The Goodness of our LORD!

Dear Family and Friends,

Hi!! I can’t believe it’s March already.  It seems like it was just a week or two ago that we were celebrating Christmas and now we are getting ready for Easter.  Boy does life seem to move very fast with two small children.

God has done some amazing things the past couple of months.  So I thought I would share the goodness of our LORD with you.

The first good gift was the birth of Noah James Broniste who was born on Nov. 31st.  God has a funny sense of humor cause both boys were born on the last day of the month, both were born on a Wednesday at around 4:30pm and both boys were born exactly a pound apart.  That can only be the hand of the LORD!

The second good gift from our LORD is in how He has answered our prayers and provided the finances for us to get car.  We were very surprised and blown away by how He provided. Since His provision, we have been praying and searching for the right car for our family.  We believe what would best suit our needs (small children and long road trips) is a minivan.  So we are looking for a low mileage 2005 or newer minivan with power sliding doors.  We are praying for the right car from the right person at the right price.  We know if God provided the money then He can do just that.  Please pray for us that God would lead us to our car soon.  Also pray that God provides the extra we will need each month in car insurance.  I look forward to writing again at how He has answer this request!

Also I have returned from maternity leave and will continue serving our missionaries while taking care of our family. Please pray that I would be a blessing to each one of them.  Also pray that I would be a blessing to my family as well.

Thank you for your love, prayers and support!! We love you and pray for you often!

In Christ,

Chris, Cindy, Josiah & Noah  Broniste

Noah James

Born 11/31/2011  4:30pm ~ 6lb 14oz ~ 19.5 in

They say every child is different and that is very true of Noah.  With Noah EVERYTHING is different.  After birth he had to have his stomach pumped cause he swallowed too much blood and mucus in the birth canal.  Then he wasn’t eating and dropped too much weight to fast so we had to start giving him formula.  He refused to nurse so I pumped for a month.  Then we continued to see the doctor often for tests to determine that he has severe acid reflux which is causing him to breathe funny.  Whether sleeping every night in the car seat or sleeping on his tummy and being on reflux medicine…you name it, with Noah it’s different.  Please pray for us as we adjust to two small children and two very different children with different needs!!

Prayer Requests:

• For our family that we would be a reflection of Christ to our neighbors.
• Pray for Noah that he would continue to out grow his severe acid reflux with apnea.  Pray he would continue to be healthy.
• Please pray for Cindy as she learns to balance working and raising our children.  Pray that she wouldn’t get stressed out and learn to let things go.
• Pray for health for the whole family and no more colds.
• Pray that God provides the right car at the right price from the right person!
• Pray for Cindy’s mom as she is healing from Gall bladder surgery.
• Pray for loved ones that are battling cancer that God would give them strength and His peace as they endure this difficult trial.

For a printable version of this update, please click  here: March Newsletter 2012

The Life & Ministry of the Broniste Family

All For His Glory

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Col 3:17

Ministry News:  Reaching the World For Christ!

Dear Family & Friends,

With each passing new season, Saving Grace World Missions is constantly changing and expanding to help reach the world for Christ! It is exciting to learn about the different hearts and passions of the new missionaries that come on board with Saving Grace World Missions.  Recently two new missionary families were added to the Saving Grace World Missions family!

First I would like to introduce you to the Record family who are serving in Cambodia!

God called them to be  long-term missionaries in Cambodia, to focus on developing multi-media resources that clearly proclaim the Truth of God’s Word.  They were originally sent out by Calvary Chapel La Mirada in 2004.  They will continue to serve with Saving Grace World Missions in Cambodia. We are excited that they are apart of our family! If you would like to know more about their ministry, please go to www.sgwm.com/record

The heart of the of Saving Grace World Missions staff is to see people raised up for Christ, sharing the gospel where they live.  This has already been happening in many parts of Africa and Asia where churches are starting to form. Many of these are far “in the bush” or high in mountainous regions far away from cities where the people can attend church.  So one of the things that we have had a burden for is to see these new pastors get the discipleship and training they need to be able to rightly teach the word of God.

