"For Christ's love compels us..."

“For Christ’s love compels us…” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

The month of January was a good one. Gavin was able to drive 14 hours north in the Republic of Congo with the District Superintendent of Congo/Brazzaville and a local lay member of the church to visit new preaching points. It’s exciting to report that the church is growing in numbers and in faith. People are hungry for the truth. While in route, they were stopped by police and asked for the usual items required by law to have in your car (fire extinguisher, first aid kit and triangles). When hearing where their final destination was, the police asked if someone could hitch a ride with them to Owesso. Over the next couple of hours, Gavin and the other men were able to share about the Church of the Nazarene with this young man who had many questions about faith and the church. After reaching town and before dropping this gentleman off, they invited him to church. They were all pleasantly surprised when he showed up on Sunday morning. The Nazarenes in the northern part of the country, although young to the faith, are very motivated to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Some of the villages where we have a presence, Nazarenes are the only Christians in the area.  

Because we now live in a capital city, we’ve run into a few English-speaking expats. When asked what our occupation is, and they find out we’re missionaries, a few of them asked if we’d start a Bible study in English. This last week, Jill began a study in English with expats from the US and Cameroon. We’re ready to see where the Lord leads and are thankful for new opportunities in ministry that are a bit different than we anticipated. 

Macy and Connor are going strong in school. They are attending an English-speaking school that partners with an online school in the US, out of Florida. While it’s been a new experience to do most of their schooling online, we’re always ready for a new challenge and are thankful for programs that are accredited for our children. The school here in Brazzaville just started after-school activities where the kids get to learn karate, art and dance. Macy is learning to play the guitar and Connor is learning how to play the piano, as well.

Please join us in prayer over this next month as we get ready to receive a new missionary couple in Lubumbashi, DR Congo; Phil and Monica Carr. Pray for Gavin as he travels to Gabon for an exploratory trip in starting the Church of the Nazarene in that country. Pray for Jill as she takes on a new ministry role of Field Personnel Coordinator, helping and assisting missionaries on our Field as well as working with the Regional Personnel Coordinator. Pray that Macy and Connor would be good witnesses for Christ at their school and remain focused and attentive in their studies.