Hi all!

A lot has happened, and it has been such a blessing to be part of what God’s doing here at CMTS. I’m so excited to give you a not so brief summary of all the ways God is working.

July

July was a big month for the ministry. For the last year or so, Danielle Smith has been working to develop the new Equip program. When the Smiths first invited me to join them, their vision included me working with the students in some way to be determined. As mentioned in my last newsletter, Danielle, Jenny, & I have decided to share the responsibilities of being dorm leaders, since Jenny works full time, Danielle homeschools her 6 children, and I work in the office. Well, the 2 Equip girls moved in the first week of July, and it has been an experience like no other (at least, for me).

July highlights:

• Before the girls moved in, we had to fix the apartment on the first floor (right outside my office. Actually, there’s a door from the office into their room). I got to help Joel make the ladder for the bunk bed, a first for me! You’d think with a contractor grandfather, I’d know a little more about things like that, but I’m really grateful that Joel took the time to explain the different steps to me.
• We have 4 students this year: Emi & Grace, Kai & David
  • Emi is from the Bath area and heard about Equip from her teacher. Joel had also spoken at the school to present Equip as an option for the students.
  • Grace is Justin Darnell’s niece, and she’s from Missouri and many other states.
  • Kai has been at the ministry for some time. His parents, Doug & Hilda, serve full-time. Being in Equip has offered him and David the opportunity to move out and experience life as adults.
  • David’s parents, Michael & Juanis, also serve at CMTS full-time. He’s been the fleet officer for the last year.
  • It has been an absolute privilege to see these 4 young adults flourish and grow in just the last 3 months. The growth and change makes all the prep, all the stress, all the bad days worth it. I can’t wait to see who they are at the end of this year!
• Once a month, we take the students on an Adventure Trip. Our first was to Knoebels with Nolan & Jenny Lapp, the 4 students, and myself (see pictures)
  • We stayed at Lake Glory Campground approx 10 minutes from Knoebels
  • On Saturday morning, the 7 of us went to Profile Coffee and Roasters in Elysburg for breakfast. Highly recommend!
  • We spent the rest of the day at the park, getting to know the students and watching them form their own bonds and friendships.
• July 15th was our Supporter Appreciation Dinner, or as I preferred to call it, Donor Dinner.
• The last week of July, I was the CEF of Schuylkill County camp missionary for the Christmas Pines Auburn camp. Monday-Friday, I drove to the camp and spoke for an hour about CMTS. I learned a lot about the ministry and got to tell approx 50 kids different stories of God’s faithfulness in the past. It was so much fun to read these stories, look at old pictures, and learn about the Merrick’s. I’m incredibly blessed to be part of the ministry they built, a ministry that has had such an impact for the Kingdom.
  • Also, my nephews Finn & Max and niece Ella were part of the group! Plus a bunch of kids from PGCC and the 2 older Darnell girls were there, which I thought was funny.
  • Side note: if you’re interested in learning more about Christ Link and seeing some of their work, check out the CEF of Schuylkill County website. Wes did a lot of work on their page and their new website admin is doing a great job maintaining it!

August

• At this point, we were a full month into Equip. Honestly, I still have no idea what God and the Smiths were thinking asking me to be at CMTS and part of Equip staff. But I’m grateful they obeyed and that God worked it all out anyway.
• August 1st, Grace’s dad, Rob, spent a week at the ministry. He said he was willing to work wherever needed, so they asked him to repair the mudroom/entryway to my cottage. It looked a little rough around the edges, but as you’ll see from the pictures it looks amazing now! He and a workgroup (2 local churches, one from the Cressona area) that joined us for 2 days were such a blessing.
• My family and I spent a weekend camping in Gettysburg.
  • Ella (my niece) and I shared a tent and a slowly deflating air mattress
  • Hani joined us and, despite being a total scaredy cat around larger dogs, eventually warmed up to Remy, my brother’s German shepherd, who is just the sweetest.
  • I didn’t get many pictures from that weekend, but I can confidently say we all made A LOT of memories. The campground was… an experience.
• August 12th, my cousin got married. I’m going to be honest: I had a terrible attitude almost the whole day. I really, really don’t like weddings, and not just because of my lack. But, I did enjoy getting to dress up and spending time with my cousins, aunts, and uncles, plus the reception venue was gorgeous.
• August 13th was another Adventure Trip. I was the on-call dorm parent, so Jenny graciously agreed to join me in taking the students out.
  • We went to Trail Gardens. They had purple sage and a French lavender plant on sale! So of course, I bought them. They smell amazing and look so pretty!
  • After Trail Gardens, we went bowling in Pottsville. Judging by the smiles on their face, they had a lot of fun, even if we’re not the best bowlers.
• August 15th – 20th was our first Domestic missions trip. Joel & Danielle took the 4 students and their 6 children to Circle K to work for the week.
  • I joined them for as much of the week as I could, but regret not being there the whole time. Work has to be done in the office though, and that’s okay.
  • At meal times, we always played a group game, like Rules where you draw a rule at random, and have to follow it for the whole meal. Some of the rules were things like spinning every time you stood up or you could only talk like you were asking a question?
  • Some of the things the students did while there was cutting down trees for firewood, replacing old floorboards, and a group study called CommUNITY, with the intent to build relationships.
  • I got to help Nolan cut down a dead tree! He chainsawed, I drove the four-wheeler with the rope attached to make it not fall on the cabin like it wanted. ~ Proud moment ~
• August 25th was an eventful day at the ministry, but 1 year ago on that day, the Smiths had invited me over for dinner, essentially bribing me with chicken parm. It worked.
• The last Saturday of August, I spent the afternoon at Mohrsville Church of the Brethren’s Community Day, representing CMTS.
• August was a rough month for me, and I think for the ministry as a whole. It was a growing month, but I can’t wait to see how God is going to use the different trials for His glory and our good.

