It’s almost Christmas. If I were to ask you to name your top ten presents of all time, what would they be? This is a fun exercise to think about all the amazingly thoughtful and precious gifts that have been given to us over the years. I believe I may have a new one for the list after this year.
Over the years, there has been one constant on our prayer lists. It involved our yearly visa renewal and then years later our Naturalization process was added as well. Year after year, we have struggled with this process. It has been a constant source of frustration and stress. One year there was even a misunderstanding about our status, and we were given a date to vacate the country. Fortunately, the appeal process clarified the confusion, and we were allowed to stay.
Now after so many years we have amazing news. As of this December, all four of us will have been approved for our dual citizenship. I attended my ceremony in the first week of December to receive my certificate of Naturalization. Words cannot express how blessed we are to finally complete this process. Thank you, thank you, thank you for bearing this load with us. We are forever grateful.
As we prepare for 2023, may I ask you to join us in prayer for three specific goals for the year? Firstly, please pray for me, David, as I am pursuing new ways to use various modes of art to impact our community with the gospel. This has been a desire of my heart for quite some time. Over the last couple of years, I have seen this outlet develop and I am looking forward to seeing what becomes of it. Please pray for doors to be opened and new opportunities to be revealed.
Secondly, please pray for Tricia as she continues to expand her impact on the community by meeting the physical and emotional needs of those she meets. Please pray that new connections and new families be brought alongside her in this endeavor. Also, pray for her personally. At the end of October, Tricia and I were involved in a very serious car accident. We were hit head-on by an oncoming car. I was, fortunately, able to walk away with minor injuries. But Tricia has been dealing with the ongoing struggle of recovering from a more complicated injury. It has been and will continue to be a hard road to navigate, and we would ask that you pray with us through this. And please pray for the young man who hit us.
Thirdly, please pray for clarity of vision. I remember asking this specific prayer request in 2005 when we began this journey. Since that time, much has changed both personally and as a country. We desire to be clear on the new direction that God is leading us into.
We are greatly excited about what God still has in store for us in Ireland. Our hearts desire to continue to see lives transformed through a personal encounter with the one true God. We cannot wait to see how God will go before us and prepare the way. Thank you for praying with us every step of the way. If you already financially support us, thank you so very much. If you are not yet a financial partner, would you prayerfully consider joining us in 2023 to further the gospel in Ireland? Please know that you are loved, you are appreciated, and you are amazing.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Grace and Peace,
The Howell Clan
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