We have an amazing extended family serving around the world sent out by our church, to be a part of making Christ known where few people have access to the Gospel. Have you had a chance to pick up our monthly prayer guide and get to know who your extended family is?

Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit and see the ministries of our family serving in Kosovo, in Europe (just a little north of Greece). Rob & Heidi and their daughters moved to Kosovo just a few years ago, studied the language and culture, and are now running a community center in the capital city of Pristina. Through teaching English to kids and building bridges of service into the community, they are finding great opportunities to shine Jesus into this very Muslim country. It’s not easy, but they’re doing a great job connecting and building bridges. It was so good to see them and their ministry.

As we go into this holiday season, I want to encourage you to make a connection with our 15 missionary families and our international intern who are serving around the world. It’s not easy being away from family and friends during this time of the year. They are living out their call to serve cross-culturally - but one sacrifice involves being far from family. The families with kids find they really miss their grandparents along with aunts, uncles, and cousins. For some, parents are getting older, and they want to be there for them. Yet, these families are called to serve far away from home.

Here are some ways you can pray for our church’s missionaries during the holidays…pray for:
· Peace in the midst of missing extended family during this season, being far away…
· Good, restful immediate family time in their country of service during the holidays.
· Opportunities to share the Gospel during a strategic season when the world is aware of Christianity & thankfulness (for example, when we served in Bosnia as missionaries, we always had events around Thanksgiving that highlighted the Gospel).

So, let’s pray and support our missionaries. We are privileged to be their sending church.