We’re grateful for your friendship and your concern for our family over the years. As both Michael and Bethany face milestones, we decided it’s time to bring you up to date on what is happening with all four of us.

Michael plans to graduate from the University of Central Florida in December with a degree in mechanical engineering. We’re proud of the hard work he’s put in, and grateful that he earned and kept some generous scholarships. College has also allowed him to gain leadership experience by serving as president of the running club. He’s looking for a job, and of course we hope he finds one that he likes, maybe close to Orlando.

Bethany’s last few years have included opportunities and challenges. After facing a mix of medical problems, she finally has a diagnosis: Lyme disease. Fatigue and constant joint pain are two of the symptoms, and are so severe that she is spending this semester at home seeking treatment, instead of at school.

At the same time, she has written and edited her book, One Dress. One Year. The book focuses on her year-long project to fight human trafficking. It mixes some excerpts from her daily blog posts with narration about what was happening behind each post. It releases on March 1, and is already available for pre-sales on some websites.

After a summer break, Anne Marie restarted her neighborhood Bible study, now in their 18th year.

At church, Anne Marie and I continue working together to coordinate adult ministries. This includes Sunday school and women’s Bible studies now, and we hope to add othe
r small groups soon.

Here are some current prayer requests.

• Please pray that Michael will finish school well, and will find the right job.
• Ask God to guide the doctors helping Bethany to find a treatment plan. She is trying a mix of things now, but is not seeing a lot of progress yet.
• Pray that Anne Marie and I will find ways to effectively make disciples at church and in our neighborhood.
• Please continue to pray for upcoming Writing for Life training events in Orlando this month and in Dallas in October.
• Ask God for wisdom for me as I continue leading the magazine team.

Thanks so much for praying for us. And please let us know how we can pray for you.