Overby Odyssey Update September 2020

As we move into the fall, I think of a humorous YouTube video that was joking about the anticipation of fall, and the hope that the fall will bring a positive change, make us happy again, and fix all of our problems. However, with the forest fires in Oregon and the upcoming elections, we are quickly reminded that our hope is not in seasons or ourselves. 2020 will go down in history as the year where we were all stripped of the illusion that we are in control and the masters of our destinies. Our prayer is that you have found your hope in the Lord during this tumultuous year and He has given you a peace that surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us with our recent coronavirus scare in Samuel’s kindergarten. For those of you who missed it, a teacher was diagnosed with COVID so all kids were put in quarantine and the kindergarten was closed. Samuel and I got tested and both of our tests turned up negative (as well as all the other kindergarten kids), and the big kids were allowed to go back to school and I back to work. Samuel was still required to stay home for another week, but with many of his teachers still out, he will probably stay home with Heather for this next week too. We are so thankful that Heather is able to be a stay at home mom, because we can imagine how much harder it would be if she had to take time off work too.Another praise is that we were praying earlier this summer for Stanley to deepen his walk with Christ, especially through the Christian summer camp he was able to attend this summer. Those prayers were answered, and since coming home from camp, he has shown more maturity, focus, and dedication in both his walk with Christ and his school work. He still doesn’t like school, and still is goofy and often distracted, but he comes home from school and immediately works on his homework and shows more organization in keeping track of tasks. He is also creating a community among a group of friends at school through his love of Minecraft. He uses his allowance to pay for a subscription to an online Minecraft world that these friends can get on at any time and contribute to. We are very proud of him and happy to see him grow emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Please pray for our two different Bible studies. Our Monday night Bible study has now been moved to Thursday nights. We are still meeting online via Google Meet, and will have a bonfire this Saturday, September 26. We have a couple of new people we hope will be able to attend this Saturday and a few new people who want to attend the online study on Thursday. Pray that we will be able to connect with any international students who are in need of a community. Pray also for those who keep finding excuses not to attend. We will keep asking and praying that they will be able to join us.

Please pray for our youth Bible study as we are having trouble getting that jumpstarted again after not meeting since March. We have talked to a couple of the youth about meeting online and they are interested in restarting but they haven’t responded to any of our requests via WhatsApp. Pray that we will be creative in our ideas on how to make it interesting and meaningful for the students and that we will be able to get this restarted soon.

Pray for wisdom for Heather in knowing how to restart the Mama Mittwoch (Mommy Wednesday). We want to be responsible and as the infections in our area are increasing hosting a large group in our home with little kids who slobber on everything doesn’t seem wise. But right now, this is the dilemma that many ministries all over the world are wrestling with.

Pray for our short term foster care. In August we had a 17-month-old boy for just over two weeks while his foster family went on vacation. They already had the trip planned when he came into their home. It was a rewarding and challenging two weeks, but service is never easy. We almost had another placement last week, but he was placed in another home in another city instead. We never know when we will get a call, so pray for God’s timing and that we will be ready when it is time.

Pray for me as I am doing a trail run on October 3. This is my third attempt to run this race, but the previous two times I got injured a week before the race. Pray that I will be able to make it to the starting line healthy and strong. I have been praying and thinking about how I can use my running better for Jesus. One of those ways has been my short vlogs on YouTube “Thoughts on the Run.” For this race, I entered my team name as “Running for Jesus.” I have also been running with a University student from India which has led to some good conversations about faith. Pray for insight on how God would want me to use this gift for His glory.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We do not know what the future holds, but we want to make the most of today. We want to listen to God’s voice and be anchored in His Word. He is the only rock that will not be swayed or knocked over by the storms of our fallen and broken world.