Giving Thanks in Twenty-Twenty-Four
The tricky thing about seasons
is they change
sometimes by miles, sometimes colors, sometimes priorities
but our days aren’t so much numerical
as evil
and the sooner we learn to see the magnanimous in the mundane
the beauty and the grace
in everydayness -
of falling leaves that metamorphose
into dancing brown butterflies
of making the most of this time
before enters the next
of magnifying His name
instead of seeing life as a skipping record
- the less we’ll long for the next phase
the next pause
the next plane
and the more we’ll truly change
instead of waiting for the season to take our place
before contentment exists outside of time and space.
Why We’re Thankful
We’re thankful for you.
This Fuller story could not be told without you. 16 teams. 4 interns. Family. Friends. Donors. Prayer warriors. Staff. Collaborators. Leaders. Brothers and sisters in Christ. There are more of you than can be named here, but each one of you reading this post have impacted us in an unmistakable way, and we are so grateful to God for you. Please don’t leave this page without knowing how much we love and thank you.
We are praying for you. Please let us know of any ways we can pray for you more specifically.
We’re thankful for a new life.
I was reflecting a couple weeks ago on the fact that at 26 years old, I was 26 weeks pregnant. Kenny and I are indeed expecting our first child on February 7, 2025, and we could not be more thrilled for this precious gift. We plan to have the baby here and have been referred to a third-generation OB-GYN by many people we trust, who operates from a private clinic just minutes away from our home. At birth, baby boy or girl will have the privilege of both American and Honduran citizenship, which is a huge blessing!
Please pray for health and strength throughout pregnancy, delivery, postpartum, and all that this new, scary, exciting chapter entails for our life and marriage. Pray that we will be godly parents and examples who will be faithful with the priceless stewardship that God has entrusted to us. Also pray that we will be able to acquire a U.S. passport for the baby in a timely manner after birth.
We’re thankful for the ministry opportunities God has given us and His faithfulness in every season.
With the addition of The Seminary for Expository Preaching in Nogales, MX (SEPE Mexico), MEDA International Missions underwent a critical brand change to what is now SEPE International. Translation? Same mission, greater scope:
SEPE International is the short-term missions arm of SEPE, offering programs for church groups and interns to match their giftings with real needs in Honduras, Mexico, and beyond. SI is part of Christ’s larger work to bring His global church closer together and support the training of Spanish-speaking pastors—the next generation of Gospel laborers—to complete His Great Commission.
This change involved producing new promo videos, overseeing the design and SEO of a new website, training a subdirector for the inauguration of our intern and group STM programs in the new Mexico location early next year, and more responsibility all around. Kenny is now director of SEPE International, and his assistant, Jared, went full-time this year. I also now have the functional role of communications director across both campuses. This is and has been an exciting and challenging learning curve for all of us, and we look forward to seeing how the Lord continues to work through this transition.
SEPE Honduras also introduced a new academic dean this year, Pastor Julio Pacheco. Julio is a graduate of SEPE Honduras and the ministry coordinator of MEPI, an evangelical ministry involved in church planting, pastoral training programs, boys’ and girls’ club, and mercy ministries. The church planting arm of this ministry has since come under the leadership of SEPE. SEPE Church Planting, then, is a new program for the purpose of training SEPE graduates to plant churches and be considered for sponsorship as SEPE missionaries.
What does this mean for SEPE International? More opportunities to serve. Julio toured the country with us to visit locations all over Honduras where SEPE students or graduates are currently planting churches. This gave us the opportunity to assess their needs and scope out advantageous sites for hosting teams, with the goal of serving churches and communities beyond Siguatepeque through our STM programs. We could not be more excited about these new doors being opened and look forward to sharing more about them with you as we plan for next year.
Note: To stay up-to-date on the latest developments, please also sign up for our SEPE International newsletter on our website, or follow SEPE International on social media!
Beyond SEPE International, I have also enjoyed serving in some personal areas of ministry, such as teaching English classes at Just One International and MEDA, meeting for one-on-one small groups with the interns, and writing tutoring for a missionary kid in our local church. As always, Kenny and I are so blessed to have the opportunity to mentor the interns during their time in Honduras, and they truly feel like our adopted children during and after their 1 to 3-month stay.
Please pray for us to not weary in doing good, but to exercise wisdom and perseverance in our ministry, doing all for the glory of God. Pray for us to always be looking for more ways to serve, especially our local body.
We’re thankful for the undeserved blessings of fellowship and travel.
Towards the beginning of this year, we had the privilege of traveling to the States for various reasons, such as gathering residency paperwork, visiting Kenny’s brother (Andrew), his now fiancée, and his local church in Panama City, attending the Courageous Churchmen conference for the first time and the weddings of two close friends, graduating from The Master’s University (go Kenny!), and of course fellowshipping and sharing ministry updates with family, friends, and church family in Tampa and Venice.
We have also had the joy of receiving or hosting company in Honduras or our home, whether it be family and friends who came to visit throughout the year, our local church family, or Monday movie night stalwarts. Spending intentional time together as a couple has also been a joyous priority as much as possible, and we were thankful to have opportunity for a couple getaways to celebrate our first anniversary and babymoon.
Please pray for safe travels and a time of refreshment and loving intentionality as we celebrate the holidays, home and away, with family and friends. Pray for wisdom as Kenny considers further education. Pray for us to always be growing in our hospitality.
We’re thankful for some important milestones.
This year, both of us have been approved for residency! This is a huge praise, as it was a complicated type of residency, yet the Lord provided the paperwork and patience needed every step of the way. We are so thankful for our excellent lawyer, who is also a believer, as well as a newer and closer immigrations office. Here’s to finally being catrachos!
I have also finished my Spanish studies, at least for the time being, having started book 5 of 6 in the Spanish Institute of Honduras’ curriculum. With the year coming to a close and baby’s arrival around the corner, we decided it was a good time to graduate from learning the language to putting it into greater practice. I am so thankful for the rapid progress that the Lord has allowed thus far, and look forward to the continual study and use of it in Honduran life and ministry.
Please pray that our life and ministry are salt and light in the community and that we use every opportunity we can for the gospel. Pray for perseverance in practicing the language and forming ever deeper relationships with Spanish-speakers.
Our Support Info
For those who may be interested, we are at 72% of our budget for 2025 and are looking for $1,500.00 more a month to reach 100%. The Lord has been so faithful to provide for our every need, and we know that He always will.
If it is on your heart to support us, you can donate via check according to the information below, or you can donate online by navigating to the button on the top right of our website.
Please mail all checks to the address below, making it out to Grace Bible Church of Tampa (our sending church). On the MEMO line, designate the funds for Fullers in Honduras.
Grace Bible Church of Tampa
10309 Raulerson Ranch Rd.
Tampa, FL 33637
