I took the girls on a walk and realized it was time for our yearly picture…the third one of its kind! We are entering our third year of ministry here at Ethnos360 Training. God is so faithful to our family in the ways that He sustains us. It made me reflect on our previous two years of ministry and our year ahead—some things are old, some are new, and we can trust God’s faithfulness for every need.

For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.

Psalm 33:4

I love this verse because it says that God’s work is done in faithfulness. Our ministry is His work, accomplished by His faithfulness to us. As a new class of students arrive, we are preparing to start over for the third time, making new relationships while knowing that graduation and goodbyes come all too quickly! But since this is God’s work, He knows what we need in it. A source of great encouragement lately is reading updates from former students. Now that we’ve seen two classes graduate, we can see the direct impact on reaching the unreached as new works begin around the world. We trust that God uses our work here for His greater purpose, and that is a sustaining grace to us.

Nick has been working on the BGM team for the past two years, and I have been a teacher in the childcare. We will continue in each of these ministries for the coming year. We’re thankful to have some good routines established and that we can keep serving in roles we love!

We do also have some new things in our path. Next month, I will start my ministry in the Education Resource Center. One aspect of that role is administering a screening test to five- and six-year-olds on campus using the Search and Teach program. The Search scan provides information about a child’s learning profile and is part of an early intervention program. I will also begin NILD Educational Therapy with an older student. I am so excited for this opportunity and have been studying hard this summer and taking courses to prepare myself!

Prayer Requests

Nick

Nick and his co-workers always have busy summers, as it is the best time to make repairs to student housing, work on projects, and take advantage of good weather to tackle big tasks. One big project is a retaining wall behind student housing—pray for safety using big machinery to move and place extremely heavy blocks (pictured above). Nick has also made some connections with people locally by playing disc golf together, and we pray he can be a good testimony in those relationships. We have been praying for ways to get to know people in our area and reach those around us with the Gospel. So, this is a praise and a prayer request!

Kathy

As I mentioned, I am starting a new ministry, and I pray that God gives me mental clarity to be a wise and good teacher. I will only be in childcare two days a week this year so that I can also spend time in this new ministry while also balancing home and family life. Pray that we find the right balance, and that I can adjust wherever needed based on what our daughters need!

Naomi

Naomi is one month away from starting Kindergarten! She is so excited. She asked if she could keep some Bibles in her backpack in case kids in her class don’t have one at home. Pray that nothing discourages her sweet spirit and enthusiasm, and that we can trust God’s plan for her life this year.

Emmy

For the first time in a year and a half, Emmy will spend time in childcare without me as her teacher! I think this change will be good for both of us. I also have one day a week scheduled to just be at home—getting some special one-on-one time with her. Pray that we can faithfully parent her, know her needs, and love her well. And pray for her physical safety—she is a wonderfully spunky risk-taker! (She taught herself to swim this summer and proved it to me by jumping in the pool without her floaties on, nearly giving me a heart attack. Haha. Good thing we love her so much!!)

Thanks for reading!! I realized it had been a while since our last update, so we had a lot to share. Thank you for partnering with us, praying for us, and loving us well. We feel so blessed by the support we have from so many wonderful ministry partners!