Merry Christmas from the Ellingsons
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." — Galatians 4:4-5
Thank you for thinking and praying for us as we celebrate Christmas overseas this year. We wanted to thank each of you who have sent us your Christmas cards and special packages — what a treat! We feel loved! We thank God for each of you who have "held the rope" for us this trimester through your support and prayers. May we all cherish Christ this season and worship Him for coming to earth to save us sinners.
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French Language Studies Report
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We wanted to report that our four days of final exams are now complete and that we both passed our exams. Our professors explained to us the areas we were doing well and where we still needed to improve in the months ahead. Thank you for your prayers for our language learning progress!
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These are our wonderful French professors
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A Note from David
"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.." — 1 John 5:14-15
As I reflect on this past year I am reminded of God's unending faithfulness. I looked backed over our prayer requests from earlier newsletters in 2019 and I wanted to report how God has answered the prayers that you have prayed for us. Look at the list of answered prayers below! Merry Christmas.
Gloire à Dieu,
David
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A Note from Ashley
Bonjour dear brothers and sisters,
Merry Christmas! I praise God for allowing us to complete our first trimester of French—phew! Thank you for lifting us up in prayer through these challenging days.
Facing this task of acquiring a new language right now has been an instrument in God's hand to work in my heart. It has been humbling and brought struggles mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I am learning to see these struggles as a blessing as they drive me to depend more on God's grace and strength. One of the verses that has encouraged me lately is Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." I have been reminded many times to be faithful and to work for the Lord and trust Him with the results. As much as I want to feel successful and accomplished, God has more important work to do in my heart.
This Christmas, I praise and thank God that I have died, and my life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). By His grace I will press on for His glory and by His strength. "Just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1 Cor 1:31).
Thank you to those who have contacted me since our last newsletter, it has been encouraging to hear from you. You can reach me through my email (ashleyellingson@gmail.com), Facebook messenger, WhatsApp (+1-520-400-0785), Marco Polo, and Voxer.
Merci beaucoup!
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VIDEO: Family Fun on the Ice Rink
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We enjoyed some family time ice skating! It was the first time any of the girls had ice skated, except for Anna who has been learning with her school class.
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The girls enjoyed our first snow in Albertville. We got to walk to school through the snow. It only lasted 1 day, but they did build a snowman (bonhomme de neige) and threw some snowballs!
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For the first time since being in France, we were blessed to be able to go as a family to a French Crêperie. C'était délicieux!
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Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for recuperation and reconnection as a family during the break. It has been a busy semester and we hope to have some quality time together.
- Pray for diligence to continue reviewing and practicing our French during the break as we prepare to begin again in January.
- Pray for our families in Arizona who are missing us this Christmas.
- Pray for the salvation of our four daughters. Our girls have heard the truths of the gospel over and over and we are asking God to work in their hearts and make the gospel a reality in their lives. Please join us in this prayer.
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All Glory Be to Christ,
David & Ashley, Isabella (age 9), Lydia (age 8), Anna (age 6), and Clara (5 yrs old on January 18)
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"Hold the Rope" Financially
All gifts are tax-deductible
100% of your gift goes towards the ministry
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Some of you have asked how to make a personal (non-ministry) gift to our family. You can send a gift directly to us through PayPal (this is not tax deductible): https://www.paypal.me/missionary1
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View our previous newsletters here.
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