September

• September 18th, our commercial insurance policy ended. That means going forward, missionaries will be getting their own insurance coverage. This has been a learning experience for me, and the first couple weeks were rough, but hopefully, the hard part is behind us. 
• For the last couple months, we’ve been raising money for the septic system to be replaced. As God always does, He came through! We are almost fully funded and have the replacement plans all drawn up.
• In November, we’re having a workgroup, well actually multiple work groups, join us to work on “the renovation of our to-be-training center (the building by the road in need of repair).” I’m quoting Joel’s description from the September ministry newsletter because the way I described the building was ridiculous “less kind”. Anyway, the building is going to be a huge blessing to the ministry!
• On September 23rd, Jenny and I took the girls out for the afternoon, just to get them off campus for a bit. We went to Hobby Lobby (a first for me), and of course Dunkin for coffee. It has been so much fun spending time with Emi & Grace. They are genuinely fun people, and I feel grateful to be part of a community that so genuinely loves them and is doing its (our?) best to set all 4 students up for success.

Where’s God?

Everywhere! But specifically:

• He has been growing me and stretching me to my limits. And yet, He’s not pushing me too far. What a wise God we serve; He knows exactly what we need and is more than willing to give us His strength!
• He’s continued to provide finances every month. I had a moment back in May when I got a little stressed about some upcoming bills. I stopped myself, prayed, and gave it to God. That same night, a supporter reached out to me and gave me enough finances to cover my worries and more! Absolutely amazing!
• He has protected the ministry. We are in a constant state of, “Okay, God. You’re going to have to handle this one” and guess what? He does, every time!
• He’s blessed me with a family who supports me in so many ways. I could not do this without the support of my friends, blood family, and spiritual family.
• He’s provided food consistently for everyone at the ministry. He has provided some low-cost resources through places like Hornings and Blessings of Hope.
• He’s shown me grace and mercy when I truly don’t deserve it.
• He’s proven His trustworthiness over and over. I still have my days of worry, but every time I am consistent in giving Him my concerns, He has been consistent to lay those fears to rest. Crazy, right? It’s almost like He told us to do that…

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”     Philippians 4:5b-7

Prayer requests:

1. Continued provision! It doesn’t hurt to ask Him to continue to provide. If you’re willing, please pray that He provides for my coworkers in Christ here. There are a few families that are still seeking financial support and are fully relying on God to provide that. They’re beautiful examples of faith for me!
2. I’ve been working through my discontentment, and while I’m not anywhere near perfect, and some days I am the furthest thing from content, I’m still praying every day that God would continue to work in me to give me joy in my circumstances. No matter what, He’s where the joy is. Please pray for me as I wrestle with His plan, and surrender my own.
3. Pray for strength and wisdom for myself and everyone else at the ministry. Especially for the men and women in leadership. God is bigger than any challenge we’ve faced yet, including this insurance thing. He is sovereign!
4. Pray for the different projects happening around campus, for the finances to handle all these things, and for wisdom and protection.
5. Pray for the Equip program! Please pray that God would use this year to show Himself to these students. Pray that God would give them guidance for their next steps this summer. Pray that God would continue to work in the leaders/staff. This is our growing year too, but I get the feeling every year will be a growing year.
6. Pray for this insurance situation. We have had a few hiccups, and we’re still in the refining stage. Pray that His will for this ministry would be done and clearly presented to Joel & Danielle.
7. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send more workers into His field (see Matthew 9:38). We need help. A few of the major areas of need are in:
   • the kitchen (Debbie, our amazing cook, had to step down, and Juanis is having to fill in for her. She is a wonderful cook too, but it’s not her favorite job.)
   • the office (with me!)
   • Equip
8. Pray for me specifically in regards to Equip. I have never been involved in a ministry with people over the age of 5; preschool is my place and has been for many years. I am constantly learning new things about myself and other people. You could say that the sanctification process is strong right now, but it’s good and so worth it. 

The Ministries prayer requests are available on the website if you feel called to pray for these too!

Thank you again for your support! I am absolutely beyond grateful for this opportunity to serve God with my work every single day. I wake up every day excited about my job and excited to see my coworkers! I thank you sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. If you have any questions, comments, prayer requests, etc. please email me at noeckerh19@gmail.com (or text me if you have my number)!

Hannah Noecker

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