1. Our Family - that God would strengthen our marriage through His Word and give wisdom as we point Josefine (and soon, Cornelia) toward living for God and loving Him with all her heart. Pray that Jim and I would be examples to her and others of a devoted heart to living a life that glorifies Him!
2. Our Ministry - that we would take opportunties to minister to those around us, encouraging fellow believers and challenging one another toward godliness. Pray that God would give safety and wisdom in our travels, and that we would follow His leading for opportunities to present in new churches. We will be in IL, MN and FL this spring. Our trip to FL is for a Women's Quartet (Forever Be Sure) that Sarah is singing with. Perhaps God will have some contacts for us in FL through this music ministry.
3. Our Faith - that God would give us Faith to continually trust Him for the provisions He has designed for us. Pray that we would allow God to USE our circumstances to bolster our faith in Him, despite how bleak or bright those circumstances are. Pray that we would allow the Holy Spirit to guard and fill us, that we may be a testimony of God's faithfulness to one another and point them to a God Who can be trusted!
Thoughts of the Heart
God has used some circumstances, as of late, to show us how truly deceitful our hearts can be (Jer. 17:9) and how our hearts are set toward evil, unless we prepare our hearts to seek Him (2 Chron 12:13-14), but how HE can give healing and hope. When we allow God to search us and know our hearts (Psalm 139:23), He is faithful to reveal the truth of our hearts. When our hearts are tender toward Him, and we are truly repentant of the sin within, God allows us to restore a right relationship with Him and our loved ones again (2 Chronicles 34:26-28). We are learning, that when we seek HIS counsel, our hearts are filled with HIS wisdom and our hearts are no longer slaves to deception...we can be led by God's wisdom, even in dark times, when we often question our hearts fleshly motives...God will BLESS us when we seek Him and give us a heart that truly seeks Him when the way seems dark (Psalm 16:7).
"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope." Psalm 16:9
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Fall Update
Happy November!
We're excited about so many things and we're eager to share them with you!
Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement!
The number one thing we'd like to share with our prayer warriors and supporters is that God has blessed us with another baby...we're expecting and due around May 4. Sarah has been feeling a little better lately, but more tired now than with her last pregnancy. So, she's making sure she's getting a lot of rest!
The end of October marked the end of 5 months of on and off traveling, with 1 or 2 days home between trips. You all know about our summer travels from Washington State to Washington DC...what a blessing and opportunity to learn to trust our Lord more!
This fall's travels have consisted of visiting 5 different states for conferences through which we were able to set up our display, meet and greet pastors and get future meetings set up. Praise the Lord that many of these conferences were spiritually encouraging, as we were able to sit under the teaching of God's word, and very fruitful concerning contacts and setting up meetings. Pray with us that we would see more meetings set in stone on the calendar because of these contacts.
Now, we're taking a breather and spending some much needed time resting and relaxing and taking a break away from the car. Although, we find that we miss our busy, traveling life at times! We look forward to visiting a supporting church in KC, this weekend, though. So, we we'll get some time in the car. ;) On Nov. 21st we'll be helping out a pastor friend in Sioux City, Iowa by speaking at their services while he and his wife need to be away. We look forward to that ministry opportunity as well!
We also enjoyed an opportunity to speak with the students at Faith Baptist Bible College during their Student Missionary Fellowship time. Jim shared with them about deputation, a good topic to cover with this age group. It was an especially encouraging time!
Continue to pray with us about meeting our support goal of 60% by January so we can attend Launch Seminar, and meeting our final goal of 100% by next summer so we can be in Germany then! We are encouraged to know that, whatever the outcome, God is sovereign and has a perfect plan. We are thankful also, to remember that man plans his steps, but it is God Who directs them!
Thank you for praying for us and for your encouragment over the months!
God is Good!
In Him,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah, Josefine & Baby :)
We're excited about so many things and we're eager to share them with you!
Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement!
The number one thing we'd like to share with our prayer warriors and supporters is that God has blessed us with another baby...we're expecting and due around May 4. Sarah has been feeling a little better lately, but more tired now than with her last pregnancy. So, she's making sure she's getting a lot of rest!
The end of October marked the end of 5 months of on and off traveling, with 1 or 2 days home between trips. You all know about our summer travels from Washington State to Washington DC...what a blessing and opportunity to learn to trust our Lord more!
This fall's travels have consisted of visiting 5 different states for conferences through which we were able to set up our display, meet and greet pastors and get future meetings set up. Praise the Lord that many of these conferences were spiritually encouraging, as we were able to sit under the teaching of God's word, and very fruitful concerning contacts and setting up meetings. Pray with us that we would see more meetings set in stone on the calendar because of these contacts.
