Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Another year has flown by! This past year has been especially memorial for us because our family has experienced A LOT of important life changes! Last December we were saying goodbye to our dear friends in Macon, Georgia and heading to Arkansas, where Scott would start serving as the missions and student pastor at a church plant and would not be receiving a paycheck. We trusted that God would provide a job for us and place generous people in our path to help us out. And, He has done just that!

Amilee has been able to work one day each week at a financial advisement company and has also recently become a consultant for Rodan+Fields. So, if you're looking for someone to help you find some great skincare products, please help us spread the word. We are praying God can use this new business to help us pay bills each month.

Scott has done a lot of odd jobs this past year. From cleaning out gutters and yard work to tutoring and substitute teaching to hanging draperies, painting, and moving furniture to leading retreats, he has done it all! This past summer, he was offered a job at a Christian school that has a university-style schedule. So, Scott teaches 3 days a week and is able to work at the church office the remaining days.

Our kids are adjusting well to life here. Benjamin (age 6) is in first grade now and is attending the same school where Scott teaches. The elementary students attend school two days a week, and Amilee teaches him the other three days at home. It has been a great balance for him. Nathan (age 4) has started preschool at home with Amilee and is doing well. He's very proud that he just learned to write his name all by himself. Abigail (age 2) is just a little red-headed mess! She's into everything and loves to aggravate her two older brothers!

Serving at Northwest Community Church has been a blessing, but it is also a lot of hard work. We couldn't have prepared ourselves for some of the challenges we have faced, but God is growing us and giving us tons of opportunities to reach out to families who are far from Christ. We have loved working with our youth group and it is encouraging to see the growth that has taken place over the past year. Our church as a whole is growing as well. We would love it if you would join us in prayer.

• Please pray that God would send the right people to our church and that we would be ready to equip them with the Good News of Christ.
• Please pray that God would provide for each of the pastors financially. Our health insurance is covered each month, but we are still not receiving a paycheck and all of the pastors have taken pay cuts this year to ensure that our church is viable.
• Please also pray for Amilee's health. It has been a rough year for her and we have been to a lot of doctors. She has had a lot of issues from her medications and we are praying for answers right now and asking God to restore her health.

We hope that you have a Merry Christmas! Please keep in touch.

Much love from Scott, Amilee, Benjamin, Nathan and Abigail

“A sacrifice of thanks lays down our perspectives and raises hands in praise anyways-- always. We give thanks to God not because of how we feel but because of who He is.”

A Long-Overdue Update

This is a long-overdue post! We had a very busy summer! From moving out of Scott's parent's house and  into another house, making a trip to Georgia, hosting a group from Macon that helped us with our Adventure Camp, and getting ready for the new school year, it's been a little crazy!

Here are a few highlights from this past summer.

• Scott's parent's downsized and sold their former home this past June.  They are living in a house in Bentonville, Arkansas which is about 15 minutes away from our church.  We were able to find a house in Bella Vista (where our church is located) for our family to reside.  It has been nice to settle in and unpack our belongings.  To those who have given to us financially, we cannot thank you enough.  

• This summer, our church hosted several outdoor movie nights at a park that is just down the block from our house.  It was a time for us to just serve our community.  We set up a big screen and passed out popcorn and drinks.  We had several hundred people attend each movie night. We were able to briefly talk about our church at these events and have been able to minister to several families who attended.  

(Pic from a movie night this summer)

• We also hosted our Adventure Camp this past July.  This is our VBS and we hosted this event at our church office.  We rented a large tent and did a lot of it outside.  A group of nine people from Northway Church in Macon, GA came to help us. It was such a great week! We are so thankful to the team from Macon who loved on the children who attended.  We were able to meet lots of new people during the week.  

Click Here to see a video from our time at Adventure Camp this past July.  

• In August, Scott started teaching at Providence Christian Academy.  Since it is a school with a university-model school concept, Scott teaches three days a week.  It has been a true blessing to have this part-time job, but it has also been challenging to juggle a job at church and a job at school as well.  

• Our church has experienced a lot of growth over the last few months, and we are truly grateful for that.  Please pray for us as we reach out to these regular attenders, that we may boldly present the gospel.  Please also pray for financial provision for our church as we grow.  It is easy to get sidetracked by financial strains, but we want to keep our eyes on Jesus and trust that He will provide.

Thank you for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray with us.

As a side note, Amilee is embarking on a new journey and has just become a Rodan+Fields Independent Consultant. It is a skincare line that has become BIG because the products really work and come with a 60 day money-back guarantee.  We would love to have your support.  Her personal website is amilee.myrandf.com.  Thank you for helping support her new business and supporting us financially.

"Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

-Ephesians 6:19-20

An Answer to Prayer

"The more we think life is about us, the more miserable we will be.  The more we understand it's not about us, the more we are freed up to love others." 

