Year End Newsletter
Thank You
I heard an amazing pastor say, on more than one occasion, “when you want what God wants, what God wants happens”. However, I still find myself surprised when those things happen. I am amazed by how His story is so perfectly orchestrated in such an imperfect world with imperfect people. I am honored and humbled to be able to be an instrument of The Gospel in a place and in a way I could never have imagined. His goodness has never been more real to me, His peace never more present in my life. So, thank you! Thank you for petitioning the Lord of the Harvest on our behalfs as we equip and release laborers for His harvest field!
Here’s What We’ve Been Up To
Matthew continues to meet monthly with various pastors to spend time in prayer for our state and also collaborate with other local leaders on how to impact Utah for The Kingdom. He’s also been a regular guest speaker on the local, Christian radio station. He jokingly says he has a face for radio and a voice for the newspaper, I personally think he does an amazing job! In May, Matthew once again partnered with Ross Anderson (Utah Advance) and Dave Elshaug (Loving Utah) to help lead our second year of the Intern Pack. This is where college students, doing internships all around Utah gather weekly to learn about ministry in Utah and Utah culture.
I (Chandra) have also been busy. 2019 was my first year with all 5 kids officially in school. My oldest “baby is now an adult. The last 18 years have flown. We are excited to see what God has in store for Noah as he wraps up his senior year. I continue to serve on the board for a ministry that assists those from polygamy, deliver babies, and attempt to do all the administrative tasks for Plant Utah and Utah Valley Church.
Matthew and I were able to share some of our stories at Boise Bible College’s Spring Conference in May. We spoke about our experiences dealing with spiritual warfare here in Utah. We’ve also been able to connect with a couple of churches, in Colorado, and cast some vision for disciple-making. In June we had an amazing team of guys come out to shoot a promotional video for Plant Utah. These guys volunteered their time to do this and we are beyond grateful.
We also hosted our second Pastors’ Wives and Daughters Retreat. It was a fun 3 days! We shared our wins and heartaches from the past year and planned some goals for the year to come. We enjoyed times of prayer, fun, and even a special little art project.
Our fall was jam-packed! We kick it off with church planter assessment in Dallas which made for the perfect excuse to see all of my siblings. We all hadn’t been together in 4 years! We then headed to Nashville for the Disciple-Making Forum where we left encouraged and excited about the resources and networks for disciple-making in Utah and beyond. We wrapped it up in Kansas City at ICOM (International Conference on Missions) where we were blessed to connect with so many individuals about our ministry! We have numerous college students interested in internships and may have to actually turn people away this year. It was a blessed time.
Utah Valley Church once again hosted Cowboy Church for the rodeo and have already been asked about doing it again in 2020. We had a mission team from Riverlawn Christian Church in Wichita, KS and a family from Missouri here to assist with Summer Day Camp. We had such a great turn out and did an impromptu Teen Evening Camp and have kids already telling us they are coming back for it next year. There are two new families that have moved to Spanish Fork or are planning on moving over the next several months. They both knew God had called them to move here and make disciples. This is another great example of an answer to our 9:38 prayers.
The Crossings and Gospel Life continue to move forward in their disciple-making efforts and work through the kinks of doing ministry in Utah. Please continue to pray for the Clark Family and the Harris Family has God has a lot of exciting things in store for them in 2020!
We also are super excited to wrap up 2019 with a new planter! We are excited for Blade and Caitlyn Dilldine to arrive in Utah this coming Spring! Pray for their family in this time of transition and also for the city God has laid on their hearts!
It takes financial resources to help bring, train, and release disciple-making, church planters in Utah. While our planters do a good chunk of their own fundraising, Plant Utah also has expenses to make these disciple-making movements successful. Our goal is to raise $30,000/year for 5 years for each new church plant. That’s 5 churches at $500/month that could impact the Kingdom in a mighty way and bring the Gospel of Grace to those who have yet to hear! No matter how big or how small an amount your partnership matters!
We may be the boots on the ground but without your prayers, encouragement, and financial support this ministry would not be where it is today! We truly appreciate your partnership!
-Chandra
