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Monday, December 25 2023
Joe Toy, Wagner's and Paul's newsletters below.
Good Morning Lighthouses! Jesus is the Light of the World and He lives in us wanting to light up the world around us, drive back the darkness and lead others to safe shores in Christ. AMEN! Today at our worship/brunch gathering we will have the opportunity to be His light. Pray for help, courage and wisdom as we welcome many guests that will be joining us. It's not too late to bring someone along!
Today we will be discussing who that baby in the manger is and how He has affected our lives as we worship, sing, praise, fellowship, commune, feast and shine bright as we love like Jesus! Pray for all hinderances and strongholds to be torn down for those God is sending and calling. Pray for me to bring His Word in power and for Mike as He leads an altar call and Sarah as she brings prayer to life and for all of us to love well. Pray for the Holy Spirit to come fill us, our house of worship and overflow to all who will come. God has great plans for you and for us. He is already at work. And He is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. (That's you and us!) We all matter and have roles to play today and always in His Good News Delivery Co. Pray for all of us to shine bright today.
Many among our fellowship are sick right now. Pray for healing and a covering of health over us all and for those we are engaging with. Our policy is that if you are sick, stay home. You can join us on Zoom. Pray for those who our mourning or going through some hard times to know peace beyond understanding and be able to choose joy. Pray for those who are depressed to be drawn out by God's love and promises and our love. And rejoice with those who are rejoicing! Sometimes, just counting blessings and choosing joy even when we don't feel like it is the key to healing. Rejoice! For unto us is born a Savior--Christ our Lord, Price of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, God's Word in the Flesh who came to make a way for all who will come! Rejoice! Who is that baby in the manger to you and how has He changed your life? Someone needs to hear that today, this week and wherever you step.
I'm praying for you all to have the merriest of Christmases and most blessed 2024. God loves you beyond measure! You are His masterpiece, made new in Christ and have custom made purposes awaiting! Rejoice and may your life be an act of worship as you light up the world as you choose to live and love Jesus. I'm praying for you and God is cheering you on! See you soon!
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December 24 - A Prayer for Christmas Eve
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Before you begin, ask God to reveal to your heart the ways that the enemy has robbed you of the peace that is yours because of Christ. Confess these things to Him and ask Him to pour out on you His peace that passes all understanding. Ask Him to still the storms in your life and refocus your living.
I thank You Father, that Jesus Himself is my peace and that He has completely destroyed the barrier that separated me from You! How grateful I am that I have been reconciled to Him through His blood shed on the cross and now have peace with You.
Forgive me I pray, for the times that I do not cast my cares and anxieties onto You, but instead carry them myself and allow my heart to be weighed down and needlessly burdened. I ask that Your peace, which is beyond my ability to understand, guard my heart and my mind--cover me, because I am in Christ Jesus. I belong to You. Thank You Lord Jesus, for the peace that You give to me which is so very different than the fleeting attempts of the world to quiet my heart. Guard my heart by Your Holy Spirit, that I might not be afraid. Help me to learn to be still and know that You are God, to hear Your voice in the midst of the storms that I face saying “Peace, be still.” Keep me from fear and increase my faith. May my life be characterized by Your peace no matter what situation I might face, that You may be glorified in me and through me and receive the praise that is due Your name.
May I love Your Word that I might have great peace and not stumble.
May my mind be controlled by Your Holy Spirit and produce life and peace.
May Your strength and peace fill my life because I belong to You.
Lord Jesus, You are my Wonderful Counselor, You are Mighty God, the Everlasting Father incarnate and Prince of Peace! With You all things are possible. I invite You into the impossible situations of my life and ask that as I wait on You, You fill me with Your peace – for my hope is in You alone and I trust in Your great name.
(Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:1; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:7; John 14:27; Psalm 46:10; Mark 4:35-41; Psalm 119:165; Romans 8:6; Psalm 29:11; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 19:26)
--Advent devotion written by Tiece King, author of Pray the Word for Your Church. This resource is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.
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- Focus on Jn. 15:1-17 for the next few days.
- Praise your Father, who is the gardener of your soul.
- Thank Jesus for being the true vine which nourishes and gives life to the branches.
- Confess moments when you’ve tried to sever your relationship to Jesus in some way.
- Commit yourself to welcoming God’s pruning in your life despite the pain it might bring.
- Ask God to make you more fruitful as you live for him.
- Ask that your fruit-bearing will be attractive to unsaved people you know. Pray that they will “taste [of that fruit] and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8).
Prayer Pointer
“God rules the world through the prayers of his people.” —Anonymous
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Wagner's News:
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Greetings Friends,
Last weekend, we visited the town of Skaneateles (pronounced like “Skinny Atlas”) on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York and participated in the annual Dickens festival. We were with Tim and Sandy who will be covering our dorm for the next two terms at RVA. Thanks for remembering to pray for them as they head to Kenya early next week. Today, we arrived in Minneapolis after driving from PA. This weekend, our kids will be arriving with their spouses. It will be our first Christmas together with the whole family in four years. In 2019, we were a family of 5, as none of our kids were married. This year with everyone happily married, we are a family of 9 and all will be enjoying baby snuggles with a three-week-old nephew/grandson. We rejoice and give thanks recognizing that all good things come from the hand of our faithful Father.
