A Year in Review (2018) | CERC Blog | Christ Evangelical Reformed Church (CERC)

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A Year in Review (2018)

Posted on 1 Jan 2019 by Jerome Leng


Dear ministry partners, I hope 2018 has been a fruitful year for you! It was the most challenging year for us in the US as we worked together to juggle school, work, ministry, and parenting. Through it all, however, we’ve tasted the goodness of our Lord as He sustained us by his grace. I thought it would be neat to point out some of the key moments of our year. Here are our highlights in 2018:  

Hunkering Down as Parents 

After Robyn’s parents have gone back to NZ, it was time for us to find our own rhythm. Little did we know how much we are about to learn about ourselves and parenthood in the following months! Looking after Emmett has taught us to put others above ourselves and to rely on the strength that comes from the Lord.

 

Privileged to Preach

It was an honor to deliver the message at the spring award ceremony. We meditated on 1 Thess 2:1-16 together and are challenged by God’s Word to see suffering for the Gospel as a privilege. “How much will we endure for the Gospel?” That was our question for the day.

 

Together for the Gospel Conference

During our spring break, we attended T4G. It’s a conference targeted towards pastors to give them some encouragement and an opportunity for them to connect with other ministers. There were more than ten thousand people at the conference! It was certainly eye opening to see the strength and influence of reformed evangelical Christianity in the US.

 

Mom comes to visit

Mom’s arrival could not have been timed better. With exams looming over us, we needed extra time to study. Mom came just in time to help us look after and play with Emmett! We were also very happy to spend some quality time with her.

 

DC Trip

We went to DC to get Emmett his Malaysian citizenship and passport during our summer break. Thankfully, it was a smooth and easy process. We made a vacation out of the trip as well. We saw magnificent buildings, visited Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and a ton of museums.

 

Celebrating Emmett’s First Birthday

Our little boy turned one on Nov 19! Many of our friends celebrated Emmett’s birthday with us. We thanked God for Emmett’s life and His faithfulness in protecting Emmett. Emmett is dearly loved by many here in the US. We took videos of everyone so that when he’s old enough, we can introduce Emmett to the people who cared for him. These are friends that we will dearly miss.  

 

Family Reunion in NZ

We had the wonderful opportunity to visit Robyn’s side of the family in New Zealand during our winter break. It was great spending time with her parents and sister’s family. Within a year, we had two additions to the family: Emmett and Juniper! It was a wonderful reunion.

 

Prayer Points

In the above, I pointed out the highlights. But really, the bulk of our lives are lived in the ordinary moments of the daily grind. 2018 was a full year for us and so, the days passed by very quickly.

Robyn has one class left, and I have six. Lord willing, our plan is to graduate end of 2019. But we will visit Malaysia in July for my brother’s wedding. We’re looking forward to meeting our friends and family!

Would you continue to keep us in your prayers? Please pray:

  1. For the Lord’s blessing in our final year at seminary
  2. For opportunities to raise funds here in the US
  3. For grace to love one another and serve our local church
  4. Please pray for God’s blessings upon CERC and her ministries.

May 2019 be a wonderful year for you!

 

 

 

With love,

The Lengs