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Izzy, Lydia, Anna, and Clara are popping out to say, "Bonjour! Ca va?"
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A Note from Ashley:
Thank you to each of you who have prayed for us and helped us reach this point in our progress towards arriving on the mission field. It's truly been a blessing to see God working in your hearts to pray and partner with us in faith. Right now we are taking steps towards getting our house in Tucson on the market to sell this summer. I am continuing to make progress on my counseling certification bit by bit. I have completed the 24 theology essay questions on the exam and am beginning the last 20 essay questions covering specific counseling topics. I am also continuing to learn and practice French as much as possible.
We had a special week visiting family and friends in Tucson recently and are thankful for the precious time with you all. Your love is such an encouragement!
Looking ahead, I am so thankful that I serve a sovereign God who already has every detail planned out according to His perfect will. My desire is to be faithful with the tasks of each day and glorify God with the strength He provides.
— Ashley Ellingson
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The Infinite Worth of the Lamb
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A Note from David:
Revelation 5:1–10 puts the infinite worth of Christ on display. As I prepared this sermon, my own heart was struck with the implications of this awe-inspiring truth. The Lamb is worthy of our worship. He is worthy of our singing. He is worthy of our entire lives.
My prayer is that each of us will dedicate our lives for the global worship of the Worthy Lamb. May we live daily so that the slain Lamb will receive the full reward of His suffering. Let us hold our lives cheap for the sake of the gospel, for the eternal blessedness of others, and for the glory of Christ.
The significance of Christ's worthiness impacted not only my own heart, but also the hearts of many others throughout church history. There's a long line of godly men and women who have chosen to live this way. For example....
Have you heard the account of the two Moravian missionaries?
In 1732, two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 3,000 slaves. This slave owner would not allow any preachers or clergymen to the island. This meant that the 3,000 slaves from the jungles of Africa who were on this island would live and die without hearing of Christ.
So, when these two young men in their 20’s heard about their plight, they determined to sell themselves as slaves so they could gain access to the island and proclaim the gospel to these African slaves.
As the community came to see the two young men off, their family members were emotional and weeping. As the ship slipped away, the young men linked arms, raised their hands, and shouted:
“May the Lamb who was slain receive the full reward of His suffering!”
That is my prayer too. May Christ get what He is worthy of in our lives!
— David Ellingson
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Before preaching, I shared about Madagascar and highlighted the two areas of focus our ministry will have as missionaries there.
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We believe one of the best ways to have a long-term impact in a nation is to train indigenous pastors in expositional preaching, sound theology, and in having a godly character and ministry.
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Ministry in and through a local church is critical. We plan to strengthen the local church in Madagascar by discipling believers, raising up and identifying future leaders, and practicing life-on-life ministry with the members of that church.
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Our Monthly Supporter Team provides for the following: Language Training, Living Expenses, Vehicle Expenses, Medical Expenses, Clothing, Ministry Expenses, Furlough Travel Savings, and more.
One-time Gifts provide for the following: Shipping Container, Plane Tickets to France & Madagascar, 4x4 Vehicle, and other startup costs whenever you move to a new area.
Goal:
• 75% of monthly partners committed by the end of August 2018.
• 75% of outgoing funds raised by the end of August 2018.
Partner with the Ellingsons today:
https://www.gracechurch.org/Ellingson
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In order to not delay our language school start date of January 2019, we must reach about 75% of our monthly budget by the end of August. Once we reach this milestone, we will apply for our visas to France and register for the 1-year language school in Albertville, France.
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Prayer Requests:
- Pray for our daughter's hearts and minds as the Lord prepares them for all the changes ahead. Please pray that we would lead and prepare them well through our parenting.
- Pray for our house in Tucson to sell and for all the logistics with that.
- Pray for the Lord to continue to connect us with other believers who share the same desire to spread the fame of Christ's name to the 24 million souls in Madagascar. Especially be in prayer as we reach out to more churches in the coming weeks to share our vision and plans for ministry in Madagascar and request their participation with us.
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All Glory Be to Christ,
David & Ashley, Isabella (age 8), Lydia (age 7), Anna (age 5), and Clara (age 3)
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View our previous newsletters here.
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