Truth 4 Utah
Truth 4 Utah Mission Update #18
February 19th, 2022
“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength,not one of them is missing… Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
—Isaiah 40:25-31
Dear Family & Friends, One of the things that we may find ourselves doing in life is being so busy with activities, church, and day-to-day life that we forget to slow down, stop & consider who God is. WHO GOD IS makes all the difference in the world. How many times are we overwhelmed by situations in life and we get stuck there because our eyes stay fixed on ourselves and our circumstances.
Isaiah 26 says that the person whose mind is fixed on God will remain in perfect peace. Circumstances & struggles matter, but God matters more. Perhaps our lives are so busy that we don’t know how to slow down, meditate on God’s character & power and then worship Him & enjoy Him!
Sometimes even theology can be a distraction. I find myself caught up in comparing God’s Word to this world and analyzing how to fix things. That’s a good thing to do, but our theology & our desire to see God’s goodness restored must never overtake our love & desire for God Himself!
General Update
AnneMarie & Noelle are healthy! Praise God. We’ve had our fair share of sickness over the last couple of months which is pretty much routine for families with little kiddos in the winter. Last Sunday was the first time our whole family was at church in over 2 months so we are so thankful! Brendan just finished up his basketball season and the other kiddos will start swimming soon. School seems to be going well (says the dad who is at work all day and doesn’t have to deal with the challenges of daily kid issues :) I’ve been delivering pizzas on the weekends to make ends meet & we are busy with life & church. God is faithful & has been blessing our family even though this has been a challenging season of transition adding our little Noelle.
Last week we had some friends over for the SuperBowl and the fellowship was a blessing. We all needed it. The weather was really nice today so while AnneMarie, Alana & Noelle went to a baby shower for a friend at church, we went to the park. It’s a beautiful day. In the meantime, we’re content where God has and seeking His direction for job stuff, a house, and ministry.
Gospel Seeds & Opportunities
AnneMarie was able to connect with our Mormon neighbor again recently. It hasn’t happened in a while but just keeping up that connection is important. Unless a Mormon was already seeking to get out, on average it takes Mormons here in Utah around 5 yrs. of hearing the biblical Gospel before they come to salvation by grace through faith. That means that similar to foreign missionaries, our role here often has a long-term view and these types of connections are an important piece of the Gospel & disciple-making work here. I had a pretty intense conversation with a Mormon co-worker recently. I sensed God prompting me to ask if they had done enough to be with God forever. Their countenance dropped, they started talking really slowly and quietly and said not yet. This person is in their 50s, went on a 2-year mission in Italy and is over a pretty devoted Mormon, and still hasn’t done enough. It’s heartbreaking but I know the Holy Spirit was working deeply. I had an unexpected 40-minute conversation with an older lady in the grocery store the other night as well about Mormonism versus the biblical God & Gospel. We touched on everything from who God is, the trinity, eternal marriage & families, how reliable the Bible is, the problems with Mormon teaching to how people receive eternal salvation. It was one of the most comprehensive single Gospel conversations I’ve ever had.
Conversations with my high school students on my bus route have been engaging & truth-centered as well. These kids need Jesus so badly. Also have had the opportunity to engage with some other co-workers using the quote of the day tactic. I share a quote and then we engage about matters of truth, life & faith.
There is a group of men & women from church that are now doing a Bible study at a local youth detention facility which is a new adventure but we are able to share openly and freely the biblical Gospel and talk with the high school kids interactively.
There have been multiple other opportunities as well in various ways that God has brought about.
Wrap-up
PLEASE PRAY for us as we’re launching a new ministry called Eternal Life Elevated. This ministry is designed to help train churches how to engage people around them with biblical truth, the biblical Gospel & biblical apologetics. The hope is to also have opportunities to get into schools & possibly summer camps in the future.
We’re praying it will aid our missions work here in Utah, continue in New Mexico, and anywhere else God will open the doors to go to churches & equip them to preach the Gospel & make disciples for Christ! This work is impossible for us to accomplish, but it is not by our might or power but by God’s Spirit!! Remember to spend time with the Lord, obey His Word & stand firm on the truth!!
Thanks, everyone for your love & support! If you're ever in our area, let us know. We'd love to connect.
GO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS!!
Love & blessings in Christ to all!
In Light of Eternity,
Corry, AnneMarie, Brendan, Alana, Patrick, Daniel, Emmie, Micah & Noelle