A year of change…
“You crown the year with Your goodness…” (Psalm 65:11, NKJV)
Looking back on the year just past, we can say we know this verse to be true. One year ago, we made a big change in our lives, by taking a huge step of faith and entering this music/translation ministry on a full-time basis.We are so glad we followed God’s leading and obeyed His call! It has been a good year, crowned with the goodness and the blessing of God. There were times of growing, learning, stretching and seeking God’s guidance like never before. There were challenges, and changes, defeats and triumphs, low moments and high moments, but through it all, God was faithful! All our needs were supplied. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to our great God for his provision, in every area of our lives!
The New Year now lies before us, with opportunities, challenges and changes still unknown. But we look forward to seeing what God has in store. We commit to following His leading, serving, learning and growing as He does His work, in us and through us.
Looking back on 2016…
Throughout our first year with MMF, we have kept music as our main focus, with translation work taking a close second place. We believe this to be a good system and plan to continue with this pattern in 2017. The singing engagements keep us connected with the people and continually remind us of the needs out there. It helps us know which translation projects to focus on and which ones to put off for another time.We have traveled many miles, sung many concerts and programs, met many wonderful folks, and been blessed through it all! We love the work we do, and the people we partner with!
This last year brought some changes to our singing group. We started out the year with all of us singing together at most bookings. We knew this would not last forever, but enjoyed it while it lasted! Several of our boys have since moved away from home, and we bless and affirm them in the work they have undertaken. This leaves us with a smaller group, and we are very thankful for the support of the public with these changes. The feedback remains positive, and the requests for bookings keep coming. The boys join us whenever they can, but often it is just2 or 3 of us. We do our best to continue to provide good quality music and make the programs interesting, and it is a blessing to hear people’s encouraging remarks.
One of our translation projects was to write/translate 2 children’s devotionals a week for use in schools, homes and Sunday Schools. We have compiled these into 2 booklets, the first of which is now printed and available for distribution. The second is in the editing phase. The goal with these devotionals is to produce 12booklets, with 31 stories in each. This is a full year’s worth of daily devotionals that families, churches and schools can use to teach and train their children in God’s Word.
The Low German songbook we have been working on is now ready for printing and should be available in both digital and paper copies in the next few weeks.
The new CD that we had hoped to release before Christmas 2016, is still not quite finished. The licenses have not come in yet, and there is some more mixing and mastering to do. However,we are confident that it won’t be long until this too is complete!
Looking ahead to 2017…
A new project is in the works for 2017! A church in Alberta has been asking us to translate a specific Sunday School curriculum. All the permissions and legalities are now in place, so we hope to make real progress on it this year, eventually making it available for other churches as well.
Work on our studio and office continues to progress. Thanks to some very generous donors the work should be done very early in the new year, and then, Lord willing, the radio programs can start being produced!
It looks like there may be some long distance trips again in 2017. Not all the details are worked out yet, so we will update you as plans fall into place. Your prayers in this regard are greatly appreciated. There are many details to work out, funds to raise, contacts to be made, and we need much wisdom from the Lord!
As for our family, things keep changing there too! But these are definitely good changes! Our oldest two sons, Andrew and Jason, have both announced their plans to get married in the summer. We are excited about adding two daughters to the family! Congratulations to them both! Matthew is presently planning to continue working at the Bible camp, and Mark will continue with his “high school career” and will help us out at our singing engagements whenever possible.
We praise God for…
1) You, our friends and supporters. We could not do this work without your prayers and financial support.
2) Our fine family, and their commitment to serve God with their whole lives.
3) God’s faithful provision in finances, safety in travel, joy and strength for the work.
4) The opportunity to serve the Lord in this way.
Pray for:
1) Our sons, as they continue to learn and grow and serve the Lord wherever He leads them.
2) Wisdom to know which projects and requests to give priority.
3) Continued financial support.
4) Safety in all our travels.