The days have become longer and the sun is shining again. I’m waking up to the sound of birds, watching honeybees and butterflies fill the sky, drinking iced coffee, and feeling the warm sun on my skin once more. With March comes layers of different emotions. So much of my life now feels centered around March 20th. Everything seems to have taken place either before or after the passing of my dad. It has been two years now since his death, and grief is still sprinkled throughout my life. I once saw a quote describing grief as being like glitter. You clean it up here and there, but you still find it in random places scattered throughout your life. I find it in conversations when my friends talk about their dads, in questions I have about taxes, in the ice cream aisle at the store, in the sound of birds, in plans for my future. In so many unexpected moments, I find reminders of him there. Grief isn’t as front-facing as it once was, but it still catches in the corner of my eye. I’m so grateful that I belong to a God who I can now say with full confidence has never left my side. I have felt His comfort so deeply. On the hard days, I sense His grief alongside mine. In the small, joyful moments, I feel His smile over me.

Grief has transformed me in ways that mean I will never be the same person I was before, but I am learning to love the person I am becoming. I have grown more sensitive, more gentle, more kind and understanding. I have also learned to live with deeper gratitude. My relationship with the Lord has grown so much that I no longer want to settle for a life that is less than what I know God desires for me.

I’m excited about what God has ahead for me, and I’m finding myself excited about life again. God truly can make all things new when we invite Him into the places of our lives that need renewal. Prayer has been essential in my healing, partnering with Jesus in my grief and sorrow. As we walk with Christ, we slowly find ourselves led out of the wilderness and into quiet pastures filled with beauty and life.

Thank you for loving me and for being there for me. Your financial support and the time you take to read these updates mean more to me than I can fully express. It truly touches my heart to know that you care about my life and the work God is doing here, even from across the world.

Below you’ll find my latest ministry updates! These are the things that you are directly helping make possible through the seeds you are sowing.

I’m praying for you and so grateful for you. I hope you are enjoying the beauty of spring and the changing of the season as much as I am.

Pilgrim

Every Friday, I head over to Pilgrim, the cafe my colleagues opened, to host a language exchange. It’s a weekly exercise in stepping outside my comfort zone; I never truly know who will walk through those doors. While people visit for many reasons, the most common one is simply a desire for connection.

This month, I met three girls who came in specifically looking for friendship. We ended up chatting for over two hours! We exchanged numbers and even planned to start getting together for monthly meals. This is something I’ve wanted to start for a long time, so I’m thrilled to have found a group that shares that interest.

Please pray for these women and that I can be a "fresh presence" in their lives. To be honest, I’ve felt a bit disconnected from the gift of hosting for a long while, but I feel that desire stirring again. Please pray for courage and that any fear of rejection would be gone in Jesus’ name as I step back into this calling.

The Community Center

I have been so grateful for this space to grow and truly step into my own. It’s a place I inherited from a previous colleague, and it has become somewhere I genuinely enjoy being. It feels like a space where I can breathe and be fully myself. While there are moments when it feels stressful and I feel very vulnerable, I also feel deeply loved and embraced by the people there.

Recently, a younger woman from China started coming to my classes, and it seems like we are really beginning to connect. I’m waiting for the right opportunity to ask if she would like to spend time together outside of that context. Please pray for wisdom about how to approach that well. Because of strict privacy laws and the contracts I’ve agreed to, I want to be very thoughtful and sensitive about how I pursue a relationship with her.

At the other community center, I’ve also grown closer to another teacher. I think we may be getting to the point where I could ask her to get coffee sometime outside of the community center. I missed her classes for a week because I wasn’t in a good place mentally, but when I returned the following week it was just the two of us for the first fifteen minutes. She asked if I was doing okay, and we ended up having a very honest conversation. I was able to share about how, even in my grief, I cling to hope and still find joy in the midst of sorrow.

She then opened up to me about her own life. She shared about her relationship with her mother, who is very sick and struggling. She said she doesn’t know where to find hope right now, but that she hopes one day she will.

Because of French laws, I have to be very sensitive about how I talk about Christ in this space, as those kinds of conversations are restricted. But I can still be a presence of joy and hope. I was especially encouraged by something she said as students began walking in and we had to end our conversation. She told me, “I would have never known what you have gone through because of your smile and how kind and joyful you are to everyone around you.”

I cried on the bus back to my apartment after class, because this has been my prayer every day, that I would be someone who can reflect the joy that is set before me to the people around me, even in the midst of my own grief.

Please continue to pray for this space and that God will continue to use me there.

International Church

I have continued to really enjoy my time at the International Church in La Tour-du-Pin. It has been such a meaningful place for me to keep growing and to be immersed in the French context. I’m beginning to understand more and more French while I’m there, which has been really encouraging. When the kids speak to me or ask questions, I’m able to respond, and when the lesson is being taught, I can follow what is being discussed without needing to study beforehand. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here and serve in this capacity.

We also have several Easter events coming up, so please be covering this outreach in prayer. Please pray that people from the village would come, and that their hearts would be open and interested in hearing the Gospel of Jesus.

What is Ahead

I’ll be returning to the States in September to begin another season of iternation. I’m really looking forward to being home and seeing many of you again! While I’m back, I’ll be traveling between Texas, Minnesota, and the New England area. I’m also incredibly grateful to share that the Lord has provided a car for me to use while I’m home through an organization in South Dakota. This is a huge answer to prayer, and I’m so thankful for His provision.

During this time of fundraising, I’ll be specifically seeking churches that may want to join my partnership team in the work being done in France. If you are part of a local church that has a missions team or missions director, I would really appreciate it if you could connect me with them. Otherwise, I’m simply looking forward to being home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and spending time with many of you.

The countdown has begun! Please be praying for all the logistical details in the coming months as I begin selling furniture from my apartment, putting things into storage, and transitioning out of my ministries here in Grenoble.

Thank you for your prayers and support! It means so much.