Collins Family in Mesick, MI

As this month of Thanksgiving draws to a close, we want to express our thankfulness to God and to you for your partnership in ministry. Thank you for your encouragement! Many of you have encouraged us with kind and helpful words and deeds during the last several months as we’ve been raising support for our mission work in Mexico. Thank you! Thank you for your prayers! Many of you have prayed for us faithfully as we’ve traveled, shared our ministry, and prepared for ministry in Mexico. We know that mission work is spiritual warfare, and we desperately need your prayers on our behalf. Thank you! Thank you for your giving! Many of you have partnered with us financially and we are very thankful for your help. We could not serve without you. Thank you! We deeply appreciate you and the part God has given you in our ministry and in our hearts. Thank you for working together with us for the advance of the gospel in Mexico. Our desire is to depart for Mexico early ...

At the end of May this year, Sarah and I cleared out our apartment in Traverse City. We had sold several items, donated several more, stored a few, and we managed to fit the rest of our earthly belongings in our car. We spent one final Wednesday night with the youth group at Bible Baptist Church. As we were getting ready to leave Traverse City to move to South Carolina, Pastor Dan (the youth pastor) came over and said with a chuckle, “Hey, you guys are homeless now!” It was true. I hadn’t thought about it until that moment (maybe I was just in denial), but we were “homeless” in a way. Until God brings us to Mexico to settle down, we are nomads. But what is “home”? Is “home” really just a place? Or is it something much deeper? I believe “home” has much more to do with a sense of belonging. “Home” is where you feel accepted and loved. In other words, I think “home” has a lot more to do with relationship than with location . Home is more a person than a place . ...

We were blessed to spend the last five weeks at The Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in Union Mills, North Carolina. We were there along with several other missionaries, learning from each other and from the facilitators who are all seasoned missionaries! Below are some of the highlights of our time. Spiritual Growth Our time at CIT was one of incredible spiritual growth! The first week we were there, we had the Engage Retreat, which focused on spiritual formation—allowing God to work in us and change us so that we can be more effective as His servants. A key concept we looked at was examining our desires, and how God ultimately satisfies our desires more fully than anything on earth can. It was truly a transformational week for us, and God continued working in us throughout the rest of our time there as well. We have both experienced new depths in our personal relationship with God. New Friendships Another blessing from God was the formation of some new friendships...