April 2021

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”  John 14:21

April was a very trying month, but God has shown Himself faithful to supply His strength and presence according to His great grace.  Noelle and I have been quarantined in our house for the past two weeks after contracting the Corona virus.  We praise God that the fear of COVID here has really died down, so we aren’t receiving any threats.  We also praise God that we are recovering well and we will soon be able to go out again.  However, the virus has left us tired and weak.

Ironically, God gave us that thorn at exactly the right time as it has helped us restructure our family.  Apio Cynthia is a girl from our village that has been rejected and cast out.  When she was three years old she got hit by a car and for a short time was presumed dead.  Regrettably, shortly thereafter two of her siblings also got hit on the village roadside (there were no serious injuries), and because of the deeply rooted superstition of the culture, all of the accidents were blamed on her, and she was labeled as cursed.  Apio is now 11. For all of these years she has been left to raise herself because half of the village believes her to be cursed, and the other half thinks she is mentally handicapped and they don’t want the dead weight.  We have known her our entire time here and have tried to reconcile her to her family to no avail. We see that the best way to show the Father’s love right now is to offer her a place in ours.  According to God’s timing, Apio moved in with us at the same time we fell sick. The extra time together has been useful in restructuring the family dynamic and establishing house rules.  Apio has only ever known a life free from responsibility, order (and love), and it is hard for her to have boundaries.  For that reason we aren’t sure if she will decide to stay with us permanently or be moved into a school for vulnerable children; but the choice is hers, since her parents have already fully renounced her.

Please join us in praising God:

  • That we are recovering well and will soon be well.
  • That our kids love their new sister.
  • That our pastors have finished the majority of Pauls epistles and will soon complete their study through the entirety of Scripture.
We recently received funding to build this church for Calvary Chapel Omel

Please pray:

  • For Noelle and I to have strength and wisdom.
  • For Apio to trust our love and protection.
  • For BAM Enterprises as we continually struggle to be operationally sustainable.
  • That the churches represented in our ministry would thrive in their love for God and man.

Thank you for your continued encouragement and support.

May God bless you.
Matt, Noelle, Apio, Emma, Madeline, Noah & Charlotte