It's no surprise that coming back from any mission trip is difficult. Transversing cultures can take a toll on a person, having to readjust back to normal life so suddenly after such a life-altering experience. We have grown accustomed to dealing with reverse culture shock over the years so we would have been able to gain our feet back rather quickly if it weren't for the setbacks. But despite having expected the backlash, it still hit us harder than it probably should have.
It started the moment we got back to Michigan. We drove to the church before our three hour trek home to find Trenton's car stranded with a dead battery. The day following, Trenton came down with covid at the exact same time our washer and dryer broke. On the following Sunday morning we woke up to a well that quit. That afternoon Trenton's breaks went out on his truck, and not even three days later, my drive shaft broke on the way home from Wednesday night service.
To say we were slightly amused by the sudden current of events is an understatement. Trenton likened it to living in some sort of cartoon because we just couldn't believe that all that could happen in only two weeks since the day we returned from serving the Lord in Paris. It was hard having to come up with thousands of dollars to pay for all the repairs, and it will take us months to try and catch up again, but the Lord is good. With all the prayers and support we've had, He's provided and continues to provide in ways we could have never imagined.
Despite everything, our lives did not slow down when it came to ministry. On the 18th of August we were blessed to share a presentation with the church during the morning service regarding our two weeks in Paris. It went very well. I shared my testimony, Trenton gave the presentation, and we concluded the afternoon by singing our theme song from Paris for the congregation. Our worship team has been in full-swing practice for the Impact Music Festival the end of this month. With Trenton's return, the youth group has started back up. I attended my first ladies group night at the church. And on August 30-31 we hosted a garage sale to raise money for the Uganda mission trip next year.
Writing Update
I've also been super busy setting up and attending author events. While in Paris, I was asked to do a book signing for a Christian bookstore a little over half an hour from our home. It went very well! I brought fifteen copies and ended up taking only two home! I had good conversations with so many good people. We prayed together, laughed together, shared testimonies, etc. Since then, I've been able to set up one event for each weekend in September the first of which is a market in Hale this weekend. All of the proceeds go directly toward the editing for book two which is scheduled to be worked on by the editor sometime the end of this year.
Aside from that, I have decided to try a different approach to self-editing this time around. I've been studying up on writing craft and have also sent a copy of the un-edited manuscript to three beta readers. The goal with that is to get an outside perspective on the story, what type of things readers would like to see and what they think the story could do with or without. If you are interested in becoming a beta reader, I have a sign-up form on the author page of our website.
Health Update
As mentioned, Trenton was a bit under the weather for most of this month. There was a sickness going around the group in Paris and while I'm not sure if it was covid, I can attest to the fact that he came down with it only one day after returning to Michigan. Fortunately, after about five days, he was back on his feet returning to life as usual. He has had no problems since.
The biggest update for me would be the start of my new medication. It is a self-injection I have to take once a week. I started it this past Sunday and all seemed to go alright aside from a lot of swelling. I am not supposed to need another procedure until about six months from now, so that was in itself an answer to prayer.
We don't have to many pictures to share this month, but here are some from a few of my book signings as well as a list of upcoming events for those that live near the area. You're always welcome to come if you're around if even just to talk.
In regards to prayer, we'd simply like you to keep us in mind regarding the financial burden this month has had on us. We had a lot of unexpected issues with our vehicles and household appliances so, as mentioned, it will take a while for us to catch up. I'll be starting a second part-time job this upcoming week, so pray that will help in some way. And keep Trenton in your prayers for his work as well, since he is still working fifty hours a week plus ministry. He doesn't have a lot of free time! Neither of us do. But we are managing and are still in high spirits. It's all we can really ask. As always, thank you! And if you have any prayer requests you'd like to share with us, feel free to do so. God bless!
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