Howdy!
November already, wow. October was busy and went by FAST, so I’m excited to write. Buckle up for 3 pages of rambling that Hannah will edit and make sense of so y’all can read it.
Cider Press
The first two Saturdays of October, Hannah’s side of the family holds a cider pressing event, which is something I have looked forward to the last few years now. We have 2 antique cider presses going time from about 5:30 until we run out of apples around 8-9. This is one of my favorite events of the year because of all the people gathering together, accomplishing a goal, and enjoying community. This year I was able to be around for 4 of the events (the 2 cider presses and then 2 events for the family) which I also really enjoyed getting to be a part of the family!
Total City
TC has been growing and so has the amount of relationships we are cultivating. Our heart when we were looking for a new church was a place where God is moving and a place where we walk in and recognize people, and have conversations. These conditions continue to be met more and more. I have been encouraged after every Sunday, getting to know people. We are especially encouraged through the sermons.
October 18th, we had baptisms and it seemed like people just kept coming to get baptized. I was glad to be a part of it specifically because of the joy people shared, not just those being baptized but those of us celebrating with them.
We also had a Team Fall Party which was a great opportunity to relax and hang out with the people we see every Sunday outside of church. God is building a strong community within this church and those who serve in it. I went in with the expectation of sitting around awkwardly and not really speaking with anybody more than a few sentences, but Hannah and I had several meaningful conversations with different people and couples.
It has also been good for us to get to know some married people who are more experienced in the field because that is very important for new marriages! All in all God continues to cement for us that this is where He wants us. It would be a huge blessing to see some of y’all visit too!
Warehouse
October was a crazy month in the warehouse, between 2 large donations from a local warehouse, plenty from Lowe’s, the Midwest Food Bank, and more! On top of that we shipped a container we had been preparing for the last 4 years! The shelves have gone from empty to overflowing in a matter of 5 weeks, once again proving we can’t out-give God.
We are working on some big plans to end this year and for next year that could really make the warehouse look different and function so much better. We have continued to improve space and how we give and it keeps getting better. God is infinite and we see it in His work.
Kenya
We finally shipped Kenya! Four years, countless hours of collecting, manifesting, staging, and staging again all culminated into 4 hours and 1 container. This has always been my favorite part of the job because I know that there is somebody in Kenya right now praying for a Bible, not knowing that God is already making it happen for them thorugh a Bible in that container.
Right around the New Year, the prayers from the last 4 years will be answered, even though they have already been. If God shows up later it doesn’t mean He is late. I believe that there will be a Daniel moment when that Bible reaches the hand of somebody who has been praying for years and God can say it was on the way the whole time.
Halloween
This has been one of my favorite October’s because of the different date nights Hannah and I did– from carving pumpkins, watching “spooky” movies, and going to Penn State vs Purdue on Halloween! I had been looking forward to this Penn State game since buying the tickets, but as soon as October hit I was counting down the days.
I was definitely worried going into it because PSU (Penn State University) had lost 4 straight coming into this game. However, it was a great time. Hannah and I dressed up as Shaggy and Velma, and PSU won 31-17. We sat pretty high up but still had a good view and were surrounded by fun people.
Coming Up
November has a lot on the schedule already!
- 11/6 I am going to present at a school for Equip
- 11/11-11/13 we have a work group
- 11/12-11/15 Hannah and I are going on vacation
- 11/22 we have our staff appreciation dinner
- 11/25 Hannah’s birthday
- 11/26-11/27 we are off for Thanksgiving
- and then it’s right into December!
Praises & Prayer Requests
We are so grateful to those who pray for us, y’all help us stay in the fight so we can help others stay in the fight.
Praises
- Pellet stove – I was able to diagnose and fix the problem, now we have heat!
- Freezer – No longer beeps, no leaks or melting, the light works!
- Vacation – Blessed to have time away together!
- Kenya – God is blessing so many people through this work!
Requests
- Finances – Pray that God sends the right people our way that want to support us financially.
- CMTS Texas – Pray for Kiel and Melissa Klingman and the funds for the base itself.
- Vacation – Safe travels.
- Kenya – Pray the container would reach its destination and have no extra fees.
We are continually blessed by the fact that y’all even read this let alone pray and support us.
Thanks for reading!
Donny & Hannah
If you would like to support Donny & Hannah, you can do so by sending checks with an attached note to CMTS Ministries, or by using this link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/donovanhannahulrich/