| Sanford News, November 2018 Everything is changing so fast! We can’t believe that come springtime we’ll be welcoming our first child! In December our year and a half of missionary training will draw to a close, and we are currently starting the process of applying to the Asia Pacific field with Ethnos360. That’s the quick update but some of you may want a bit more detail… |
| It’s a busy time as we approach the end with only 6 weeks of school left! While there’s a lot to do academically, we also desire to finish well in the other things we are involved in. It will be sad to say goodbye to our Canadian church family, classmates and training staff, and our friends at the nursing home Bible study. After graduation we’ll be flying to California to spend Christmas with Allegra’s family before returning to Canada for a couple weeks of Ethnos360 membership orientation which will make us official members of the organization. In early February we plan to move to central Pennsylvania. That will give us a little over a month to settle in and make preparations before our Baby Girl’s arrival around March 21st! We are so excited for this huge change in our lives and can’t wait for each of you to meet her. Throughout the next year we will be actively involved in “Ministry Partnership Development” which is all about building relationships with people who will potentially be our partners in ministry. We can’t go overseas without a team of people behind us and sending us, and we’ll be trusting the Lord to raise up that team in His own timing so that we can go. That brings us to our third development… Where are we going? Through much prayer and seeking the Lord’s leading, we are confident that He wants us to begin heading in the direction of the Asia Pacific Field! (We can’t say the name of the specific country on the internet for missionary security reasons.) There are over 700 people groups in this country and most of them still need healthy churches planted and Bible translations done. Our goal is to work directly amongst one of these people groups as tribal church planters, but God may want us in some other role on the missionary team over there and we are open to however He directs. In conclusion, most of this is subject to change if the Lord adjusts our direction, but as of now these are our plans and goals and we’re very excited for what He is doing! |
Nursing Home Bible Study: Our local nursing home Bible study has been going really well. Many of the residents are coming consistently to hear the teaching from God’s Word. We have been trying to give them the whole story from beginning to end so they clearly see that God is Holy, that we/they are all sinners in light of His Holiness (and therefore deserve death), that only God can save us, and that HE DID! It has been good experience for us in lesson preparation, relationship building, and loving people who don’t truly know Christ yet. Several of them are close to understanding that Jesus paid the price they deserved. Pray for Patrick, Marty, Jim & Pauline, Alice, and the rest of the residents and staff there.
| Prayer: Strength and guidance in all of our upcoming transitions Allegra’s mom has breast cancer (caught early but please pray for wisdom and grace in treatments)Grace to finish strong in our training and life here in Canada For the residents and staff at the nursing home—that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior Praise: Clear leading for future ministry in Asia Pacific Our Baby Girl!Growth and learning from our training |