God has raised up another amazing couple, Bond & Heather Gaona, who would like to take on the challenge of discipling and training these native pastors so they can effectively teach the people in their area.

Their plan is to minister in several countries each year by spending approximately 3 months in each location. In 2012, the tentative schedule will be India (winter/spring), Uganda/Sudan (summer) and Nepal (fall). Much like the missionary journeys of Paul in the bible, we feel that spending extended periods of time in  different locations each year will allow them to be the most effective for the ministry God is calling them to.  To learn more about their ministry, please go to www.sgwm.com/gaona

It’s exciting to see how God is growing SGWM and moving in the world reaching people for Christ!

Personal News: Blessings from Above!  by cindy

One of the things I have wrestled over the past 3 years since I since I transitioned from staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, is what is God doing with my life??  When I was on staff, it was easy to see what God was doing or how He was using me.  Since that time I have wrestled with whether or not I am really making a difference for His kingdom. I have also struggled with the loss of friends and financial supporters, only having one car, not having the things we need, etc.

We’ve been praying for a second car for three years now. It is difficult for me to be dependant on others for rides to things all the time.  I can borrow our car but its hard driving back and forth especially with a toddler.  Because its been so difficult it makes me question what God is doing and does He know how hard it is?

Still God does provide in His own way and we both are very thankful. For example recently the LORD provided me the opportunity to rent a much bigger place for the same amount of rent, something only He could do. So with Chris’ encouragement. I stepped out in faith to apply to rent the new place. The LORD totally opened the door and moved in the lady’s heart to choose us over another wealthier applicant.  Even when she met with us, she told us her gut told her to go with us.  Obviously it was the LORD answering our prayer.  He even provided the extra money we needed for a deposit and all the extra expenses. It was really amazing to watch.  Even more amazing, a friend offered to buy us a brand new washer and dryer! WOW!!! I am humbled at all God did for us.

It gives me hope to know that someday God will provide another vehicle. It may not be my timing but His timing is perfect. In the end, I love when God shows up as if to say “look what I can do.” I may not always feel like I am making an impact for His kingdom, but seeing His provision give me hope that I am being lead by Him.  I can trust in His plans for my life and know that as long as I follow Him He will  be leading our  little family.

Thank you for your love and support!

In Christ,   Chris & Cindy

Josiah’s Corner

Fun Facts:

I am 18 months old now!

I am learning to feed myself…it can be very messy at times!

I can say a few things…Momma, Dada, Juice, Please, I did it, I like it, Papa, baby, etc.

I love the slide!

I love to go outside!

I like to try and do things all by myself.

I am a big boy now and will soon be a big brother!

Please pray for a quick and free from complications labor and delivery of our new baby!

Pray for Cindy as she makes it through this last month of pregnancy.

Pray that we would trust the LORD to provide the things we need for the new baby like a Chest of Drawers, another Crib and a double stroller!

Praises & Prayer

Requests:

Praise God for adding new missionaries to our ministry! Please pray for all the new missionaries that God would use them in a mighty way for His glory!

Praise the LORD for providing a new place with more space for our family!

Please pray for us as we await the arrival of baby Noah in the next 6 weeks.  Pray for a smooth transition as a family and no complications with labor and delivery.

Pray for extra strength and energy for Cindy as she is getting really tired these days. She will continue to work from home and take care of our children.

Praise the LORD for the new washer & dryer that God provided for us!

Praise the LORD for proving us with gift cards for groceries! Please pray that God would continue to provide for all our needs and we would continue to trust in Him for that provision.

Please pray that God would provide us a second car.  We know His timing is perfect.

Please pray for our family to stay healthy in the upcoming cold and flu season.

What God has been teaching us…

Cindy faithfully continues to work on the countless   missionary updates and prayer requests that are sent to her through by the SGWM missionaries weekly.   Cindy thought it would be nice if I (Chris) shared what God has been teaching us lately. I hope you enjoy it and are encouraged by what the Lord is doing and how He is using us to serve His kingdom.

