Five Minute Monthly: September

In many ways, the month of September marks the beginning of a new season. School begins with a switch from the slowness of summer to that of routine and learning. The weather is changing from warm and sunny to crisp and cool and it hints at the beginning of chilly days. For us, September also felt like the changing of seasons. Just as summer gives way to the fall, we felt ourselves entering a new life season this month: A season of busy ministry. Our whole purpose in coming to the UK was to devote ourselves to the ministry of the church and the mission of the Lord and also learn what we can along the way. As a new season of church activities begin we feel as though we have our hands in lots of them and that is exactly where we should be for this season. Our mornings and evenings are full of church events, gatherings and bible studies. September was the month of easing into those ministries and feeling a taste of the full days ahead of us. Through all the beginnings of busyness this month, we were able to spend some time as a family and with friends and even tucked a little vacation in the mix. September was packed full and I believe it was a glimpse of what our next year might look like.

Life Happenings

Our little family of four found large amounts of enjoyment in each other this month. Our boys are a great source of joy and it is such a wonderful thing to watch them discover the world from different perspectives. Silas finds great pleasure from a smile in his direction. He loves cuddling with mommy, flying ‘high in the sky’ with daddy and watching his big brother play dangerously close to his head. Meanwhile, Josiah loves all things outside, almost every kind of food and anytime his daddy walks through the door. He has a big heart, is super talkative and is learning how to express his emotions. Tyler takes time everyday to play with his boys after coming home from working hard on his school work and church duties. He also finds time to do bits of yard work here and there and our back garden is showing the benefits of his labor. My hands are full in the best of ways every day as I chase around a toddler and entertain a baby. Whenever I have a bit of time for other things I have been enjoying the art of baking and cooking and trying new recipes for events and gatherings. I also just love having people come over to our house as well as taking the boys on outings to hangout with the other moms.

In mid-September we were blessed with a visit from Tyler’s parents. Josiah just loved having his Boma and Pop Pop here and we enjoyed showing them around our little city. We also took a quick trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with them and had a fun-packed few days visiting the sites.

Ministry Update

In our church this past month, there have been many troubles that affected our church body. We feel the heaviness of it and pray that we can be there to comfort those who are hurting and point them back to the eternal hope that only Christ can bring. Some of those working through hardship have done quite a lot in the life of the church, and have had to take some time away for just a little while. Tyler has found himself stepping in while people are absent, and taking on more of a role in students and youth especially. I tried my best to help out in little ways as well; such as a homemade meal or a word of encouragement. As the month comes to a close, things have been slowly returning to normal but we are thankful we were in the position to be of extra help these last couple weeks.

During September, many of the weekly ministries of the church have resumed after taking a break for the summer. Our whole family attends the weekly toddler group and I am enjoying the relationships with the moms and sometimes dads who come. Tyler has been helping out with students again, which started up in late September. On the same night, I host a month long class taught by the pastor-- the class is called Hope Explored and is geared towards people interested in learning more about Christianity. On Wednesdays, we host a connect group at our house where we meet and discuss the sermon from Sunday, and on Thursdays, I am part of a ladies connect group that does the same. Finally, every other week Tyler helps out with the youth group where they are teaching on the purpose of the church and interpreting the bible. On top of all of this starting up, Tyler is in the middle of completing assignments for his Ezekiel class and learning the rich and scholarly depth of the book, and will start another class module in mid-October.

As you can see, our weeks are packed and we are just at the beginning of a very busy season. But we love it and I feel that we are right where God wants us to be for this time.

Pray with Us

Requests:

• We ask for prayer for those in our church who are hurting and experiencing loss

• Pray that we would manage our time wisely and not become overwhelmed by our busy schedule

• Pray for our relationships with unbelievers, that they would lead to conversations of the Lord.

Praises:

• Thanking the Lord for our busy ministry season and all it brings.

• I (Aleah) am thankful the moms in my life here and the companionship that comes from mutual mothering.

• We are praising God for the wonderful time we had with Tyler’s parents.

  
  

We are now almost nine months into our time here and I am feeling so thankful for the journey God has been taking us on so far. I think that both Tyler and I feel the tension of truly loving our life here while also longing for our people back in the States. We feel settled here and thankful it is our home. But, I would like to say this to our American friends and family reading this-- just know that we miss you, we love you and, as Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:4 “…(We) long to see you, that (we) may be filled with joy.” (ESV). But until then, we are happy and content right where we are at because we are following the Lord and his will. (And because it is genuinely pretty great here!) Thank you for your support. We are so very grateful.

God Bless,

The Manns