  “Forget about tying the hands of time. Give every moment to the One who’s given today.” – Joy Williams |
| Summer is almost over.I’ve always grieved the end of summer in Minnesota, but never as much as this year. These past two months in the States have flown by, and I’m really sad that our only summer here is coming to an end. Not only that, but I know that the rest of this year is going to pass by quickly as well. I’ve always struggled with time passing. I feel like time is always slipping through my fingertips, full of missed opportunities, fleeting joyful moments, regrets, and sadness at the temporariness of it all. I believe we all struggle to some degree with the passing of time because we are meant for eternity. In eternity, we never have to stop that deep conversation, that game night full of laughter, or those sweet moments with loved ones. But for now, we live in this temporariness, and we are called to use our time for God’s glory. Scripture has much to say about living life with urgency. Romans 13:10b-12a says, “love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.” This is one of the reasons that we are missionaries- Jesus is coming back, and we need to use our lives to love others and tell them about Him. However, on the other side, Scripture also has much to say about God’s sovereignty. I need to trust the Lord with all of my fleeting moments. I should seek Him in how I spend them, but once they are spent, I can trust Him that He is in control. That is how I can make peace with this fleeting life. Till all know, Matt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck Praise God: – Karissa got an appointment to see her neurologist at Mayo! – We had a good time seeing family and friends in Missouri and Iowa. – He has given us opportunities to witness to friends! – The boys saw their pediatrician and they are healthy and doing well overall. Please Pray: – Ty is having surgery on Sept. 1. It is very minor, but he does have to be put under for it. Pray for protection for him and peace for us. – Wyck has his eye doctor appointment this week. Pray for wisdom for his doctor. – All of these appointments feel overwhelming right now. – That God would continue to work in the lives of friends who we are witnessing to and discipling.   (Left) At least the end of summer means the start of football season. Skol Vikings! (Right) We spent a couple of weeks traveling in Missouri and Iowa at the end of last month. |
 What are we supporting? This month’s tribal focus: Pray for the Iski church. Missionary Jason Williamson writes, “What a blessing and privilege it was to finally hand these precious books to our Iski Bible teachers. These 200 initial copies of the Iski scripture portions books were handed over to the church this last week while my co-worker and I were in the village. After receiving his copy Ranqka said, “thank you Jason and Andre for leaving your homes and coming here, living among us and working so hard to bring us God’s talk in our language!” What a gift to see their faces light up as they fingered through the crisp new copies of their books. This process of getting these books In the hands of our friends here has been truly a team endeavor, from us working with the Iski church to draft and translate to those who have given so sacrificially to see these books printed and shipped over. So amazing to see the body come together! Praying these books will be a catalyst of growth in the Iski church! “  |