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

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) When we started deputation we owned two high mileage vans. Our plans were to maintain them until we finished deputation, but that’s not what God had in mind. We had just purchased new winter tires when our circumstances changed. In February, Brenda and the kids were involved in a car accident. No one was injured, praise the Lord!! They were stopped but the car behind them couldn’t. The van was rear-ended and pushed into the car ahead of them. In the end, the van was totaled and we are down to one van, but that kept us from having to make a quick decision. We are praying for wisdom in the purchase of another van. Would you please join … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 (NKJV) As we look back on 2015, we are praising God for enabling us to do His will. We started the year off with 13% support and ended the year very close to 30%. Join us as we praise God for a 17% increase in support! The pre-field ministry is hard and this verse reminds us that we need to seek the Lord and His strength. When we get discouraged, God reminds us of what He has done and we sit back in amazement. For example, in January our family was hit hard with sickness. Rebekah was pretty close to being hospitalized and our plans to randomly visit churches was put on hold. A … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Psalm 119:105; John 8:12 (NKJV) God continues to prepare us for the work He has called us to do. This month, Brenda was taken out of her comfort zone and challenged to share a devotional for the ladies Christmas party. It was the first time she’s done that. God directed her to the theme of light and how it is used to help direct our paths, just as the light of the star directed the wise men to baby Jesus. As Brenda prepared her message, God gave us some beautiful examples of light: the sun setting over the snow-covered ground … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) Throughout the month of November, God reminded us to give thanks in all circumstances, including both the fun times and the challenging times. Brian enjoys bow hunting this time of year. While he was hunting he shot at a nine-point buck, broadside, that was within 15 yards. The buck ran about 40 yards and stood. After a while, the deer moved into the woods and Brian lost sight of it. A few hours later the whole family went out and started following the trail. After six and a half hours of looking, we did not find the deer. When your arrow is just off a couple inches, give thanks in all circumstances. We traveled to the Continental Baptist Missions Family Conference in … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! “If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJV) Earlier this year, the city flagged two sections of our sidewalk that we needed to replace. Our driveway also had a lot of cracks and needed to be redone. After talking it over with Brian’s dad, we decided to do the project ourselves and replace them. Brian took a sledgehammer and tried to break up a piece of the driveway. He quickly realized he didn’t have the strength or the time to do it this way. We decided to “sharpen our edge” and rented a ditch witch with a hydraulic hammer attachment. This machine easily broke up the old concrete and was worth every penny we spent renting it. It then took us 11 trips to haul away … Read More

Download a PDF Version of the Newsletter! ”Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV) We had the privilege of laboring alongside other CBM missionary builders at Calvary Baptist Church in Chatsworth, IL where the CBM Missionary Church Planters, Ed and Cheryl Bunt, are serving. The church had finances for the project but needed laborers. Brian and another builder set up a harness safety system that allowed Amanda and Luke to help, too. As they crawled up on the roof for the first time, they quickly realized that it looked a lot less scary from the ground. It wasn’t long before they were no longer nervous and were very productive. As we worked, people walked by, drove by and took an interest in what was going on. We … Read More