Rough

June, 2019

I have sat down numerous times over the past couple of months to write this letter, but words have failed me. Church planting is hard! I had no idea a year and a half ago when we launched Freedom Church the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey we had signed up for. I had been told it would be difficult, but I had no idea. We have celebrated high highs and cried through low lows. The past week we have experienced both. On June 8^th, we welcomed our second daughter, Eisley Echo, into the world. She is a healthy and happy little girl. There is nothing like hearing a baby take her first breath and cry her first cry to remind you that God has breathed His breath into us. I am amazed at how the human body was designed by God. I’m reminded every day how precious life is and how good our Creator is. Pictured below is Cora and Eisley. This was the highlight of the month. Eisley is one of three girls born to folks at Freedom Church this year. Our nursery is loud!

Little did I know that the week would also bring the lowest low of the year. We brought Eisley home on a Monday. On Thursday, I received a frantic call from my neighbor, Jay. He was gone to North Carolina for a job interview and was having trouble contacting his wife. He asked me to go next door and check on her. When I went outside, there was a fire truck and ambulance. They wouldn’t let me inside and wouldn’t tell me what was going on. A few minutes later, Jay called me back and was sobbing. His wife had died. She was 33 years old. They had two kids, a four-year-old (Finn) and a one year old (Jay, Jr.). We took the kids for a few days until he could get home. He was obviously devasted and had no idea what happened or what was going to happen. He and his wife, Melissa, had attended our Easter services this year. It took us a year of loving them, talking with them, and showing them who Christ was, for them to come to church. We had dinner afterwards and asked them what they thought about the claims of Jesus. They remained entrenched in their agnostic views. We won’t get another chance to share the gospel with Melissa. But we will with Jay and the boys. I’ve been asked to speak at her funeral this weekend. Please pray for a clear gospel presentation and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Please also pray for soft hearts. Jay has a long road ahead of him, please join us in praying for him and for the opportunity to continue ministering to his heart and soul. I’ve included a picture of the family below.

If you’d like to help Jay and the boys out, here is the link to the GoFundMe page.

Life is all about relationships. At Freedom Church, we help every person we meet in whatever way we can. Below are two pictures from our Easter gathering. One of our “Freedom Kids” after the Easter Egg Hunt and one of the congregation worshiping the Lord.