Mary Beth

There’s That Finish Line

Greetings from Toronto!

It’s hard to believe we’ve not only come to the end of February, but we are now in the final few months of our time here in Canada. We have been amazed by God’s continual provision for our family over the past four years. He has given us such generous and faithful supporters (all of you!) that we have been able to make it through this time of Home Education Assignment fully reassured that we are following God’s call as missionaries to Europe. So I just want to start with a giant thank you to all of you! We know that your partnership with us in all of this has made it possible to complete this training and re-equipping, so that David can serve and teach at Tyndale Seminary Europe.

There is something about being in 2025 – knowing that this is the year we move out of our lovely apartment here at Wycliffe College – that is really making it sink in how close we are to our family’s “NEXT”. And I write it like that on purpose because our “NEXT” is huge, and exciting, but also “in our faces” in a way that’s scary. It’s very much close, but also feels far away and unreal (since we’ll be moving far away). It’s something we talk about everyday, but also feels functionally detached from our everyday lives. It’s something that is hard even to imagine, since our kids have basically spent their childhood so far here in Toronto. But we are also filled with such energy and excitement when we think back on just that one week we spent at Tyndale last year, and when we think ahead to being a part of the amazing work God is doing – both there at the school and, through it’s students, to the world. All that’s to say, our “NEXT” is coming quickly, and with it a whole host of emotions.

One thing I didn’t expect, probably because we haven’t moved for a few years now and this is our kids’ true “home,” is that I’m already starting to mourn. I’m not saying that I’m not excited for these next steps, for this new mission placement, for all that God has in store for our family. But I am also becoming increasingly aware of what we are leaving to follow this call. We have been so blessed here at Wycliffe with community, friends, and a cozy (Dutch: gezellig) place to live. We are connected to multiple churches, Bible studies, (babysitters!), and prayer groups. For a couple that wouldn’t call ourselves “city people”, David and I have been able to live in a beautiful city, in a very convenient location, and get around with our three kids and no car. We’ve even been blessed with multiple friends who have loaned us their cars when we’ve had to drive farther away than the city center. We’ve taken the kids to explore museums, parks, and other fun places that we might have missed if we hadn’t lived in the middle of this bustling city. We’ve enjoyed regular visits from family – and been able to pay family visits – all of which has been a real blessing. And so as we’re getting close to the end, it’s sinking in so much more. While the “NEXT” is exciting (and both we and the kids are ready to go!), there is a definite loss in the “now” that we have to work through.

So, after all of that, what is our “now”? As I mentioned above, we are only a few months away from heading out of Toronto. While we don’t have a moving date yet, we are hoping not to renew our apartment lease at Wycliffe, which puts us heading out of Canada sometime this summer. David is getting very close to the editing stage of writing his dissertation. I am so proud of all the work he has done and is doing to finish this degree! And it has been loads of work. Editing his dissertation will similarly be a ton of work, but both he and his supervisor are confident that he can meet his deadlines. Please continue praying for him in these final (stressful) stages of his doctoral program! 

As far as home life, I continue to homeschool the boys, but we are also starting to look into the mechanics of what it will mean physically to move our family. What do we ship …? What do we sell, or give away …? What do we store, and where … ? What kind of paperwork do we need to get started for immigration purposes months from now …? I’ve already begun making phone calls, but there is going to be a massive amount to organize and complete before moving overseas. Neither David nor myself are naturally organized people along these lines, so please pray for patience and wisdom as we move forward.

And then there is the “in between.” When we leave Toronto, we will be heading to the United States to search for new partners for this ministry in the Netherlands. When our family’s missionary account is fully funded to go and we have the amount in pledges we’ll need moving forward, that will be our green light to book tickets and head to the Netherlands. While we are looking forward to being able to see family and (hopefully) many of you during our travels in the U.S., it is also a bit stressful to have this feeling that we are moving into a time of limbo: out of our home here but without a date for heading to our new home in the Netherlands. Even so, we are confident in God’s faithfulness, in his calling, and in his provision. If it is God’s will, it will be a relatively short time before our family is settling into a new home across the sea.

So many changes on the horizon! So much excitement! So much to do … !

How then can you be praying for our family? Good question! 

  • Please pray for David. He is working so very hard to finish in the next few months. Pray for wisdom, clarity, and good health as he finishes this enormous project.

  • Please pray for us in our final few months here in Toronto. Pray that we end our time well, that we get done the things we need to on this end to move, that we are able to explain well to our kids what’s going on, and that we can both mourn and rejoice over the many blessings from the past four years.

  • Please pray for our upcoming season of raising support and finding new ministry partners. It is such a blessing to be able to share this calling with others who want to collaborate in what God is doing at Tyndale. We love getting to tell people about the seminary, how God is at work there, and how God is calling us to be a part of it! And we especially love getting to share that calling with our partners. Knowing that God will provide is at once humbling of our pride and strengthening for our faith, and it is also comforting to know that He is giving us a team of “senders” to share the burdens of ministry as we go. So, please pray that we continue to trust Him in the working and waiting, and that we are able to move quickly to our new placement in the Netherlands.

