Early Mornings and Late Nights- Taking Strides Forward

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 It’s no secret that the past few months have been incredibly difficult. Between managing secular jobs and striving forward with the ministry, it seems that our past and future lives are at constant odds with each other.


Each day I wake up, I am reminded of the passage of Scripture found in Philippians 3:12-14, which reminds us to consistently “forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Unfortunately, the journey often feels long, and each day we move closer to the goal while still trying to manage our secular jobs, gets harder. But we know that God is in ultimate control and that this too shall soon pass. 

The month of August proved to be another very eventful month, with ministry opportunities taking root even before we arrived home from our training at Headquarters the end of last month.

    
      
     Our first two weeks home were spent in vacation Bible School- the first through the Iosco Ministerial Association and the second through Hale Baptist Church whom we have strived to work closely with since our conference weekend there back in May. We both played different roles in each week of VBS. The first week, Trenton ran the program and did most of the teaching. The second week, I (Hanna) provided some Aussie fun facts and took part in the game show they provided each night. We truly had a great time working with the kids and hope to do this again next year if we happen to still be in the country. 

The middle of the month took a bit of a different turn as we were able to take two days off for the first time since March to celebrate Trenton’s birthday early. He, along with a good pastor friend, were able to experience skydiving for the very first time, which they thoroughly enjoyed and hope to do again sometime in the near
future. If you would like to watch the full video of his skydive, you can do so at this link https://youtu.be/EENlYpvXWwo



Right after this trip, we began to see a lot of change in regards to our everyday lives. As mentioned previously, we had been looking  and praying for a place to live during pre-field since orientation this past March. For months, nothing was revealed to us, so we continued to work full time at the expense of our pre-field journey. However, last month, a solution began to reveal itself. And after much prayer and deliberation, we decided to finally list our house and move forward.

While currently our house is still on the market, we are hoping that, by this time next month, our schedules will be filled with more ministry than secular work. It is a big transition, and the first goodbye of many, but we are ready for this change, and ready to leave the burden of secular debt behind as we strive toward our future in Australia. 

If you would like to see our house listing, feel free to do so here:
https://s.paragonrels.com/goto/LYNfV2 

The end of the month was just as busy. We were blessed on the 31st of August to visit Calvary Baptist Church in Gaylord, Michigan. To say we left this church refreshed and encouraged is an understatement. We were poured into and prayed over in a way we could never explain, and it was truly a joy to share God’s heart for the Australian people with them while experiencing their hearts for the nations as well. 



Two days following, we had a fundraiser/moving sale at my parents house. Despite the torrential downpour on Saturday, we had an amazing turnout and ended up raising about $450 for the ministry. While Trenton had to work during most of this, I was able to have many meaningful discussions with people who came to support us, and that, to me, was the best gift of all. We had a generous donation of baked goods from a good friend of mine who just started her very own baking business, and this was a huge blessing as well! It was a wonderful weekend, and we thank all of you who came to support and contribute. 

Despite the difficulties of this season, we are truly blessed and thankful. The Lord continues to give us peace and confidence as we move toward the goal. There is a lot of change during this season of our lives, and that can, at times, be stressful. However, the peace we experience regardless of these circumstances is enough for us to know that God has a plan and is bringing it to fruition. 

Here are some prayer points for the month of September:

1. Pray for the process of selling our home. We are hoping that we will be out by this time next month. 
2. Pray for the transition from full time to part time at our secular jobs. There is alot of demand on both of us at the moment and it may be a hard transition in regards to our coworkers.
3. Pray for our mission conference coming up at Beaverton Baptist Church on the 17th and 18th of September. We have been looking forward to this one for months!
4. Pray for the planning of our survey trip. We are about two months out from our departure date and most everything is already settled. But please be in prayer for the remainder of the process.
5. Pray for our monthly support. We are not seeing any advancement in our monthly support percentage and are hoping to see that increase as we transition to full-time ministry. If you feel led to help with this, you can do so at https://www.abwe.org/shields .
We would truly appreciate it!

May the Lord bless you all as you seek to serve Him. 

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