I am often amazed at how much of life consists in those things which cannot be seen. Although modern science seeks relentlessly to confine life to the physical, material, and natural I find that life and the living of it daily constantly compels me to look instead to the immaterial, relational, and spiritual. And while the months leading up to this newsletter have been trying to say the least they have not been without their correction, instruction or blessing either.

Okay moving past the abstract and vague we come now to the specifics! As many of you already know Cindy has continued to serve faithfully at Saving Grace world Missions from our apt in order to take care of our little boy. And while it has proven to be difficult at times I have seen her grow in leaps and bounds in many different areas of her life including our marriage and the ministry, itself.

I myself recently relinquished the responsibility of meeting with the few college guys that I was in order for them to grow in the responsibility of meeting together to go through the word as a group themselves. While I do call them from time to time to see how it is going I have remained in the background for the most part. I have found they are capable young men full of promise and look forward to seeing them grow in the coming year.

As for the deeper unseen things which I spoke of earlier, Cindy and I agree that most of what the Holy Spirit has been doing in our lives the past few months is cultivating in each us a lasting , practical and tangible character. Among other things we have been learning to serve without complaining, communicate without giving in to our flesh, raise our son without manipulation or laziness as well as cultivate meaningful sacrificial relationships with each other as well as with those around us.

And while it may seem easy to some I have personally found that the daily dependence on the Holy Spirit to cultivate these things in our lives according to the word as He wills is profoundly difficult. I have also found that it is very necessary for our growth and development as believers. By allowing the Holy Spirit to work on who I am as a person (not just what I do) I have seen a much need change in the way I view and treat believers and unbelievers alike. I think as American believers we tend to spend more time on the command to love God and much less on the command to love our neighbors as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. When in reality they are two parts of one whole.

As I said we continue to learn that it is as important who you are when no one is looking as it is what you do when most people are.  So while on the outside it may not seem that much has changed, in reality it has. And while on the whole that change is still a work in progress, it is our prayer that it will become much more apparent with each passing day what God has been doing in us to those around us and that it will become a desire in their hearts as well to the glory and praise of our God to the benefit of the body of Christ within and the world without.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us! Your love, support, and prayers have been a mighty work in our lives and without them we don’t know where we would be.
Love in Christ,
Chris, Cindy, Josiah & baby #2

Exciting News!!!

Cindy is pregnant again!! Our new addition is expected to arrive around
Dec 2nd, 2011!!

*Please pray for her and this little one for their health and safety.

*Pray also for us, as we prepare for the adjustment of 2 little ones under 24 months.

*Pray for Josiah as he learns to share mom & dad with new baby.

*Pray that the LORD will lead and direct us about the future.

*Pray that God would provide us with a second car.  It would be so helpful with 2 kids to have two cars.  Thank you!

*Pray that God would provide for all our financial needs.  With another baby there will be many new needs but we trust that God will provide!

*Pray that God would provide us a new place with a washer and dryer and more storage. We are very crowded now! !

Josiah’s Corner

• I am 14 months old and can do lots of things.

• I point when I want something.
• I cruise around anything that I can that will let me stand.
• I don’t walk yet and momma is impatient with that.
• I am very active and don’t like to nap so much anymore.
• I love eating anything mom and dad eat!

My 1st birthday!

I love to push open the door!

I am so cute!

Look at me go!

Me and my Daddy!

Ministry News- A new year and new events! by Cindy

Dear Family and Friends,

Hi! We are so sorry this is so late.  Our household has been battling colds and sickness the past month. I also can’t believe how fast the new year is going. Spring is almost here!

Just like the newness of Spring, there are new things happening at Saving Grace World Missions!

One of those new things is the One Day Impact Conference. This conference is free and designed to help churches stir up the body. Here is what we are now offering…

“Do you have a desire to stir your church up for – God’s Heart for the Nations, Reaching the Unreached, Getting Involved in the Great Commission, Community Outreach, and much more?

