GIVING THANKS:
Let the peace of
Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be
thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom
teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you
do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians
3:15-17
This time of year is truly my favorite. The falling leaves,
the changing colors, and the colder weather always excite me. As the warm long
summer days turn into shorter cool ones, I find myself getting more and more
excited for my two favorite holidays of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas
have always been my two favorites. As a child, Christmas always was number one
with the long break from school and the excitement of wrapped presents under
the Christmas tree. As I grew, the excitement of Christmas was joined by the
gratefulness I experienced for all the blessings in my life. Thanksgiving has
now replaced Christmas as my favorite holiday and I truly enjoy this special
time of year where we can join with friends and family in expressing our thanks
for all that God has blessed us with. I have noticed though that Thanksgiving
is now being crowed out by the increasing materialism that starts before
Halloween and lasts into the New Year. I
believe it is important for us to remember to thank God for all His wonderful
gifts He has bestowed upon us, not only during Thanksgiving, but daily
throughout the year. In this update I would like to reflect on some of the
countless blessings our family has experienced over the past year, and I trust
that you too will set aside some time to thank God for all He does for us even
though we do not deserve His gifts.
GIVING THANKS FOR FAMILY:
I would
first like to thank God for the wonderful family He has blessed me with. My
beautiful wife Mam is such a wonderful gift from God and not a day goes by that
I am not humbled by her beauty and heart for God. Gracie, Joy, and Hope are so
precious and I am so thankful for the gift of such special daughters. Then
there is little Kyle, my son and a constant provider of excitement and humor
for our family. Our family has been blessed with health and time to spend
together as a family. There are days when the noisy kids and a messy house
begin to weigh on my patience, but I would never trade those days for a quiet
and spotless home. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and four amazing
kids, and for them I am thankful.
GIVING THANKS FOR AMERICA:
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| The kids enjoying riding in Papa's cool car! |
I would
like to thank God for the past year and half that He has blessed our family
with here in America. America is truly a great country and we as Americans are
blessed with so many wonderful things that sometimes we forget how good life
truly is here in America. Our family is grateful for the time we have been able
to live here and experience some of the wonders of this great country. We knew
that financially we would not be able to provide for our living expenses during
our time here unless God worked mightily in providing for our needs. Thankfully
since April 2011 all of our financial needs have been met and we have been
blessed with opportunities to enjoy some of the fun activities America has to offer.
Our family has enjoyed the time spent
here in America and we would like to stay longer, but we are also excited for
the chance to return to Thailand in April 2013 and continue our missionary work
there. We are thankful for these two years spent in America and also for
everyone who we have been able to fellowship with during our time here.
GIVING THANKS FOR SCHOOLING:
I am
extremely thankful for the chance to further my education and also enhance my
ability to minister to the Thai people when our family returns in April. My
classes have been very informational and also very challenging, but I am
thankful for the truths I am learning and the time I have to study for my
classes. I just completed my first 12 credits in the pursuit of a Masters in
Biblical Counseling and I am looking forward to the remaining 28 credits I will
be taking over the next two years. During the past few months there have been
many long nights and early mornings, but by God’s grace I was able to finish
all my reading, papers, and tests and still have time to minister to my family,
my church, and the international students at Idaho State University. For the
next four months I am only taking one 2 credit class and so that means I am
going to have more time to spend with my family and in ministry before we move
back to Thailand. In March I will register for my next 9 credits and will
continue my studies from Thailand.
GIVING THANKS FOR MINISTRY:
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| Some international students our family took to Scout Mt.to see the sights of fall. |
I am so
thankful for the chance our family has had to minister during our time here in
the States. When we moved back to America we had three ways we wanted to spend
our time during our stay. We wanted to spend time with family, we wanted to
spend time studying and equipping ourselves for future ministry, and we wanted
to spend our time serving our church and ministering to others in Pocatello. By
God’s grace we have been able to spend time growing as a family and reuniting
with my parents and siblings. We have also been blessed to be able to equip
ourselves for ministry through my studies and other ministry opportunities at
our church. Our family has been blessed with the opportunity to minister not
only the international students at ISU,
but also serve others in the church through leading Bible studies and helping
out in Awana’s and serving in the nursery. God
has blessed us with countless ministry opportunities and we are so thankful for
all we have been able to do during the short time we have been here in the
States. By far one of the main highlights has been the ministry
opportunities we have had with international students. We have been blessed to
be able to serve them by providing transportation for grocery shopping,
assisting them in their English learning, helping them get settled to life in
America, and even providing them a place to come and enjoy some warm rice and
spicy food similar to what they miss from back home. Currently we have around
15 international students that we are weekly involved with in ministering to
them. This has been an amazing opportunity to serve with our church, and I am
thankful that God has blessed our family with a chance to minister
internationally even while we are here in the States.
