Ryan,
We hope that you will have the opportunity to relax during the holiday season and take just a few minutes to reflect on the gift we have all been given, in Jesus Christ. Spend some time thanking the Lord for his gift during Christmas.
We hope that the first half of the busiest month of the year has met you well. We know the hustle and bustle of the holidays is stressful, due to the parties, the shopping, the baking, and the seemingly endless lists of events to attend and things to do. Sometimes Christmas is a bit overwhelming for many of us. The loss of loved ones is multiplied and many times exhaustion is the primary feeling during this month.
Fortunately, because of the magic and wonder of this time of year, the good things of December outweigh the stress and fatigue. For many of us, this is the only time to see some of our family and friends who live far away. Our schedules become packed with parties filled with fun, food, and gifts, opportunities for fellowship and reunions. Offices and schools are closed, to allow for extra time with family and to relax after traveling hours to the latest gathering.
And let us never forget that this is the time to reflect on the greatest gift of all—that God so loved us, that He sent His one and only Son to give us the gift of eternal life. So often, that joy gets buried under presents, cookies, and parties. We are praying that you will be able to take some time to rest and reflect on what God has gifted to all of us.
This is our third Christmas being married, and it seems the season gets busier each year. Not only do we have the standard holiday stuff, but also, this weekend, Ryan had the opportunity to be a jester at the Madrigal Dinner at Western Springs Baptist Church. We will be traveling to Wisconsin next week to visit family we haven’t seen since our wedding.
Finally, we have our annual Christmas Conference December 27th thru January 1st. During this time, we will have the opportunity to serve college students from all over the region during these 5 days. The students will be hearing from renowned speakers like our president, Steve Douglass and attending phenomenal worship with 2500 other students. They have the chance to see that they are a part of something much bigger than their weekly meetings and their struggles to share their faith on campus. Also, they have the opportunity to serve the surrounding community by providing essentials and sharing their faith.
This conference is not for the staff, but for the students. Although we have not been involved with campus ministry during this time of support raising, we still look forward to serving students in any capacity. This conference is also a time to get encouraged about ministry and to be motivated to get to campus as soon as possible. These students need us on campus, and so many more just need to hear the Gospel.
Please
Pray
> Please pray for our travels to Wisconsin and to Indianapolis.
> Pray for the students that are still deciding whether or not to attend the Christmas Conference this year and that the Lord will provide the chance for them.
> We also ask you to keep praying for our support as we continue to work on the second half, so that we may report quickly, to help meet needs in Indianapolis, both on campus and in the office. We appreciate your prayers and your financial support.
> Without you, we would never have this chance to minister to college students, which is, without a doubt, the vision that our Lord has given to us.
In HIM,
