We Made It!

11Nov

Hello Friends!

We hope this letter finds you well. We are excited to let you know that we made it to Georgia safe and sound! Our travels were long but smooth and we are so blessed because we prayed for an extra seat on the long 13 hour flight so we could be a little more comfortable, and God totally answered our prayers! He truly does care about even the smallest of things. It’s crazy to think we have been here for 2 weeks already. With that said, we have some updates on what these past weeks has looked like, and how adjusting to this new country has been for us so far!

The first full day we had we were able to attended a couple of the Bible college classes, meet the students that attend the Bible collage here, and spend some quality time with my (Olivia’s) parents. It has been such a blessing for us to have this time together and for us to be able to learn and glean from their wisdom and experiences on the field alongside all the other team members here who are veteran missionaries.

Bible College Class

The next day there was a baptism! 9 new believers got baptized from the church here (Calvary Chapel Tbilisi). Out of those 9 people there was at least 6 different nationalities represented, India, Kazakhstan, Iran, Kuwait, Russia, and Nigeria. It was so amazing to be a part of this big moment and to be able to witness what God is doing here in Tbilisi through the ministry. Below are some pictures of the baptism!

Baptism

We have also had the opportunity to lead and teach English club here. English club is one of CC Tbilisi’s weekly outreaches where we teach English to people for free in hopes to build more relationships that will eventually lead to gospel conversations and inviting them to church. This Sunday we saw a couple of those students at church!

English Class

Additionally, we had the oportunity to share our testimonies at Nomads (the churches young adults group) and Nathanael will be teaching at Nomads next week so please be praying for that. Many of those who were baptized are in this young adults group, so there are a fair amount of new believers and some that still are seeking. Please be praying that we could be a witness and blessing to them.

Young Adults

We have been blessed to be apart of this thriving ministry and have already had much opportunity to serve. But here in Tbilisi we have also been learning the basics of how to live. Regular life looks much different here than in SoCal . Language, shopping, transportation, and culture are just a few of the things we have to work through. The main language here is Georgian, but thankfully about half the people speak some English. While shopping we are always using google translate to help us figure out what everything is. Transportation is probably the biggest adjustment for us. Here we either walk, bus, or metro from place to place. It’s been a little stressful, very interesting, and fun all at the same time trying to figure everything out. Below are some pictures of the city, transportation, etc!

Praise Reports:

Praise God for safe travels here

Praise God for various opportunities to serve

Praise God for new relationships

Praise God for His faithfulness and guidance thus far

Prayer Requests:

Nathanael as he shares the Word this upcoming Saturday

Continued health and strength for us

That we would have more opportunities to share the gospel and disciple people

That the Lord would clearly show us where He wants us longterm

That we would adapt to the culture and way of life here smoothly

That we would humbly learn and grow in all the ways He has for us on this trip