  • And finally – and much closer to home – please pray for good health for everyone. Flu season is upon us, and we seem to have been sick nearly every other week since Christmas. (So, so many little kid boogers!)

Again, thank you for your prayers, your support, and your willingness to follow God’s call. We are so thankful for you and the many blessings He has given us through you! 

May God richly bless you!

The Alenskis Family

But God

Hallo! Dag! Goedendag!

In case you couldn’t tell, David and I have started taking Dutch classes! I’ve got to tell you: there’s something about starting to learn this language that, in its own way, is making our move to the Netherlands feel real. First growing up in California, and then moving to Belize, not only was Spanish the language I learned, but it is also the only foreign language that I’ve ever even tried to learn. Dutch is very different! Even without ever becoming fluent in Spanish, I find myself trying to switch to Spanish when I don’t know the word. All that’s to say, Dutch class, notecards, Duolingo, songs, and Bluey in Dutch: it all has us fully committed to a new language and a new ministry across the pond! I also want to add, I wasn’t sure how the kids would feel about us starting to introduce some Dutch into our day-to-day, but not only are they excited about the new words and sounds, but it is helping get them excited about the move. We can already see God preparing our children for the changes ahead.

It is odd feeling like the end is in sight. We’ve been out of Belize for well over four years now, and and it feels like we’re fully settled in Toronto. God has truly blessed us with an amazing community here at Wycliffe, at our churches, and at the weekly Bible studies. While we’re not packing out yet, (there’s still so much work to be done) we are now close enough that it’s causing me to reflect on the past few years and how God has lead us to this point.

I’m the kind of person who likes to know the plan – not that I am myself an organized person, but I like to know what’s next. You might call me … a worrier. What’s next? Where’s next? How do we get there? Well, our time here in Canada has had me having regularly let go of my need for a plan – and probably the need for control – and trust that God knows. So while David took classes, wrote papers, taught classes, and worked (and is still working) on his dissertation, we have waited.

But even in the waiting, God was there. I thought this would be a weird time of limbo: not being in our home country, and not knowing where we would go next. But as I look back, this entire time has been such a blessing. God showed me how much he was taking care of our family with things I didn’t even know we needed. When we landed on Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto for David’s doctoral work, we were just looking at the academic and financial side of things, but God gave us all that and a wonderful community: one that has built up our family and truly cared for our children. We didn’t think there was any way we would be able to get part-time jobs with David’s school schedule and me home with the kids, but then God provided both of us with musical accompanist positions, and work here at the college. Being missionaries, I didn’t anticipate getting to see family that much, but God has made possible not only for family to visit us here, but even for us to see some of our family in the States over the last few years. We didn’t have any plans to take a vacation while we lived in Toronto, but God has blessed us with the opportunity to go to a Christian family camp every year. Add to these so many more things that would take too long to list here! Again and again, God has shown us that while we may not have known the plan, he was taking care of us.

And then, after all the wondering and waiting, we have been graced with more than anything we could have expected. To have God direct us so clearly to serve in the Netherlands, a place we didn’t even know to consider at the beginning of this whole discernment process; or to have this new direction fit in every way the calling God laid on our hearts five years ago in Belize – to raise up leaders in the Global Church, for the extension of God’s Kingdom, while also serving in a local community that desperately needs Jesus right there – all this is to say (in a very long, run-on sentence) that God has walked with our family through this whole process of wandering, and then has shown us the plan he had from the beginning. A call in Belize; a time of learning, refreshment, and family here in Canada; and now such a clear fulfillment of that original call at Tyndale Seminary in the Netherlands.

I’ve got to tell you, I’m really excited! We get to serve in a theological graduate school that is training leaders from all over the world to go and build God’s Kingdom. We get to live and serve in the most unchurched country in Western Europe, where people have the reputation of being incredibly happy, yet where so many are missing out on knowing the One who can actually bring them Joy. Of course, this calling is greater than anything we can actually accomplish on our own, but we serve an even bigger God who equips us for the tasks he sets before us. I realize we’re not leaving yet, but in so many ways, I’m ready to go!

So where are we now? Well, David got two long chapters of his dissertation in over the summer, and he’s now working on the last two main chapters. This is exciting in that he is finally writing the heart of his dissertation. These are the chapters that got him excited about this topic in the first place: the chapters that have been rolling around in his head since before he even started his PhD. Where I would be overwhelmed with so much writing, he has at long last reached the “fun” part. Please do be praying for him as he works on making his argument clear and meaningful in these last chapters. His goal is to be entirely done within this school year, at which point we will depart Canada and begin raising support in the States. Only once we reach full financial support will we move to the Netherlands.

For this reason our missionary society, SAMS-USA, enrolled David and me in missionary partnership coaching this fall, to give us tools (and refreshers) on how best to prepare for this next missionary placement. One of the things that became especially clear to me this time around is how connected we are to you, our partners. The fruit of the work we do on the mission field isn’t our fruit: it’s yours because we aren’t serving alone – we are serving as team with you. And there’s something exciting in that, don’t you think? Knowing that this calling isn’t just ours, or something we have to do alone, but that there is a whole team of people with us; praying, supporting, and working to spread God’s Kingdom, in the Netherlands, and throughout the whole world.