Well, Saving Grace World Missions has designed a FREE dynamic 1 day missions conference that is customizable for your church.

We have options for:

• Main Sessions
• Workshops
• Question and Answer Forums
• Missions Conference Journal
• Short-Term and Long Term Missions Opportunities
• And Much More…

Our heart here at Saving Grace World Missions is to encourage your church body to be involved in the Great Commission both locally and abroad.  As a Calvary Chapel based ministry SGWM has a passion to see the nations reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God taught, lives touched and people ministered to.” To learn more, please go to www.sgwm.com and click on conferences.

We believe that this is a great way to help the body learn more about missions.

Personal News– Outcome  by Chris

Since life has been so busy, I asked Chris to share with you our heart as the Lord has lead us to NOT be part of the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

As some of you may recall, the last time I (Chris) shared with you from the heart, I shared about the redirection of God and how he ultimately had closed the door  to us serving with Campus Crusade as a couple. I related to you about the cross and how it clashed with the wills of Christ’s disciples. As well I wrote to about Abraham and the period of uncertainty that he experienced before Yahweh ultimately showed himself strong on Abraham’s behalf with the provision of the ram.

It has been some time since we last wrote to you. Much has happened in that time. And although I feel it would be somewhat inappropriate to share everything that God has been doing, I would like to share with you, just a few brief precious nuggets that God has taught to us in what I would like to refer here to as the “Outcome”.

Consider for a moment the dismay that the Disciples of Christ may have felt as they watched not only their master and teacher but ultimately their Savior and hope hang lifelessly from that terrible Roman cross all those years ago.

But consider for a moment that we too have seen the Son of God, in varying degrees no doubt. But we have seen him. For example we saw his power first hand when the Father saved us, filled us with the very Spirit of God and made us new creations through Christ’s finished work on the cross. But what is my point you may ask? What am I getting at? As believers we exhibit the much of the same doubts as they did then. We often limit God to our own designs and needs. We often seek to confine the limitless God to finite limited plans. Some times those plans are His and He willingly works within them to his glory. More times than not, however, they are not His plans and He gently if not firmly refuses them, defying the boxes that we demand he exist in. And in so doing He graciously reminds us that he alone is the Master and Father and we are but the servant and child and it is never the other way around.

Cindy and I have been learning in short that God’s ways are often contrary to our own. His plans are much larger than our own and often span far beyond the borders of the conventional methods and titles that we desire to have or serve within. God is teaching us to serve with all our heart where we are, irrespective of a “ministry”, to see the lost in front of our face, the hurting that we fellowship with on a regular basis but neglect to notice all of the time. I believe in my own life it’s often because there is no glory there to be had, no recognition of what you have done or are doing for the Lord or His kingdom there. And that I must confess savors of the very attitude Christ’s disciples manifested before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts.

But isn’t that the heart of what Jesus communicated to his disciples in the gospels? Did he not call them to live the whole of their life in service to others regardless of a title or prestige? Did he not call them to step out of the place of comfort and respect of other men to follow him? And are we not called as Christians, followers of Christ, to do the same? Are we not called to submit to God and his word at every moment in every situation no matter how difficult it may be to His glory? And are we not called to do this out of the outflow of who we are in Christ not what we are trying to prove or do in our pride? Or are we called to merely serve out of an outworking of religious philosophy that we have adopted (like the Pharisees) to our own glory and praise of others. I believe the answer is the former but sadly too often I have been guilty of the latter.

It is that change in our hearts which God has begun to work out practically in our own lives, our own marriage and places of ministering. And it’s that work that I felt led to share with you here in the hope that it will somehow give you both a little insight into our lives as well as maybe encourage you in your own.

I pray that you will continue to lift us in your prayers as you think of us. We have found the warfare has only intensified for us as we seek to surrender the borders of our own plans and conventions to God and allow him to work his will in and through our lives.

