First two months- Columbia, SC

 

October 6, 2022

Prayer Letter: A View from Columbia

Dear Friends,

 

“Why did you move to Columbia?” Everywhere we go in South Carolina, someone asks us a variation of that question. And, if we’re honest, we have asked ourselves that same question many times. “The weather? The beach? The mountains? South Carolina football!?” We imagine that the local Canaanites asked Abraham the same question, “Why did you leave Ur? Why are you here?”

 

The simplest answer is: God. The God who directs all our paths directed our own path to a land that we did not know. But we are not aimless. God brought us here for his purposes, purposes for which we invite you to join us in by praying with us as we begin our new ministry at Columbia Biblical Seminary of Columbia International University. Our future prayer letters will be shorter—so don’t worry!—but for this first, we want to catch you up on all that has gone on these past weeks!

 

Columbia, Here We Come

We officially moved down to South Carolina on Friday, August 19th, driving a 28-foot Penske rental. On the day before, many dear friends helped us pack our earthly possessions. Our two oldest, Jeremiah & Lydia, then enjoyed the thrills of riding with daddy as he relived his old truck-driving glory days and cut a path through the mountains to the “Midlands” of South Carolina. The next day, Saturday, the body of Christ in Columbia blessed us when many people (most who didn’t know us!) helped us unload a very packed truck. By Monday, Michael was in his office ready (or not!) to teach. Our family was blessed by two great Cincinnati helpers who came with us: a young woman, Susannah, who came to spend the week helping with kids as we unpacked, and an elder in our church, Gordon, who drove down to help unpack and set up our home. God provides. We were blessed a month later by church friends, Roland, who drove a trailer down with the remainder of our stuff, and Don & Joyce, who brought a van of Erin’s flowers our way!

 

Columbia, Here We Are

As we enter the fall, many have been asking, “So how is it!?” We could have done none of this without your prayers. Your kind prayers, your sweet letters and messages, and your faithful friendship have sustained us during these first weeks of upheaval. But since you want to know, here is the quick scoop:

·       Michael: He’s teaching three classes this semester: two different Hebrew classes, and one survey class of the Old Testament wisdom books and prophets. He loves teaching these students who are going into ministry, and he is quickly finding avenues for discipling and mentoring. His colleagues in the seminary are wonderful, full of God’s Spirit. They have been graciously helpful as he navigates a new world of responsibilities. He deeply misses pastoring in Cincinnati, but trusts God in this new chapter. He is also engaged in an epic battle against fire ants in the yard of our new rental house!

·       Erin: This brave woman began homeschooling as soon as we got here. Getting into a rhythm has been challenging. Tears have been freely flowing – but day-by-day, God is showing Erin his own purposes for her, which include his providential guiding of her to a nearby Afghan refugee ministry on Monday nights! Our second week here, Erin was already handing out bread loaves to our new neighbors. A lot of ministry opportunities exist in our neighborhood.

·       The Cubs: Joel summed it up a couple nights ago while praying, “Dear God, we miss our friends.” That has continued every week when it is time for him to pray. But God is providing. Jeremiah is in a 2-day-a-week Co-op, meeting new people, while hatching plans for cutting grass in our neighborhood. Lydia and Josiah are busy writing letters to people back home. Meanwhile, Judah has no idea what is going on and wanders around the house looking for people to play with! All the kids are part of a Friday Co-op where they hope to make some friends. They love their new rooms and their neighborhood that is quiet and peaceful. Jeremiah and Josiah will both participate in a sports program this fall that is family friendly (they schedule practices for all members of families on the same night and limit games to a short season on Saturdays!).

 

As a family, we have explored a wonderful lake 2 miles from us and a river park ½ a mile from us. Erin joined a group of moms to go apple-picking on the top of a mountain 2-hrs away. We have a short-list of churches we are exploring, and in each church, God has granted us connections with people that God has used to bless us in different ways. And, yes, we already experienced our first hurricane, which ended up not hitting our city head-on!

 

Columbia, Our Prayers

As we said this summer to many, we need you to join us in praying for our new ministry. Seminary is the frontline for training those who are going to pastor churches or serve overseas as missionaries. The task feels weighty, and we want to be faithful to what God has called us to in this season of life. To help guide your prayers, we are including in our prayer update a PDF attachment of a chapter in the book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, by John Piper. This chapter summarizes so well how you can pray for our seminary ministry. Please read it and begin praying!

 

Besides these, here is how you can specifically pray this fall:

·       Pray for our family to find a healthy church where we can worship God with the people of God.

·       Pray for both Michael and Erin to establish meaningful and fruitful relationships with colleagues, students, and their spouses.

·       Pray for Erin and the kids to make meaningful relationships with other families, for ‘mom’-friends for Erin and friends for each of our children.

·       Pray for Erin and Jeremiah as they help on Monday nights in a refugee ministry.

·       Pray for Michael as he makes connections with pastors in the city.

·       Pray for our family to have opportunities to cultivate relationships with our neighbors and practice hospitality.

·       Pray for sickness to be driven away from our family (we’ve been sick a lot this month!)

·       Pray for each one of us to find comfort in God alone as we miss those we love.

 

Columbia, God’s Next Chapter

On our wall in our living room is a quote that reminds us of how God is directing our lives. It comes from the end of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, after the children have entered the ‘New Narnia,’ which is better and surpasses all their expectations. What Lewis writes reminds us to hope in God who leads and guides us to the end of our days as we strive forward toward the new Narnia, the restoration of God’s cosmic-sanctuary:

 

Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story no one on earth has ever read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.

 

We miss all those we dearly love and pray for in Cincinnati. There has been a lot of sadness in leaving. But we trust God’s ways in this new chapter in our lives…and we pray for you as God directs and leads you in your own chapters, even as we together await the fulfillment of God’s Great Story. May he do so. Please write and let us know how we can be praying for you and your family.

 

Faithfully,

  

Michael & Erin, & the Cubs

 

P.S. Don't forget to read the chapter on how to pray for seminaries that is attached as a PDF. You can check our more regular updates and pictures from Erin on her blog: melyonsden.blogspot.com. If someone forwarded you this email and you would like to be on our prayer update list, please email Michael: mlyons533@gmail.com.