GIVING THANKS FOR SUPPORTERS:
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| Some good friends and supporters our kids love to visit in Boise. |
Our family
has been so blessed and is thankful for so many things, but one thing we
constantly are thanking God for is the wonderful friends and supporters who
have prayed for us and given financially to help us continue in full-time
ministry. We are so humbled that God has given us an opportunity to serve Him full-time, but also that others would give of their finances to help provide for
all our living expenses. If you have
given to help support our family, please know that we are eternally thankful
for all of your prayers and financial gifts. Your faithfulness in praying and
giving has enabled us to spend the past year and half serving God full-time here
in Pocatello, Idaho. We are also thankful for your support which has helped
me pursue my masters in Biblical Counseling and help our family become better
equipped to minister to the families in Thailand once we return there in the
spring of 2013. We have been blessed by
the willingness to give by our supporters and are thankful for the chance to
partner with you as we seek to serve God together through His redeeming love.
GIVING THANKS THROUGH CHRIST:
There are
so many things we are thankful for and it is important that we do take time to
thank God for His countless blessings, but we must remember that our offerings
of thanks can only be possible through Christ. Christ is the gift that enables
us to find peace with God and freely receive the hope He brings. As we start
this holiday season, let us not forget to offer thanks for the perfect gift
which God gave the world over 2000 years ago in that lowly manger in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ is God’s gift to the world and
only through His willing sacrifice on the Cross and the shedding of His blood
can we freely receive His gift of forgiveness which He is offering to all
mankind. Let us remember to give thanks
for Christ and the countless blessings we experience through Him not only
during this special time of year, but in whatever we do in word or deed seeking
to bring glory to His name.
Thank you
again for taking the time to read this update and I pray that you and your
loved ones enjoy a wonderful holiday season. I know our family is looking
forward to spending our last Thanksgiving and Christmas in America for a while
and we are praying that the holidays bring lots of snow and times of fellowship
with family and friends. Thank you again for all of your prayers and financial
gifts which you have blessed us with during our time in ministry. Our family
would not be able to serve without the faithful support of so many wonderful
supporters. We ask that as the end of the year is approaching for you to
consider giving a special one-time gift to help provide for our family. We are preparing to return to Thailand on
April 3rd, 2013 and are in need of raising some extra money to pay
for our airline tickets and other moving expenses. By faith we purchased our
airline tickets last week and now we trust that the $3458 needed to cover those
tickets will come in before we have to fly back. If you would like to give a
special onetime gift to help cover our airfare or moving costs then please
email me at dan.rutledge@universitybible.org . If you would like to hear more about
joining our support team on monthly bases or about the ministry we will be
serving in once we return to Thailand, then please also email us at the above
address or call me at (208) 242-6300. We
would love to hear from you. If you would like to give financially then please
make your checks out to UBC Worldwide Ministries and mail them to:
UBCWorldwideMinistries
4700 N. Philbin Rd.
Chubbuck, ID. 83202.
All gifts are tax deductible and help to enable our family
to continue to serve in full-time ministry.
May you and your loved ones enjoy a festive holiday season,
and do remember that truth of James 1:17 which says, “Every good thing given and every
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no variation or shifting shadow.” God is so merciful towards
us and we must not forget giving Him the thanks He deserves. We look forward to
updating you on some exciting changes coming our family’s way in the next few
weeks and we will continue to remember you in our prayers daily, thanking God
for your faithfulness in giving to help provide for our family’s needs. Have a
happy Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season.
Your fellow servants in Christ:
Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge
Titus 2:11-15
