Update? Yes please.

Well, I guess it's time for an actual update on what's going on in my life right now, since I haven't given one for quite awhile.

Today, being the 4th of October, marks the 26th day I have been in the United Kingdom. I arrived on September 8th to help out my friend Ben plant a church here in England. It's been a pretty amazing time so far. We've met a number of people and all the churches are extremely excited and supportive of the work we've been doing. We actually held our very first meeting this past Thursday and it went very well, considering it was just a short time of worship, teaching, and prayer (in that particular order). So if you're reading this with any interest in the church here at all, please pray for the work in Bristol over the next several months :-)

I go home on October 27th and will go back to work until December 11th, when I will be getting married to the most amazing and beautiful woman in the whole world, Sarah Shippam (soon to be Olson!). The Lord has really done so much in our lives, both to bring us closer to Him and closer to each other. I'm very thankful for everything she adds to my life, I can't wait to spend the rest of it with her!

After our wedding we plan on waiting several months at the very least before deciding whether or not to step out on the mission field together. In the mean time, we are going to just take it easy, get to know each other better, and really just seek the Lord as we start our new life with one another.

If there is one word I can use to describe the past year it would be Perseverance. These months haven't been easy in the slightest, but they have been so worth it. I know that as we seek the Lord and never lose hope in Him, no matter what comes our way or what we think we've done to screw it up, He will always get us through safely. Not to mention the fact that as we keep our eyes on Him we come out stronger in our faith.