It feels a bit presumptious to even try to predict what this year will hold, to be honest. This year in particular it feels like we know so very little, but we do have a responsibility to not sit around awaiting an engraved invitation. God knows the good plans He has for each of us, and our job is to be in the process of learning and following in the areas where there is clarity.
What we are sharing with you is an active step of faith, laying our ideas and plans before God and asking Him to guide and bless. We trust Him to open or close doors in accordance with His knowledge, and timing. We would also appreciate your input, thoughts and advice!
We’ll intersperse these plans with a few pictures of special times over Christmas, just for fun.
The Spring: With fresh lockdowns and uncertainty circulating, it seems likely to us that we’ll spend most of the remaining winter and spring in the Omaha area. We have been working with engineers and the missionary in Kenya to develop a plan for the construction of Camp Nasaru, and will continue that. Additionally, we have a lineup of repairs and maintenance at our home, shop and cars, and expect to help out local missionaries and ministries wherever there is opportunity. We’ll keep you posted with local projects – we’d love to have you join us!
The Summer: We expect to spend a good chunk of the summer helping out with one or more Bible camps. You know how much we love camping ministry!
By late summer, we are hoping that sufficient vaccines will have been disbursed or perhaps the political and national sanity level may have stabilized sufficient to allow the resumption of normal travel. There are several interesting project possibilities. Because of our ability to work remotely, We believe that with a little creativity we might be able to include several projects into a single extended trip.
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First, we are hoping that construction might be beginning on Camp Nasaru in Kenya. We would love to visit there, provide some training and and work alongside them on the camp construction. Second, Kenya is next door to Uganda which is where Chester’s sister and husband are serving on a site with farming & medical ministry, doing pastoral training. If we are “in the area”, we would like to visit and lend a hand. Third, two seperate bondservants of Christ in France are involved in building or renovation projects. Fourth, there are Christian camps in France and England which are working on buildings, repairs or renovations. We love clear, strong grace evangelism, encouragement to discipleship, and we love projects. So camps are a natural fit.
We don’t really know how these pieces might fit together, but believe that it’s right to move forward – that’s how great things get done.
In addition to these larger items there are several smaller projects we expect to be involved in: Grace Bible Church is building out a space for a church home, and we’d like to help wherever we can. We hope to attend the Grace Evangelical Society conference in Texas. We’d like to join in working with the Tecate Mexico missions trip. We hope to lend out a baby whisperer or two to friends in Virginia, and hope to do some more Pancakes 4 Missions events.
In all these things we are so grateful that God has always provided not only for our needs, but for each ministry project we’ve served in. Thank you for your partnership in this ministry, we feel blessed to be able to serve with you in this way! This year we would like to increase our monthly donations closer to our normal budget so that we can effectively plan and be responsive to missionaries’ needs. Would you pray about joining our team as a monthly donor? We would love to talk with you, share stories together of the great things God has done and answer any questions you might have.