Our December began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, inching past Port St. Lucie, Florida as the farthest distance that we currently plan to travel on deputation. The 1,300 mile distance pales in comparison to the 8,000+ mile distance from Chicago to Auckland!
Also in December, we visited five other churches. We were able to present our burden and ministry in churches throughout Illinois and Iowa. By January 1, 2021, we were praying to be at twenty percent of our necessary support. We are currently at 20.6 percent, praise the Lord!
God allowed us to attend church services at our home church on consecutive weeks. This worked out in a timely fashion to attend with a visitor we had met earlier in the month. Michael, age 56, received Christ and was baptized on December 27 after attending for the first time the week prior: what a great way to end 2020! Please pray for Michael to begin attending church faithfully as the Devil has used family members in an attempt to deter him. I also received an invitation to preach to a full crowd at our home church’s Reformers Unanimous New Year’s Dinner.
Pray for Nicola, a Maori lady (Polynesian population of NZ), who was led to Christ last month by Pastor Fraser in Tauranga, NZ. Please add her to your prayer list, that she may have the courage to be baptized and begin attending church. What an exciting time to serve the Lord, with so many people searching for the truth!
On a personal note, we are expecting our first baby in July 2021! We thank the Lord for His goodness to us.
God Bless,
Josh & Alyse Szwarga