PAST PRAYER LETTERS

From All of us to All of you, We wish you.... ....the Very Best New Year in the light of our Saviour's Birth.   We trust you had a memorable and meaningful Christmas celebration. The memories of our past Christmases were only magnified as we were privileged to be all together again this year. Spending time together is the best holiday tradition. Our year has flown by and we are grateful for your encouragement to us throughout 2017.  Your prayers  for our travels, Band tour, the class of 2017, our ministry to the next generation are deeply appreciated.  Your financial support has upheld the ministry for another year and we are grateful for your partnership. Before Christmas we couldn't resist the opportunity to see Yosemite which meant some real traditional winter weather while camping in the park.   After Christmas Nate, Evan and Steve went on another overnight excursion to continue exploring the glorious creation in the Sequoia national forest. Each time we visited these amazing places we could only stand in awe and amazement of these fantastic natural wonders. We rejoiced at these captivating scenes that give testimony to the hand of God.  As we look forward to next year, we are all the more aware of the truth of God's word in our lives and our need to share the message of salvation with people separated from their Creator. Romans 1:20 says "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse" (NIV). We are so grateful for God's mercy being revealed to us. We eagerly look forward to the ways God will allow us to share about His plan of salvation.  Romans 10:14-15 says  "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?" (NIV). We are so grateful that God has called us to serve in Kenya and to be part of a huge team effort to preach the great news of Christ's birth and salvation.  We are also grateful for you, our sending team. We truly hope that your new year is filled with the knowledge of the riches of God. We pray that as you encounter His presence, whether in a national park or through His Word, that you will grow in His likeness and share the burdens of His heart for those who still do not know Him.  Some specific prayer requests are below. May you experience God's blessings in 2018. The Taylor Tribe, Steve, Amanda, Nate, Evan, Janelle.  Please pray for God's guidance for Nate. He needs an internship this summer and is hoping it will be a  meaningful experience.  Please pray for Evan to have direction in decisions about schooling and for a job and housing this summer.  Pray for Janelle to continue to do well in school and to enjoy new friendships here in California.  Our search for the perfect Christmas tree may have gone a bit too grand this year.  Congratulations....Camping....and Calling Dear Family in Christ, Congratulations... RVA class of 2017, Our son Evan and 71 other students graduated in July.  We are so proud of Evan and his entire class. Evan is studying Kenesiology at Santa Barbara City College and attending  Santa Barbara Rugby Academy.  He is excited to play a lot of rugby with some very talented players. The 3 guys that he is sharing an apartment with are all players at the academy and students at the college. Evan has gone from a very strong Christian environment in Kenya to a place where living the Christian life is a challenge.  Please pray for Evan to stay strong for Jesus, to love unconditionally, and to grow in his faith. Camping... With this graduation, we completed another year of work at Rift Valley Academy and then we prepared for our journey to the U.S. of A.  In case you didn't get to read our last email update, we have returned to the U.S. as of the very end of July.  Our journey was of epic proportions in many ways.  We traveled from Kenya to St. Louis by air.  Then we picked up our rental van from Righteous Rides and headed towards California.  It was a real blessing that we could also pick up Nate in Denver to join in on the family fun.  Our trip through the western half of the U.S. was a dream come true in many ways.  We were able to visit alumni, former RVA staff and see some of the most beautiful National parks.  We stopped in 5 national parks and camped along the way to get to California.  We arrived in CA on Aug. 7th at our new home of Santa Clarita.  We are so grateful to be a short 90 minute drive from Evan in Santa Barbara. While Evan is in Santa Barbara, (SB) we are in Santa Clarita at The Master's University (TMU) as Missionaries in residence.  We are so grateful that it worked out to be near Evan as he is going through a lot of transition.  We wish we could be as close to Nate too.  TMU graciously provides us housing in an apartment about 5 minutes drive away from the college.  We get to interact with the students on a daily basis and talk about missionary needs, opportunities and experiences.   This is not a paid position so we are still totally dependent on our support.    We are so grateful for your partnership with us even as we promote sharing the gospel and missions in a new location. Calling... Calling all prayer partners.    We have come back from a demanding and extremely busy 4.5 year term on the field.  We have returned to the U.S. but in many ways, we feel like foreigners in a strange land.  We think it is  best for us to try and restore ourselves emotionally, spiritually and professionally.     Please pray that we can primarily find rest and restoration for our souls. Secondly pray that we will be wise as to how and when to find extra work to meet financial needs.  Thirdly,  please pray for our support shortage to be resolved.  We will be providing you more information about our specific needs in our next prayer letter. Coming soon...to a church near you While we are living on the west coast, we are willing to share with churches that may be interested in partnering with us. Please provide any contacts that you may have for churches or groups that would like us to visit.  Steve will also be coming to Maryland and Virginia in the middle of November.  He will be sharing at Jerusalem Chapel Church on November 12th. He will be in Maryland from the 13th through the 19th and hopes to visit with as many of you as possible while on the east coast.  Feel free to email or call to set up a visit. We are grateful for the ministry at RVA  where God has allowed us to serve.  We are thrilled to be here in the U.S. for a season of restoration and preparation for future ministry.  Please keep us in your prayers as we seek and serve God where ever we are. In His Grace and for His Kingdom, Steve and Amanda Nate, Evan, and Janelle. It was a very special day to graduate another of our children, to mark their completion of one stage and the immediate beginning of a very new stage of life.   Maybe our kids have read too many Louis L'amour or Laura Ingalls Wilder books. It was a dream come true to see Colorado and some National parks on the way to CA. If you have chosen to donate electronically, you should be receiving an email from the AIM office after Oct. 1st with new instructions.