So, please be praying for our financial partnership in ministry as we start raising support even now, and please consider committing to supporting us on a monthly basis, or even with a one-time gift to go to our Launch Fund. We would want to head to the Netherlands as soon as David finishes his dissertation, but we also know we cannot leave until we have reached full financial support. The Netherlands is more expensive than Belize, and our family has nearly doubled since we were last on the mission field, all of which means that our monthly missionary budget is much higher. There have been bad days when I find it a bit overwhelming thinking of the work to be done just to get there, but then I remember not only that God is in control (as the last five years has so clearly shown me), but he is the one who called us to Tyndale Seminary Europe in the first place … so he will get us there. It is daunting, yes, but impossible? Absolutely not. It’s just another opportunity for me to watch God work!

Ok, so while I’m excited for the changes coming in the next year, I do have a few prayer requests for the here and now.

  • Please pray for David as he writes the last main chapters. Pray for clarity and wisdom as he works on bringing together everything he’s been working on over the last five years.

  • Please pray for me and the kids as I continue homeschooling First Grade and Kindergarten. I’m having loads of fun teaching them (and learning myself!), but it is a lot of very time consuming work that we are still adjusting to as a household.

  • Please pray for these beginning steps of finding more financial partners. David is pushing to finish his dissertation, while I’m working with the kids, and we are both learning Dutch: so we’re being stretched in so many different directions, but we are excited to be moving forward. Please pray that we are able to make new connections, with individuals and churches, so that we can raise new partners in this ministry. And please prayerfully consider being one of those individuals who partners with us financially in this global ministry for the global church.

  • Finally, please pray for Tyndale Seminary Europe. Pray for the students and faculty as they study and serve together, both in Europe and when they return home to continue spreading God’s Word to the ends of the earth.

Blessings in this Thanksgiving season!

The Alenskis Family

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know everyone always says that the older you get the faster the years go by, but wow, time really does fly! 

We have had a very lovely Christmas here in Toronto. While it wasn’t the classic “White Christmas,” we also weren’t complaining about the warmer weather since there were three separate churches, each with their Christmas Eve/Day services, for us to serve at. As you know, I play organ at a church in east Toronto and we worship as a family at an Anglican (ANiC) church that meets here at Wycliffe. Well, back in October David took a position as the accompanist at third church on the east side of Toronto as well. This has been a real blessing for our family, although it has made Sunday mornings a bit more complicated now – bringing all the kids – but it does mean that they get to attend multiple Sunday schools and are making many new friends. This also meant two separate Christmas pageants, together with an extra children’s service on Christmas Eve (the highlight of which was at the end of the service when Austin said, “Glory to God!”). As a whole, Christmas has been full of worship: celebrating our Savior’s birth, and spending time together as a family. Christmas has definitely gotten more fun as our kids have grown!

A couple more highlights as the Fall 2023 term came to an end:

David not only was able to serve as a teaching assistant for Wycliffe’s preaching course – gaining further valuable teaching experience – but he was also able to travel to a conference in Baltimore to present research related to his dissertation, and he has also been submitting papers for publication in major theological journals (fingers crossed!). Most importantly, he is continuing to progress in his thesis writing and is still hoping to submit his dissertation by the end of next year.

For me, the highlight was being asked again to assemble and direct a choir for Wycliffe’s Advent Lessons and Carols service. This was my third year doing it, and it was absolutely amazing! I loved getting to work with such talented people, using my musical training to bring glory to God, and offering worship as part of such a beautiful service. While all of the choral pieces sounded their best that night (not a bad time to peak!), I was brought to tears when the whole congregation, along with the choir, sang “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” at the end of the service. It was as if together we were singing with a whole multitude of heavenly hosts. What a way to start to have started Advent!

As we now come to the end of the year, it really does feel like the end is in sight: we’re in the home stretch of our time here at Wycliffe. In fact, this coming March, David and I are scheduled to undertake a SAMS placement trip, looking into one possible place where we might next be headed on the mission field. We are very excited about this, and other possibilities, and we ask for your prayers as we discern God’s will for our family. We will definitely update you all as we learn more!

We want to thank you all for your support for our family during this time of home ministry assignment! Your prayers and financial gifts have made possible our time here in Toronto, and our return to the mission field. We now ask, as we come into the New Year, that you stick with us, and continue partnering with us as we finish out this lap of our family’s journey. We so appreciate your prayers and financial support. One of the main things that I love about being missionaries with SAMS is that the society puts so much emphasis on the importance of “senders.” We couldn’t “go” if God didn’t also give us those who “send”. So thank you!

Along those lines, as we come to the start of 2024 I’d like to ask that you consider connecting us with any others you might know who might consider supporting our family in this time time of training and transition back on the mission field. As you know, Toronto is very expensive, especially for a family of five, and financial support from senders like you has slowly atrophied during this period of preparation. We have absolutely seen God’s hand of provision during this time of scarcity, but we also want both to be able to finish up our time here well, as well as to return to the mission field as quickly as possible. Your gift of prayer, donations, or connections will help us achieve these goals, and as we approach the end of 2023, we invite you to join with us in moving toward the new ministry that lies just ahead.

