We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We are grateful for your trust and partnership in the gospel which allows us to share the message of hope in our locality, other states, and countries.

As war rages on in Israel, Ukraine, and other parts of the world, we join you in praying for God to bring peace among nations, to care for those who are directly affected by the conflicts, and to open doors for all to hear the message of the gospel.

Blanche is a nurse in North Carolina. She started attending our Women’s Discipleship via Zoom in August of last year. This past February, she became one of our Bible study facilitators, and this past summer, she felt called to start a Bible Study in her neighborhood. Their initial group grew quickly, so they had to split into two groups at their subdivision’s clubhouse where they meet! She expresses gratitude for how our facilitator-led Bible studies prepared her in sharing God’s Word with her neighbors.

Pray that the people Blanche and the other ladies in our group who have stepped out in faith to lead Bible studies with their families and neighbors will experience genuine life transformation in Christ.

Mai is another Filipino nurse who shares the same passion for discipleship and has been one of our Bible study facilitators. Last summer, she and her musician husband went to Ukraine and Romania on a mission trip to help encourage the orphans and refugees there.

When they returned, our group decided to help mobilize friends and neighbors to join their donation drive for Ukraine. Several people gave and we filled many boxes with gently used clothing and other goods. We attached a sticker on the clothes that  reads: "Jesus loves you and we're praying for you!" The QR code and the website are linked to the Jesus Film in Ukrainian language.  https://www.jesusfilm.org/watch/jesus.html/ukrainian.html

Please pray that each piece of donated item would express the kindness of Jesus, comfort those in need, and that those who are able to watch the Jesus Film would open their hearts to the gospel.

Our Fall Bible Studies consisted of the study of John and James. Says Bea, one of our participants who also now facilitates a Bible study with her siblings, “Through our Women’s Discipleship, I learned about spiritual disciplines — spending time to read and study the Bible, to pray and press forward even when my mortal body and mind don’t want to cooperate.”

It’s been amazing to hear the women receive God’s Word in their hearts and embrace the Great Commission. Last October, our group gathered for a Ladies Brunch. We were blessed to have Debbie McGoldrick, founder of Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO or NBS2GO, as our guest speaker. We use NBS2GO materials in our Discipleship, so seeing and learning from her in person was such a treat!

The mission of NBS2GO is to encourage and equip believers to begin and multiply Bible studies in their communities. Interested to know more about it? Visit nbs2go.com.

We had fun learning from Debbie and integrating a fun activity, Growing Microgreens, led by our daughter, Journey.  Each step in the process reflects biblical principles supporting our theme “Rooted, Flourishing, and Bearing Fruit in Christ Through All the Seasons of Life.”

How did Journey get into growing microgreens? Checkout this heartwarming blog posted by Ascend Garden, one of our new partners in Integral Mission.  

We define “Integral Mission” as a ministry strategy that impacts both the physical and spiritual needs of the community we endeavor to reach for Christ.

He also enjoys volunteering at our church as a small group leader for Elementary-aged boys in Sunday School and 3rd through 6th graders in AWANA’s Truth & Training Program.

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” Matthew 19:14 NIV

We are grateful for the privilege to serve full-time with Cru and partner with our local church and other churches to disciple men, women, and children so that everyone hears the Good News and makes a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

The Shiloh Field Community Garden in Denton, Texas has become a place of bringing people together around a wholesome hands-on activity. The reward of the labor comes in seeing the seeds planted grow into vegetables and being filled with joy knowing that the harvest is going to feed someone who is hungry in our community. Beyond that, it provides us the opportunity to build relationships with others whom we can share about the True Vine and the Gardener (John 15:1).

Pray that through all of these, more people will find their place in God’s story.

As a token of our appreciation for your prayers, encouragement, and support , we would like to offer you a discounted rate for Weekend to Remember marriage retreat (see above).

Advent is a 4-week study meant to draw our attention to the humble commencement of the Savior of our lives. This study includes four stories from Matthew and Luke for us to learn God’s divine plan for the birth of Jesus Christ and to experience what it was like to be present at these events. With the question and answer format, your thought life will be beautifully interrupted during the Christmas season with the wonder of Christ’s entrance.

Click the button below to access the study guide and other neighboring resources.