we look forward to the upcoming year, we are aware that the devil will continue to do everything he can to make us walk away, but we are also aware that God is bigger and that He has a plan that cannot be derailed even by the most trying of circumstances.
Ministry Update The month of November proved to be another busy one for us, the majority of it spent preparing for and implementing holiday ministry events through our church. On November 17th, we held our second youth event. On November 18th, we enjoyed a game night with a few members from our church. And on November 19th, we held our first annual Thanksgiving dinner after the morning service. We had a record turnout, as we had invited people within the surrounding communities as an outreach endeavor, and look forward to doing it again next year. That same day, we had two of our teens get baptized, and after much prayer and conviction, Hanna decided to rededicate herself alongside them. Then, following the service and dinner, we took the teens to rake some leaves at the house of one of our church members, and had a great time serving the Lord together as we closed out an extremely busy weekend. The church also participated in Operation Christmas Child this year, and we had a great response from the congregation, packing up enough boxes to almost fill the church van! Finally, on December 3rd, we had the opportunity to travel to Hastings, Michigan, where we shared for the second time, our ministry with the people of Hastings Baptist Church. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, reflection, and growth. Trenton presented our ministry during the Sunday school hour, and preached a message on the Christian's mission during the main service. We met with the missions committee over lunch after the service, and went home feeling abundantly blessed. They vote on supporting us this upcoming January.
Life/Health Update
Unfortunately, it has been a difficult month for Hanna in regard to the treatment plan she is on for her autoimmune disease. She had a follow-up visit with her dietician following her surgical procedure on the 9th of November, and was informed that the treatment had failed. What this means going into the future, is that there are no other treatment plans they can put her on for the time being. So, until they figure out what to do, they have put her back on medication which will allow her to eat a more stable diet until further notice. The medication is the same she took before, which she was hoping to avoid using because it tends to make her quite sick, so pray that this time will be different and that her body will react well to it.
Despite months of health issues for Trenton this past year, he continues to remain on a relatively healthy track with no signs of regression. He is working full time as the general manger of Burger King in West Branch, Michigan, and passed his test to become a registered ServSafe Examination Proctor for the company this past week.
Writing Update
Hanna is still waiting on the final draft of her upcoming Christian fiction novel to come back from the editor, but she is hopeful that by this time next month, she will have a release date set and ready to share. As she waits for the final draft to come through, she has started work on the second book in the series, which she plans to share more information on sometime in the beginning months of the new year.
On the Field
We are excited to announce that we will, Lord willing, be returning to Australia in August of 2024 for a month-long ministry trip. After much prayer, discussion, and guidance, we feel that the best route for us on this pre-field journey is to return to Australia once a year to gain some much needed experience when things are slower here for us in the states. Dates for this upcoming trip are tentative as we are still in the beginning stages of planning, but we will keep you updated as things move along.
We will most likely be working alongside Hanna's host family, Alan and Tara Mayhak in Catherine Hill Bay. This past month alone, they have connected with five new pastors from the Lake Macquarie area, which they have befriended in order to figure out where they can help or come alongside them in the ministry. We spent a good majority of our time working alongside them the last time we were there in November 2022, and can tell you from experience that the Lord is doing incredible things. So continue to pray for the Mayhaks' as well as for the connections they make going into the future.
Important Reminder!
An important reminder that applications for the SEE ministry trip to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are still up and open for anyone. They are still looking for additional people to join, so if you feel led to serve the Lord overseas on a short-term trip, this is your opportunity! You can find details on their website at https://seeolympics.com/or contact me directly.
Prayers:
Pray for Hanna as she deals with the unexpected turn in her treatment. She had a difficult first few days, but has since been in high spirits. Pray the medicine doesn't make her sick the way it used to and that they might be able to figure something out soon.
Pray for our upcoming Christmas outreach. We have two this month specifically, one on the 16th, and one on the 22nd, and 23rd.
Pray for Trenton and his current secular work. The Lord has opened many doors for him to minister to his coworkers. One of them has started attending church with us each week, and appears to be close to receiving salvation.
Pray for Hanna's debut novel. Pray it reaches the people it needs to reach, and pray that the Lord gives her peace regarding the prospective of sharing it with the world. Pray for the initial draft of her second novel as that tends to be the hardest part of the process.
Pray for an unspoken that we are both currently dealing with.
Praises:
Praise for safe travels to and from Hastings this past week, and for safety to and from church now that the roads are covered in ice and snow.
Praise that our church visit went well. Praise for good, Christian people who make us feel right at home.
Praise that Hanna was able to get re-baptized this month. Praise for a God who redeems and gives us the opportunity to dedicate our lives to Him.
Praise for our teens! It has been such a journey with them this year, and we are truly blessed!
Just a reminder that our ministry emails will change at the end of this year. The updated ones are below, so please keep them for your records. Thanks!
Trenton.shields@abwego.org hanna.shields@abwego.org
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