Well, in case it's been a while, here's the fam...
We're excited to announce that we are about to enter a new chapter of life! I use the word "excited" because it's true. However, I would be remiss to not also mention that our hearts are very heavy about the many friends that we will be leaving behind. When Maria and I arrived here in Southeast Georgia we were newly married and childless. As we consider our departure from our current home, my mind often thinks about the long-lived connection that we have to this place...
We've lived in one house for the whole of our 12 years here. It's the only home our kids have known. Apart from family, all of the friends we and our kids enjoy on a regular basis are here.
I've served in just about every capacity one can for One Savior Church. Almost all of my local church experience has been with the wonderful people of OSC through the years.
It's hard to imagine what life will be like in a different place, ministering with different people, and participating in a new community. Our great comfort is that people who love Jesus are everywhere and God is moving us along for a reason. And there's my segway to what we are moving toward.
The Lord is moving us to plant churches in Puerto Rico. It's a bit audacious to say out loud but we feel confident the Lord is leading us in this aim. There are many factors that have brought us to focus on Puerto Rico, but generally speaking, the Spirit has been working through the mutual realities of our desires, connections and networks. We have been responsive to His leading and to the opportunities He's brought our way and so our steps are being established.
The process of getting there is going to require assessment, church planting residency, and some more local church experience, especially in a Hispanic church. By God's grace, we've been connected with Gospel Hope and Gospel Hope Español near Atlanta, GA. We will be able to serve them in some ways, but they will play a big role in our development and readiness for church planting in Puerto Rico. One big aim for us is fluency in the Spanish language and that is going to take some time. The church we aim to plant will be English-speaking but the best case scenario will be to plant a bi-lingual church.
There's much more to share but I don't want my posts to exceed 500 words. In my updates I'm going to intentionally keep things short and simple. In modern day online reading we naturally start skimming after a few paragraphs anyway. I'll hopefully only request good use of your time through my newsletters and blogs. I'll have more updates to come! We greatly appreciate your prayers in this transition season of our lives.
2 Corinthians 1:11 - You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
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