The Nagelkirks

I can't keep up anymore. I started writing these Nagelbits back in the first part of January. I was going to thank you all for your prayer support and/or financial support. Then it was no longer January. Then I was going to write at the beginning of February about all the ministry events taking place. Now, they're all done.

So, what do I write about? One thing that comes to mind is the time when I was on staff at Sunshine Church and I was given the responsibility to work with the Empty Nesters in order to form a ministry group. I thought, good, this will be easy because they have time on their hands since the kids are gone. I still laugh today at how ignorant I was about the lives of Empty Nesters. Here I am, an empty nester and busier than ever. I have more experience. I have more contacts. I have more responsibility. What I DON'T have is more time or energy.

One question we are asked more and more is, "When are you going to retire and where will you go?" My daughter Katrina just asked me this the other day. It's hard to give an answer. Reflecting on the question I told her it's hard to say because I love my job and I don't easily picture giving it up. We have so much more experience. We have more knowledge. We have more to show and share and teach, and God keeps giving us opportunities to share the gospel and to disciple believers. I can't think of anything I'd rather do.

So, I come back to my original question: What should I write about? As I think about how long we've been here and all that we've been able to see and do, I come back to the fact that many of you have been with us for pretty much this whole journey. It's hard to even find words to thank you for your presence with us all these years. Sunday night we were having a meal with our Syrian friends, Fawaz and Fadia and thinking, how great is it to be family for this couple that has lost so much because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The same is true for Philip and Sanaa, Imen, Marc and Nadege and Nordine, and others.

This reinforces what we have tried to teach our kids: Just keep sowing the word. Keep living it. Keep talking about it. Keep teaching it, no matter if people come, or go, or come and go. Learn it. Live it. Speak it. Teach it. Show it. Do it. Let God deal with what's happening in the heart after you have shared.

EPEGE: These are the letters which represent our French church: Eglise, Protestante, Evangelique of Grenoble and Eybens. We have been renting a building for 13 years. We are in the process of trying to buy our own property. This is very complicated, expensive and time consuming. Please pray for God's grace to trust HIM to work in this situation whether we are finally able to buy or not. The main obstacle is the local mayor who can block any such sale for a church.