Again, thank you so much for your support and Merry Christmas!

Busy Summer

Hi everyone! The weather is finally shifting here in the “frigid north,” and we are quickly taking advantage of every sunny day by finding our way outside and soaking up the warmth (“warmth” definitely has developed a new meaning in the past two years … hehe). One of the kids’ favorite movies follows a mama bear and her babies during their first year of life in Alaska. The movie starts with the bears finally emerging from hibernation and they can’t help but immediately start running, tripping over their feet in haste. I’m not saying my kids are the grizzly cubs, but as we run out of the house, tripping and yelling, they do quickly call to mind the little bears finally emerging from their cave (and the mama bear might even outrun them from time to time). David on the other hand is hard at work writing his thesis (moving from one basement study room to another). Occasionally we coax him outside with picnic lunches – but then he’s back to work again. I’ve got to say, I’m constantly impressed by his ability to work and still find time throughout the day to spend time with the rest of us (even if that means working until 11pm after the kids are in bed).

Spring term has officially ended here at Wycliffe, and David and I had the privilege of playing music for the Convocation Chapel service. This had the double benefit of letting us see friends who had returned for convocation from far away, but it was also nice to get a preview of what it will look like for David when he graduates. The end of term has also meant that we no longer have daily chapel services: it’s a wonderful way to start and end our days, but this does mean we can look forward to the Fall term with the boys’ slow but sure transformation into honorary sacristans. At the end of every service they are quick to help with candles, lights, and battery packs for the mics. We’ll see if we can get them fully trained before we leave!

As for me, I’m still working as the organist at a cross-city church on Sunday mornings, and I love it! While it is nice to be an accompanist every week again (I did miss it), it’s the people that make me excited to go to this church each week. The boys spend the morning with David for some Daddy-Son time, while I take Lily with me. This church is solidly community based, with many people walking to church each morning. Honestly, it reminds me of St. Hilda’s  in Belize: a small, tightly knit group of people working together to worship God and reach out to their community. In the afternoons we all still attend our main church’s meeting here at Wycliffe, Christ the King. David still serves in an honorary (unpaid) capacity on the pastoral team, and I’ve taken taken over the position as music director, a job which mostly involves scheduling musicians and planning music. My vision is to grow the music team from a handful of soloists alternating each Sunday to a team of musicians (multiple singers and multiple instrumentalists) leading the congregation in worship. I loved being on the worship team in church growing up, but I also never wanted to have any solos. Having more people up front encourages more people to be up front; and that has already started to be true! The music team has more than doubled in the past two weeks, with many people saying they would join as long as they never had to solo. While I’m still adjusting to “managing” people (I’m not the most organized person), it is wonderful seeing how God is building up the music ministry in our church.

Heading into summer means we’re getting close some travel time. David’s parents visited us last month, and we’re heading down to Georgia to see my parents before David leaves for Europe for a short course on Reformation-era paleography. We are so excited to see family! I’m actually going to get to see both sets of siblings during our visit: they’ll both be driving to Georgia. We rarely get to see one another – I haven’t seen my brother and his family in 3 years – so this trip is going to be pretty special. It’s also nice to know we’re going to get out of the city for a little bit. While I love where we live here at Wycliffe, without a car we are always surrounded by buildings and cars. Even with the difficulty of driving for two days with three young kids in the car, it will be nice just to get to see some country.

When we get home we will officially be gearing up to start homeschooling Austin (and to a degree James). I’m actually pretty excited to start more intentional while teaching our kids. They are always asking us to read them books (we check out about thirty books at a time from the library), and they are constantly wanting to learn more. Having been homeschooled myself (and loving it!) I’m excited along with David to build the kids’ curriculum – with God at the center. Sometimes I feel like our active ministry is on pause while David is studying. Yes, we are preparing for next steps – where on the mission field God will call us – and yes we are very involved in our church: but it still looks far different from when we served in Belize.

But then, I look at my kids. God has blessed us with three beautiful children who are learning everyday who He is. We are living in a theological school, we’re attending chapel everyday and Bible studies every week, and we are surrounded by a community of believers who love our kids. This is a season when we can live in one place and spend a lot of time discipling our kids. I’ve got to tell you: it is really fun to see little kids learn about Jesus. David is systematically going through the Bible with kids at bedtime. Sometimes the kids fall asleep during the story, but usually they are fully engaged. There was one night that James interrupted David just to say, “God is Lord! Jesus is God! Jesus is big and strong as Pooh Bear!” And lately the boys have been spending much of their bedtime prayers asking God to heal their scabs from when they fall down. It was really cute to hear them go on and on asking God to heal them, and then wonder why He’s not – since the scab was still there the next day – to then be told that God is healing them because there is a scab – at which point they get really excited and thankful! I love seeing how they are coming to know and relate to God. While having three kids so close together can definitely have its challenges, I’m incredibly thankful for the family God has given us!

As I wrap up, I’d like to ask that you pray for a few things.

Please pray for David as he continues to write his dissertation.

  • Please pray for wisdom in what to write and clarity to do it efficiently.

Please pray for us as we travel this Summer.

  • Please pray for safety and that it will be a refreshing time away from the city.

