Massengill Middle East Minute

Hello from the Middle East. We apologize we did not send a newsletter last month. I thought I had sent one, but with everything going on in this part of the world and with our schedule over the last 2 months things have been a bit hectic. Right now we are in the middle of a leadership training session at our local church & in a couple of days we will be having our seminary's graduation. There will be more about that in next month's newsletter but we do want to share that one of the sheikhs from the UAE's ruling family is attending our graduation. Nothing like this has ever happened and we are really excited he accepted our invitation.

Big and Small

Our work in the Middle East involves numerous avenues & approaches. Through the connections at our seminary, we have been able to connect with various Christian groups throughout the UAE in order to network & partner together in ministry. During the last few weeks, we were blessed to work with a small house group in Dubai who desperately seeks to fulfill their purpose in God's Kingdom & in the UAE. We spent time preaching & teaching, and in the future plan to initiate a ministry training program to assist this church to participate in God's work in the Middle East. There are many small churches like this one throughout this part of the world who desire to do their part in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Whether a church has 300 members or 10, God expects them to join with Him in what He is doing in the world. Please keep the many brothers and sisters in this part of the world in your prayers.

As a Family

One of the core beliefs we hold is that God did not call just Kari & I into cross-cultural service, but He called our whole family, including our children. This is why we have always sought to do every aspect of ministry together. Our local church has embraced this belief & recently asked our family to conduct almost every aspect of our main worship service. As a family we did a baby dedication, a communion service, the offering, and the time of prayer. It was truly a blessed time & demonstrated how ministry is a family task, not just one for people with titles & positions. Our children are as much ministers as we are. Every person, no matter how old or young, has a purpose in the Kingdom of God. Of course it would be easier for us to do ministry by finding a baby sitter every now and then, or by me returning to the US alone to raise support... but who said ministry was suppose to be easy? Until Leandra & Kendra reach the age where God can lead in the direction He desires them to go, we will be a ministry family.

So Thankful

Living in the Middle East it would be easy to forget about American holidays such as Thanksgiving. With our family being thousands of miles away we could just let it pass. At the same time, living in the Middle East we are constantly reminded of how much we have to be thankful for. In Luke 18:29-30, Jesus promised that anyone who leaves family & home for His sake will be rewarded 100 times in this age. Sometimes we think it is more like 1000 times. While we do miss our families back in America, God has blessed us with incredible men & women who have, in every sense of the word, become our family. So many times they have dropped everything they were doing to be at our side when we needed them & have demonstrated the love of God in ways we cannot begin to describe. People often talk about what people in our type of ministry give up but most fail to understand how much we actually gain!

Leandra's Corner

Well in the template Dad chose it is not a corner, but I guess it will do. Hello from the desert. Everything is going pretty good. We just had a great Thanksgiving dinner. Mom did so good. She even made a pumpkin pie. I did not think I would like it but it was really good. Also this month, 7 kids in our children's church got saved. It was awesome! I am also excited because this month is my birthday. I will be 10 years old. Mom & Dad say they cannot believe it. Also this month is Christmas. December is a great month. It is an expensive month for Mom & Dad but a great one for me. I guess that is a bit selfish but I am still excited.

Kendra's Corner

What's up from the desert. As you can see, I had a great Thanksgiving. I lost another tooth but it did not keep me from stuffing turkey in my face... get it... "stuffing turkey". Well, I thought it was funny. I am also excited because December is my birthday too. Two birthdays and Christmas in the same month. Feel sorry for my parents now? Well thankfully we have great grandparents. For my birthday, I asked Mom & Dad to take me bowling & I want to eat Spam and Vienna Sausage. Daddy says it is because I was born in Alabama but I do not know what he means by that. Anyway, everybody have a Merry Christmas & a good New Year!

We have always promised people that we would be transparent with our communication. We want those who support us to know the good & the bad of our life & work in the Middle East. So, we want to share that about 10 days ago, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Honestly it was quite devastating because I know in some ways I brought this on myself. Last year, my doctor here warned me that my sugar was getting high & I guess I did not take it seriously. Well, now I have no choice. I have neglected my health for too long & I am paying a price for it. I am asking for prayer, but not necessarily to be immediately or miraculously healed. I know God could heal me, but at the same time having to stick my finger 3 times a day is a good reminder to take my health seriously. Over the next year, it is my goal to lose 100 pounds through proper diet & exercise. I do want to be healed, but I am asking God to heal me through a healthy lifestyle. It is my prayer that I will one day no longer need to take any medication. I request your prayers that I will reach my goals through God's help & a lot of self-discipline. Again, we always promised to be transparent & while we are still a bit overwhelmed by everything, we know we are not alone during this life adjustment.

As always we want to say thank you for making our work in the Middle East possible by your faithful prayer & support. Things in this part of the world have gotten a bit tense but God is still on the throne. God bless you & we do pray you will have a wonderful Christmas & New Year.

In His Service,

Vance, Kari, Leandra & Kendra Massengill

Massengill Middle East Minute

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