The Nagelkirks

Update June 27 2025

Greetings friends and family. I hope you are well. This email is our chance to catch you up on things happening with the Nagelgang.  It's been a busy couple of months for the family.  Thank you for your interest, your prayers and your support.

One place that I have been dreaming of visiting for many years is Egypt.  We finally had the occasion to go when a former member of our group in Grenoble decided to get married in his hometown of Cairo.  Since he asked us to be a part of the wedding we thought this this would be a great occasion to be a blessing to him and his new wife, but also to visit a country that I have long wished to see.  

In these photos you see us in the church with the couple.  Another is from the rooftop dining area of our hotel in the background of which you see the pyramids.  We were about 5 minutes taxi from the entrance of the pyramids and the sphinx.  We spent time on the Gulf of Suez where we were invited to spend several days with the family.  They are all believers and have incredible testimonies of God's grace to them as Christians living in a predominantly Muslim country where they regularly face discrimination.  

Second good news

The next thing we were scheduled to do after visiting Egypt was to travel to the U.S.   Our first stop was Virginia in order to attend our son, William's, graduation from Liberty University, where he earned a degree in engineering.
In the morning there was the intimate ceremony with each department of the school.  In the evening we attended the commencement ceremony with all 24,000 students from the campus and from the online courses.  The words "Champions for Christ" form part of their motto and undergirds their values.  The words were spelled out by drones which were used in an airial show that was done in the place of having fireworks.  It was quite impressive.  

What a wonderful thing it is to marry your daughter to a good man!

     After our time in Virginia, we travelled to the west coast where we celebrated the marriage of our daughter to the aptly named "Christian."  The wedding was performed in the house of Jennifer's father near Washougal, WA, in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. 
You see here the wedding, our family together.  Everything went so well and we are very, very thankful for her, for the man she met and for how God's blessing was on every aspect of the ceremony.  We also had a time of baptizing Christian in the river in back of the house.  Our prayer is that this whole event was to the glory of God but also a powerful witness to Christian's family. 

And a little time with the Nagelkirk family

Every several years the Nagelkirk clan gets together.  After the wedding in Washington, we flew back to Michigan and then drove a car down to Ohio.  Yes, it doesn't seem to make sense, but I can explain. (I just won't right now) We shared meals, games, worship and had much discussion about what God is doing in our lives. The matriarque is my mother who is 94 this year.  

I am truly grateful that we have a family which loves the Lord and with whom we can encourage each other in the truth and love of Christ. 

Our oldest daughter Anna's fifth child, Lewis, was born 5 months ago, but 3 months early.  He was 2.65 lbs when born.  We are very grateful for the neo-natal unit of the hospital which took very, very good care of him.  He needed several operations.  He had to have a colostomy for several weeks.  But now he is finally home with Anna and Nate and their four other kids: Lia, Thais, Wesley and Adriel.  In the last picture he is being held by our Syrian friend Fawaz.  Fawaz and his wife made a meal for us so that we could celebrate together little Lewis' homecoming. 

We're back to Grenoble and back to work now.  This means back to preaching, teaching, mentoring, prayer meetings, share meetings and church meetings.
This Sunday we will be baptizing a woman who came to the Lord last year during our Alpha Course outreach. 
Please pray that we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we seek to make disciples of all who choose to follow.