April Prayer Letter

“Mobilizing the Church Through Short-term Mission Trips”

      The theme for these last few weeks has been “on the road again.” We have traveled eleven hours of the East Coast last month, starting with a visit to McDowell County WV. The purpose of this trip was to take pictures to promote future mission trips. Matt’s mom, Terrie, who is a professional photographer, tagged along to take pictures of the community. This trip also allowed us to prepare for future construction jobs that will take place in the summer months. We love working with our friends in Appalachia and are excited to see God do some incredible things in that area!

      The next weekend our family traveled to Central New York to survey a small, rural church in Blodgett Mills New York. The weather was a lot colder and most of the areas were still covered in snow. It was a 50° difference in temperature. We met with Pastor Thomas and his precious family. He gave us a tour of his church and the surrounding area. Thomas has a HUGE pastoral heart and it tremendously burdened for the people of that area. Thomas has been at the church for nearly five years and has poured his heart and soul into the community.  The church needs some major construction. The building was originally constructed in 1811 and moved to its current location in the 1840s. There is a LONG list of jobs to be done. The church’s size limits its ability to reach its neighbors, so teams will be needed for community outreach and VBS ministries. We helped the church grill some food and coordinate an egg hunt.  Around 10 children showed up for the egg hunt and Gospel presentation! Pray for this lovely family and us as we coordinate trips to this area.

      The next weekend Matt was invited to give a Gospel presentation at South Mountain Bible church for their egg hunt. Matt used multiple magic tricks along with a wordless book to share the plan of salvation. There were around 60 children in attendance. Please be praying that the seeds would take root and grow. Our family enjoyed lunch and fellowship with Pastor Colin’s family. It was a wonderful time filled with laughter, smiles, and lots of playtime for our kiddos!  On Easter Sunday our family was invited to Faith Bible Baptist Church in Capon Bridge WV. This church has endured a lot in the past two years and has been struggling to stay afloat. They have been without a pastor for quite some time and have dealt with a church split.  Matt preached, lead them in communion, and even had the privilege to baptize three people!  We will be visiting this church in the next few weeks. Continue to pray that we would be an encouragement to their ministry.

      The next weeks offer a lot of Gospel opportunities. Matt will be leading Boonsboro Bible to Southern WV, we will be meeting with various churches to prepare them for future mission trips, preaching at Mercersburg Presbyterian, and preparing for our VBS theme this summer, Truassic Park.   Thank you for joining us in the goal of coordinating Christ-honoring, short-term mission teams. Thank you also for your prayers, support, and kindness. We are overwhelmed to have such supportive ministry partners!