Building a Team

It has been awesome to see God building a team of leaders at Redemption Church over the last few months. It has only been 3 months since we had our first official service on Easter, and we have seen God preparing and equipping us as a core team. We are meeting every other Sunday morning at our house for Leadership Training and going through a book by Britt Merrick called, “Godspeed.” It has also been a great opportunity to go over the vision and mission that God has given us for Redemption Church. We are growing closer as a church as we learn and serve together.

A "Typical" Week for the Williams' Family

Sundays: Sundays are Daniel’s day off from Bloomingdales, so we have our Leadership Training on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at our house. In the afternoons, we usually have some sort of street witnessing or outreach and Daniel studies for Thursday night service when he’s home. Sunday nights are COMMUNITY GROUP where we share a meal and fellowship with our church body.

Mondays: Daniel works on Mondays, and works on the church website, blog and podcast. If he works a late shift, we may try to sneak in a little trip to the beach or park with the kids in the morning.

Tuesdays: Tuesday are sometimes Daniel’s day off from Bloomingdales. I’m usually working on Bible School lessons for Thursday Night kid’s classes during the day. Daniel will meet up with Jeff and Geoff for discipleship, spend time with the Family, and will squeeze in some study time for Thursday Night. We also have our prayer meeting at the Torick’s home Tuesday Nights.

Wednesdays: Daniel works at Bloomingdales on Wednesdays most of the time. In the evenings, we go down to Spot Coffee downtown and sing at the open mic. This is where we have connected most with new friends and been able to share the Gospel with people. Geoff has been singing here as well since he’s been here.

Thursdays: Redemption Church meets on Thursday nights!!! If Daniel is off on Thursday, we try to make this a family day…either beach trip or park or something. We load up our van with all of our church equipment and supplies around 5pm and meet down at the Veteran’s Park Community Center to set up with the team at 6. Church goes from 7-8:30, and we are loaded back up by 9:15pm. Then back to the house to unload!

Fridays: Daniel almost always works a late shift—from 12:15-9:15 at Bloomingdales. The kids and I will most likely go and have dinner with him at the Chic-fil-a in the food court at the mall during his lunch break. :) 

Saturdays: Saturdays, Daniel works at Bloomingdales and we may have friends over for dinner or if he closes we sometimes get to sleep in or go to the beach:)

Our friends, the Jeffs :)

It has been such a blast having not one, but TWO JEFFs here interning and serving and living with us down here in Delray this Summer. God put it on each of their hearts to come down and help out with Redemption Church for the Summer, and God has BLESSED us so much through their support and friendship. Daniel meets with them and disciples them on a regular basis, studying God’s Word as well as books that we are going through as a leadership team. Our kids are SO BLESSED to have these guys around to play with them and wrestle and even babysit them when we’re lucky! :)

Be praying for them as they’re both praying about what their futures hold. Geoff still is looking for a job here, and you can pray that he finds one soon! It is seriously a gift from God that they are here with us both as a church and as a family!

Planning a Visit to Washington State:)

The Lord made a way for us to come and visit our family and friends in Washington State and spend some time sharing what God has done in our life over this last year with our sending church, Calvary Chapel of Olympia. We will be flying to Seattle the first week in August, and we will be spending time in Olympia as well as visiting friends in Eastern Washington  through the 15th. We are planning  a reception time where we will be sharing a little as well as answering questions and showing some pictures of Delray Beach on SUNDAY, AUGUST 5th from 1-3pm in the Fellowship Hall at Calvary Chapel Olympia as well as leading worship that morning.  Hope you are able to make it! We will have Daniel’s cell phone with us while we are travelling, so if you would like to connect with us while we are there, please call or e-mail us and we will do our best to make it happen. We would love to hear about all that has been happening in your life too! It will be good to see everyone!

OUR CITY: DELRAY BEACH

Adding to the family: Introducing Geoff Chase!

We are so excited to introduce you to our good friend, Geoff Chase, who moved in with us this week for the summer. Geoff is from our sending church in Olympia, Washington, and is currently enrolled in the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. He is down in Delray Beach with us for the Summer months as an intern and support for Redemption Church. Since AJ got married last weekend, his room is now Geoff’s for the Summer.

Geoff is planning to find a part time job while he is here and spend the rest of his time serving with us at our Thursday night services, helping to spread the word about Redemption Church in the community, and praying for opportunities to share the love and good news of Jesus with people here in Delray.

Please be praying that God uses Geoff in a mighty way this Summer and that He is glorified in this season we have together. You can specifically be praying for the right job for Geoff, for fruitful interactions and chances to share the gospel with people here, for Geoff to grow in his faith as he is stepping out in new ways in a new place!

Gratefulness

Today, I did the unthinkable as a mom. I packed up all of our kids’ toys into tubs, carted them out to our garage, and told the kids to say goodbye. I let them keep a few—Jeremiah and May each got a plastic tub to fill with ten toys of their choice, and the rest are in our garage until…well, I don’t know.

I was prompted to this crazy action because of the apparent ungratefulness that I have been seeing in our house lately. What pushed me over the edge today was a literal tantrum over boredom with what we have. I wouldn’t allow our kids to watch a movie, play a computer game, or a game on my phone. I insisted that they play with their TOYS! (mean, right??) Well, when I saw one of them throw a complete fit about it, I offered to give their toys away to somebody else! This wasn’t a popular suggestion at all! :) So, as a compromise, we packed up the toys and put them in the garage where they will be earned back over time.

I just want our kids to learn to appreciate the things that they have and be thankful! Why this is so difficult to teach, I don’t know. But we are trying!

I am continually praying that the Lord would make me a more thankful person—thankful for my role as Mama to these kids that I love, thankful to be married to my high school sweetheart, thankful for this adventure He has called us on here in Delray…there are times I am discontent, too, and I so don’t want to be that child screaming for something else to do when I have all these gifts right in front of me…

When you pray for us, please pray that God will continue to help us be thankful right where we are.

-Laura