The tradition in France is that every conversation between January 1 and January 31 should begin with the phrase Bonne Année! which means Happy New Year! Only then can the conversation take place. So, Meg and I would like to wish all of you a "Bonne Année" !
Celebrating Our 40th Wedding Anniversary ❤️
1983 2023
On Sunday January 8, 2023, Meg and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary! We were married on January 8, 1983, in Seattle. Pastor Fred Barshaw married us. I was a seminary student attending Talbot Theological Seminary on the campus of Grace Community Church, and Meg had just finished her job as a flight attendant with Pan Am, where we had met when I also was a flight attendant with Pan Am. We thank the Lord for His faithfulness over these 40 years together!
Thankful For 37 Years on The Field
The day we left for France in January 1986
On January 8, 1986, on our third wedding anniversary, we landed in France to begin our career as missionaries with TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission. About 15 years ago, we joined Grace Ministries International (GMI), the Mission agency spawned by our home church. We thank the Lord for His faithfulness in having carried us through ups and downs of ministry as church-planters in France and Switzerland for all these years.
A New Church in Geneva?
Meg and I continue to pray about starting a new English-language church in Geneva and we are moving forward with the idea. GMI, our mission agency, is enthusiastic about the project! We would like to start a Bible study this May, and church services, Lord willing, in September 2023. Thank you for praying for a team with at least 2 younger couples to join us. Several people in Geneva have already expressed interest in joining us in this new endeavor.
Travel to the US Next Month 🇺🇸
On February 21, 2023, Meg and I will be traveling to the US for six weeks. I plan on attending Shepherd’s Conference at our home church, Grace Community Church. We also plan on connecting with as many of our friends and supporters as possible during our short time there. Here are our dates:
Feb 21-March 14: Los Angeles
Feb 22: Ministry update at Mindset for Missions at Grace Community Church (gracechurch.org)
Feb 25: Open House
Feb 26: Ministry Update during evening service (6PM) at Grace Community Church
March 7-10: Shepherd’s Conference
March 12: Preaching at The Bridge Bible Fellowship - pastor Paul Brown (bridgebible.church)
March 14-April 4: Jupiter, FL
March 20-22: To TN to bury Meg’s mother’s ashes
April 4: Return to Geneva
OPEN HOUSE:WE ARE HOSTING AN OPEN HOUSE IN LA Since we will be in Los Angeles for only three weeks, we plan on hosting an open house on Saturday, February 25, from 3-5PM, possibly in Burbank. We will give a brief ministry update at 4pm. NOTE: During our time in LA we will be staying in an apartment, so if someone would like to offer to host the open house in your home, we might be open to the idea. Thank you! More information will come later about the open house. For now, thanks for noting it in your calendar as we would love to see as many of you as possible!
May the Lord bless you richly during this new year, and we hope to see you soon!
