We can’t believe that it has already been a year. Time goes by so fast just when you don’t want it to. Doreen and I want you to know right from the start, that we love you; your community of believers here at Bristo is a part of our family now and forever and we are going to miss you a lot more than you know. Thank you for welcoming us into your family here and strengthening our faith with the way you choose to live your lives. We will always look back on Edinburgh and remember that God used people to sharpen our lives. God used His people to build up and encourage, and God used His people to express His great love for us. So we do thank you, and we will always hold you in our hearts with joy and thanksgiving.
As for Doreen and me, life is at an exciting time. We return to the States with more thirst and more hunger for ministry. I have one year left at Ozark Christian College, and will be exploring options during the school year. Doreen and I will spend a lot of time in prayer as we listen to the Father’s voice through His Spirit. Doreen will return to her university studies in the field of nursing. She has a little way to go, but I think she really enjoys it at a deep level, and this year has added to her excitement of studying.
And now I leave you with this, the transformational journey. When I was young I attended many different camps and work-outs for basketball. On more than one occasion I was given a trophy or plaque, honoring me for my ability to work as part of a team. I blend with people on the basketball court as well as the classroom. So upon coming here, I thought that the one area I wouldn’t need to be built up anymore would be this idea of working with people. Of course I would work with people but I knew everything about that. Amazing how God works just when you think He can’t. More than anything, it has been working with others, alongside other Christians that has shaped me most. And it begins at the church, working with Jim and Matt, with the youth coaches and students for It-Club and Encounter. I changed as I worked with Jennifer and her team on a Tuesday afternoon or when I worked with the different people at the Edinburgh City Mission. Whether it be care shelter, care van, church lunch, church holiday, or serving with some crazy missionary people in Turkey, God has refined me in the area of working with people. It wasn’t always easy. I didn’t always like it. Yet here I stand at the end of one path, looking back over the year realizing the one place I didn’t expect God to work, He worked and it was the right place. He knew where and how to work in me, even though it was the last place I would have prayed for God to work.
God knew that a church like Bristo, and a family of believers like this one would be a great tool to transform my life. I encourage you to continue depending on the Spirit, continue to love one another, and continue to allow God to stretch, deepen, and bless according to His unfailing love. We love you guys, and we look forward to the time when God brings our paths together again.
Holding you in our prayers and in our hearts,
Joshua and Doreen
As for Doreen and me, life is at an exciting time. We return to the States with more thirst and more hunger for ministry. I have one year left at Ozark Christian College, and will be exploring options during the school year. Doreen and I will spend a lot of time in prayer as we listen to the Father’s voice through His Spirit. Doreen will return to her university studies in the field of nursing. She has a little way to go, but I think she really enjoys it at a deep level, and this year has added to her excitement of studying.
And now I leave you with this, the transformational journey. When I was young I attended many different camps and work-outs for basketball. On more than one occasion I was given a trophy or plaque, honoring me for my ability to work as part of a team. I blend with people on the basketball court as well as the classroom. So upon coming here, I thought that the one area I wouldn’t need to be built up anymore would be this idea of working with people. Of course I would work with people but I knew everything about that. Amazing how God works just when you think He can’t. More than anything, it has been working with others, alongside other Christians that has shaped me most. And it begins at the church, working with Jim and Matt, with the youth coaches and students for It-Club and Encounter. I changed as I worked with Jennifer and her team on a Tuesday afternoon or when I worked with the different people at the Edinburgh City Mission. Whether it be care shelter, care van, church lunch, church holiday, or serving with some crazy missionary people in Turkey, God has refined me in the area of working with people. It wasn’t always easy. I didn’t always like it. Yet here I stand at the end of one path, looking back over the year realizing the one place I didn’t expect God to work, He worked and it was the right place. He knew where and how to work in me, even though it was the last place I would have prayed for God to work.
God knew that a church like Bristo, and a family of believers like this one would be a great tool to transform my life. I encourage you to continue depending on the Spirit, continue to love one another, and continue to allow God to stretch, deepen, and bless according to His unfailing love. We love you guys, and we look forward to the time when God brings our paths together again.
Holding you in our prayers and in our hearts,
Joshua and Doreen