Pray especially for Cindy as she seeks to care for our son and serve with all of her heart at Saving Grace World Missions. Pray for me as I seek to lead by the example of my life and fellowship with the Lord. And please pray for our son, that God would give us the supernatural wisdom to guide and care for him as the word commands.  Blessings to you all in Christ!

In Christ,

Chris, Cindy and Josiah

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the health of our family.  Josiah and Chris have been sick a lot lately.  Please pray for strength and energy for Cindy so she can care for them.
• Please pray for God to provide for our finances. With Chris missing work, it means that we lose income.  He doesn’t get sick days. Pray that we would trust the LORD to provide.
• Please pray for wisdom and discernment in training up Josiah. We are starting to have to work through boundaries for him. Pray that God would show us the best way to train him as we follow Him.
• Pray for our walks with the LORD that they would be rich and full.
• Pray for us concerning the future. That we would continue to seek the LORD for how and where He wants us.
• Please pray that the LORD would provide a second vehicle and sustain the one we have.  It’s getting old.

To see photo’s and a printable version on this update, please click below

JanFebUpdate

My 1st Christmas!

Mommy & I on a MOPS field trip to see birds!

I love to stand!

Cold day in So Cal and my first time on the swing!

At grandma's house!

Daddy and me on a cold dec day!

I love to scream!

We wanted to say thank you for all your love and support! We love you and are thankful for you!

Merry Christmas!

Ministry News —  Reaching the Nations!

by Cindy

Dear Family & Friends,

Fall has finally arrived to Southern California! The weather is cooler at night and pleasant during the day time.  With fall comes a time to reflect on all that God is doing in our lives.

I am thankful for the many ways I am still connected to missionaries through Saving Grace World Missions.  I get the joy and privilege of working from home and sending out all the updates, prayer requests and news articles of Saving Grace World Missions.

One of the heart beats of SGWM is helping native missionaries who don’t normally have all the resources or support in their own country because of their belief in God.  We have two native missionaries who are serving the LORD by reaching their fellow country men and women with the gospel. To see all the missionaries and ministries of SGWM please go to www.sgwm.com

This month Pastor Trent Douglass and Pastor Mike Thiemann have the privilege to encourage and support our native missionaries, one of whom is Pratim Masih.  Pratim lives in Mussoorie, India and travels by foot into the hills to share the gospel with village people who have never heard about Jesus before.  Below is a brief update from their trip. Please pray for these people who have never heard the gospel to learn and see who Jesus is.

“Greetings,

After three days of travel we are finally here in Mussoorie with the Masih Family. The drive up the mountain was quite an adventure with a cliff on one side and a wall on the other. Pratim drove like an expert avoiding the cows, the people and all the other cars coming head on towards us.

This country here is breathtaking. We are high up in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. It is amazing to me how many villages are scattered on the hillsides (they are more like cliffs than hills). This is truly an unreached area. Pastor Trent and I just stood on Pratim’s porch and prayed over these villages.

Tomorrow we are traveling into a village that Pratim has been working in and up until recently had not one single believer (now there are seven). We will be spending the night there fellowshipping with the believers. Please pray that the Lord would give us a timely word to speak into their lives.

- Pastor Mike Thiemann”

Thank You for allowing me to continue to serve the LORD even though I am a mom!

From the heart: The Valley of Uncertainty  by Chris

After raising support now for months we are at 33% of our total goal. Our deadline is rapidly approaching but I want to share with each of you what I believe the Lord has been doing in our hearts in the past few months in raising support to serve with Campus Crusade for Christ at Cal Poly Pomona Campus.

I felt led in prayer today to examine a familiar phrase in American Christendom. That phrase is “Where God guides He provides.” In my prayer and study I believe the Holy Spirit has revealed to me something profound and crucial which I feel I need to share here.

