“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thes. 5:16-18).

This was the verse in my devotional reading this morning and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Lord is teaching me to always be thankful and joyful through the good and the bad. So even though I could complain I’d much rather share my list of things to be thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for an amazing Sabbath with with our dear friend, Julia, at her church. She went out of her way to make it a special weekend for us even though she wasn’t feeling well either. We were able to share a little at her church and they ended up inviting Bo to give the sermon on August 8th. Julia also invited over the Griswold’s who used to be missionaries in Cambodia and Thailand. They are a precious family and we had so much fun hearing their stories. A family friend, Carol Squier, was also at Julia’s for lunch! My mom had mentioned that I should look her up while I was here in Berrien. I wasn’t sure how I would, but God connected us at Julia’s! She is such a sweet lady and promised to include us in her prayer ministry. Our whole experience Sabbath was just a confirmation that God is in control.

2. I’m thankful for the student missionaries who have committed a year of their lives to work for the unreached. They arrived yesterday and truly seem like an amazing group of young people. We really look forward to working with them for the rest of our time here.

3. I’m thankful that Joel’s arm doesn’t seem to be broken (we thought it was at first) and that it protected his head during his bike accident.

4. I’m thankful that our van worked all weekend when we needed it most and I’m thankful that we have lots of friends living so close that we can borrow vehicles from now.

5. I’m thankful that the Lord can sustain me physically and emotionally even when I am on empty – the Lord is my strength!

Upcoming Schedule
Aug. 8 – Fairplain SDA, MI*
Aug. 22 – Delaware
Aug. 29 – Oct. 24 – Open
*speaking

Prayer Requests
1. For two of my friends who are enduring emotionally painful struggles.
2. For Navee who is scheduled to be baptized in August.
3. For us that we will be ready in every way to launch in God’s time.
4. For our teammates that they’ll be able to get their house finished before their student missionaries come.
5. For our language helper and her family that God would bless them for being a blessing to us.

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