Happy New Year!

We are a bit behind on blogging....but I guess I can chalk that up to pregnancy and preparing to lead a DTS at the same time!  I am feeling so much better now that I am in my second trimester, for which I am very thankful!  We hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that your new year is off to a good start.  Jason and I spent a wonderful and relaxing time in Houston with my family and friends over the holidays. We felt SO blessed by all the love and generosity we were shown there....including 2 beautiful baby showers!

Jason went home to SC for a few days to spend time with his family, particularly because his Granddad was ill in the hospital.  He was so thankful for that special time together, as his Granddad passed away on January 1, just a few days after Jason left.  Granddaddy was so loved by his family and we are all missing him now.

The Winter DTS that we are leading started on January 6, so we had a quick turnaround.  We are grateful that God sent us this group of students and are really looking forward to what he will do in their lives during their time with us.  Please keep them and us in your prayers over the next few months!  We are thankful for you all and your care and involvement in our lives.

Jason and I got to go to the Nutcracker ballet in Houston!

An exciting announcement

So.. We're pregnant.. 

We are very excited to announce that Erika is due at the end of May! We're not sure of the sex yet, but we will let everyone know as soon as we do! Erika had been feeling pretty lame so far, but it seems as though things are getting a bit better.  She is growing a human after all!! 

So happy to announce this and have you share in our excitement.  Love you all 

Jason and Erika

Autumn for the Goodfellows

So far it is a lovely autumn here in Lakeside.  We have crisp, frosty mornings, and then the fog rolls in for most of the morning.  After that, we have clear blue skies and sun for the afternoon.  We are trying to soak it up, because winter could come any day!

We are currently busy getting ready for the Winter DTS students who arrive in January.  Jason and are setting up the school schedule, corresponding with our students, and booking speakers right now.  We meet weekly to pray with our group of 14 staff over new student applications, as well as just praying for God to work in students' lives, both now and when they come for DTS.  We are still helping out in a few logistical positions for part of the day, too.  Jason is working in housekeeping, and I am trying something new by helping in the accounting office.  I am blown away by the amazing generosity of all who support this ministry and the people in it as I work there!  You all probably have no idea of the incredible impact that people like you have all over the world by your generous gifts and prayer for YWAM's ministry and its missionaries.  Know that I thank God for you all and pray his blessings for you as I work there!

We are also helping out with the Alpha course this fall.  Our base is hosting it for the first time, and if you haven't heard of it, it is a weekly meal with a talk about various important topics in Christianity, followed by a discussion.  It is geared toward non-Christians, and a very relaxed and non-confrontational way for them to learn more about Jesus and to be loved by his followers.  We have a small faithful group that has been attending, and we are so excited for what God wants to do in their lives through this, as most of them are not Christians.  It is a time for them to discover the meaning of life, and the giver of life.  We would appreciate your prayers for this new endeavor!

Jason reached an important milestone this year.  He was honored this past week at a staff gathering for 5 years of service at YWAM Montana.  He is actually coming up on 6 years here, but they honor staff for 5, 10, 15, etc. years once during each year.  I am proud of him!  He has served faithfully during his time here, and is so committed to helping people discover God's calling on their lives.  Jason is passionate for people to realize how deeply they are loved by God, and for that revelation to transform the way they live their lives.

We really feel full of thankfulness in this season, and we are especially thankful for you!

Your long-lost friends, Erika and Jason :)

Hello!

It has been awhile since we last updated....we have had a very full summer!  It's only the second week of September here in Montana, and already the air is turning brisk and colors are in the beginning stages of changing.  We hope you all had a great summer, with time to relax and be refreshed.

We have something very cool to share with you all.  Our YWAM campus has just completely reinvented our website, and it is amazing!  It presents what we do here in a much easier-to-understand way than maybe we could even communicate in person.  Photos, videos, and articles are good at that.  :)  Please take a minute to check it out!  It is beautiful and easy to navigate.  The website is:   http://ywammontana.org/
   
Also, this article was written by a great student of ours from this past Winter DTS.  She shares her story of DTS and reaching out in Brazil in a lovely, poetic way.

We are looking forward to a wonderful Fall quarter here.  We are expecting around 120 new students to arrive in less than 2 weeks, hungry to learn more about God and to be equipped and sent!  Jason and I will spend the majority of this fall preparing for the upcoming Winter DTS, which we are leading again.  This involves lots of emailing to put things in place, reviewing/praying over applications, and doing staff training.  We are looking forward to what God has in store for this group!

Jason and I remember you all often and thank the Lord that we have such wonderful people in our lives to pray for and support us.  We love you!