S&E Prayer Update - Christmas 2020

Serve and Equip

December - 2020

Family Update - 2020

2020 has been quite a year. Flexibility has been the “name of the game”. Along with everyone else, things have been different than we’d imagined. Schools shut their doors here in March and the kids did school on-line the remainder of the school year with all extra-curricular activities cancelled. Rosie, Tim and a friend moved into their own place in June. David missed attending the ICCM conference. The ministry trip that David and Jos were supposed to take to Brazil in August was cancelled which was “good” as David’s mom broke her right shoulder (just a few weeks before they were supposed to leave) and needed extra care during that time. Due to the continuing COVID precautions, school started on-line a little later than normal. During the end of September and beginning of October, Sheri’s dad had three incidents of “passing out” which, in follow-up doctor appointments, was determined that he had actually experienced “aborted sudden death”. He was equipped with a life-vest until he received an internal defibrillator and replacement pacemaker on December 7. Before Thanksgiving, the high school was finally allowed back on-campus for two half-days a week, but due to increasing numbers of reported infections in our county are back to on-line school.

Rosie enjoys her job at a local insurance company. Last year, we mentioned that she was engaged. She and Lionel are now married, so for the first time ever in our family, we have more gentlemen than ladies. Lionel works for a local berry grower. Jos is in her third year at the local university. She has missed being able to help out with AWANA this fall but has been helping out with childcare for one of our church Life Groups. Tim is continuing his education at the local community college and has been able to continue working at a local shipping and receiving company even though business is a little slower this year as a majority of their business is from cross-border traffic. Jeff is in his senior year of high school. He is busy applying to colleges and for scholarships. He is still in band and hopes he will actually get to play again before graduation. Angie is a junior in high school and is on the school “knowledge bowl” team. She enjoys using her creative talents in various ways. Greg is now a freshman in high school. He has missed being involved in sports and band and looks forward to participating when they are able to have those activities. Both Jos and Jeff have also been helping out with various aspects of video production for S&E.

David continues as General Director for Serve and Equip. He enjoyed the challenge of working together with a local church on the “Basics of Christianity” video series which ended right before COVID-restrictions kicked in. He has also enjoyed serving others in ministry, especially during this time, when technology has played such a critical part. Sheri continues to help with the S&E bookkeeping, main Bible verse backgrounds and closed captioning for the weekly topic series, proofing corrections and in other areas as time allows.

Reflections

It’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainties of what has been going on around us this past year here in the US - COVID 19, business closures, civil unrest, rumors of election irregularities and the list goes on. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow must have had similar feelings when he penned a poem during the unrest of the Civil War that was later set to music - “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. Some of those words read:

And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

The lack of peace on earth is nothing new. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the Bible records incidents of hate and unrest between individuals and nations. However, more important than peace on earth, is peace with God. In Isaiah, it was prophesied that a child would be born—one of His names would be the “Prince of Peace”. This baby, Jesus, was born several hundred years later. When angels announced the birth of the baby (Jesus), they praised God and proclaimed a message of peace. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. “ Because Christ came to earth as a baby, lived a perfect life and died on a cross to pay the penalty for sin , we can be made right by repentance and faith and experience peace with God (Romans 5:1) As we experience the peace of God, we can be messengers of the peace, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and hope that we find in Christ.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and Serve and Equip (S&E). Please continue to pray for S&E that we would finish the year strong in serving Christ effectively and that He would provide both strength and finances throughout the remainder of this rather tumultuous year. Direct messages and encouragement can always be sent to dmoore@sveq.org or smoore@sveq.org ☺ .

If you would like to have a part in helping S&E finish the year well financially, your monetary gifts can be sent to:

Serve and Equip, P.O. Box 110, Lynden, WA 98264-0110

or by PayPal at: http://sveq.org/give

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