Encouraging Summer
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over! We know that many of you have been praying for our family over this summer as ministry has really been ramping up. A lot has happened since our last update, which we want to catch you all up on, and even more exciting things are on the horizon!
We have had a few visitors over the past couple of months. In June, our field administrator, Steve, and his wife, Beth came to visit. It was great to have them here to do life and ministry with us for a few days. We were able to take them around to a few of the sights near us, and we were able to spend time praying together and fellowshipping with each other. In July, our pastor and his wife were able to visit for a couple of weeks, which was a particularly special time for us. We are very close friends with them, and being able to spend time together again was such an encouragement to our family.
The kids’ school year ended on July 1st, and we immediately started in on our kids summer ministry. We held our “Kids Edition” in our back yard on Sunday afternoons for the first half of the summer and repeated it in Trevor and Amelia’s back yard for the second half. We played games, did crafts, had snacks, listened to Bible stories, and, of course, did a silly skit. The kids really seemed to love it. We had a decent turnout, with 16 different kids attending between the two venues. Each of them heard the gospel presented clearly, and we pray that the truths they were taught will sink in. The parents of the children all stayed throughout the event which was really cool. They also got to hear the gospel, and we were able to interact with them and get to know them a bit better as well. Pray that God will give us more opportunities to connect with these families in the coming months, and that we would have boldness to be a witness to them and others.
We have continued our weekly Bible studies in Dalgety Bay and Dunfermline over the summer, and these have really started to take off! We have had four people coming along since the summer started, and they have been consistent almost every week. And, since it’s summer, we’ve had anywhere from five to seven kids in attendance as well! Our group consists of people from a variety of backgrounds, and it includes unbelievers as well as mature Christians. Thank you for praying for these Bible studies. It is such a blessing to see God answer your prayers! Over the summer we were able also to assist at the Independent Baptist Church of Falkirk for a couple of weeks while Jon and Isabel Dygert, fellow missionaries with Baptist Mid Missions, were back in the United States. Tim finished his dissertation, which concludes his studies at St. Andrews. Amidst all of this, we were also able to get away for a few days for a family holiday.
Looking ahead, there are exciting things on the horizon! We have had several people from our Bible studies and elsewhere begin to express interest in beginning church services in Dalgety Bay. We had been praying that God would build up a core group through these Bible studies and through the connections we’ve made. God seems to have answered that prayer, and we are planning to start services in October! We’re currently working on finalizing the details, including securing a meeting place and organizing everything that goes into launching church services. Please pray that God will give us wisdom as we make these important decisions, and that He will bring along the people He wants to be there. It is hard to contain our excitement as we are this close to beginning the church that God gave us a burden for all those years ago! Thank you again for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Each of you are also a part of what God is doing here in Scotland.