Now, we're taking a breather and spending some much needed time resting and relaxing and taking a break away from the car. Although, we find that we miss our busy, traveling life at times! We look forward to visiting a supporting church in KC, this weekend, though. So, we we'll get some time in the car. ;) On Nov. 21st we'll be helping out a pastor friend in Sioux City, Iowa by speaking at their services while he and his wife need to be away. We look forward to that ministry opportunity as well!
We also enjoyed an opportunity to speak with the students at Faith Baptist Bible College during their Student Missionary Fellowship time. Jim shared with them about deputation, a good topic to cover with this age group. It was an especially encouraging time!
Continue to pray with us about meeting our support goal of 60% by January so we can attend Launch Seminar, and meeting our final goal of 100% by next summer so we can be in Germany then! We are encouraged to know that, whatever the outcome, God is sovereign and has a perfect plan. We are thankful also, to remember that man plans his steps, but it is God Who directs them!
Thank you for praying for us and for your encouragment over the months!
God is Good!
In Him,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah, Josefine & Baby :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Home!
Hello All!
We're home! But, through the years, we've learned the valuble lesson that "home" truly is where the heart is..."home" is where God wants us, wherever that may be...and "home," for us this summer, was from coast to coast.
Today in the morning service, (we're visiting another dear place called "home" to us - Creston, IA) we sang a song about God's love and one of the verses said "proclaiming (God's love) from shore to shore..." and I pray that God's Love was the message, along with our burden for Germany, we shared this summer...from shore to shore.
We just got back from moving Jim's mom to Maryland. We spent Jim's birthday touring DC. It was a beautiful day! The whole week was full of fun family time. I haven't met Jim's brother Garry and his wife, Amber and kids yet, so I was especially excited! Jim was able to use his handy-dandy handyman skills by helping them with plumbing, electrical work and so on and so forth. This trip may have marked the last time the family (all 3 brothers, etc.) might be together in the same place before we go to Germany! It was a special time. I will introduce you to them all at the end of this post.
Since Jim is no longer working at Faith Baptist Bible College, we're spending more time securing meetings and filling up the calendar with conferences and such. Another blessing is that I can use my photography as a source of support, as we take donations for my work. It's worked wonderfully and we are so blessed! We have 2 weddings coming up in September, one in October and one in December, not to mention families and couples interested in photos as well. It's nice that we can schedule those sessions between our traveling time, which seems to be getting more and more, praise the Lord!
Continue to pray for us as we make some finishing touches on the house as well. When we got home from our summer travels, we were welcomed by a basement full of water! We were thankful that we didn't store anything in the basement, but the water heater and furnace did need replacing. And because the air was left off all summer and the humidity level was high (especially with the flooding), we have found that a lot of what was stored upstairs accumulated some mold. Jim's asthma flares up with mold, so it's important to get that cleaned up as soon as possible. A blessing about the molding is that it will make purging much easier as we plan to leave for Germany, Lord willing, next summer! :)
Our car is in good condition it seems. When we turn the key, we say a prayer of thanks for how God has taken care of us! Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf concerning our car troubles this summer!
Well, it sounds like I've covered most of the details and now, for a few pictures. :)
Love,
The Engles
This is the whole clan!
All the cousins!
Mom and her boys! Jim, Garry, and Ben.
We're home! But, through the years, we've learned the valuble lesson that "home" truly is where the heart is..."home" is where God wants us, wherever that may be...and "home," for us this summer, was from coast to coast.
Today in the morning service, (we're visiting another dear place called "home" to us - Creston, IA) we sang a song about God's love and one of the verses said "proclaiming (God's love) from shore to shore..." and I pray that God's Love was the message, along with our burden for Germany, we shared this summer...from shore to shore.
We just got back from moving Jim's mom to Maryland. We spent Jim's birthday touring DC. It was a beautiful day! The whole week was full of fun family time. I haven't met Jim's brother Garry and his wife, Amber and kids yet, so I was especially excited! Jim was able to use his handy-dandy handyman skills by helping them with plumbing, electrical work and so on and so forth. This trip may have marked the last time the family (all 3 brothers, etc.) might be together in the same place before we go to Germany! It was a special time. I will introduce you to them all at the end of this post.
Since Jim is no longer working at Faith Baptist Bible College, we're spending more time securing meetings and filling up the calendar with conferences and such. Another blessing is that I can use my photography as a source of support, as we take donations for my work. It's worked wonderfully and we are so blessed! We have 2 weddings coming up in September, one in October and one in December, not to mention families and couples interested in photos as well. It's nice that we can schedule those sessions between our traveling time, which seems to be getting more and more, praise the Lord!
Continue to pray for us as we make some finishing touches on the house as well. When we got home from our summer travels, we were welcomed by a basement full of water! We were thankful that we didn't store anything in the basement, but the water heater and furnace did need replacing. And because the air was left off all summer and the humidity level was high (especially with the flooding), we have found that a lot of what was stored upstairs accumulated some mold. Jim's asthma flares up with mold, so it's important to get that cleaned up as soon as possible. A blessing about the molding is that it will make purging much easier as we plan to leave for Germany, Lord willing, next summer! :)
Our car is in good condition it seems. When we turn the key, we say a prayer of thanks for how God has taken care of us! Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf concerning our car troubles this summer!
