A Snapshot of 2016
So Much to Be Thankful For
It was 27 years ago today that Tina had a momentary lapse of judgment and said “I do.” God has taken us on quite the journey ever since and God’s grace has been abundant all the way through. He has richly blessed us with five wonderful children, two great son-in-laws and this year with our first grandchild, who turned out to be pretty handsome I might add . It must be in the genes :)There have been many twists and turns over the years—from a career in electrical engineering to becoming a pastor to now being both pastor and missionary. I can see now the many experiences that God has taken us through in order to prepare us for this time in our lives and for the ministry that He has given us. I am so blessed not only for the privilege to serve God’s people locally but also to serve them abroad through the Pastors Training Ministry.[gallery ids="692,689" type="rectangular"]And this brings me to another reason for being thankful to the Lord … and that is YOU. I have been so humbled by the many who are supporting this ministry in so many ways—from the many who have given of their finances to the many who are praying consistently for us to those who have helped with the administrative tasks (such as setting up a website) to the designing of our prayer cards. As Paul would often say, “I thank God in all my remembrance of you.”
Wide Open Doors
It was less than two years ago when the Lord laid on my heart to invest myself in equipping pastors overseas to be more effective in their shepherding of God’s people by better understanding and teaching of His Word. At the same time, we wanted to continue to serve at our church and so I was not sure how it would work. So, I just asked the Lord to open the doors that He wanted me to go through. And so far He has opened them both in the Philippines and in Malawi.[gallery ids="667,711" type="rectangular"]These men have been a great encouragement to me by their own example of sacrifice and the desire to know God’s word and to serve His sheep.[gallery ids="710,712" type="rectangular"]Prayer Requests for Next YearAs we look to 2017 here are a few things we would be grateful for you to be praying for:
- Preparations for next year: Please pray for wisdom as I finalize plans for trips next year which currently includes four to the Philippines and one to Malawi. There may be another trip or two as well.
- Doctor of Ministry Studies: Thank you for your continued prayers. I have one more semester of class room study before I get started on the dissertation. Classes for this semester run from January 5th-13th and then I will have a number of assignments to complete.
- Family: Please keep praying that our children will live for Christ at their work and school. Please also pray for wisdom in the decisions they have before them.
- Support: Thank you for your ongoing support. Please pray that more churches would commit to support the Pastors Training Ministry in the coming year.
With that in mind, if the Lord leads you to continue supporting this ministry, you can do so by check made out to Calvary Bible Church with ‘suggested use Carns Missions’ on the memo line. The check can be placed in the Sunday offering or mailed to Calvary Bible Church at 1101 S. Main St, Burbank, CA 91506.