Joel and Andi McMartin
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What God Has Done

December 29, 2016 by Joel and Andi

Looking back I feel like Christmas Day for us was a good reminder of all that God has done for us.  As we look ahead to the next year, I wanted to take some time to write down some of the ways God has been at work.

The day started off with meal preparations for all our neighbors.   Since we get meals on all other religious holidays from our neighbors we wanted to return the favor on our holidays.  So we cooked up chickens and prepared meals for 9 of our neighbors.  It made me thankful for our neighbors and the relationships we have with them.  It was also encouraging that we are comfortable with life enough to be able to do this meal preparation for them.  God has brought us a long way!

Next we headed out to spend this day with our family in their village

God gave us this family to help us integrate into life here.  Words can’t begin to tell you how much they have done for us.  They have accepted and loved us as one of their own.

God has given us relationships that allow for deep conversations
Abe came out with us as well.

His journey is full of challenges, but God continues to work faithfully in his life.

The one of the right is a new friend we have met with an amazing testimony

We will call him JJ.  JJ is a believer from one of the villages where our coworkers have been working.  A couple Christmases ago they were able to teach them God’s story in their own language.  He is one of the fruits of this teaching and our coworkers put us in contact with him when he came up to our town.  He has been up in our area working for about 6 months and over that time we have brought him with us to church and to holiday events when we could.  Seeing him is a reminder that though the spread of the gospel here is slow, God is changing lives.  We have enjoyed getting to spend time with him these past few months.

God has given our kids friends and helped them to become comfortable with life here
This was a special year for us as it was the first time we celebrated this holiday with our neighbor

His wife and children have come with us every year, but this was the first year he came to celebrate with us.  We continue to pray that God’s light will shine through us.

We were thankful for the amazing food
We were thankful for the ability to share games with our friends and family
And the language ability to receive advice on how to play those games
God has really strengthened our relationships with the women around us and we are really grateful for that
We are amazed at how this has become home to us.

One more way we saw God’s faithfulness was in our visit to another family in the village that we are close to.  After leaving we all felt like it was the best visit with them we had ever had: great conversation, lots of laughter, the kids played well together, and everyone just as a whole seemed so comfortable.  That is a testimony to how God has worked and how far he has brought us on this journey.

Our prayer this year is that in all these relationships we have, that his light would shine amidst the darkness around us.

Filed Under: Updates and News Tagged With: Ethnos360, New Tribes Mission

More Posts:

« It’s Christmas Time
Our Trip To Tanzania »

Comments

  1. Aunt Patti says

    December 31, 2016 at 6:26 am

    Thanks for the pictures and stories. You do such an amazing job of relating it so well to us! I like Tyler’s new frames, and Bruce sure is beginning to look like a village elder! It is so wonderful to see the boys just lolling all together with the other kids, like a bunch of puppies. The world could learn some lessons here.
    love and prayers

  2. Carolyn Gaupo says

    December 30, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    Merry Christmas (even though it has passed), and best wishes for a very happy New Year. I loved your pictures and your stories. Please tell Abe hello, JJ too, though he is new to me. I’ll be praying for them and for all of you. You are amazing and richly blessed . And besides that you all are a rich blessing to us. Carolyn

  3. Elisabeth says

    December 29, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Merry Christmas. Thank for your gift of sharing.

  4. Jeannette Bessler says

    December 29, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    You serve an awesome Savior. It is a blessing to see how our Lord blesses you as you serve Him. Thank you for sharing with us. May the Lord bless you richly in this Christmas season and throughout this new year.

  5. Jane Van Ryn says

    December 29, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    You are an inspiration and joy to us. May God continue to bless and use you in the years to come. To God be the glory, great things HE has done.

Trackbacks

  1. An Arzouni.com Weekly Roundup of West African Prayer Points: January 29, 2017 - ARZOUNI.COM says:
    January 29, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    […] What God Has DoneJoel and Andi McMartin relate the work of God in their lives and ministry over the past year, focusing on the growth of their relationships with their neighbors. Pray for the McMartins as they serve the Lord in Senegal. […]

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