August 2020
The Summer is Coming to a Close...
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Three silly little monkeys have loved running around outside all summer!
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At the end of Colossians 4, Paul recognizes several people by name: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus (called Justus), Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nympha, Archippus... To us, it's mostly names of people we don't know, but these are the people near and dear to Paul's heart, the people he wanted to greet personally.
These people had very different gifts from the Holy Spirit and different purposes in the Kingdom of God. For example, we know from this short passage that Nympha hosted a church in her home, meaning she was likely gifted in hospitality. Maybe she was an excellent baker who always offered up pumpkin bread after worship (yummmmm).
But despite these peoples' differences, they were working towards the same common purpose: making disciples of all nations.
Every day, when we pray for the partners God put on our team, we feel so thankful. You are all very near and dear to our hearts. You have a unique gifting that is useful in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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And when we reflect on our partnership team as a whole, we see singles and newlyweds, families and widows. We see diversity and beauty and we see one common goal: Making disciples of all nations.
We can't recognize everyone here, just like Paul didn't recognize all of his friends and co-laborers in Colossians 4, but there are a few we need to thank by name. FLBC VBS kids and teachers, thank you for giving so generously to our family. Mom and Dad, thanks for letting us live with you, for sharing your food, and for helping with our kids. Pastor Blake, thanks for your constant encouragement and countless prayers. Dean and Courtney, thanks for keeping our shipping container at your house. Fred and Betty, thanks for loving on our kids even from afar. Matt and Callan, your words of encouragement on our blog always make our day. BCC friends, thanks for making space for our family at the table (and for sharing your horses with our kids).
In all things, we are thankful to God and we are thankful for you.
Love, Allen & Melissa Batts
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In August, we...
- Started a homeschool preschool program in the mornings with the kids
- Potty trained Clara (and learned some pretty funny jokes while we were at it)
- Took Hudson to the ER (everything turned out fine and he wooed the doctor on call)
- Shared about Togo with Bonanza Community Church (BCC) and spent time with friends (and their pigs)
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Coming Up
Allen will be preaching at BCC on Sunday mornings throughout the month of September. He'll also be leading two men's breakfast Bible studies on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Allen and I are going on a ministry retreat on the Coast in mid-September to be refreshed before departing for the field.
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Ministry Update
Allen is able to engage in more ministry opportunities while I work closely in teaching and discipling our kids throughout the day. Allen has been able to serve on worship teams at BCC, is planning sermons and lessons for September, and found some creative ways to engage in children's ministry, too!
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Togo Central Team
Several teammates were able to finish language school in France and are now settling in Kara, Togo! Pray for Jonathan and Michelle (and their kids) and Meredith as they all adjust to life in Togo. This includes finding homes, unpacking, learning local languages, and exploring ministry opportunities.
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We are fully funded! Any new partners and partnering churches will now directly increase our ministry budget on the field. Any additional one-time gifts we receive will go towards extra language school or vehicle costs. Thank you, partners and thank You, God!!
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