Please pray for wisdom as we begin the process of homeschooling.

  • Please pray that we will raise up our children in the way they should go.

  • Please pray that we make the best decisions regarding curriculum and how best to engage with each child individually.

Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we continue to look into where God is calling us to serve next.

  • Please pray that as we get closer to the school finish line, clarity will be given in which direction to pursue next.

Please continue to pray for more financial support. Living in Toronto as a family of five (5!) is increasingly harder to do financially.

  • Please pray that we will receive more financial partners as we continue in our Home Educational Assignment.

  • We continue to praise God that we keep getting offered odd jobs around Wycliffe and church to help supplement our financial needs!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and financial support of our family! And thank you for keeping up with what God is doing here with us in Toronto. As always, we’d love to talk to you more individually if you would like to here more. Please feel free to email us to set up a time for a call!

Blessings,

The Alenskis Family

Looking Forward

Well, I’m way overdue for giving you all an update on our family here in Toronto and for that I apologize. I knew having three kids three and under would be challenging, but I don’t think I fully anticipated how much time it would take every day just to care for little humans. Some days feel packed from beginning to end (and I feel like I accomplished a lot when I go to bed exhausted), and others days feel incredibly slow (but I still go to bed exhausted wondering where the time went!). Being a mom is both rewarding and incredibly fun, and also frustrating and at times a little boring. It is a weird mix of emotions. Thankfully though on good days and bad, God has given us a love for our kids that is stronger than I ever really understood as possible before having my own. My gosh, do I love my kiddos! All that’s to say, a lot has happened since we last “talked”, so let’s jump in!

Over the summer David wrote his thesis proposal and in October it was approved. Thanks be to God, he got it done, defended, and is officially in the “candidacy” stage of his PhD. That means he is now writing his thesis! So a long with many other things, he is spending the majority of his days researching and writing. While he still has a ways to go, at this point he is basically on track with his prospective timeline. His advisor has pointed out that the goal of getting his thesis submitted by the start of next Fall would be very fast, but he still thinks it is doable (even with a house full of kids!). Over the summer David purchased a laptop and is now able to work in the study rooms or library. It has actually taken a lot of stress off to know that David can have a quiet space to work without so many distractions. Please pray that we are able to find a sustainable schedule for our family so that David can have plenty of time to write. On top of working on his thesis, David is also co-teaching a Wycliffe course on “Anglican Theology” this semester and leading music for the daily morning prayer services. Please also pray that stress levels stay down as he really has a lot on his plate! 

For me and the kids, the highlight for the end of Summer was getting to visit family for just over a week. We are fortunate to have both sets of parents almost directly south of us, so before the New Wineskins conference the kids and I were able to see David’s parents for a couple days in Indiana and then spend some time with mine in Georgia. This was my parent’s first time to meet Lily (extra special visit), and my sister even drove all the way from California just to see us (we hadn’t seen each other in three years!). It was an absolutely lovely visit. We feel very blessed that we are within driving distance of family durning this time of Educational Home Assignment. We figure our next placement will probably require plane tickets for five people if we want to visit, so we’re enjoying these chances while we can.

After our time in Georgia we headed up to North Carolina for the New Wineskins Conference. David was not able to join us in Georgia as he had to stay in Toronto to teach, but he met us in Asheville for the conference. New Wineskins happens every three years and is a chance for missionaries from all over the world to come together to worship, network, and learn. One of our main goals in attending this year was so that we could get a better idea of where we feel God may be calling us to go at the end of David’s studies. While we have to remember that David is not planning on graduating until Spring 2024 at the earliest (meaning we can’t actually have a placement yet), we were able to connect with people in almost every continent. Now I realize that that doesn’t seem like we narrowed it down much, but we now have specific countries and people we’re talking with to see if we might be a good fit in the future. At this point we’re mostly looking at places that have seminaries for David to teach in where he can train up more leaders in the Faith, but also places where our whole family can thrive and minister to those we are called to serve along side. It is strange, on one hand, to imagine going back on the mission field. When we left Belize we had one kid who was less than year old, and now we have three kids (the youngest of whom will be at least two years old when we move again). I’m both nervous and excited to see how our kids will learn to both know and serve God, but also share Him with others. SAMS is unique in that both spouses our called, vetted, and commissioned as missionaries. And while our kids won’t be “interviewed” as missionaries, they will, in their own way, be serving on the mission field. God is going to have to give us wisdom and courage as we get closer to returning. One of the talks I went to at New Wineskins was all about TCKs (Third Culture Kids) and the issues they can face. I knew life would be a little more complicated, but I didn’t know how hard it could be if we’re not paying attention. And I think our kids get the triple whammy by being TCKs, PKs, and MKs. Whew. Besides the fact that I’m going to have to really read up on this to make sure we’re adequately prepared, I have also come to truly appreciate the value of community. Here at Wycliffe we are surrounded by people who love and support us and our kids. When we go back on the mission field, community is going to be something that we actively search out to help support our family in our own faith. Even with all my nerves about the future, I’m getting excited that we are closer to knowing where we’re headed next! We truly believe there is a need for more Christian leaders who are able to train up others in the Faith and we are looking forward to seeing how God uses us to meet that need.

