October - December 2024 Update
Being prayed over in final service at FBC.
October
This was a significant month for us, as we accomplished two major milestones we’ve been preparing for over the last two years. First, we attended our final missions conference, and second, we began preparing to move to Portugal. We are forever grateful to God for blessing us with such an incredible deputation period. During this season of our lives, we had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people, and we truly saw God’s hand at work.
November
November began with a trip to Colorado with our sons. It was their idea, not mine—after all, I think I’ve traveled enough in the last couple of years! Ha ha. Still, it was a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time together as we prepare to leave.
November 10 was a particularly special day for us. We had our send-off service at First Baptist Church, where we were able to say goodbye to so many people who mean so much to us. Serving and ministering there for the past 24 years has been such a blessing, and God has been so good to us through it all.
Starting a New Life
It’s hard to fully express how good God has been to us throughout this month of transitioning to life in Portugal. We were prepared for a long, stressful process of house hunting, dealing with apartment contracts, and navigating the complexities of Portuguese bureaucracy. Yet, by God’s grace, we moved into our new home in less than two weeks—a true miracle! If you’d like to read more about this, I encourage you to visit our blog at proclaimmissions.com.
Interestingly, we settled in a neighborhood that wasn’t even on our radar when we were scouting back in June, Algés. However, we know this is where God wants us to be, at least for now. We’ve already met many of our wonderful neighbors, and I recently shared a story about the kind people we’re renting from. Mary Ann is already attending her second ladies’ breakfast with some of the women in our building. It’s been amazing to see God at work in our lives on a daily basis.
Mary Ann at her Ladies Breakfast
Many of you may remember how, during our presentations, I would introduce our sons and joke that Mary had been praying for God to lead Andrew to come live with us in Portugal. At the time, it seemed almost impossible—but God answered her prayers! Andrew will be spending the next four months with us here in Portugal, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Please pray for us in January as we begin learning the Portuguese language.
Thank you again for all your love, prayers, and support. We wish you a wonderful and joyful Christmas season!
For a printable version please click here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPrdN_53O0HPZnhaTG7QBTZhKw9C6E3g/view?usp=sharing
Moving into our new apartment
Our new friends in Portugal