Friends,
Emily and I have begun experiencing a real Boston winter with single digit temperatures, negative degree wind chills, and several feet of snow. We certainly aren’t in Charlotte, NC anymore! We hope you had a great Christmas with family and friends and that you look forward to all to come in 2018. Emily and I are greatly looking forward to all that is ahead this year!
See how we've enjoyed the snow in the video below!
SEE HOW GOD WORKED LAST MONTH!
1. December Colborne Community Night
Spending Christmas/New Year's with our neighbors
Our monthly apartment get together was smaller this month being sandwiched between two major holidays. However, we did not want to pass up on the opportunity to get together with friends to celebrate. Emily and I have great neighbors that make food, bring games, and offer to host our get togethers. And this Colborne Community Night was hosted by one of our neighbors at their apartment. We are very thankful to have so many neighbors that want to take ownership and be involved in creating community and making these monthly gatherings work. (Thanks, Angel and Emmett, for hosting!)
2. Teaching Opportunities at City on a Hill
Preaching at City on a Hill on December 31, 2017
Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to preach at City on a Hill Church and, at a separate time, teach their students. City on a Hill has been a wealth of information as Emily and I learn the culture and context of Boston as well as the ins and outs of church planting. City on a Hill has been an established church plant for seven years now and we have learned a great deal from them. With that said, it was a special honor to preach on a New Year’s Eve morning for the church from Proverbs 3. The sermon was personally a good reminder for me concerning our love and pursuit of God and how that shapes our view of the new year and all the decisions 2018 will hold. Then, a few weeks later, having an opportunity to teach City on a Hill’s group of students from Ephesians 2 was a great blessing too. After having been so invested in the student ministry at Hickory Grove, Emily and I have greatly missed time spent with middle and high school students. Each of these teaching opportunities settle us more and more into the church life here as other members get to know us. These openings allow us to share the gospel, share our vision for Boston, and simply build lasting relationships with those around us.
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
1. Community Group Semester Kick-off
Community Groups at City on a Hill take a short break, understandably so, during the Christmas holiday. So, there have been no meetings for the past couple of weeks and we are excited to get back into the weekly swing of things! Many, if not all, of our community group attendees were able to go home for the holidays. We will kick Community Group off again with a get together at our house this TONIGHT. This Thursday will be a time of fellowship and a time of vision casting for this semester’s content. We’ve certainly missed the students and young professionals from our group as they are becoming more and more a part of our lives week in and week out.
2. Four Preaching Opportunities In February
This month I will have four preaching opportunities at a few local churches: Renewal Church, Hope Community Church, and Indian Community Church. Each of these churches are growing church plants in Boston through the North American Mission Board. It is a great honor and privilege to be given the opportunity to preach for these congregations. Be praying for clarity in sermon preparation, clear gospel presentation, and a right dissection of the Bible.
3. Colborne Community Game Night
Flyer for our next Colborne Community Night
Be praying for our next Colborne Community Night. We will be opening our home on Friday, February 2 for a dessert and game night. As any other friendship grows, Emily and I pray that our relationships with our neighbors will continue to open conversations about our faith and to provide opportunities to be generous and loving in whatever way needed. We want to be bold in our knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, while also being an example of the love that Jesus abundantly gave us. Our next hope from these community nights will be a small series hosted in our apartment for those that are interested in learning more about the Christian faith. Be praying now for interest and receptivity for this series.
4. Upcoming Dinners & Meetings with Those of Different Faiths
Emily and I have met many people with different faiths and backgrounds in the past five months of living in Boston. We are also doing our best in following up with these new friends by meeting for coffee or inviting them over for dinner to further conversations. Whether it is a person we met on a walk with our dog or a UPS worker, we look forward to the many avenues God has allowed us to walk through. Please be praying for these dinners and meetings to go well, that we would be sensitive to love and listen, and that the gospel would be clearly woven throughout our conversations. We also ask that you pray for perseverance in intentionality and for more open doors with those we meet daily. Emily and I don’t want to waste a single opportunity, but instead want to be good stewards with the time given to us!
5. We’re Pursuing Adoption and Foster Care!
Confirmation for MAPP training classes for Emily and I to become foster parents
We are very excited to share this news with you! Emily and I have long since wanted to expand our family through adoption and foster care. We see this picture clearly throughout the Bible of how God has brought believers into His family and adopted us. He has given us an abundance of love, grace, patience, and so much more. We feel very strongly about reflecting His character in how we open our home, whether permanently through adoption or temporarily through foster care, to children that need a safe and loving environment. What better way to show the beauty of what Christ has done for us than through adoption?!
Our MAPP manual for the next 8-10 weeks
Emily and I have wanted to pursue this process for some time and applied to the Department of Children and Families here in Massachusetts shortly after we moved. We have gone through several stages and have many more to go to be licensed foster parents and a pre-adoptive home for children through the state. Please be praying for us as we know this will be a very difficult journey. There will be a lot of grief felt for the trauma these children have been through, struggle in how to best provide for them, anxiety in what next steps look like with biological parents, and much more that we are still working through. Tuesday night, we took the next big step in becoming licensed by taking our first MAPP class, a 8-10 week course that will meet every Tuesday night to prepare us for further home studies and future placements within our home once licensed. We have a long road ahead of us and we need you to pray for continued wisdom for us, an ability to reach those with the gospel in this new circle of influence, and for all the children within the foster system and those specifically that will be placed in our home. Emily and I are excited and terrified to take this next step towards parenthood. We can’t thank you enough for your prayers, support, and encouragement!
Stay posted for more updates next month!