We want to thank everyone for their prayers as we have started this journey in Northwest Arkansas.  It's hard to believe that we have already been here for 6 months!  For the past six months, we have been living in Scott's parent's house. They downsized and bought a smaller house and have been trying to sell their home.  So, we moved into their house, knowing it would sell soon, but it provided us with a place to stay until that happened.  Well, it is now under contract and they are closing on their house at the end of June!  We have been busy trying to figure out where we are going to live.  We are looking at a couple of options right now, but we will be moving somewhere next month. For those who have given to us financially, it has truly been a blessing.  Because of your generosity, we have been able to pay bills and buy groceries.

Since we have been living here, Amilee has been working 1-2 days a week at a financial advisement company.  Scott has been substitute teaching, but we have been praying that God would provide a part-time job for Scott so we would be able to have a steady income that at least covers our groceries each week.  Well, a few weeks ago Scott was offered a job at Providence Academy in Rogers, Arkansas.  It is a private Christian school with a University-Model School concept.  The elementary students meet two days a week, and the junior high/high school meets three days a week.  Students are sent home with assignments to complete at home for the remainder of the week.  So, Scott will be teaching on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  This allows him to work at Northwest Community Church on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  It is only a partial salary, but we hope that our church will also be able to provide a partial salary in the next few years.  Thank you all for praying that God would provide a part-time job for Scott.  We are excited about this opportunity.

Here is a video so you can see some of the youth we have been working with. Some college students from Macon, Georgia came to see us this past March and they helped serve our youth group one night.  You will see their faces in the video as well.  Our youth LOVED having them hang out with them. We look forward to having more volunteers from Macon this summer.

The second video is from a Mother's Day clip we showed at church.  Pretty cute!

Here are some ways you can pray for us specifically:

• Pray that we will know where we are supposed to live after Scott's parents close on their house.
• Please pray for Amilee's health.  She has had some issues with her medication and we need wisdom to know what to do.
• Pray for our youth group: that we will know the best ways to reach out to them and that God would draw them to Him.
• Please pray that God will provide for us financially.

YOUTH VIDEO:

MOTHER'S DAY VIDEO:

Watch this Awesome Video!

We want to thank all of you for your support and prayers for the recent trip that four of our guys from Northwest Community Church just took to Papau New Guinea.  Because of this trip, our team was able to finish building a missionary house in the jungle. Here is a great video that shows some of the work they were able to accomplish while they were there.  BJ and Jill and their three kids and two other couples and their children just arrived at their new tribal house this past weekend. They know A LOT of work lies ahead of them, but they are excited to finally start working with the tribe that they have prayed about for some many years.  Please join with us in praying that they will be able to accomplish this God-sized task!





This past week when we met for student ministry, we had several new youth attend.  That night, as we were talking over the day, we began naming all of the students that have come through our doors these past few months.  We named 20 students.  We are praying that God shows us how we can best reach out to these 20 students.  We know that these 20 students are not here by accident, and we are honored that we get to play a part in their lives.  Please pray that God gives us wisdom as we minister to them and that He shows us how we can best help them see their need for Christ.

"So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.  We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.  That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me." 

Colossians 1:28-29

The Houses are Finished!

Our Team from Northwest Community Church:

Kent, Will, Dave and Scott

The Completed House!

Scott is finally home! Four of our guys (Scott, Will, Dave and Kent) from Northwest Community Church just returned home after being in Papau New Guinea for several weeks.  Their job was to finish building BJ and Jill's tribal home.

For the past year, BJ and Jill and their three kids have been living at one of New Tribes Mission's bases in Papau New Guinea.  BJ and Jill arrived in Papau New Guinea with two other missionary families.  They have spent this past year learning culture and language and surveying the land to find a tribe who is ready to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! Several months ago, the three couples decided on a tribe and have spent the past several months gathering building materials.  Teams from the U.S. have come to help each couple build their house.  When our team from NCC arrived, BJ and Jill's house still had a long way to go.  Their hope was to finish the house by the time they left.  Upon seeing the house, they weren't sure if this was possible.  But, they worked as hard as they could, from sun-up to sun-down, barely even breaking for meals and were able to see the house finished!  So, all three families will be moving up into the tribe to begin their work in just a few weeks!

The trip was a huge success, so we thank you all for your prayers.  The tribes-people are so excited, and they don't even realize what Good News they are about to hear! As our team was building the house, the tribes-people watched their every move and followed them around everywhere. One thing that really stood out to our team is the way that these tribes-people understand community. They might not know Jesus Christ yet, but they know how to love on each other and how to selflessly help out someone in need. So many times, this is such a hindrance for us because we have so much.  We don't want to sacrifice our possessions or our time.  But, as we read in the Bible, this really is not an option:

Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.' Luke 9:23-26

Please join us in prayer for these three missionary families that will be learning a new tribal language, explaining the Bible to them, and translating it into their language.  Humanly speaking, it seems like an overwhelming task, but we know that God can do this.

