2024 Launch & 2023 Recap
by Jacob
Megan and I are excited for what 2024 has to bring! It will be a busy but good year! January has already been full of things — we have had a large Circuit Riders team come through for preparation for their missions trips across Europe.
Also, the Backpack Europe Discipleship Training School has begun at our campus. They are currently in a week of teaching on freedom, learning about the gift of repentance and forgiveness.
Our 2023 recap newsletter is shown below, filled with reflections from last year, notable statistics, a few goals for 2024, a plethora of pictures, and more. God is faithful! Thanks so much for following along and continuing to support us through your prayers and giving.
Much love,
Megan and Jacob
2023 Recap
Our August wedding in Minnesota was a beautiful time with family and friends.
by Jacob
Megan and I hope you all had a great holiday season! It was my first Christmas away from family in Minnesota and our first Christmas together. It was a time of connection within our staff community as we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas together celebrating, playing games, being generous, and more. We are so grateful for the community of friends we have around us. It was definitely a bit challenging for us to be away from home, missing family, but we know what we do is worth this sacrifice.
As the year has come to close I have been thinking more about the goodness and faithfulness of God.
The first time God describes his character and nature is to Moses, and he describes himself like this:
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth.” Exodus 34:6 NASB
God describes himself as “abounding in faithfulness.” The truth is God’s goodness and faithfulness is perfect beyond my comprehension.
Without God’s perspective, all there is to feel and see is my own thoughts and those from the enemy working against my good. So when I think back to all that happened in 2023 I could feel disappointed about things or maybe even prideful about others, taking credit when it all belongs to God.
When I take the time to ask God to help me, I can see where he was in ways I did not recognize. I can see how God was faithful even when I felt alone or like I was failing. I can see where I did miss the mark and need to improve, and I can see that God was compassionate and spoke truth to me. God has been so faithful to continually refine me into the man I have always wanted to be and the man I needed to be for marriage.
I am so grateful that God has been faithfully providing for Megan and me to be in missions. It is truly a privilege! I want to live in the understanding of God’s faithfulness to me daily, never taking for granted the reality of His favor and goodness to me.
I pray that this awareness of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and compassion floods your life and you see it rightly as well. God is pursuing you and working for your good forever. He never has and never will forsake you. God is faithful in your life.
If that is something that does not make sense or your struggle to fully believe, please consider taking a moment to ask God to show you his abounding faithfulness, goodness and compassion to you.
2023 in Pictures
Megan’s Reflections on 2023
The highlight of my year was definitely getting married to Jacob and being at home with our families. It was a sweet time to rest but also much fun seeing friends and family come to celebrate with us on our wedding day.
When I look back I wish that we had even more time at home to catch up and connect with everyone, but I am very thankful for what we were able to do this year and how much our families helped us out to do it.
The lowlight of my year was probably the first half of the year. It was a time where I was handling many leadership responsibilities in the discipleship school and trying to balance personal life. It quickly became overwhelming for me and I grew very tired. I know God was faithful through it all and I was able to have a great second half of 2023.
Jacob’s Reflections on 2023
The year of 2022 was a year of growth as I replaced the chase I had in the world with Christ and grew to be surrendered to God in my life. Now this past year, 2023, has been the most amazing year of my life, for so many reasons. The foundation in Christ has been a necessary blessing as I have been consistently joyful and stable. I have learned a deeper level of maturity and responsibility for being an image bearer of the character of Jesus for my community and as a husband.
The highlight itself would be the joining of Megan’s life and mine, together.
The lowlight would be the distance from my family in Minnesota and missing the ability for quality time with them. Since becoming a missionary, I have grown in so many ways and am aware of where I missed opportunities for connection in the past with them.