As far as other things going on here in Toronto, I’ve taken job as an organist at another church! This is pretty exciting for me as I’ve not regularly played the piano (and definitely not the organ!) since having Lily. Now I only ever took one semester of organ in university, so I’m kind of learning as I go, but it is pretty cool to go to a 200 year old church every week and play their pipe organ. The church our family regularly attends here at the college still meets in the evenings; making my morning job a perfect fit. In general I have been surprised at how much we have been able to continue leading music to some degree since moving to Canada. David leads music every morning in our chapel services (and on some evening services as well), and I’ve been asked to put together the Advent Lessons and Carols service again this year. It amazes me even now that God always finds a way to use the gifts He’s given us wherever we are called to be.

So here we are, at the start of Advent, anticipating Christmas. Our kids are at the wonderful age where everything is exciting. And a birthday party for Jesus is absolutely necessary! Even with so many things filling up this season, you are still always very much on our minds and in our prayers. Thank you so much for supporting our family! We have grown since the last time we saw many of you in person (the fact that we’re a family of 5 still amazes me!), but we are so very grateful. Please do continue to keep us in your prayers. And thank you, as always, for your continued financial support! Our time here in Toronto looks very different from our time in Belize, but we are confident that God is not only preparing us to return to the mission field with the necessary tools to further His kingdom, but He is also showing us that even now we are on a mission field. We are in a huge city, surrounded by people who don’t know our Lord. Whether reaching out to those visiting our church here at Wycliffe, meeting new people in “mommy groups”, or even interacting with those on public transit (we take it everywhere!), God is showing us His harvest. If you know anyone who would like to partner with us in our ministry, both while we’re here in Toronto, and as we prepare for our next placement, please share our info. We would love to talk more directly (on the phone or email), to connect with you!

Happy Advent from the Alenskis Family! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Sharing Vision, Finding Purpose

Happy New Year from the Alenskis Family!

Wow, can you believe we’re already in 2022?! We certainly had a lot of changes last year, but we’re even more excited to see what this new year has in store.

First off, David has officially finished his required coursework for his PhD program – with highest marks! – and his “thesis prospectus” has been formally accepted by the committee supervising his research and approved by the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies at the University of Toronto. Does that mean he’s done? Not by a long shot, but it does mean he’s staying on track to graduate on our preferred timeline. As you may know our current goal is for David to get his degree within just four years (which is about as fast as you can get it done) … receiving his diploma by May 2024. He just finished his third semester, so we’re almost halfway there! Don’t get me wrong, we are actually really enjoying our time here in Toronto. The community life here at Wycliffe has been so healthy for our family, especially because of times like daily chapel services, and weekly dinners with other residents. Yet we do have practical and hopeful reasons for David to finish up within four years:

  1. Practically speaking, David’s advisor is retiring and can only guarantee being able to oversee his work through Spring 2024 (when David is hoping to defend his dissertation and graduate).

  2. The simple fact that this program will be considerably less expensive if he can finish in four years is also a pretty good incentive for moving along quickly.

  3. But the reason closest to our heart – and that we are most focused on – is that we want to be back on the mission field. Our whole purpose for being here in Toronto is so that our family can be properly equipped for supporting Anglican churches around the world through theological education and ministry development.

This third reason is driven by a need that we were already experiencing acutely in Belize, the need for locally available, high quality ways to train new lay and ordained leaders. What’s more, in speaking to other Anglican leaders from around the world we have also discovered that this need exists in so many other places. While David has been involved directly in pastoral ministry for well over a decade, we believe that we are now called to expand our family’s ministry in this new direction. Whether that means he will take a position as a full-time missionary-pastor and teach theology part time (say in a seminary or other form of theological development), or whether it will be the other way around, we feel confident that when our time in Canada has come to an end God will send us somewhere he can put to use the new skills he is giving us: to build his kingdom and bring him glory.

So what does that mean for our life right now? It means that, as SAMS missionaries on “Educational Ministry Assignment,” we are currently focused on David’s school work, all in the context of raising our growing family. For me in particular, this means that while I loved the work I was doing in Belize (music and youth ministry) – something that I’m hoping to continue in our next placement – I’m now also a mommy of two (soon to be three!) little children. As a result, as we envision that future ministry, I am mindful at the same time of my calling to raise and educate them. (So many changes are coming our way!)

Although it’s a little too early in David’s doctoral program to have a clear idea of where we will be going next, we are hoping to have a better understanding by the end of this year. We are looking forward to the New Wineskins 2022 conference this Fall in North Carolina, where we plan on making fresh connections with leaders from around the world involved in theological education. At the last conference we met incredible people from Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America who all shared the same need!

It’s a little strange knowing that we will be returning to the mission field at the end of our time here in Canada, while also not knowing where that will be. My controlling side wants God to just spit it out so I can start planning for our future! But this is one of those many moments in my life where I have to let go and trust that God has a plan, even if I can’t quite see what it is yet. 

(On a side note, our children are going to be quite the world travelers in their lifetime! Austin was born in Belize, James was born in the U.S., and our daughter will be born in Canada! I pray that we can raise our kids to know what it means to follow Jesus wherever we are living.)

