5 Minute Monthly: April

Short and sweet. That is what the month of April felt like. The past month was a time of rest and reset and, because it was so lovely it seemed to fly by. It definitely felt like the Lord gave us a quiet month to prepare us for the busyness of May, June and July but whatever the reason, we enjoyed the simple family days, the absence of illness, no heavy workload and a spring break. Add in the fact that Silas has stopped teething and the whole month felt like a breath of fresh air. Not too many big things happened in April. What we did experience though were moments that were joyful, refreshing and encouraging and that is worth sharing.

Life Happenings

The bit of sun shining through our days has demanded we get outside as much as possible and with two adventurous boys, I am extremely grateful for all the outdoor time. We like to go down to the seafront and throw rocks in the water, play at the park and just take slow Josiah-paced walks down the streets. Josiah also loves the library and we enjoy going to our different toddler groups and meeting up with friends. We keep our adventures simple because we don't have a car, but since the weather has been generally nice we don't mind walking everywhere. Spring and warmth came just in time and being out in God's creation is a blessing.

Local schools had a two week break for Easter at the beginning of April for Half-Term, so most of our church functions took a break too, and Tyler was able to take one of those weeks off. We got chores done around the house and had some quality family time. The spring break was also a great time for Tyler to do some yard work and now our backyard/garden is perfect for hosting cookouts. We have enjoyed having friends over on the weekends to introduce them to an American style BBQ and s'mores. In other news, we bought a second-hand double running stroller which enables us to go on runs as a family - something we hope to do frequently throughout the summer. In all, we are thankful that the whole family is happy and, aside from the occasional bumps and bruises, healthy and well. It has been a good month for all.

Ministry Update

After Easter break, all of our weekly commitments continued as normal. Toddler group is thriving and the boys love it. The youth group is studying the Lord's Prayer and learning how to pray, and I still host our ladies connect group which is going well. Our weekly evening connect group didn't meet much this month due to Easter break, a partner's meeting, and prayer central (our monthly prayer meeting). However we are looking forward to gathering again in May.

As far as individual ministry opportunities, Tyler got to preach on the book of Hebrews 9 as our church has been working through the first half of the book. This was an exciting and daunting task for Tyler as Hebrews is one of his favourite books of the Bible but can also be difficult to understand, and thus difficult to preach.

As for me, I have enjoyed doing a weekly Bible study with a friend and it has been enriching and encouraging for us both. I was also able to attend a church service our pastor was doing at a nursing home. One of the ladies who attended our Hope Explored course in March plans events for this nursing home and asked if Jon (our pastor) would come and do a service for them. This was a unique and special opportunity and it is now a monthly commitment that I hope to continue participating in.

Spotlight: Our Church (Cornerstone Portsmouth)

I want to take the time to share a bit about Sunday church life. As I mentioned before we have been studying the book of Hebrews at Cornerstone and it has been rich and a real benefit to our church. We are now taking a break from Hebrews and studying Luke. I am looking forward to working through this book and discovering more about God's word.

Our church body is full of young families and Josiah has so many little friends that he loves going to class with. We are also thankful, though, for the diversity in our church. There are not just young families but elderly couples, students, singles and families with older children. There are people from many different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds and we are thankful everyone feels welcome and that we are united in the truth of God's word. One thing we have loved about Cornerstone is the time of gathering we do after the service. Tea and cakes are provided and everyone just stays around to talk. We have both had very meaningful conversations with many people and it is a great way to get to know everyone on a deeper level.

Tyler and I have also taken on serving roles on Sunday morning with Tyler occasionally leading and teaching the older children while I help with tea and cakes and childcare. We are so grateful for our church and what it has given us and we hope that they have benefited from us being there as well.

Pray with Us

April has been a blessing and there is so much to be thankful for. There is also so much to be praying for looking forward into May and the summer months. Please take some time to pray with us.

Praises

• Thank God for a peaceful month

• Praise for beautiful weather and healthy family

• Thank you God for the many wonderful relationships we have in our church

Requests

• Prayer for Tyler - he has an essay due on Friday, preaching and leading in the coming weeks, and solo parenting for a couple days while I am at a conference.

• Prayer for Aleah - I have on-going relationships with unbelievers and I pray for boldness and discernment as I speak to them.

• Prayer for our family - we are starting to think through and talk about our future plans and next steps.