Dear friends and family,
This past week marked the inauguration of my apprenticeship with Evangelical Friends Mission through North County Project! And what an eventful week it has been. My fellow apprentices, Garry and Grace, flew in from Kansas and Oregon, respectively, and I have had a lot of fun guiding them around my hometown to acquaint them with life in Orange County. Last Thursday, we went hiking in Carbon Canyon Regional Park next to my grandma’s house and saw the majestic redwood grove, ate lunch at Avalon Bagels, and toured the Brea Union Plaza strip mall on Imperial Highway. Afterward, I brought them as my guests to a Sons of Norway lodge meeting (where my dad and I are members), where we enjoyed Norwegian soup and were invited to share about how our ministry calling brought us together in this place. That evening, I took Garry to a men’s small group meeting from Rose Drive Friends, where I got to introduce him to my close friends and engage in a lively hermeneutical discussion over pizza. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to share my day-to-day life with my peers, as well as learn from them new perspectives on the experiences I take for granted.
On Wednesday night, we had our first Disciple-Making Community (DMC) meeting at Alan Amavisca’s house, where he and the other NCP leaders outlined the schedule and curriculum for our training for the rest of the year. On Friday morning, we began our Bible Discussion training, where we are learning how to facilitate group conversations about the Bible. The focus is on equipping “disciple-making disciples”: teaching the gospel in such a way that people who learn from us will learn to teach themselves, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with their neighbors, and so on and so forth. I am also glad to announce that I have been adopted as an intern at Glendora Friends Church, where I have been invited to train and equip their congregation with the very material that I am learning from NCP.
While there is much to celebrate, there is also much need. Nick Ward and Fullerton Friends Church had made a promising housing arrangement for me, Garry, and Grace, that unfortunately fell through at the last possible minute, to the frustration of everyone involved. We need your prayers to find new housing arrangements on such short notice for the next ten months. Also, I am personally 21% funded. While I am very grateful for the resources so generously given by you, I will have to live off my savings for the next several weeks in order to stretch the amount that I have. If you or anyone you know perceive any inclination to support me financially in this ministry calling, please follow the instructions at the end of this update.
EFM informs me that over 199 of you have signed up as my prayer partners to receive these ministry updates. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this message, and for praying for me! Indeed, I really, really need your prayers. I am excited and eager for the path ahead that is taking shape even now, but I confess that I am anxious and intimidated by the many unanswered questions and hard decisions in the immediate future. The Psalmist writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?” I suspect that for him, as sometimes it is for me, that cry may not always be a rhetorical question, but an exasperated plea.
God, you’ve led me this far. Don’t leave me hanging now.
Dutifully yours,
Erik
You can support me through prayer and financial giving. I need and appreciate both so that I can reach 100% in both areas before starting my apprenticeship. My goal is to have 250 prayer partners. If you or anyone you know would like to sign up as a prayer partner and receive occasional updates from me, please sign up on this form.
I am currently 26% fundraised and looking for financial supporters to support me through October 2024. Would you please prayerfully consider supporting me as I begin my apprenticeship in January 2024?
There are four ways to partner with me:
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