At this point the boys are doing very well here in Toronto. They love the snow, the community of theological students (they know most of the Wycliffe residents by name), and they consider the college campus to belong to them (they love running up and down the halls!). Christmas was delightful. The college itself was all decked out with Christmas trees, lights, and nativity sets. And, as a highlight for my family, we got to decorate our apartment with our personal Christmas ornaments that were brought back from Belize. We hadn’t opened that box in over two years! We experienced two different services of Lessons and Carols, one from the school and one from our church. While I’ve participated in many Lessons and Carols services growing up, these services were unique for me in that every lesson was read in the native language of a student or congregant and then again in English. There was something special about hearing God’s word from languages all over the world. We then spent Christmas Day at home celebrating with the boys before having some other residents over for dinner (we made SO MUCH FOOD!). As a whole, it was a wonderful first Christmas here in Canada. 

As for me, I’m doing pretty well: officially in my third trimester (and definitely looking pregnant these days!). I can’t believe we’re getting so close to meeting our daughter (yes, we’re having a girl!). Each of my pregnancies have been so different, and this one feels like it’s progressing the fastest. We’re trying to start prepping the boys about their coming sister. I think Austin is excited; James is probably going to take it pretty hard (he’s our possessive “snugglebug”). Soon I’ll start unpacking the baby gear again and begin actually prepping our house. Until then, we’re enjoying spending quality time with just the boys … before our numbers go up!

In other exciting missions news, on SAMS’s recommendation our family applied to join and has been accepted by a second, Canadian missionary society, Into All the World (IATW). This organization has a formal relationship with SAMS that allows them to assist American missionaries who are raising financial support in Canada, and our being accepted as part of their society means that there is a way for us to receive gifts more easily from Canadian donors.  Does this mean we are no longer SAMS missionaries? Not at all! We’re now both! By being accepted into ITAW we are hoping to connect more with Canadians who would like to support our mission work – both while we are here in Canada and then when we transition back to the mission field.

IATW’s own particular focus is on enabling missionaries to serve wherever and however they are called, and for decades they have helped make connections and find resources to help missionaries around the world serve those in need. For instance, if there is a missionary that wants to put wells in a village, ITAW is able to help connect them with the resources to make that specific project happen. Above all, for us this also means we will have more prayer support (and you can never have too much prayer!).

So now for prayer requests!

These next six months are going to fly by and be rather stressful. David is planning on undergoing his qualifying examinations in May and June. Over the period of a month he will take both written and oral exams in two different subjects covering a ton of information (he has nearly 5,000 pages to read by then!). Once he has (Lord willing) passed his exams and then defended his thesis proposal (still to be written), he will then officially be a PhD “candidate” and can start his dissertation. He’s hoping that he achieves candidacy by the end of the summer, or early fall at the latest.

1. Please pray for David as he preps and studies for his general exams.  

To add to the stress, our baby is due about a month before David’s exams start. While he can push the exam dates if needed, our goal is to keep them where they’re at so as to stay on track.

2. Please pray for the baby and me in these last 3 months.

  • Good health

  • No complications

  • And no bedrest (I’ve been put on bedrest for my last two pregnancies and would love to skip that step for this one!)  

While we still have about 2½ years left of David’s program, we are praying and discerning where God is calling us next even now. We know the places we would love to serve, but we also know God already has a plan for our lives and we are willing to go wherever that may be.

3. Please pray that God would make it very clear where He is calling our family next.

And finally,

4. Please pray for continued prayer and financial support.

Toronto is incredibly expensive. While we are very blessed to get to live on campus (it’s about half the price of any apartment we could otherwise get here in the city), we are still on a very tight budget (we’re eating so much rice and beans!). And on top of all that, the car that we took with us to Toronto has given up the ghost … we’re walking and taking public transportation everywhere we go now until we find a new set of wheels. So there are some real needs. But at the same time, we are beyond appreciative of the continued prayers and financial support from all of you! We truly feel that God has called us on this path of training for bigger things on the mission field than we even know right now, and it’s your commitment to our family and to this vision for ministry that is helping us continue toward that calling. Thank you! If you want more detailed/personal prayer requests, or if you would like to start financially supporting us please send us a message so we can give you more information!

We’re here!

Well, we made it! It’s been just a month and a half in our new home of Toronto, Ontario, and I think we are really starting to settle in and get our bearings. 

We headed out from Richmond, Indiana bright and early on August 8th with the biggest U-Haul they offer, a loaded car, four tired adults, and two sleepy kids. Our main reason for leaving on the 8th (instead of on the 1st as we had originally planned) was because Canada was lifting some of their quarantine requirements (which would make for an easier transition with kids). But another big advantage to our leaving a few days later was that David’s parents were able to drive up with us. It’s so much easier moving with kids when you have extra hands! We decided to take the trip in two days to ensure that we had plenty of time to cross the border. It was an incredible answer of prayer to be able to start driving already holding our negative COVID tests. We had heard horror stories of people not getting their tests in time, or getting a positive result when they’re already at the border. Thank you all for your prayers! After a long day of driving (I was very happy I didn’t have to drive the truck!) we made it to Niagara Falls, New York. In what was definitely a God thing, we actually got a hotel right across the street from the state park and were able to walk over to see the Falls that evening. When you’ve spent the day cooped up in the car, being able to walk around incredible waterfalls for a couple hours was absolutely amazing! The boys were thrilled (which of course makes everything more fun). 

