Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) This is a great verse to meditate on. It is so easy to fear when things do not go as planned or as you would like them to. Although Brian’s back is pretty important as a future builder, God allowed him to start having back issues. At his yearly physical, the doctor recommended physical therapy. During his first visit, Brian was surprised at how much flexibility he had lost. The physical therapist pointed out his extremely tight hamstrings. She gave him in- structions and sent him home. Even though it was hard for him to understand how some of the exercises would help his back, he decided … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) Although the pre-field ministry has changed our lives, God continues to graciously use us where we are right now. Our neighbor Preston has been spending more time with us. Brian even forces him to eat his vegetables! We learned a few months ago that he wanted to be baptized at the same time as Nathanael so Brian worked through a baptismal study with both of them. We have no doubt that Preston is a believer and our hearts are blessed. The day of the baptism, Preston was baptized … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV) Brenda finished her first marathon! It could not have been done without the support of others. First, a pastor led her to believe it was possible. Then a friend spent countless hours training and running the race with her. Truly, they helped each other up when they fell down, when they were discouraged, and thought it was impossible. The family was supportive and cheered her on. Even at the finish line, a family from a church we had visited served snacks! It is amazing to experience God’s provision through encouragement and faithful friends on this adventure of … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! ”But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?” Job 12:7-9 (NKJV) This month, we continued to have mouse issues, but not in our house. We went on a family vacation to the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota. As the sun was setting and we were relaxing at our campsite, we saw shadows moving across the ground. There were mice everywhere! This is not what we wanted to see. We did not ask the mice to teach us, but … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3 (NKJV) This month we continued to deal with mice. Last fall, Brian decided to install shelves in the basement to store extra food. We had a 15 lb bag of oatmeal sitting on the top shelf. We realized that mice were enjoying the food buffet in our laundry room. We removed all the food from our basement and have caught another 10 mice. As we prepared for our September Boundary Waters trip, we discovered the mice were nesting in our storage closest. They made a mess of things and damaged some gear. We struggled to count it all joy when mice moved into our home. Even in the midst of trials, it is always amazing to see God’s blessings big … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV) This month we put significant effort into downsizing with another three weekends of garage sales. We ended each weekend thinking we didn’t sell a lot, however, when we looked at the combined effort we were thankful for our progress. Unfortunately, we also had additional help in the form of mice. We are not sure where they are getting into the house, but we have trapped over 10 mice since the 4th of July. They, of course, got into things and caused damage. Thankfully, we haven’t lost anything of much value. It was a practical reminder for … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) We are rejoicing in what our God is doing! In June we learned that our sending church voted to increase our support. Rejoice with us! With this increase in support, we crossed a milestone. One-third of our support has been raised and we are encouraged that God continues to enable us to do His will. We still have 66% more to raise and would encourage you to consider partnering with us. The month of June began with Brenda running her second half-marathon and she is challenging herself to run a full marathon in October. She has been training and participating in running events and ran the Dam to Dam half marathon in Des Moines, IA. Amanda went on her first teen mission’s trip to Missionary Acres in Silva, MO. They … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “I returned and saw under the sun that — The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NKJV) Every year our kids look forward to building race cars. One of our kids has won top speed for a few years in a row and one particular car design has done extremely well. This year Brian told the kids they couldn’t use that design, but we highly encouraged our neighbor to use it because we really wanted him to do well. As we were installing the wheels, Brian made a small mistake on Luke’s car. Wouldn’t you know? Luke’s car was the fastest this year! This verse reminds us that even when we … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips ” Luke 12:24 (ESV) In April, Brian experienced the pain of a bad tooth. A root canal failed, causing a significant infection. Thankfully, the antibiotics kicked in after a few days and helped reduce the pain. It was another week before it could be repaired. After experiencing a bad tooth, this verse is a great reminder for us. When we are in a time of trouble and great pain, we need to trust in God and not in man. Brian has been looking for an opportunity to learn more about his time-lapse camera system. We were informed that the Oconomowoc, WI build site would not be starting in the near future, but while attending the Iowa Regular Baptist State Fellowship, he learned that the … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” Luke 12:24 (NKJV) We continue to stand in awe of the many ways God provides for our needs. We participated in our first Round Robin Mission’s Conference in March. We presented our ministry in five churches in four days. We left for southwestern Minnesota with a full van. God provided beautiful weather and we could have left the winter jackets at home! We were also blessed by an afternoon spent with another Continental Baptist Mission’s missionary family mid-week. These 5 churches loved us and provided for us in more ways than we can count. They played with our kids, made delicious food and even blessed us with many special gifts. We headed home with … Read More