The first place the Lord took me in meditation was the cross. He took me to Gethsemane where Christ prayed, “Father if you will let this cup pass from me, never the less Thy will be done.” I don’t particularly think of Gethsemane when I think of God’s daily provision for my life. I think of “Ask and you will receive”. I think of “The faith of a mustard seed.” I think of “When you ask you ask amiss.” I do not think Father if you will let this cup pass from me, never the less Thy will be done.” But that is the place our God has led us. He has called us to Moriah to sacrifice our Isaac. Like Abraham we cannot see the end of the story. We Christians take that part of the story for granted often. But we have been called and we are going. We may return with a dead “son” But we will return victorious because we relied upon the leading of our God, because we sacrificed our pride and because we did what His word says. We obeyed him.

I have often asked in my heart, “Does God actually lead men to places of defeat, to places of death, to places of uncertainty? The answer emphatically is YES! Yes, God in his goodness leads us to these places, these valleys of desolation.

The Father divinely led his son to the cross to be crucified. He made him a public spectacle for those watching, ultimately for those He would save. He led Daniel to a den of lions, Joseph to a prison, and Israel to a wilderness. The Bible is full of such testimonials of God’s strange leading.  In the grand end they were all blessed. But they were often not all blessed in the timing they preferred or in the way that they asked.

As I have sought the Lord He has impressed upon my heart one loud and constant truth. He did in fact lead Cindy and me to the place of raising support to serve at Campus Crusade for Christ. And He may not provide for us to actually go in the end. But that is not the point. The point is not will he or won’t he provide? The question is will we trust Him in the uncertainty of it all or not? Will we walk with him, love him, praise him, and testify of his goodness even if we don’t see it in our own life necessarily? Will we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him even if we can’t see where he’s leading us?

Will we see this thing to the end in confidence not of the end or the answer, but in His leading? Will we worship Him in Spirit and in truth? Cindy and I would like to answer an emphatic yes we will. We will go and not look back.

We love each of you and value your prayers love and support. We both covet your prayers and friendship. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

In Christ,

Chris, Cindy & Josiah

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for us as we continue to raise support.  Pray that we trust in Him whether or not He provides and we would wait on Him to show us where He wants us to go.
• Please pray for our marriage. That we would love one another as Christ calls us to and that Christ would be at the center!
• Our walks with the LORD that they would be rich and full.
• Pray that we would continue to trust the LORD for all our financial needs.
• Pray for the health and protection of our family.
• Pray for Cindy as she balances working from home and raising our son.
• Pray for Josiah as he is cutting teeth.

Josiah’s Corner

My firsts

• My first two teeth came in two days apart in the last part of Oct! More teeth are coming!
• I scoot and rock on all fours and get frustrated cause I can’t crawl!
• I sit up all by myself.
• I eat soft foods and my favorite are Apple Strawberry Puffs!

Our first family Harvest! Josiah is a penguin

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Ministry News by Cindy

Saving Grace World Missions

The Lord has blessed me by allowing me to stay home with Josiah and work from home.  It’s been a little over a month now that I (Cindy) am back to work and no longer on  Maternity leave. I am doing ok! There are days when it’s harder then I think I can handle but the Lord always gives me the strength and energy to make it through the day.  Working from home is a blessing since we really can’t afford to pay for baby sitting and this way I don’t miss out on his “firsts”.

So what am I doing now?  Well I am now helping all our missionaries by sending out their updates to their donors. We currently have 25 missionaries serving with Saving Grace World Missions. There are many ways someone can receive a missionary’s update.  The first  way is I send out their update by email.  The second way,  is on the SGWM Newsblog and the third way is that I post their update on the SGWM facebook page. It’s amazing to think what used to take months to hear from a missionary overseas and now it is only a matter of hours.

I also post news articles on the Newsblog and facebook.  For example this month we decided to have a news article called “30 Days of Ramadan– Praying for the Nations”.  I have been writing those articles and giving prayer points for the 30 days of Ramadan so we as believer’s can be praying for the various countries where 50% or more of the country practices Islam.  It’s been fun for me to learn about different countries around the world, some of which I had never even heard of!  If you would like to check it out please go to www.sgwm.com/newsblog

Campus Crusade for Christ

Well we are still currently raising support to join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ and to serve at Cal Poly Pomona! We have seen God move and work but we are still a ways off from our goal. Please continue to hold us up in prayer as we share with others about the vision and mission of what we will be doing.  Pray also that God would give us strength and encouragement to meet with others after work.  Our team will be starting the fall without us so please pray that we would “trust the LORD” for His perfect timing and “lean not on our own understanding”. Thank you for being a vital part of our lives!

