Praising the God of the Harvest

       Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."   ~Psalm 103 

        All around are sights and smells of fall.  Pumpkin patches, tractors in the corn fields, trucks making numerous trips back and forth on the roads, pot lucks with dishes made from fresh picked produce!  All these things bring feelings of joy, family, and celebration!  One little 2 yr. old boy after the service here was dragging his mother out the door because he'd been promised he could ride with Dad in the combine!  We are excited to be here at harvest time and celebrate the bounty of the farmers here!
        In a way we find ourselves in a time much like they are.  In a harvest time.  They have planned and planted, tended and waited, and are now working and gathering the fruit of their labor.  They depend on this harvest to support and supply them for the coming winter and through to the next year.  In the same way we are celebrating our support and provision that was planned in advance, waited on with prayer, and now has come in, allowing us to draw from it for the coming work and the coming year.   We are thankful for God's faithful hand in our lives and the support team He has raised, surrounding us with gifts, prayer, and encouragement.  We are also reaping a harvest of seeds not sown by us but rather by those before us.   To have come here and been so welcomed by the people, so blessed with all the work they have put into the parsonage, and to have their hearts so open for the teaching of God's Word is because of God's work in people's hearts and the many Village Missionaries before us.  For that we are thankful!

          There truly has been a lot of work put into the parsonage with new paint, new central air heating and cooling, new water heater, and still more improvements!  We are feel really blessed!  I enjoy the signatures of an old house - the old windows that you have to prop open with a stick, the old door handles, with the wide and designed wood trim.  I appreciate the root cellar that brings back memories of gardens with my family and jars and jars of home canned produce, and the new paint that matches so much of my decor!  The Lord even added a sweet touch by remembering my delight in all the roses on Plum Street in Cotopaxi, and allowed the little pink rosebush here to still be blooming outside.  I also take delight in the dirt street we live on and all the pick-ups and farm trucks going back and forth, giving me a feeling of being right at home! 
         Daniel has been able to settle into his office and realize that all those books many of you helped us move, doesn't look like very many when compared to the many empty shelves at the church!  He has plans to continue building his library!
         Hannah's smile has begun to build a reputation for her as we've met people on walks around town and at a gathering at the library on Fridays for coffee and conversation.  She's amazing at socializing!  She's also been a great joy to have laughing and playing on the floor and who makes meal times so much more entertaining now that she's eating solid foods with us!

          Below are some pictures of Hannah, our house, and the church.

 

                                               
   What a privilege it is for us to be serving at this little church!  Please pray for us as we make adjustments, get to know people, and seek God's will.

Thank-you for your time & God Bless!