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Long Time No See!

The Lord has been doing so much! It’s been a very stretching and growing season, but I know the Lord is placing me right where He wants me. Since I last sent out an update I had been feeling led to start pursuing my MDiv. After being accepted into seminary I completed my first class this last fall; it was great! As I began I was thinking that I would be able to move into full-time schooling while working full-time and being in ministry part-time, but the pricing for tuition is too much for me to afford right now (especially as I was hoping to get scholarships and financial aid). At present, the door on pursuing that lengthy of a degree would seem to be shut, but should He reopen that door then I would gladly continue those studies.

All of that said, my time has been very full. I’m working as close to full-time as possible 34-40 hrs a week (I’m also about a year away from being able to get a license in cabinet-making which could be a great tent-making skill should the opportunity arise), as well as serving where I can with various ministries at my home church. I’m still helping with our youth group, with our young adults, and with leading our evangelism team.

Since we last talked, we’ve been able to have another person take over my position training the youth to lead worship. The hope is to have a disciple-making impact on the kiddos where we not only teach them what it means to worship the Lord, but train them up so they can lead worship without one of us leaders aiding them. They’re getting closer and closer. I’m helping still, but slowly trying to transition out. It’s a ministry that takes a lot of time, but it’s well worth it seeking to train up the next generation of worship leaders in our church. Please pray for continued wisdom on how to do this in the most effective way as well as for the Lord to really work in the hearts of the kids to take it seriously.

Elsewhere in youth ministry I’ve had the opportunity to be meeting with a student one on one and we are currently going through the book of Hebrews. My whole aim is to get him to a place where, once we finish Hebrews, he will be able to know how to effectively and properly study the Word of God for both the enrichment of his own faith, but to train and disciple others as well. Prayers for this young man to continue to grow in his faith would be much appreciated, and for me to lead and teach him effectively as well. With that said I would very much like to do this on a larger scale with our youth as well as our young adults. Please pray that the Lord would help me to take every opportunity to disciple the young men God has placed in my life—and to be the example Jesus would have me be. That I would be able to say with confidence, “follow me as I follow Christ,” (1 Cor. 11:1).

What’s Next?

Earlier in June we finished up our missions trip to Mexico (I will send a short update soon as to what that trip looked like)! It was a really blessed time to get to serve alongside some Calvary church plants in the area and do some outreach!

The next trip on the docket is an opportunity to go to Nepal on a short-term trip in October. Please pray that if the Lord wills He would open the door for me to go as I will certainly need to raise support to go on that trip. 

Please pray for me that the Lord would give me wisdom on where He would have me go for long-term missions or even if He has for me to play a different role in discipleship, pastoring, and church planting. The Lord is continuing to stir my heart for the lost, for the unreached, and to go and pastor through church planting and missions, and want to be apart of that no matter where He sends me. I know He has given me a heart is to train up pastors and send them out to church plant on their own. The Lord has given me a great opportunity to intern (outside of work) under our missions pastor who is a SGWM missionary. The Lord has been continuing to give me opportunities to teach at our young adults and youth group alongside different worship leading opportunities as well.

How Can You Help?

Would you please partner with me in prayer? I cannot do any of what I do without the empowerment that comes by His Spirit. Please pray that He would give me wisdom on how to best use my time and to prepare for what He has to come. That I would be faithful in the little that I might be able to handle whatever He has in store. If you feel so led, a link will be coming in my Mexico update for giving toward the upcoming Nepal trip. Thank you so much for your prayer and support!