An Update or Two
Hello Friends!
The family is in York! Kind of. Our house is under contract in Upper Darby, and for the last few weeks, we have been living with my in-laws in York. We’re not quite moved in yet, but we are spending the bulk of our time in our new (and old) hometown. This has been a fantastic opportunity, but it has also presented a few challenges.
We’ve been taking full advantage of many of the opportunities. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to meet with many more people in the York area. I’ve had dinner with old friends, prayed with other local pastors, and visited some other churches. These have been great times to share our vision and to see what work God is already doing here. As we already knew going into this, we’re not the only show in town. God is working in York. There still aren’t enough churches in the area, not by a long shot, but it’s refreshing to see the work already happening through other churches and families. We’re excited to jump into this work.
Another great opportunity has been simply spending time here. I’m already becoming a regular at a popular coffee shop, which has led to some great conversations with locals. Just last week, I ran into a group of women doing a midweek Bible study there and had the chance to share with them what we’re doing. This wasn’t a planned meeting, but clearly God’s providence.
Also, as many of you know, I’m passionate about Jiu Jitsu. Being here means I can start training at a local gym. In Upper Darby, the Jiu Jitsu gym was one of my primary mission fields and one of the most fruitful. I’m excited to get involved with the gym here, make new friends, and pursue not only improvement in the sport but also gospel conversations.
However, as I mentioned earlier, this move comes with challenges. These would be great places to direct your prayers for our work. First, living as nomads is hard. We’re not home anywhere yet. Our old house doesn’t feel like home anymore, as it has been staged for showings and much of our stuff has already been moved. Our new house isn’t ready either, which means we’re living in my wife’s childhood bedroom. We’re thankful for the opportunity, but it’s hard, especially for our kids. We can sense the feeling of uprootedness they’re experiencing.
Because of that, I’m working hard to get our house ready to move in. This has been both exciting and exhausting. Many nights, after a full day of church work, I spend time deep into the night working on our home—painting, laying floors, putting in trim, and constantly running a shop vac (remodeling generates a lot of dust). These have been long, tiring days. Please pray for supernatural energy to complete the house soon so we can finally feel settled.
There are also a few challenges on the old house front. Praise God, it sold quickly and for more than we expected. That’s fantastic news. However, we’re now dealing with the permit process to finalize the sale. The biggest challenge has been our sewer inspection. Because the house is old, there are issues with the sewer line, which means costly repairs before we can legally close. Please pray that this issue is resolved quickly and at a significantly lower cost than the initial estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
Finally, and most pressing, is the issue of fundraising. Many of you reading this have already been exceedingly generous, and we are so grateful. That said, we’re approaching a critical funding point. Because of various factors (monthly funding that’s committed but not yet available, delays with denominational financing, etc.), we’re hitting a bit of a crunch. To be fully operational by July, we need to raise approximately $5,000 by the end of the month. That feels like a scary number, but God has been faithful to us every single step of the way. We’re trusting He’ll handle this too. Maybe you’re one of the people God will use to close that gap.
In the Bible, especially in the book of Acts, we see that gospel patrons are frequently used by God to further His mission. Lydia, for example, was a successful businesswoman who opened her home to Paul and supported the early church in Philippi. I believe God has blessed many of you financially, and I want to invite you to consider giving to support our work. We are currently facing a $5,000 gap in our monthly funding. I pray that God might even be calling one of you to fill that gap fully. Would you pray and ask the Lord if He might be calling you to help meet that need? If you feel led to give, you can do so securely here:
https://citylightdelco.churchcenter.com/giving/to/citylight-york
In the coming weeks, we’ll begin hosting some small bible study gatherings in our new home. This is an opportunity for evangelism, studying God’s word, and continuing to build a launch team for when we start gathering on Sunday mornings.
As always, I’m thankful for each of you. Whether you’ve supported us through finances, prayer, or by sharing our work with others, you are a vital part of this mission. Thank you for the support you’ve given to my family during this time.
Andy
