We just kicked off our new semester on January 15. It was four days after we welcomed our son into the world. Although it was a little stressful at first, God has given us the strength to make it through the first few weeks. When Trent was almost 2 weeks old, we had our E-Linc Group (a small group made up of people from our class and two staff couples that we meet with twice a week for the whole time we're here) over. Ruby was sitting on a chair across the room and she slid off the front of the chair and landed right on her left arm. We weren't sure if she had truly injured it so we had Steph's dad (a former paramedic) come over to check it. He recommended that we take her to the hospital. We left Trent with Steph's parents and headed to the hospital 30 minuets away. Turns out she did fracture her arm right above her elbow. She has a splint on her arm and is doing well. We love that she didn't need a full cast because we are allowed to take the splint off and give her a bath. We praise the Lord that it was just a small fracture and not a full break. It is amazing how in these times of craziness, we fine peace in the Lord and are able to look to Him for strength.
We have been enjoying the classes a lot this semester. Just a brief overview of the classes we've gone through and are currently in are:
Families and Education (Finished):
In this class, we learned some of the struggles that families may face on the field as well as how to deal with difficult situations. We were able to see how having our family overseas may cause some struggles but how it can be a huge blessing and asset to your ministry. We also learned different options for educating our children when we get to the field. There are far more options that we had originally thought so that is very encouraging. This class was a huge learning time for us both.
Biblical Parenthood (Finished):
This class could have not come at a better time. We have been trying to figure out how to raise Ruby. She has been a little more testy and we were struggling to find what was the best way to deal with it. There is always areas to grow in and if your a parent you know exactly what we were struggling with. It was great to go through this course and see different areas where we were failing and how to correctly discipline and parent. It's was also amazing to see how God's word really gives us clear direction in this area. Please continue to pray for us as parenting isn't a walk in the park. We feel a little more confident after taking the class but everyday is a he learning experience for us.
Romans 5-8 (Finished):
There isn't a ton to say about this course except for the class brought us back to our knees in humbleness. If you haven't read through Romans 5-8 in a while, you should go through it again. This course was just a good reminder of who we are and what Christ has done for us.
Student Teaching (Currently taking only on Monday's):
This course is just once a week. It is designed to help us learn how to better communicate when public speaking. As missionaries, we will be speaking in churches, small groups, one-on-one and who knows where else. So the class is trying to better equip us to speak in an effective way in front of people.
Missionary Tech (Currently taking):
This course is still going on for us. It has been a very challenging for Stephanie to keep track of everything that is being said in the class but Preston is rally soaking it up. This course is to equip missionaries to know how to take care of electrical equipment and different money saving/labor saving devices to use once overseas. We have had the chance to solder and work with batteries and other electrical equipment which has been a lot of fun. The course has been very enlightening and helpful.
Missionary Partnership Development (Currently taking):
This class has been amazing. It is a hard subject for us to talk about. When it comes to raising support, both of us feel like we have no idea where to start. What we have been realizing is that it truly isn't about the finances, it's about the mission God has for us as believers. We realize that if we look at it that way, we get excited to ask people to join us financial to help assist in the Lord's work around the world. We are still going through this class and understand that we have much more to learn about how to approach this whole topic but it has been amazing so far.
Feild Health (Currently taking):
This is such a helpful class. It's talking about the basics of field health things that tend to show up on the field. We will be studying common sicknesses and we might even be able to practice some emergency situations. We will also be learning how to keep ourselves and our children healthy (to the best of our abilities) while we're on the field.
As you can see, this is a heavy work load but it is amazing classes. We have been so encourage going through all of these classes and cannot wait to see what else God has to teach us throughout the semester.
Our schedule is a bit full as of right now. We are in classed from 8-12 a.m. Preston has work detail from 1:15-5 on Monday's and Tuesday's and also has his ministry outreach on Monday and Thursday nights. We also meet with our E-Linc group on Wednesday's and Friday's. On top of that we have a moderate homework load. Although some day's seem more stressful than others, we are extremely happy that we are here. The longer we have been here the more we feel that this is where God wants us right now, and there is no better place to be than in the will of God. We have had to look to Him for strength, endurance, wisdom and rest during this time.
We appreciate so much the prayers, letters, phone calls, text messages and Facebook contact that we have had from all of you. We always feel so encouraged when we hear from people back home and how things are going there. Please feel free to contact us at anytime.
Our address is:
134 Main Dr.
Roach, MO
65787
Our e-mail: psnichols10@gmail.com
Our phone numbers: 989-640-4529 or 616-340-8024
We'll be posting on the blog to try to keep people posted a little better on what is going on in our lives. We love you all so much!
In Christ,
The Nichols Family
Below are our beautiful pictures of our kids. Ruby is being a little crazy in some of them but she just wanted to show you some of her personality.
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