Hello all!

Well, better delayed than never. This is the longest gap between updates we’ve had thus far. We’ll try to make up for it with lots of pictures… and other fun things.

Since November 15th…

Thanksgiving in London…

As paradoxical as it may be to do Thanksgiving in London, it makes sense when it’s the most ideal place for two American families to gather, given the circumstances.

Claire’s brother, Michael Dionne, and his family are missionaries in London. They’re a part of Grace Life London. We got to join them this year, and it was a delight. We intentionally made it a point to do little site seeing and more time together as a family. It was much needed, and we’re grateful. Also… being surrounded by English speakers wasn’t all that bad.

When we returned from London, some dear friends here in CZ blessed the missionary families with a true American-style Thanksgiving dinner.

Christmas/New Year with the other Dionnes…

The days surrounding Christmas were quiet and peaceful. And while a sense of sadness was inevitable due to our absence from family in the U.S., God allowed us to genuinely enjoy the time we had as our small family. The day after Christmas we also spent time with the Denny’s. They are becoming like family to us as well.

Claire’s parents joined us just after Christmas and, as usual, were a gift of servitude and laughter and generosity. It was evident that they were working hard to understand the culture we’re serving in, its history, and the people who are in our lives.

Just before they arrived, Claire also got to take part in an amazing Christmas concert put on by BSKK. A short Gospel message was delivered as well by one of the brothers, Pavel. Even though you can’t understand Czech, you ought to give it a listen/watch here. There are some very talented people in this church. Plus, little kids singing Christmas songs is always great.

Both the community and the church were blessed by this event.

New Members…

You probably thought we were talking about new members of the church. While that’s happening, there are some new members to the Millican family as well.

One’s name is Stone. He’s a four legged friend we’ve taken in. He’s a handsome little Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (Swissy). ‘Little’ is a temporary descriptor, however. Pretty soon he’ll live up to his breed’s name, weighing a solid 50-60 kilos. Its great to have a dog in the family again after having to say bye to our pup in Spokane. Czechs also LOVE dogs, and having one has already proven to be a way of making more contact with new people.

More importantly, there’s a two-legged family member joining us in July! Claire is pregnant! And it’s another boy! Once again, this an amazing surprise since we were told some years ago we would never have biological children.

Millie Jo will remain our only princess. While we like how this makes her extra special, her lower lip certainly made it clear how she was hoping for another little girl.

Pray for Claire’s health. She’s managing it very well, but we were informed that she has minor gestational diabetes. While a challenge, it’s great to have an explanation for why this pregnancy has been much harder than previous ones, and to be able to do something about it.

Czech Language Progress…

The holidays provided a reprieve we didn’t know we needed. Three weeks off from lessons and homework allowed our minds some refreshment.

Starting in January, however, our teacher switched to ‘Czech only’ in our lessons (as much as possible). We are excited about this. It has been a challenge, but a very good challenge. We’re hopeful it helps give us a boost of confidence to use Czech more ‘in real life.’

Bit by bit we find ourselves more comfortably trying to speak Czech with our neighbors, letting Czech friends at church ‘force us’ to speak Czech, and going a little beyond the basics whenever we can. Don’t get us wrong, we’re still a disaster, but our friends and teacher are encouraging us that we’re making good progress.

The slow but sure advancements we’re making are just enough of ‘a carrot out in front of us’ to keep us going. Even more so, we ask God regularly to keep us motivated by the dire need for Evangelism in our neighborhood and the need for discipleship in our church. The opportunities are endless, and we take them when we can; but the language wall is high and only allows us to get so far.

We continue to ask you to pray that God would strengthen our minds and bodies. Life isn’t getting any slower or easier, and the language will only keep getting harder.

Miscellaneous…

Spring seems to be poking its little head out every once in a while. We’re excited for that. It’ll mean more time outside, which means more chances to meet people, and more daylight to enjoy this beautiful country.

Jared got to teach a one-off topical message on ‘Phones and the Fear of God.’ It was well-received and seems to have provoked healthy discussion among bible studies and families.

Our counseling club continues. We are working our way through Quieting a Noisy Soul, and it is proving to be an excellent help to us all.

We’ve officially begun a men’s training group every other Tuesday. The focus will be on qualifications for elders, bible knowledge, and teachings abilities. This is a HUGE step toward future church plants!

Jared has the chance to visit Spokane in April for a wedding. While he won’t have much time for extra visits, he’ll have the chance to visit Faith Bible Church and family.

Until Next Time…

That’s all for now, friends and family.

We trust you all are well. May we each grow in a joyful conviction that this verse is true:

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26