Update #3

Summer is here, Louisiana is steamin hot, and we have completed our first super fun crawfish season (if you dont' know about Louisiana crawfish season...just "google" it or check out this link.)

Time has passed so quick, and we feel that it's time for another update. God is so good and faithful, and we want you to be able to see His work over the past couple of months!

School:

My last semester of school finished quite smoothly. It was a busy semester, but it flew by at warp speed! And now, I have officially graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Education, and I am still in major disbelief that I am finished. Attending seminary has been a very enriching, challenging, and rewarding experience. I know that God will use my time at seminary as I continue to serve Him in ministry.

Now, Lindsey is preparing to go back to school, and she is very excited. As mentioned before, she is working on a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (Licensed Counseling). She is very excited about her upcoming studies, and she is also excited about her future internships and practicums that are coming. Now, in her 2nd year of school, she will be able to have more "hands-on" opportunities, which is great. We are so excited to see how God is going to use her as she continues her studies.

Work:

Lindsey is still enjoying her work as an administrative assistant, and her work variety has been increasing, becoming more involved in HR, and event planning etc. God has opened a great door for Lindsey to build a friendship with a lady who started to work with Lindsey several months ago. This lady is not a Christ follower, but God is continually opening doors for her and Lindsey to have some important spiritual conversations. In spite of the fact that Lindsey is enjoying her work, she is ready for this season to pass as she takes steps to go to school full time.

God has made great provisions for Lindsey and I as I have begun to search for a place to work post-graduation. Over the past year, I have sensed God leading me to pursue a job teaching in elementary school during this season that Lindsey is attending school. In the past couple of weeks, God has brought this into fruition, and in August, I will begin to serve as a teacher at Copper Mill Elementary in Zachary, LA (which is close to Baton Rouge). It is an excellent school, and I am VERY excited to begin to serve others and serve as a missionary in this area. God is so good! Here is a picture of the school!


Working for the Years Ahead:

God has been doing great things with our planning for the Arts Center. We are still looking to plant the arts center in the Williamson County area. In the past couple of months, God has opened some doors for me to have some conversations with people who are doing similar work in different areas of the country.

One of the great things about the "public school" job is that I will not have work during the summer, which will provide a great amount of time to continue with preparation. Right now, Lindsey and I are working on the "business plan" development which is a long and challenging task, but we are excited to take this step.

In addition, we are still in the works to coordinate a one week community arts camp in Baton Rouge, for the summer of 2008. We are currently talking with the ministers at our church about the possibility of partnering this camp as a ministry of the church, and we are very excited about this possibility.


Married Life:

Lindsey and I are having a great time being married! We cannot believe that we have been married a year. At the end of May, we spent a week in Orlando for our anniversary, which was awesome! God is continually growing us closer, and he is uniting our hearts in ministry. This past semester, God has opened many doors for Lindsey and I to reach out to people in the community. For starters, this past semester we were involved in the LSU Baptist Collegiate Ministry International Coffee House, and we were able to connect with several people there. We also had some chances to go downtown and feed some people who were without homes, and we had some good conversations. Also, we have been able to have several people over for dinner, and God is continually fostering relationships with people here in Baton Rouge.

It is evident that God is doing a great work, and we are so blessed to be a part what He's doing


Here are some things you can be praying for:


1. Pray for God to continue to grow the relationship between Lindsey and her co-worker friend, pray that God's truth will permeate their conversations. We would love to see her come to Christ!

2. Pray for Lindsey as she starts school in the fall. Pray for God to continue to mold her and prepare her for her next phase in ministry.

3. Pray for us as I begin to work at Copper Mill Elementary School. Pray for the students, and families, and teachers, that I will work with, that God will open doors and bring opportunities to bring Christ to this area!

4. Pray for us as we continue to make preparations for the arts center. Pray that God will continue to open doors for us to make connections with other people who can serve as guides and mentors throughout this process. Also pray as we seek to find people to partner with in the Williamson county area, as we make plans to plant this ministry.

5. Pray for God to continue to unite our hearts in marriage. Pray that God will daily remind us to spend time in prayer together so that we can unite with Christ as we join together at His feet in prayer!

WE MISS ALL OF YOU VERY MUCH! PLEASE, drop us a note to let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you!

God is doing so many great things, and it is so exciting to know that it will get even better!

Your brother and sister in Christ,

Jonathan and Lindsey

Update #2

The time has come for a semesterly update. God has been so good over the past couple of months.
Lindsey and I hope that as you read this information and be able to see God's hand working through
all of our daily lives.

School is Comin' To A Close:

Last semester finished quite smoothly. One thing that I have been praying for was for God to lead me
to teachers at school that can provide some guidance and leadership in my life regarding future ministry plans etc
Well, God definitely answered those prayers...I have connected with three different professors that I have either
met with or will meet with. They all bring different aspects of gifts to the table, and so I am very thankful to be
able to meet with them. God is so faithful!


Lindsey at Work

Lindsey has been busily working as a full time administrative assistant at an architectural/engineering firm.
She has enjoyed working there, but she is also excited to go back to school in August to continue her masters
work in Marriage and Family Therapy. (She has two more years of school to finish) In the meantime, she has
been working hard, and she has also taken time to build relationships with some of the co-workers. We are
praying and hoping for more opportunities for Lindsey to share her faith with these co-workers.


Church

As we stated in the last update, we have plugged in at a church here known as the Ring Community Church.
This church's congregation is predominantly made up of college students, and we have really enjoyed being a part of this church while we are here living in Baton Rouge. (Not to mention, we have some super cool people in our community group including two professional rodeo riders! The picture to the left is when we went to one of the guy's rodeos.) God has continually opened doors for us to invest in the lives of college students here, and our new-found love for serving college students is growing every day! God has also opened up some doors for us to get to know some other people in the community, and we are praying for God to use us as we invest in the lives of these people. We would love to see them grow a deep love for Christ.


Marriage

WOW, time has FLOWN! Lindsey and I have been married for 8 months!! Marriage has been so great! Because we aren't going to school at the same time, we have had more time to spend with each other....this has been such a blessing for our first year of marriage. God is continually growing our marriage, and uniting our hearts to His. We are loving the opportunities God is giving us to serve Him together, investing in the lives of others.


The Day's Ahead

As I mentioned in the previous post, for the past several years, I have been thinking about and praying over the idea of developing an arts academy. The mission of this vision is to empower artists and future artists to be "salt and light" in culture. (As of now, we still have a deep love for Williamson County, TN, and we hope to bring the vision to this area.) Lindsey and I have spent many days dreaming
researching, praying and talking about the future arts ministry. God is continually affirming this passion and even expanding
the scope of the vision. We cannot begin to share how excited we are to see God's vision come into fruition. Currently, we are taking steps to learn the process of developing a business plan. We are also planning a week long progressive arts camp in Baton Rouge for 5th-8th graders, hoping for the summer of 2008.


Here are some areas you can pray for us:

1. Pray for God to grow the relationships that we have built with others here in
Baton Rouge. Pray that God will use us to bring others closer to Him.

2. Pray that God will continue to refine our personal relationships with Him...He's
teaching us so many new great things.

3. Pray that God will continue to refine our marriage as He continues to unite our hearts to His.

4. Pray for God to guide us as we balance our ministry here in Baton Rouge with the time we also
spend preparing for the ministries of the future.

The bottom line is this: GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING, and we know that greater things are in store.

If you are reading this, know that we love you and miss you very much!

-Jonathan and Lindsey