SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS: Michael & Laura Beth Strong • Minneapolis, Minn.

December was a busy, heavy, fun and blessed month. It was busy because school was finishing up while holiday parties and special worship services and studies were taking place. It was heavy because Laura and I were going through the first Christmas since the loss of her biological father and my mom. It was fun because God allowed us to spend time celebrating the birth of Jesus with our church family and He opened the door to get away and rest for a few days. It was blessed because we got to pause and think on the first and second comings of our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A lot has taken place since the last newsletter. God has opened up new relationships with other local ministries, including a church that has brought encouragement and support. We are currently at the end of the process of meeting with the church and its partner ministries to talk through the opportunity of the church allowing us to use the church building. I attended the last meeting and shared our vision with the group. We are praying and waiting on a decision from all involved. They were very gracious in allowing us to use the building for three weeks in December. We had no way to meet at our normal facility and didn’t have the funds to rent other options. This was an answer to prayers.

We also had the opportunity to hold our first business meeting. We voted on four policies, including two that involved caring for children. I got to see how much our people cared for protecting children and serving families. These were the most debated items on our agenda, and we ended up unanimously agreeing on the amended policies. We are looking for ministers to oversee and serve in children’s ministry and nursery. I am raising funds now to pay for temporary help until we establish volunteer staffing. The policies will allow us to establish boundaries and safety measures to train workers to best serve the people of Minnesota who attend worship and various Bible studies. We have a ministry that serves women and children that is waiting for us to establish childcare and transportation so they can add us to their official rotation. Each of the women who stay at their facility must join a church. They get to try several out and pick one to commit to membership. We look forward to serving this community once childcare and transportation are established.

We are also witnessing growing commitment and consistency in our members. Attendance has remained steady each Saturday at our worship service. We have an average of 19-20 people who attend each week. We are seeing a growing number of visitors that come consistently. They may miss a week here or there, but they generally return. We are working on being faithful to King Jesus and using our gifts to help each person in attendance worship God. One of our men, Dakota, has really embraced his role as a greeter. I am so proud of him and have been blessed to personally mentor him on Tuesdays. We got to go give out winter clothes that were donated last week, and Dakota showed and shared the love of Jesus with everyone he met.

We have been giving out lots of Bibles, Bible study books and tools and clothes over the last few weeks. We want to make a tangible difference in our city and have been using everything God blesses us with to do that. We will be working with some other groups to serve our people in the coming months. This will include prayer walks, recovery groups and new group studies on the Church and Habits of Grace/Spiritual Disciplines. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve our Good King, Jesus. Thank you for providing these gifts and the funds we need to be able to do what we do. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and by supporting the work here.

December was not without its challenges. The primary challenge we faced was health issues. During our getaway, most of the family got the stomach bug. The scariest part was when some of the kids walked with me across a frozen lake, and Julianna’s left arm suddenly went numb. She developed a migraine and started falling asleep while walking. She has had some similar issues in the past, so we met with a cardiologist. We still don’t know what is going on, but we were able to lean in on Christ and pray together for His help and comfort.

Laura and I were able to teach the family how to recall God’s promises and meditate on His character when the weight of the world weighs in on us. I had to carry Julianna roughly a half mile across the lake while her left side was going numb and she was passing out. God was faithful to care for our hearts while we waited on His answer for healing and help.

Laura has also experienced an increasing number of nerve-related issues. She is also experiencing numbness at times and lots of pain at other times. You may recall that she suddenly developed two forms of neuralgia shortly after I left U.S. Bank and went full-time in missions work. Her neuralgias have been a daily pain for her. She has been a faithful witness to the unexplainable satisfaction one can have in Jesus despite the brokenness of our bodies and the world. She has remained faithful and exhibits joy in Jesus in a way that testifies to how truly valuable He really is. I am humbled by her life’s testimony in such a constant state of trial.

Felicity was diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome. This isn’t deadly but has created some unique difficulties for her. We are doing our best to serve her and point her to Jesus as she gets accustomed to what may be a new normal. At the same time, we have seen our sons get almost daily headaches and migraines. We have no idea what is going on to cause them.

We have seen this as spiritual warfare and an attack on our family and the work here. God has been gracious to help us guard our hearts by reminding us of His goodness. We do our best to grow in serving one another and pointing them to Jesus. I would like to ask you to pray for us. If you don’t mind adding us to your prayer requests at church and in your small groups, we would appreciate it. We know God is bigger than any opposition we face and whether He chooses to heal our family or let the issues remain, we trust He is doing what is best to showcase His glory and give us everlasting joy, hope, peace and love.

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