Personal life-Parents for 5 months now! by Chris

There is far too much to write here of everything that God has been teaching me by His Spirit in the last few months but I will do my best to give you a glimpse. When Cindy asked me to write in our newsletter, the word that God pressed upon my heart was goodness, not just goodness itself but specifically His goodness. Especially in this season of raising support for the first time in my life as an intern at Campus Crusade for Christ I have been learning to see the goodness of God both in the provision of his hand through the various saints he moves by his Spirit to partner with us and the way in which he provides and the heart that his people give it in. However, seeing the goodness of God in the birth and growth of our son as well as in the daily leading of our family has also been especially humbling for me as a husband, a father, and a servant.

I feel hedged in by two books these days. The first is “The Existence and Attributes of God” by Stephen Charnock and the other is “The Cross of Christ” by John Stott. Through these two books I am learning a great deal about both who God unchangeably is and what God has irreversibly done. I see both of these truths worked out in the young men I have been privileged to meet with. I am daily encouraged by their growth. To see the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives as He daily unveils for them the richness of what The Father did for them through the Cross of Christ has been amazing to watch. As a group we are currently reading Ephesians and Pilgrim’s Progress. As we have, each of them has come to a life changing conclusion about the Gospel which has in turned challenged my own understanding and application of its powerful and timeless message.

I am thankful that the Lord has given me the opportunity to fellowship with these young men. I am thankful that I have gotten to watch the Lord move in their lives for the past few years. I am thankful for my wife’s support and understanding in allowing me to meet with them. In all of this and more I have begun to see the goodness of God in new and more tangible ways which has ultimately caused me to grow in my love both for his word and His people.

I would ask that you would keep the guys and I in prayer though as we have decided to make our monthly meeting a weekly meeting. There has already been some significant warfare spiritually but we are pressing on. I would ask that you would pray for my family that I would not forsake them for the work of the ministry that I would daily grow in my value of them as the first work of God in me from which this ministry has grown. Finally please pray that I would continue to see these young men as God’s and leave their growth and leading to His Spirit.

Cindy, Josiah and I have all been blessed by your constant prayer and your loving support these past few months and pray that you would continue to lift us up as God would lead you, to the praise of His glory and the furthering of His ministry.

In Christ,

Chris, Cindy and Josiah

For a printable version of this newsletter please click here-August sept 2010 Newsletter

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for our walks with God that they would be rich and full.
• Pray for our relationship as a couple. That we would invest the time to building a deeper relationship and have consistent date nights.
• Pray for clear and Christ centered communication for Chris and I.
• Pray for our health.  That we would continue to be healthy.
• Pray for encouragement as we raise support.  That we would continue to walk by faith and trust in Him not what we see.
• For balance with family life, ministry and raising support.
• For wisdom with raising Josiah.

Josiah’s Corner

Hi! I am 5 months old now and I like lots of things…

mommy, daddy, my dinosaur, grandma, sweet potatoes, rolling over, kicking, grabbing things, laughing, splashing in my bath, andmaking loud noises!

Bath time in the big bath tub!

My first food- Sweet Potatoes!

Mommy and daddy love to kiss me!

Ministry News by Chris

Dear Friends,

Although the past few months have not been without their challenges they have also not been without their extraordinary blessings either. Words cannot describe (as many of you will attest) the sheer joys and challenges of being first time parents. Our little son Josiah both embodies the pure beauty and glory of God’s wisdom in creation as well as the obvious effects of the human and can I not say sinful nature (ha-ha). I am daily humbled and awed that God would entrust me with the care of one so helpless and so small. Needless to say it has been a blessing and I daily thank the Lord for him. I would like to say thank you to all of you for your prayer and spiritual support in this new season of great change.

