Merry Christmas brothers and sisters in Chr*st J*sus. We hope that you all are having a wonderful holiday season. Our family is rejoicing as we w0rship our great Father. During the Christmas season we find ourselves thinking of loved ones and family. We also find ourselves thinking of our supporting ch*rches. We would like to express our appreciation to all of you for the awesome ways in which you support us. It is truly a blessing to know that we have a family who thinks about us and pr@ys for us. We are reminded of the L0ttie M00n Christmas 0ffering that is collected every year during the Christmas season. Thank you to all who participated in this offering this year. Your giving makes it possible for us and others around the world to be faithful to our calling.

The past few months have been eventful. We have been working with two local house fellowships. Many of our members have been fighting through various hardships. Several of our families have found themselves struggling financially. Others have had serious health concerns. In the midst of these challenges, we have been focusing on the greatness of the Father. It has been a blessing to watch our people grow in their trust and dependance. Lena and I found ourselves in a situation where we had to demonstrate our own dependance upon the Father. Our landlord told us that we had to move out of our home recently. This news hit us hard because it is difficult to find affordable housing that is suitable in our city. The housing market here is incredibly competitive and expensive. Our local family was troubled by the news that we were being asked to move. At first, we were feeling a bit anxious. However, the Father gave us peace. He reminded us that he is in control of our circumstances. He is faithful and can be trusted to work all thing together for the good of those who love Him. It was a joy to express this confidence in the Father to our local family. They could see that our encouragements to them to trust in the Father were not just lip service. It is important to not only preach the truth of Scr*pture, but our lives must also reflect the things we claim to believe. We all took our burdens and concerns to the Father. Every Friday night we meet together to pr@y. We have seen many of our pr@yers answered. One of our members received the good news that his cancer is in remission. Another person was given a significant amount of money for his mortgage while he was being threatened with foreclosure. Lena and I found an incredible new property that is perfect for our family. We have been teaching them that it is important to trust in the Father even when things seem bleak. Sometimes He brings difficult circumstances into our lives to teach us vital lessons.

The Father continues to open up doors for us to share our f@ith with others. This past week we threw a Christmas party and invited everyone from the community to attend. We had around 60 people in attendance. We sang songs, read Scr*pture, played games, and ate a meal. We also had a South Asian lady share her story of how she came to know the Father. I have imbedded a video in this post of a program we host at our local community center called Mirror of Truth. Mirror of Truth is a Christi@n/Musl*m dialogue in which we consider what the B*ble and the Qur@n have to say about various topics. This program gives us the opportunity to share our faith with those in attendance. In this particular audio clip, I am giving a presentation to two South Asian men about idolatry/shirk. My friend, who formerly was a follower of Isl@m, is helping me in this endeavor. Both of the men we are talking to are lawyers by profession. One of them is a Musl*m. The other man used to be a Musl*m but has since rejected the faith of his family and is searching for truth. Hopefully this clip will give you a small glimpse into the types of conversations we have with people.

The boys are doing well. Simeon has stopped nursing. Silas is super excited about Christmas. The Father has been good to our family. We trust that you all are experiencing the Father’s love and comfort during this holiday season.

Pr@yer Requests:
Pr@y for us as we move to our new home. Pr@y that the transition would go well.
Pr@y for our house fellowships. Pr@y that we would grow spiritually and numerically.
Pr@y for our community. Pr@y that the Father would do a might work in the hearts of those who live here.
Pr@y for us as we move into a new year of possibilities.