Our daily life is full of so many beautiful things interwoven with a few unpleasant things… yet all of them remind us of God’s amazing creativity, beauty and power. Jonathan is learning about his five senses, attempting to describe what he sees, hears, touches, tastes and smells. Naomi seems to be in awe of so many of these senses as she discovers them for the first time. We are thankful that God has given us so many different ways to take in his beauty and enjoy him daily. We pray that we will recognize Him around us throughout every day.
The smell of a rain storm, the feel of sweat on our skin, laughter of our children, beauty of the sun and ocean, breeze through our house, screams of our children, smell of baking bread, touch of baby skin, beauty of our children’s smiles, smell of dirty diaper, sound of the ceiling fans running, drone of the air conditioner during Naomi’s naps, sound of airplanes flying over and ships blowing their horns, tastes of tropical fruits especially in smoothies, look of joy on Jonathan’s face as he talks about superheroes, sounds of the metal gate as people come and go, touch of baby hair, smell of clean diapers on the line, sound of lawn mowers and weed eaters, silence during power outages as our generator kicks on and the most exciting…the look of joy on Jonathan’s face as he talks about God’s power and love, knowing that he is now a child of God!
And as Jacob works outside and in the workshop daily there are so many things to process. A great deal of life takes place in the streets here. The sound and sight of people yelling, arguing and sorting out their problems in the street in front of the workshop is a daily reminder of the need for peace that only God can provide. The feel and smell of fine sawdust mixing with sweat and heat and humidity is an experience Jacob is not all that fond of. Some days seem full of only sweat, yelling and heat and life starts to seem a little overwhelming. But the great thing about our God is that the hotter and more intense a day is, the more refreshing and enjoyable that cold drink of water becomes. No matter the situation, God’s grace always seems to be sufficient. The smooth touch of a finished wood project, smell of freshly cut grass, these are all reminders of God’s world and the joy and beauty that are in it. The sight of a job well done and a project accomplished is even better because we know it may also be an encouragement to others as well.
Wonderful smells…one of them being coffee… Ethnos Canada has teamed up with Twin Valley Coffee to help missionaries all over the world, and provide you with great coffee at the same time! Learn more at CoffeeForThrivingChurches.com When you buy coffee from this site and designate us as the missionary to benefit, we receive the profit. For example, if you purchase a 12-oz. bag, we would receive $2.06. Learn more at CoffeeForThrivingChurches.com.
Praises!
-Soon arrival of the Hutteman family who have been gone for over 2 years waiting Christina’s US Citizenship paperwork!
-Chen family are here visiting, making one last family trip with their team (Depners and Busers) to Island to visit the believers!
-Amdu team, Bart & Emily Allen and Ben & Missy Hatton have just finished their Culture and Language study! Now they will start a literacy program and prepare to teach the good news chronologically!
-Two new families two different teams had their first language and culture checks and are progressing well!
-Naomi, at 11 months, is healthy and crawling and walking (while hanging onto anything) all over the house!
-Naomi takes good naps and goes to bed easily, as long as she is not too hot or too cold.
-A God who sent His Son to die for our sins and rose him up so that we could have daily life abundantly and REST in Him!
-God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
-Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving tomorrow with fellow Canadian friends with roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies and apple pie!
Prayer requests:
-Chen family, co-workers on the island, as they recently found out that Gail Chen’s cancer has returned and it is worse this time.
-Biem team, as all three families return to the Island on last time before phasing out of the work there.
-Amdu team as they prepare for literacy classes and prepare lessons for teaching the good news chronologically.
-4 new families as they continue on in the long process of learning the language and culture in two different bush locations.
-Naomi would sleep through the night!
-Wisdom as we start Jonathan’s education
-Jacob at work… ability to balance work with rest, and prioritizing all that needs to be done.
-That we would remember that God holds everything together including us! And He is working all around us!
-Rest in God as we enjoy being parents of two children!
-Finances for 45% increase of our medical insurance.
-God would continue to raise up more missionaries to come to the Sepik and bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it their own heart language.
-More laborers to minister to the Bena people.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all our Canadian family and friends!
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