Praises & Changes

Get the printable version here.

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! 
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand….”

Psalm 95:1-7

Happy November! We hope you’re enjoying the autumn beauty around you as much as we are here in the Roanoke valley. We are thankful for our Lord’s blessings that are as abundant as those colorfully-changing leaves and His faithfulness to us in the transitions.

October was a busy month for us. First we traveled to Bethany’s home church in North Carolina to present there. This was our first official presentation as a married couple and, despite some nerves (especially for me- Bethany!), it went pretty well. We are thankful to have two very supportive sending churches to encourage us and keep us accountable.

The next weekend we traveled to Ohio to speak at Faith Baptist Church in Bolivar. Despite our not knowing a single member beforehand, the church very graciously welcomed us as we shared our testimonies and Jonathan gave the sermon.

The following Monday & Tuesday we attended the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches annual conference at Jonathan’s home church, Pleasant Hill Baptist. We were unexpectedly given a table to set up our display right in the middle of the lobby, providing ample opportunity to make contacts.

We had to leave the conference a day early to drive straight back to NC so that Bethany could complete her Doctrinal Oral Exam with ABWE. Praise be to God who makes His strength perfect in our weaknesses! Up until this point, Bethany had been provisionally accepted, but with this step completed, we are now both officially ABWE missionaries.

And now we’ve settled back into our current normal. That normal now includes a part-time job for Jonathan; a few weeks ago God opened the door for an administrative assistant position within a local mission agency that is closely affiliated with the church we’ve been attending.  This has been a blessing in many ways, providing opportunities to form new friendships, a change of pace from the constant focus on calling churches, and continued flexibility for pursuing deputation.

Bethany has also had several opportunities for growth and leadership within her work environment lately. She has enjoyed orienting a new nurse onto her unit and looks forward to mentoring others in the future, as well as beginning training soon for the role of charge nurse. She hopes that these experiences will help prepare her more for the Hospital of Hope in Togo.

Another big praise is that Bethany was just accepted with MedSend’s loan repayment program! We are extremely thankful for this answer to prayer as it puts us a big step closer to Togo!

Please continue to pray for us as we seek to:

• find partners (individuals and churches) and raise support
• grow deeper in our relationships with Christ and with each other
• be ever faithful during this necessary, but sometimes discouraging season of preparation

How can we be praying for you? When you commit to partner with us, it is not just a one-way agreement. We desire to pray for and encourage you as well. So please let us know the “awesome deeds” (Psalm 66:5) He has been working in your life and how we can lift you up in prayer.

Love,

Jonathan & Bethany