Since the birth of our son Josiah I have prayerfully and carefully relinquished the role of leading to each of the young men involved. It is my prayer and my hope that each of these precious saints will grow in the calling that God has placed upon their lives as they lead each monthly meeting themselves. I will still be attending the meetings but as more of an overseer than an authority.

Josh and Tim now leading!

Already I have seen tremendous growth. At our last meeting two new guys came and it was such a blessing to hear what God is doing in their life as well as to see the hunger they each have to grow more deeply in their relationship with God and in the understanding of his word and the gospel. The young man who led us did an excellent job of providing the others with the space to share about what the Lord is doing in their lives as well as facilitating a comfortable environment to fellowship in.

It brings my heart such joy to see the growth in each of the lives of these young men. It both encourages me to continue to meet with them and reminds me how the Lord is with each of us in our own growth. I would ask that you continue to lift up these young men as they are faced with the pressures of their culture and their peers to reject Christ and the life and truth he gave His own life for each of us to have.

Changes ahead

Both Cindy and I have a heart to minister to the young people of today. So after much prayer, both together and separate, We believe that the LORD is leading us to do full time ministry together.  We have applied and been accepted to Campus Crusade for Christ.  We are excited and scared about doing ministry together!! We will both continue to work at our current jobs until we have raised the support needed to work with Campus Crusade on the Cal Poly Pomona Campus.  We have a lot of support to raise and are only currently at 33%.  Please pray with us that we will be at 100% by Sept 9th.  If you would like to learn more about our upcoming ministry, please let us know.  We would love to share with you personally!

Prayer Requests:

• For wisdom and direction with raising our son Josiah.
• Continued health of our family.
• For our Marriage: clear communication,  that we would put each other first and not get so wrapped up with baby, that we would keep Christ at the center!
• For wisdom and grace dealing with the Hospital concerning our bill.  They are requiring us to pay more then we can.
• Strength, wisdom, and encouragement as we raise support. We are only at 33% and need to be at 100% by Sept!

Chris and Cindy welcome the precious gift of God into their lives…                            by Cindy

Josiah David Broniste

Josiah was born on March 31st, 2010 at 5:15pm after 4 hours of labor! He weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 20 inches long.

It seems like just a few weeks ago that Josiah was born.   My labor was short which I am very thankful for.  My water broke at 12:15pm and Chris and I arrive at Labor and Delivery just a little after 2pm.  I had been dilating for the past 4 weeks very slowly so once my water broke I was between 4 and 5 centimeters dilated.  After the epidural, I went to 10 centimeters in 30 minutes.  No one was prepared for how fast my labor was, not even the nurse.  She had to call for help and have Chris help her with things that normally nurses do.  We are very thankful for a delivery without complications.  Thank you for your prayers for us!

Since that time we have been adjusting to having a very cute but very trying at times new addition to our family.  People kept telling us that it would be a hard adjustment but I don’t think till you actually are going through sleepless nights and walking around like a zombie that you really understand what they were saying.  It has taken some time but we feel like we are starting to get the hang of things.  It does also help that the last few weeks he has been sleeping for 6-8 hours per night.  Boy what sleeping through the nights will do for you!

I have been learning a lot about myself since the birth of our son.  My sin is so apparent when I have little sleep.  I have been growing in patience and learning how to communicate my frustrations and not take them out on my husband. Please continue to pray that I would be open to what the LORD is doing in my life.

Prayer requests:

Please continue to pray for us as we are new parents!

Pray for our relationship with God and our relationship with each other.

Pray for wisdom in raising Josiah!

Pray for the hospital bill. After our insurance was billed we owe about one  third of the costs. Pray that we will qualify for special payment arrangements unlike what the hospital wants which is way more then we can afford. Thanks!!

We love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support!!

Love,  Chris and Cindy

Our sweet baby

Josiah

Our little boy is growing!

bath time!