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We are writing this quick note to wish everyone a “Happy Christmas”, the phrase used regularly at the Dickens festival. As we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, and the hope He brings to each of us who trust in Him, we are very thankful to be able to celebrate this wonderful gift with family!
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| We also wanted to share our contact information for the next 8 months. Our mailing address is: PO Box 214, Millersville, PA 17551. Brian’s cell is 717-615-3795. Missy’s cell is 717-615-3835. We would love to hear from you while we are in the States and try to connect in person. Please reach out as we are currently planning our travels for the next few months. In the very immediate future, we will be near northern Indiana, southern Michigan, and northern Ohio next week on December 29 and 30. Let us know if you are in that area and perhaps, we can have lunch together. |
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Please continue to PRAY that the doctors will be able to discern the cause of the excess pressure in Brian’s heart. It seems like we will start the new year with a battery of tests, essentially every other day. We continue to be thankful that we have good medical care to help diagnosis the cause of the inflammation. PRAY with us for accurate test results, clarity on the cause, and good treatment options.
The car that Micah was able to purchase ended up having the engine light come on within the first 150 miles and he has found that quite a bit of work needs to be done. We are so impressed by how well he and Lynnsi are handling this unexpected development and added expense trusting that this is all part of God’s plan, even if they don’t understand why. PRAY that they will be able to sort everything out and end up with a good reliable car that will last them a long time.
Reach out and let us know if you would like us to visit or if you would like to come see us in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. |
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Joe Toy news:
Larry Paul News: Paul Prayer Letter December 20232
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December 2023
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
As we look back at the year 2023, we are thankful for how God has directed, protected, and provided for us. And we appreciate the prayers and support from all of you. Because of this, we know that God wants us here serving at Faith Academy to support Bible Translation.
Larry has been busy with his additional responsibilities due to his co-worker returning to the USA to help take care of his parents and in-laws. While monitoring the transportation and grounds departments, there's added work in maintenance and campus development. The new Elementary office and classrooms and the installation of the CCTV cameras around campus are being completed and should be finished in January. After the contractor completed the fencing project around an undeveloped lot in October, they started a new project in a different area of the campus to replace a barbed wire fence with a chain link fence up a steep hill for added security. Now that it's the end of the rainy season two projects will be started in January: Replacing the concrete deck around the swimming pool and roofing and gutter work on multiple campus buildings. Larry's also beginning the design to renovate office space since his departments do not need all of the space they are currently using and other departments can use the space next school year. There are larger priority projects currently seeking funding to build a new parking lot, build a handicap ramp near the High School office, and install a wheelchair lift to allow PWD students to access all of the Middle School classrooms. Other priority projects listed this year include renovating the existing ESD office to a new classroom, building a new High School wing, and building a new facilities building so their existing space can be converted to middle school classrooms.
Enol is enjoying her time volunteering a few days a week at Faith Academy's Elementary division. She's reconnecting with old friends and making new friends while helping the teachers with their classes. Enol's mother went to be with the Lord in September. She stayed in the village after the Bible dedication in June to be with her family and friends. Unfortunately, she became sick and was taken to the hospital in the city where she passed on. Enol was able to return to the village for her funeral and be with her family during their time of grief. This was important to her since she missed her father's funeral because we were in the USA when he died.
Richard and Brayden continue to do well in school in both academics and sports. Richard is doing well and keeping up with the work needed in his AP classes, both the online classes and the in-person classes. Brayden adjusted to the expected classwork and homework in his high school classes and earned good grades for the first semester. Larry traveled to Korea with Richard and the rest of the Faith Academy varsity volleyball team to compete in the ACSC (Asia Christian Schools Conference) tournament against other Christian schools in SE Aisa. They were not expected to do very well since they lost a lot of games against volleyball club teams in the Philippines, but they worked hard and came together as a team and won the tournament! Way to go Vanguards! Brayden and the Faith Academy junior varsity volleyball team worked hard and came in second in their season-ending tournament. Richard and Brayden are both currently on the Faith Academy varsity basketball team. The team has been playing well and is currently undefeated this season. Their season will resume after Christmas break when they'll have more league games and a tournament at Faith Academy in January before going to the ACSC basketball tournament in Indonesia in February.
Praises
- Richard and Brayden doing well at Faith Academy, both with schoolwork and athletics.
- Enol can volunteer at Faith Academy
- God's provision for our needs and our good health
Prayer Requests
- Larry to continue to handle the additional responsibilities at Faith Academy
- Enol's sister Zeny, complete recovery from stroke, and her financial needs
Thank you again for your continued prayers and support of our ministry at Faith Academy in the Philippines.
Larry, Enol, Richard, and Brayden |
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New chain link fence being installed on a steep hill!
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Richard and Brayden performing at the October concert.
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2023 ACSC Boys Volleyball champions!
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Our boys playing basketball!
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Richard and Brayden playing at the Christmas concert.
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Financial Partnership
Mail a check to:
Wycliffe
PO Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200
www.wycliffe.org
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