Jennifer Tibbetts

Merry Christmas!  Check out our family picture from Thanksgiving when all 7 of us were together – yay!

Thank you for your continued partnership in my ministry with OMF.  It is a joy to continue serving US missionaries sent to Asia.  In January I had the amazing opportunity to represent OMF US at the International Child Safety Consultation held at our Headquarters in Singapore.  I learned a lot at this Consultation and also was thrilled to share the resources that I have created on training kids in child safety with other OMF sending centers and fields.  Currently, my training is being made available internationally.  This year, I have trained almost 50 people in 15 countries with this material in the hopes that our kids will be protected from maltreatment or enabled to report maltreatment if it occurs. 

After Singapore, I was able to visit co-workers and friends in Burma, Thailand and Cambodia.  In each place, people are coming to Christ and being discipled, and there are also appalling situations where people are lost in darkness, broken and wounded.  As you can imagine, I am more equipped to pray for each situation, and also longing for my next opportunity to visit Asia and encourage those on the frontlines.

As I look back on this year, I am amazed at how God provided.  We were able to travel to Texas, Washington, Oklahoma, Ohio, California and New York to visit family.  Alysha and I also had a special trip to the Grand Canyon to celebrate her graduation from Community College.  Alysha plans to attend Colorado State University in Fort Collins starting in January.  She will major in Equine Science and take her horse Cinnamon with her.  Alysha is considering how she can help foster kids or disabled kids with horse therapy.

Matthew and Rachel have moved to Oklahoma City after Matthew received a promotion to Corporate Trainer with Express Employment.  They are very happy in OKC, having found a new church and a great community.  This week Rachel will be sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for abused and neglected kids.  She will also get her Oklahoma real estate license. 

Joshua continues to serve in the Navy as a nuclear tech on a submarine.  In October, we had a wonderful visit to see Joshua in Bremerton, WA where we saw the house he recently purchased.  We also traveled to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada – wow is that beautiful!  My great-grandfather was the Butcharts’ chauffeur over 100 years ago!

Nathan is excited to be traveling to China this week to visit the factory where his John Deere hydraulic excavators are manufactured.  He has grown a lot in his job as computer engineer in Dubuque, IA, as well as mentoring a teenager, helping in youth group and children’s Sunday School. 

Scott continues to enjoy pastoring our little church.  We are so thankful for our core group of faithful attenders, and praying for more attendance in 2020.  This year, we got involved in sending Operation Christmas Child boxes, praying outside a Planned Parenthood in Littleton, supporting Alternatives Crisis Pregnancy Center, and continuing to support missionaries in 6 countries. 

This summer I held some neighborhood teas and then invited women to a morning Bible study.  It is a delight to have 7 women attending the morning Beth Moore study on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 2 women attending evening Bible study using The Bible Project videos. 

This fall, I’ve been attending a class called “Affirming Potential” and I’m interviewing tomorrow to become a Life Coach with Love Inc., a ministry that seeks to give people a hand up rather than a hand out.  I’ve felt the need for a while to grow in the area of knowing how to come alongside people who are struggling.   God opened this door through a friend, and I’m excited to see where it will lead!

In mid-2020, my boss at OMF will be retiring.  This has made me begin to pray about how God will lead me in future ministry at OMF – possibly taking on more international leadership in the area of child safety.  Please pray with me for God’s direction.  I will begin meeting with a friend to pray through this in January.

Merry Christmas!  Hope to hear how you and yours are doing!

Jennifer and Scott Tibbetts