Five Minute Monthly: March and EASTER

Happy Spring everyone! What a wonderful time of year it is to plant things and watch them grow, feel the warmth of the sun and enjoy more light in the day. Everything is blossoming with new life and it is a great reminder of the new life we have because of Christ’s death and resurrection! So Happy (late) Easter as well!

March was a fun and active month and as it drew to a close and we celebrated our second Easter here in England. £e realised that the beginning of April marked fifteen months of living in England-- the longest Tyler and I have lived somewhere in our married life-- crazy right!? It is exciting to be walking into our second spring season here! So much has changed since last year and it has been fun getting to repeat some of the Easter and springtime traditions that began the year before as we were just starting to settle in. Here are some highlights from the past month in life and ministry.

Life Happenings

The beginning of March was wet but the middle of the month gave way to beautiful sunshine. The weather improved right when Tyler’s mum came to visit and we enjoyed spending the days outdoors with her. Of course, the boys loved having their “Bumma” here, and so did Tyler and I. While she was here, we were able to visit our favourite cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, which we have now been to three times. While Tyler‘s mum was here, she was able to go spend a few days in Wales and we were able to have some friends from Hungary come and stay for a bit. These days of hosting were busy, but so full of joy and the boys loved the attention they got from all of our guests.

Because of the warmer weather, we have spent a lot of time in our garden. Tyler has made some raised beds for me to plant vegetables and we have tidied everything up so that our back garden can be a place of gathering. I recently planted some seeds with the boys, and though it was a bit chaotic, it is now a fun filled core memory. Josiah is growing faster than one of our bean sprouts in the garden. He is taller, smarter, and crazier! He makes us laugh all the time. He recently has moved up to a big bed from his crib and no longer uses his pacifiers which makes him seem so old. Silas has grown mostly in the teeth department this month, and we are thankful that his now eight teeth are almost all the way through. Silas also can wave, clap, shake his head, and walk with a walker; he just really loves to show off his new skills!

Tyler and I are also doing well. I have enjoyed making meals and preparing our home for guests and I’m thankful now to be back in a normal schedule with my boys. Tyler did his class at the end of March and is now preparing to write his fifth essay.

Easter was a special time for us and we loved spending it with friends here. We had an Easter egg dyeing party like last year, we had little baskets for the boys on Easter morning, they hunted for eggs and wore their bow ties to church and we all had a lovely Easter dinner at our pastors house. We also helped Josiah understand the Easter story and taught him to say “he is risen indeed” whenever he hears “he is risen“ and it fills us with joy to hear his little voice declare that Jesus is alive.

As a whole, our little family is doing well. Though it has been a bit chaotic and draining at times, we are overall happy and healthy and thankful for the Lord‘s provision in this spring season.

Ministry Update

In the weeks leading up to Easter, the church tries to do a lot of evangelistic events as it is a time that people tend to be more open to hearing about Jesus. Our church participated in something called Passion For Life: churches around the UK put on different events for the purpose of sharing the gospel and inviting people to church. This year, our church put on three events. One was an online event where the speaker discussed Christ in culture, one was a brunch where a lady shared about the hope she found in Jesus, and the third was a children’s Easter event. Each event was unique and special and drew in people from different walks of life. At the children’s Easter event, we had about 40 kids attend with their parents and it was really meaningful to see our church pulling together to make it happen.

At the beginning of March, I had the opportunity to co-lead a 'Hope Explored' course. It was a stretching experience for me but so rewarding. The women who attended had many thoughtful questions and it was a joy to be able to share bits of the gospel and the hope that I have with them. My desire would be that these women continue to ask questions and discover more about what following Jesus actually means. Hope Explored is just the start and I pray that my relationships with these women would grow as I continue to share with them when opportunities present themselves.

Tyler continues to learn so much as he works with the pastors of our church. He has been given many responsibilities that have given him useful tools for ministry work. This month he was challenged to preach on Hebrews at our church and also preached a sermon on union with Christ at a different church. He has also led our connect group and continues to help the youth program. He was able to take a little break after his week at school and now is back into the swing of things as he prepares to write an essay and another sermon. Looking forward to summer time, Tyler has a lot of teaching and preaching on the calendar that will pick up almost immediately after submitting his essay. We are thankful for the Lord’s graciousness in this season of ministry and we are loving where God has placed us during this time.

Pray with Us

Thank you for taking the time to join us in prayer.

Requests

• Pray for me and my relationships with the women who were at Hope Explored that I would find a good balance between talking about Jesus and just being their friend.

• Pray for Tyler as he studies for his next paper as it will be a difficult one

• Pray for Josiah and Silas that they would stay healthy as they have been slightly ill the past week.

Praises

• Thank the Lord for the beautiful weather that changes one’s mood

• We are thankful for all those who have heard the good news this Easter season. May it stick in their minds and hearts.

• We are thanking God for our community here that makes big holidays like Easter so special even though we are away from family.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We love knowing that people are thinking of us and praying for us. May God bless!