DeFord May/June 2021

May:June 2021

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go….

As we celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day we were reminded of our responsibilities as parents to train up the next generation for Christ.

PCC Graduation

Dear prayer and ministry partners,

Thank you for your continued enabling of this ministry. The state and reservation have continued to open up over the last two months. A recent increase in COVID cases has us concerned that this current situation may

not last long. Please pray for us and for those recovering from Covid! We were thankful to celebrate both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in person. We don’t take these times of worship together for granted any more! In addition to recognizing and challenging our moms, we also had one of our new families come to dedicate themselves to raising their children for Christ on Mother’s Day. Attendance was down somewhat on Father’s Day, however, the five fathers in attendance were also commended and challenged to maintain their testimonies for Jesus.

Our youngest son, Josh, graduated from college in Mid-May, and has taken a position in Austin, TX. We’re eager to see how the Lord uses him and his new graphic design degree for His glory. We are thankful everything worked out for us to attend the commencement exercise. As it turned out, another one of our IBIMI missionaries graduated with a Master of Ministry degree at the same time, so we were able to watch Brian Shannon march too.Sherry began hosting a new ladies’ Disciples of the Word course (via video by April Goetsch) on Wednesday mornings with three other ladies. They are learning how to study the Bible doing their own research. It is challenging, but they are learning skills they will use a lifetime!

June is camp month for us. Our juniors went the last full week of the month and our teens are in camp as I write this letter. The young people love camp and we are thankful for the ministry West Branch has in our children’s lives. My dad used to say, “We can accomplish more in a week of camp than in a year of Sunday school.”

May we all continue to train up our children in the way they should go.

For God’s Glory,
The Steve De Ford family