January 2022

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January 2022 Hello! Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. What a blessing it is to have both the local church as well as the Church all over the world caring for you and loving you. January has been a busy month for Stephen and I (as it seems every month in seminary/life is). We had a pastoral counseling class which was super encouraging for both of us to begin to learn really practical tools of how to apply the beautiful riches of theology to hurting and broken human souls. It also allowed us to begin processing things deeper within our own hearts both with each other and with the Lord. We are both grieved over sin and simultaneously so thankful for the never ending depth of the Lord's grace. We also started our upper level Greek classes. Learning the syntax and linguistic principles of Greek proved to be very challenging and much more philosophical than I would have imagined. We both have officially translated our first entire book of the Bible! First John is the classic beginner Greek text and we were so excited to have officially translated from beginning to end all on her own. It was so rewarding and a deep reminder that these skills are equipping us to bring the gospel to the unreached of the nations. With so many international students here, who have recognized the deep need for theological training for cross cultural ministry, we are deeply spurred on and encouraged that while we ache to go, this season is of utmost importance and right where we need to be. My Mom in the middle (and Dad taking the picture)  This past week my parents came to visit and it was very sweet and very redemptive. My dad has never visited me anywhere that I’ve lived before just for the sake of visiting. For this to be his first time coming to see me has evidenced the Lords redemptive work in that relationship. As I’ve watched the Holy Spirit change his heart over these past 10 years I have watched a heart of stone slowly become a heart of flesh and one that is stepping out in love and service.   The past week had a lot of its challenges and they were points that proved to be very stressful (we had two large assignments and a final while my parents were visiting), however, the time was so sweet and beautiful, even as my parents age to see them beginning to grow in faith, beginning to love the Lord, and asking questions of how to pursue community and how to pursue the Lord personally. They got to come to one of our church services and Sunday school classes which was so exciting for me to see them get to learn some of the beautiful theology that we get to sit under week after week. It was a really busy week with them here but such a sweet time that is launching us into our spring semester.  Above: Mom and Dad on the left and a mexican restaurant we visited on the right :) As we venture into the new semester, we are deeply thankful for you all. You have sent emails of encouragement at just the right time. You have sent texts with prayers when we were on our last strand. You have interceded for us when the flesh and the enemy were seeking to destroy. You are a huge part of our backbone of community in life. Thank you for being the body of Christ, caring for us when we are weak, supporting us when our strength fails, and uplifting us in the power of Christ's resurrection. It is his Spirit we share and all of this life is solely for him. All praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Thank you for your continued love and support! Much love and many blessings, The Byrd’s  To bless us abundantly at the start of this semester with a one time gift or by becoming monthly partners, press the button below! We continue to trust the Lord as He builds us up for ministry! Be a Blessing! Prayer Requests and Praises - Praise for the Lord for bringing Stephen back to health after the stomach flu - Praise for deep fellowship with my parents  -Prayer For a deeper understanding in our minds and hearts of who Christ is as we dive into the beautiful riches of theological study -Prayer for building family rhythms of worship -Prayer for provision from the Lord and that our hearts would trust in Him above all other things. -Prayer for our language studies and that we would grow deeply in our knowledge of the Greek language   We became members at our church this month! Such a blessing to be a part of a covenant community. We are slowly beginning to build community. Above is a walk the ladies did (yes- it is still fall in January here!) view this email in your browser Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*