Well, it sounds like I've covered most of the details and now, for a few pictures. :)
Love,
The Engles
This is the whole clan!
All the cousins!
Mom and her boys! Jim, Garry, and Ben.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Quick Update on the Car
Looks like our car will be up and running (hopefully for good this time) sometime tomorrow. About $1,200(ish) later and 2 re-replaced parts later, but we are blessed. The transmission is being rebuilt, except for the clutches, which apparently are in great condition...and all for about $500 less than expected. The mechanic ...seems to be taking good care of the car and we're praying for a safe trip to Detroit for VBS!
This just in - one of our supporting churches is providing $500 for the repair.
Praise God for His provision...He never fails.
Again, thanks for praying!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
This just in - one of our supporting churches is providing $500 for the repair.
Praise God for His provision...He never fails.
Again, thanks for praying!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Car Situation Update - Reprise
Hello Faithful Prayer Warriors!
We were able to make it to the conference in Cleveland and enjoy a sweet time of refreshing and fellowship! From there, we headed out to New York to visit a church, Calvary Baptist Church in Bay Shore, whose Ladies Missionary Group supports us, gave them an update and spent some time of fellowship with them on an afternoon fishing charter! We were so encouraged to hear how God was working in the people's hearts there and were spiritually encouraged ourselves just to hear their testimonies! God's grace is truly amazing!
Onto recent happenings...
We left New York for a quick visit to Washington DC since we were in the area to see some of the historical sites and to meet Jim's brother and his family. About halfway to DC, our transmission went out. It did the exact same thing it did in the mountains of Washington State! We called the State Patrol and were picked up shortly thereafter by a tow truck. We're now in New Jersey waiting it out. The pastor from the church we were at previously gave us some recommendations for churches to call in this area and from that we came into contact with Haddon Heights Baptist Church, whose Pastor and wife have a special place in their hearts for Germany as they lived there for two years. The church very graciously put us up in a hotel and have been generous in making sure we're taken care of. We joined them for their Wednesday evening prayer service and had a wonderful time meeting people and sharing some sweet time of prayer and fellowship with them. We sincerely sense the goodness of God, even amidst the potential frustration of what seems to be a chronic car issue!
Right now, we're waiting on the mechanic to get back to us about our car. As it looks, there is probably something else wrong that is causing the transmission issues, since this is the second time the transmission has given out in this way. So, the mechanic is doing some exploratory work on it. He also explained that he would give us a $300 discount if we have to completely rebuild the transmission because we were referred by the church. The amount he would charge is $1,695. Pray for God's provision, as we just spent nearly that much in June for the same repair.
Thank you all!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
We were able to make it to the conference in Cleveland and enjoy a sweet time of refreshing and fellowship! From there, we headed out to New York to visit a church, Calvary Baptist Church in Bay Shore, whose Ladies Missionary Group supports us, gave them an update and spent some time of fellowship with them on an afternoon fishing charter! We were so encouraged to hear how God was working in the people's hearts there and were spiritually encouraged ourselves just to hear their testimonies! God's grace is truly amazing!
Onto recent happenings...
We left New York for a quick visit to Washington DC since we were in the area to see some of the historical sites and to meet Jim's brother and his family. About halfway to DC, our transmission went out. It did the exact same thing it did in the mountains of Washington State! We called the State Patrol and were picked up shortly thereafter by a tow truck. We're now in New Jersey waiting it out. The pastor from the church we were at previously gave us some recommendations for churches to call in this area and from that we came into contact with Haddon Heights Baptist Church, whose Pastor and wife have a special place in their hearts for Germany as they lived there for two years. The church very graciously put us up in a hotel and have been generous in making sure we're taken care of. We joined them for their Wednesday evening prayer service and had a wonderful time meeting people and sharing some sweet time of prayer and fellowship with them. We sincerely sense the goodness of God, even amidst the potential frustration of what seems to be a chronic car issue!
Right now, we're waiting on the mechanic to get back to us about our car. As it looks, there is probably something else wrong that is causing the transmission issues, since this is the second time the transmission has given out in this way. So, the mechanic is doing some exploratory work on it. He also explained that he would give us a $300 discount if we have to completely rebuild the transmission because we were referred by the church. The amount he would charge is $1,695. Pray for God's provision, as we just spent nearly that much in June for the same repair.
Thank you all!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Car Situation Update
Thank you all for praying on behalf of our car situation. It looks like we'll be hitting the road sooner than expected!