Here are some pics from their trip.

Today is the Day . . .and Why I'm a Mean Wife

Today is the day.  Scott just left us to head to the airport (big sigh).  He and three other men from Northwest Community Church will board a plane in a few hours to start the LONG trip to Papau New Guinea.

Where is Papau New Guinea?

• It is about as far away as you can get from the United States! It occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and is just north of Australia.  It is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. It is also one of the most rural and one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically.

Why are they going to Papau New Guinea?

• Scott's brother, BJ, along with his wife, Jill, and their three small children moved to PNG a year ago. They moved there with two other families and they have been undergoing training and surveying the land to find a tribe who is ready to hear the gospel.  They went through a missions group called New Tribes Mission, and they will be presenting the gospel to a tribe who doesn't know the name of Jesus. They selected their tribe a few months ago and have been working on building their houses.  They will be working with the Wantakia people (#reachwantakia).  

So, our four men will be helping BJ and Jill build their house!  The other two  missionary couples' houses are almost complete, and BJ and Jill's house is under construction right now.  Our 4 men are hoping to finish the job while they are there!

BJ and Jill's House

All Three of the Missionary Houses

• What will the three missionary families do when their houses are completed?

They have a HUGE task ahead of them, and need all the prayer and support they can get.  See their blog here. They will be:

1. Learning the language and culture of their tribe
2. Teaching them to read in their own language
3. Translating the Bible into their own language
4. Teaching them the Bible from Genesis to Revelation
5. Teaching them to take the gospel to the rest of the tribes and to the ends of the earth!

So, yes, a HUGE task lies ahead of these three missionary families.  We are excited that our church gets to partner with them and play a part in reaching the people of Wantakia!

We ask for your prayers as our team goes to help with this incredible task.  Here are some specific prayer requests:

• Safety in traveling.  Just to get to PNG, it will take over 2 days of travel and they will lose a day when they finally arrive in PNG. They will take 4 different flights (one of which is 15 hours long) and a helicopter ride to go up into the tribe.  For one of their connecting flights, they will only have one hour to make it through customs and make their next flight, so please pray they are able to do this.
• For the building of the house.  Please pray that our team will be able to work hard and for safety as they work to complete the Sanders' house.  
• Please pray for the three missionaries that are about to begin their work in this tribe.  Pray that the people will be receptive and that God's name will be proclaimed and glorified among the Wantakia people!

A few days ago, Scott asked if I would take him to the airport as they prepared to leave for 2 weeks.  My reply: "NO."  So, I guess I get the award for "Mean Wife."  Hear me out, though.  I want our kids to be excited about what their daddy is about to go do: he's about to go help a missionary family build their house so they can tell a tribe all about Jesus!  How exciting!  I am truly thankful that my husband gets to have this experience.  I want to CELEBRATE this experience.  If I go to the airport, I will be a HOT. MESS.  Our children will be fearing for their daddy's life instead of sharing in the excitement of what he is doing.  So, in the interest of my husband and my children, I decided he would have to get a ride to the airport so I can keep it together.  Even though I don't get to go into the tribe with my husband, I will be faithfully praying for the work he is about to do and helping our children understand that we are all called to play a role in bringing others to Christ.

People of Wantakia

Follow me on my personal blog here.

Prayer Requests

Thank you for lifting our family up in prayer.  We definitely need it.  We wanted to update you on a few things about our ministry here.

We have enjoyed getting to know the youth each week, but, as we have shared before, there are a lot of challenges.  Many of them do not know anything about what it means to have a relationship with the Lord.  We have just started breaking into small groups (girls and guys separated) for a time of discussion so that we can begin to go deeper.  Please pray with us that God opens their eyes to their lostness and to their need for Him.  Please pray that God gives us words to say so that we can accurately portray the gospel to them.

One of the kids in our youth group just lost his mother yesterday, and his father has also been in the hospital with heart issues.  Please pray with us for this family. They do not know the Lord, so we are praying that God can draw their hearts to Him through this tragedy.

Scott's parents just left last week to head to Papua New Guinea to be with Scott's brother and his family.  Scott's dad and brother will be traveling up into the tribe by helicopter and will finish getting supplies ready to build their house.  Scott will then be going with a team in March to build their house!

Please pray with us that Northwest Community Church will be able to raise support for this trip. Plane tickets alone cost about $3000, so this is a huge stretch for the families who are going.  If you would like to partner with Northwest Community Church, please contact us.  We can use all the support and prayers we can get!

Scott has started substitute teaching, and Amilee is enjoying her job.  God is providing, and we are thankful for that.

Our children are adjusting well, but they talk about their friends in Macon frequently.  It is a good time for us to explain to them how we must be willing to follow the Lord whenever and wherever. Thank you for your prayers.  We certainly need them!