Finishing the Race

The Home Stretch…

By now most of you know, so I apologize for the repetitive nature of the following information, but we are in the final leg of our journey and work in the New York City Metro area. We came to New York City about a year ago making a one-year commitment to serve God, the local church in which we were placed, and the peoples of the community God placed us in, especially the 1 million college students scattered abroad the New York City area. We knew we would spend a year here, but we were open for the possibility of spending several years in this area, investing into this church and the community. However, over the past six months, God has continued to guide us on the path He has planned for us. We have learned to trust and rely on His sovereignty and not our own ambition or our own plans. The bible says something about that in Proverbs, “there is a way that seems right to a man…but it leads to death”. Over the last few months, God has done so much to show us His path, to direct our steps, to close doors that need to be closed, to open others, and to help us accomplish milestones along the way. One of my favorite musicians/song writers is Derek Webb. One time in a song he wrote, “I know the plans You have for me…but you can’t plan the ends and not plan the means…” I used this phrase when I asked Angela to date me. Anyways, this phrase has meant a lot to us over the past four years. He has continuously taken care of the means.

Shifting Gears…

What’s next? Well, we are moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Initially, we will be living in Fort Worth, but we have plans to live in the Keller area. I am currently looking for a job in the Fort Worth area and Angela will be taking care of the baby. We have the exciting opportunity to get involved at City View Church in Keller. Over the past couple months, we have had the opportunity to connect with the leadership there and we are very excited about being able to be part of this community. We get the chance to join the church (now about two weeks old) in a very early stage, and get hands on experience in church planting. We are sad about leaving NYC but ready to jump into the next phase.

Currently…

Angela is doing great!!! She is now at 20 weeks in the pregnancy and doing well. We find out in a week if we are having a boy or a girl!!! So, we will definitely let you know when we find out. Last week was her spring break, so she got the chance to take the week off, relax, renew, and refresh before going back this week. My job here at the church is also going well. Over the last few weeks, I have spearheaded our church’s efforts to get a new website, which has basically consumed my life. But, it’s finally up and running, so my work is almost done with it. Check it out by clicking here. Other than that, I’m working with the student leaders and adults in the leadership roles to effectively phase out of my leadership roles here at BCI. It’s a slow road but it’s going well.

Please Continue to Pray…

We have been so honored and blessed by many of you and your commitment to lift us up here during our time in New Jersey. We have seen the results of your prayers in many and very important ways. Here are some ways that you can pray during our last six weeks in New Jersey:

Please pray for:

-A.J. Camota; he is taking over where I am leaving off with The Well (our collegiate ministry). He is a gifted leader but young. Please pray for Him as he transitions into the role of college pastor.

-BCI children’s ministry: Half way through our year here, the children’s pastor stepped down, so Angela and I have been co-filling that role. We honestly have no idea who is going to step in here. This was kind of unexpected, so please pray for the church to help them find a children’s pastor.

-Angela and I as we pack and move. We have a lot going on all at once, so we really need focus and wisdom as we prepare to move 1800 miles for the second time in 13 months.

-My job search. I have some leads; I need wisdom and clarity as I interview and make decisions.

-Baby Bassett: continue to pray for B.B.’s health and Angela during this time!

Thank you so much for praying for us and being such good friends. If we can do anything for you, please let us know. Thanks for hanging in there for this incredibly long update.

For His glory,

Justin and Angela