We heard from the dealership...the amount it would cost to fix the car would be somewhere near $1,600 and they wouldn't even be able to get to it until next week Thursday. So, we did some brainstorming and a lot of praying for wisdom, of course. :) Jim called a local transmission shop to see if we could get the same job done sooner, and possibly cheaper. We're taking the car in to that shop TODAY and it will be done tomorrow with the total cost being UNDER $1,000! Thank you, Lord!
We're excited that it looks like we'll be able to make some, if not all, of the BMM Annual Conference, which is always a refreshment and encouragment.
Again, thanks for your prayers!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
We heard from the dealership...the amount it would cost to fix the car would be somewhere near $1,600 and they wouldn't even be able to get to it until next week Thursday. So, we did some brainstorming and a lot of praying for wisdom, of course. :) Jim called a local transmission shop to see if we could get the same job done sooner, and possibly cheaper. We're taking the car in to that shop TODAY and it will be done tomorrow with the total cost being UNDER $1,000! Thank you, Lord!
We're excited that it looks like we'll be able to make some, if not all, of the BMM Annual Conference, which is always a refreshment and encouragment.
Again, thanks for your prayers!
Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine
Monday, July 5, 2010
Jehovah Jireh...Our God Provides!
Our God provides and not always in ways we expect or can even hope for. He provides...exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we can hope for!
Today we found out that a few people wanted to give toward the repair of our transmission! The total amount given was $1,200. We don't know yet how much the assesment or repair will cost, but we should find out more on Tuesday. Of course, the final cost is something the Lord already knows! We are so thankful for how God has provided...and humbled by the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our meetings and camp these past few weeks have been so encouraging and the fellowship has truly been sweet. Also, we enjoyed a wonderful time at the VBS in Soap Lake. We had some pretty sharp kids eager to learn about Germany! Near the end of the week, we heard the great news that one little boy trusted Christ as his Savior! News we never get tired of rejoicing over! The kids also gave joyfully and sacrifically during the VBS offering and we are so thankful for their excitment to give! The Lord provided $1,000 through that ministry! Praise GOD!
One more piece of news we'd like to share. The Lord has officially moved us to full-time deputation! How, you ask? Well, Jim received a phone call from his job back in Iowa and they informed us that they had to let some employees go and that he was one of them. Much to our surprise, we were actually rejoicing in God's direction through this news! We had already been praying about how to transition to full-time deptutaion, but couldn't quite put our fingers on how or when. We just knew it needed to happen soon! It seems as though God had a way to get us there! When we get back from our summer ministries, Jim will be able to spend more time calling pastors and setting up meetings. Because our new goal to get to Germany is next summer, it's imperative that we spend more of our time on the road!
Another issue of prayer would be our departure goal. The Brudtkuhls, who we will be joining on the field, will be on furlough for 1 year beginning next summer. If we can get to Germany by next summer, we can be in language school for the first year in Bavaria while they're on furlough in the states. This means, that we could all be heading toward Berlin around the same time in 2012, ready to dive into ministry together!
I know this update seems FULL of details! We are excited to have so much to share with you! :)
Love,
The Engles
Today we found out that a few people wanted to give toward the repair of our transmission! The total amount given was $1,200. We don't know yet how much the assesment or repair will cost, but we should find out more on Tuesday. Of course, the final cost is something the Lord already knows! We are so thankful for how God has provided...and humbled by the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our meetings and camp these past few weeks have been so encouraging and the fellowship has truly been sweet. Also, we enjoyed a wonderful time at the VBS in Soap Lake. We had some pretty sharp kids eager to learn about Germany! Near the end of the week, we heard the great news that one little boy trusted Christ as his Savior! News we never get tired of rejoicing over! The kids also gave joyfully and sacrifically during the VBS offering and we are so thankful for their excitment to give! The Lord provided $1,000 through that ministry! Praise GOD!
One more piece of news we'd like to share. The Lord has officially moved us to full-time deputation! How, you ask? Well, Jim received a phone call from his job back in Iowa and they informed us that they had to let some employees go and that he was one of them. Much to our surprise, we were actually rejoicing in God's direction through this news! We had already been praying about how to transition to full-time deptutaion, but couldn't quite put our fingers on how or when. We just knew it needed to happen soon! It seems as though God had a way to get us there! When we get back from our summer ministries, Jim will be able to spend more time calling pastors and setting up meetings. Because our new goal to get to Germany is next summer, it's imperative that we spend more of our time on the road!
Another issue of prayer would be our departure goal. The Brudtkuhls, who we will be joining on the field, will be on furlough for 1 year beginning next summer. If we can get to Germany by next summer, we can be in language school for the first year in Bavaria while they're on furlough in the states. This means, that we could all be heading toward Berlin around the same time in 2012, ready to dive into ministry together!
I know this update seems FULL of details! We are excited to have so much to share with you! :)
Love,
The Engles
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