{"id":3659,"date":"2015-05-17T21:35:27","date_gmt":"2015-05-17T21:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/?p=3659"},"modified":"2015-05-17T21:35:27","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T21:35:27","slug":"god-at-work-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/2015\/05\/17\/god-at-work-2\/","title":{"rendered":"God At Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Life gets busy and we get going and sometimes we forget to look around and see what God is at work doing. \u00a0So here is my effort for me to do that personally and also for you to hear a little of what God is at work doing here.<\/p>\n

A New Family Arrives<\/strong> – 4 weeks ago we welcomed a new family to our field. \u00a0There is a lot of preparations that go into receiving a new family and getting them going on the road of culture and language learning. \u00a0However it is also such a joy to see the workers multiplying and to think of what God is going to do over the next 5 or 10 years through those he has brought here on our team. \u00a0We rejoice in their arrival and have already enjoyed working with them.<\/p>\n

\"Here<\/a>
Here they are just walking off the plane!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strength in Struggles<\/strong> – We have talked before about some of the new believers in our church and some of the struggles they face. \u00a0Their struggles continue with all the adversities they face, but I have been encouraged hearing one story here and another story there of how God is reminding them that he is able.<\/p>\n

Kids Camp\u00a0<\/strong>– Preparations are underway for another kids camp this summer. \u00a0Both boys are now old enough to go and are looking forward to it. \u00a0It will be a stretch for Tyler as he is a very picky eater and it will be nothing but 5 days of Senegalese food, however I am praising God that they are comfortable enough here with our church to even want to go. \u00a0I am preparing for the 5 days as well as I will be helping out. It is always a stretch for me, but I must say that this year I am looking forward the the chance to continue to build relationships with these precious children God has placed in our life.<\/p>\n

\"Kids<\/a>
Kids camp here we come!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Relationships –\u00a0<\/b>We are so thankful for the relationships God has given us here. \u00a0They continue to grow, deepen and strengthen as time goes on. \u00a0Joel had a Birthday at the end of last month. \u00a0We took advantage of the opportunity to invite over friends from our church here for a great night of fun and laughter.<\/p>\n

\"Happy<\/a>
Happy Birthday Joel!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Here<\/a>
Here is to another year of seeing our relationships here grow!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Preparations for 2 New People Groups –\u00a0<\/b>Preparations are being made for 2 different teams heading out into 2 different villages. \u00a0The journey ahead of them is long, but God’s word is going out and we are excited to be a part of supporting them in whatever way we can.<\/p>\n

Hebrews –\u00a0<\/strong>Next week we are ending a study on Hebrews with the women of the church. \u00a0It has been amazing to see them engaging more and more as time goes on. \u00a0I know that they are being blessed by the time together studying God’s Word just as I am. \u00a0We have a good number regularly coming and I am encouraged by how God is working.<\/p>\n

\"God<\/a>
God is at work in his people all over the World!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Wedding –\u00a0<\/strong>In two weeks a young couple from our church is getting married. \u00a0It is going to be a great celebration as these 2 unite in marriage. \u00a0I will definitely post pictures as the boys are in the procession with the bride. \u00a0I love weddings here at our church as it is fun to see everyone come together to do their part. \u00a0Everyone has a role in seeing the preparations all come together and it is quite a marvel to watch.<\/p>\n

\"Here<\/a>
Here the kids are practicing to dance down the isle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"My<\/a>
My kids might not have the grace of the others, but they aren’t afraid to try.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Caring for the Details – <\/strong>This summer is going to be very busy and within that busyness we also have 2 moves taking place that we are in charge of in terms of logistics. \u00a0Moves are hard as it requires finding a host family, then finding a house near to that host family, moving furniture, setting up water and electricity, making repairs and so much more. \u00a0Joel and I were uncertain how it was all going to happen and how we would work it out. \u00a0Then God clearly directs us to an apartment we already have with a host family in the same apartment complex. \u00a0It is the easiest move we have ever done. \u00a0It was a gentle reminder from God that he is directing all and that he is cares about the details. \u00a0As it all unfolded I couldn’t help but just praise God for gentle way he works.<\/p>\n

Wolof<\/strong> – We are turning a corner and starting to understand things. \u00a0 We still struggle greatly to speak, but even having a little bit of understanding and ability to follow a conversation is huge. We are seeing the benefit which gives us the strength to press on. \u00a0This summer we are focusing on this with the boys as we feel like it will really help them to be involved in life and ministry here. \u00a0Contrary to popular belief it takes work to help kids learn language. \u00a0You can be praying for us as we tackle this mountain together as a family this summer.<\/p>\n

\"Communication<\/a>
Communication is so key to relevancy. We are progressing little by little.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ministry Expanding –\u00a0<\/strong>Joel’s mom and I were approached and asked if we wanted to meet with some of the young girls at our church once a month. \u00a0The girls were so excited that even though we told them we won’t start until June, they showed up in May. \u00a0We are excited to have the opportunity to invest in these girls lives and are praying that God would give us wisdom as to how to use this time best.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This opportunity fell in our lap and we are excited to see how God will use it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wow! \u00a0God is at work doing great things!<\/strong> \u00a0It is easy to forget or lose sight in the shuffle. \u00a0Thank you for listening with me to all that God is doing, I hope you take the time to do the same thing for your own life.<\/p>\n

\"Thank<\/a>
God is Good, sometimes I just forget to look up and see!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life gets busy and we get going and sometimes we forget to look around and see what God is at work doing. \u00a0So here is my effort for me to do that personally and also for you to hear a little of what God is at work doing here. A New Family Arrives – 4 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2545],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-updates-and-news","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}