5 Minute Monthly: November

In our living room we set up a little poster that has written on it the things that we are thankful for. I set it up for thanksgiving, but as we have transitioned into Christmas decorations, I have decided to keep it up. We need the reminder that there are so many things to thank God for. Looking back on the month of November is like replaying some of those blessings in my mind. November was not a perfect month by any means, but it was full of wonderful things like ministry opportunities, unexpected conversations and the warmth of friendship. I think that is pretty awesome! And when you add in that the boys were mostly healthy and the weather was mostly sunny I’d say the month of November was a month to be thankful for.

Life Happenings

November was busy in all the right ways and though busyness can sometimes be overwhelming, for us it meant multiple connections and conversations with people inside and outside our church. If those are the things that make us busy, I wouldn't want it any other way. Our friendships in the church have continued to grow through multiple get togethers and times of fellowship mostly involving lots of food. We had a huge bring and share meal at our church where everyone brought a dish and we all enjoyed eating food together. It was particularly special because we have so many different cultures in our church, which means many different foods to try. I brought pumpkin pie, and for many people it was their first taste of the dessert we love. Of course this month we also had to have a thanksgiving celebration. We invited a couple friends over and showed them all the joys of thanksgiving including a football game, eating way too much food and sharing what we are thankful for. For many it was their first time celebrating this holiday and though we missed being with our family to celebrate, we felt so much joy sharing this time with our friends here.

In other news, our family is thriving and our boys are growing up. Josiah will be two in a couple weeks and he is entering the true toddler stage complete with wanting independence, testing boundaries, and melting my heart with his sweet phrases; my favorite being "luvoo mummy" (love you mummy). Silas is hitting milestones like crazy. He is sitting, eating solids and pushing up to crawl. He has three teeth now and more on the way and he always has a smile ready for you. Josiah loves him and they are at the beginning stages of "playing" together.

Tyler has been busy this month with school and church ministry. He got to attend the pastor's conference, has been preaching and is also working on his final paper of the year. I have also been busy in different ways. My work and church ministry involve changing diapers, making food and supporting my husband's ministry by attempting to make the home a place of rest. I have also loved being part of the women's ministries here and continue to grow in my relationships with the moms at the church.

One more thing that happened this month was that Tyler and I celebrated our third anniversary. These past three years have been packed full of adventure together and through it all the Lord has taught us much about trusting each other and leaning on him. We have grown in our marriage, but I think that just makes us realize we still have so much to learn.

Ministry Update

November was a fun ministry month with much happening. Some opportunities to show Christ looked a bit different than normal, and we built some unique relationships we hope continue. Josiah has made friends with the "bin men" (trash men). Every week he sits out front and watches for them. There are three regulars who always get our trash and they wave at him, give him high-fives and have learned his name. I have started making cookies for them and Josiah loves to give out the "biscuits for the bin men". We will continue to build a friendship with the bin men and always be ready to share about Jesus if the Lord give us the opportunity. We try to have that mindset with all who come to our door whether its grocery delivery guys, the postman or salesmen.

Recently we had a salesman and a women come knock on our door. We were their last house of the day, so we invited them in and they stayed and chatted. The man was interested in religion and said he liked to try new churches so we invited him to ours. He promised he would be there on Christmas day. He could have just been being nice, but he seemed genuinely interested and we pray he actually comes. I love little encounters like this, and hope that no matter what happens, people will see the light of Jesus shining from our little family.

Another unique opportunity that happened this month happened to me. Usually Tyler is the one who does the public speaking and I take a more behind the scenes role, but in late November our church hosted a ladies craft night and I was asked to give a short talk. In interview form I shared about our family, why we were in the UK, some about American Christmas traditions and then most importantly what Christmas means to me as a Christian. The audience was about sixty women - half of whom did not attend church or profess faith in God. I was thankful to be able to speak to those women even if it was a short talk and I pray that my words had an impact and hopefully pointed them towards Christ.

Tyler has also been doing his best to point those he encounters towards Christ. This month he has started meeting with a man who has a lot of questions about Christianity and this man is looking for answers that will satisfy. Pray that God would give Tyler the words to say and that this man’s heart would be softened towards Christ.

Our normal ministries continue as usual with Tyler preaching at church and teaching at youth group. I have led a couple ladies’ bible studies at our house and we continue to host our connect group. We also are both involved in our toddler group and pray that those who seem to have an interest in Christianity would take the next step and come to church or meet with us one-on-one.

November is also the month where we gear up for Christmas and all the ministry involved in December. We try to spread the word about the events going on in the church and welcome people who wouldn't normally be interested in attending a service. During the Christmas season, so many people are searching for a joy and peace that can only truly be found in Jesus. Our hope is to give people opportunities to encounter Christ this year because he is why there is a reason to celebrate. He is the reason. It would be amazing to see some of the men and women we have come to know outside the church at our Christmas Day service. Please pray the Lord works in their hearts these next few weeks.

Pray With Us

Requests:

• Pray that Tyler would finish his last paper of the year well.

• Please pray for our interactions with non-believers, that we would portray Christ well.

• We ask prayer for our Christmas season as we celebrate away from family.

Praises:

• Thank the Lord for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating in a different country

• Thank you God for a mostly healthy family during sick season

• Praising the Lord for those showing interest in hearing more about the gospel

Thank you for dedicating time to read this blog and pray with us and all the ways that so many of you have supported us over the past year. It means so much to us.

We are more than a week into Advent now, and we are greatly anticipating all that Christmas brings. We are excited to celebrate the wonders of the season with our boys and remind them, and ourselves, about the greatest wonder of all: the birth of our Savior Jesus. What a blessing it is to have a hope, peace and joy greater than anything this world can offer! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! God Bless us everyone!