Crossing the Canyon...

We often ask ourselves Are we crossing the canyons in peoples lives to minister to them?  Are we being effective in our ministry?  Some days the Lord reassures us and encourages us to steady on; other days, we feel a canyon separates us from Him.

Church planting is one ongoing faith experience for us--one in which we see both disappointment and rewards.  We thank God for BOTH.  The church continues to be very small, but we praise God for the faithful families who continue to come each week.  We are presently meeting in our home or the homes of our members.  This allows an informal atmosphere and more of a directed discussion.  Once each month we meet in a public hall for services--then follow it with a potluck and time of fellowship.

Mike continues to challenge all of us to live a purpose driven life.  He meets twice monthly with the men of the church for prayer. He also meets individually with those wanting challenge and growth in their faith.  This has been very encouraging for him.  I'm presently meeting with a young woman in the group for a personal Bible study.  I hope to mentor/minister to her and have a real time of personal growth as well.

It has been somewhat trying this year, but we know all things work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  We have grown in all of it.  We continue to thank God for you and all your prayers.  We also thank those of you who have been so faithful in you financial support.  We are so grateful, words cannot express.  May the Lord bless you all in this coming year!

Sechler Family News...

Holiday Greetings!  We great you with the love of Christ this season.

Our children are such wonderful blessings from above.  I'm so fortunate that Mike places such a high value on our family and allows me to be a stay-at-home mommy.  I do miss nursing some days, but I know this is the best place for me.  Micah has had a quiet autumn.  He tends to be sicker than Daniel, but in October I took him to the doctor for what I thought was a hernia and ended up undergoing exploratory surgery for some weird thing that rarely happens!  Thankfully, the surgery repaired it and Micah recovered quickly.

Last fall also brought another change to our family--Mike became a bi-vocational pastor.  He started working for Premier Bankcard in their collections department.  He works 20 hours/week, and this provides us health insurance.  Now, he is busy balancing family, church, and working evenings at Premier.