God over all.

Sunday was my birthday. I preached 3 times throughout the day, received calls from the family, messages on Facebook, a very juicy 1/2 pound of jerk chicken, and a surprise cake from my wife! It was a good day. However, God saved some really great gifts to share with us this weekend that we were not expecting!

Rewind a couple weeks... Kirsten and I had been feeling like the wheels are spinning, but we are not really going anywhere. As you can imagine, this led us to feel frustrated and confused about the work. We kept plugging along, though, throughout the weeks of camp and then through our normal routine. It was this week that God allowed some great beams of light to shine through that have given us new energy and hope. That said, back to real time...and a list worth reading to the end!

1. Our trip to the boys' home with the Youth Fellowship (YF) was very good. We were able to see some growth and maturity in the young people.
2. A movie night at YF went really well. The film engaged the youth and has them asking good questions about what it means to live out their faith in everyday life.
3. This past Sunday I was asked by two people to write letters of recommendation for their granddaughter/daughter to get into the local high school. This is significant because people are beginning to trust us and are allowing us to share their lives with them.
4. Kirsten and I were approached by a girl in YF who asked us to hold her accountable in her faith as she goes back to school and to support her in prayer. Again, this was a total shock as we believed the girl intended to keep her distance from us. We thank God that she desires to walk together with us in her faith. Please pray with us for her as well.
5. Kirsten has a dear friend and peer in a woman named Shauna. Shauna and Kirsten are cut from a similar cloth, and they have formed a great bond. We praise God for this friendship as it has been a great encouragement and blessing in some of these frustrating weeks!
6. The YF threw a surprise party for me yesterday! We also celebrated Kerri-Ann's birthday (another missionary that has been here for 2 months now) at the same time. It was a really great night of food, cake, fun, and more food! Some words of blessing spoken to me, and indirectly to Kirsten, were incredibly encouraging because many members of the YF see us as the spiritual leaders of the youth fellowship. We again praise God for this and thank Him for establishing us beyond what we could hope or think!
7. Lastly (at least for this week), as I was preaching Sunday in the Tranquility church, a man named Brenton gave his life to Christ. To be honest, this is a first for me. What a truly fantastic birthday gift from the Lord! Pray for Brenton that his faith is sincere and that the Lord strengthens and draws him to Himself!

It has been easy to think that nothing is happening because we are only seeing the surface, but we have been reminded that God is always at work. We were turned onto this song the other day, and it is an important reminder of this very principle. The song reminded us that God is God of Buff Bay, and there are great things to come! Pray for us to remember this and work for the glory of His name well! Enjoy the video and remember that God is indeed God over ALL!