The next morning was the dreaded border crossing. We made sure to get on the road well before the sun came up to head to the bridge. While we anticipated being at the border itself for a few hours, I don’t think we had considered it taking so long to get to the border. We spent almost 2½ hours just crossing the bridge spanning the river. Yikes! But apparently the border agents were expecting the wait to increase to over 4 hours by the afternoon, so we lucked out. I must say, the Canadian border agents we met were incredibly friendly and helpful. While we were tired and nervous (I always get nervous crossing borders), everything went incredibly smoothly. Another answer to prayer! 

The answers to prayer continued for the rest of the day. We arrived at Wycliffe, and a bunch of people from our new church were waiting for us to help unload the truck in record time. Our church family here has already made us feel quite welcome and loved. That feeling continued as we met more people living here at Wycliffe. Everyone is so helpful and desirous to foster community. That has been especially nice as we’ve had a ton of questions! It’s amazing how many details you have to work out when you move – from where to get cell phone chips or mattresses, to figuring out how to do laundry, to locating the variety of grocery stores we will need. The plus side about living in the middle of the city is that we can walk to almost anything we need (or, to Austin’s delight, take the subway!). 

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Wycliffe itself is an interesting place to live. Our apartment primarily has stone and brick walls, with filled-in brick arches along the back wall. Apparently it used to be the entrance to the stables way back in the day, so all the arches in the walls are where people would ride their horses into the courtyard. Pretty cool! To add to the character of the school, the hallways and halls in the college itself definitely have a Hogwarts feel. Add to that that we are smack in the middle of the University of Toronto, and this means that we are surrounded by beautiful old buildings nestled next to towering skyscrapers. Never having lived in a large city like this before, it brings its own kind of culture shock that is different from just moving to another country. So far, I’m still in the, “Wow, this is such a new and exciting place to live!” Having lived in a different country before, I’ll update you again in about eight months (about the time culture shock typically hits pretty hard).

Let’s see, other interesting things about living here. Pretty much every day we get to hear church bells. And on certain days they actually go for almost an hour playing different pieces. It’s beautiful! The week after we got here, a camera crew put up scaffolding all over the campus (including right outside our window) and shot scenes for about for four days. Apparently movies and shows are often shot here at Wycliffe … past flicks filmed here include Goodwill Hunting and It, among others. I think they said that this last one will be a Netflix series, but we’re not sure which one. Apparently, this is a pretty regular thing, since another (different) film crew came the following week!

Overall we’re enjoying getting settled in. It is very nice (and convenient) that our church meets right up stairs in one of the college’s oldest halls. And it also great to get to come together every morning in the chapel for morning prayer. One of the reasons we picked Wycliffe for David’s studies is that we knew we would be surrounded by a community of believers. We may have only been here for a few weeks, but it is already very clear that this will be a group of people that will worship and pray together even amid their strenuous studies.

As far as studies go, along with having a pretty heavy reading list to get through, David finished with his summer German course, and in addition to his Fall courses he has picked up a part-time TA position with his advisor helping with an “Intro to Anglican Theology” class. We definitely appreciated having a few weeks to explore the city a little bit before his courses started up for the Fall term. The boys are fascinated by all the cars, buildings, and construction. Hehe. They are also loving that the college has a playground setup right outside our back door (so helpful!). We have so appreciated your prays during this transition! The next couple years are definitely going to be a little different from what we’re used to, but we’re excited to see how God is going to use us here, and where He will take us next!

Prayer Requests

  • Please pray that the Lord will provide for our needs. Regular support continues to dip, and we are in need of new financial partners for our ministry.

  • Please pray that the boys continue to adjust to new home. They’re doing pretty well with everything, but Austin has started to get scared being left alone in his room for naps/bedtime.

  • Please pray for David during his Fall semester.

  • Please pray that we are able to minister well to those around us during this time of transition.

  • Please continue to pray that we are able to discern where God is calling us next.

Thank you all for your prayers, and for your support for our ministry: it means the world to us. We’ll give you another update soon … until then, God bless you all very much!

Here Am I, Send Me

Happy Easter!

One of my favorite parts about the Church Calendar is that we are not limited to one day of celebration. We didn’t celebrate Christmas for one day, we got twelve! And now we get fifty whole days to celebrate our Lord rising from the dead in this season of Easter! This is now our second Easter in the States (weird, right?), since we arrived right before Easter last year. That’s right folks, it’s now been over a year since we evacuated from Belize. It’s still hard to have left so quickly and to not have said a proper goodbye to those whom we love and have served with for many years, but we’re confident we will see all our Belizean friends and family again someday (and then they can finally meet James!). 

One of the things that had been very consistent about our time in Belize was that Easter was always the hottest time of year. I remember thinking, right before I gave birth to Austin, that we could have timed that better since it was SO hot. But while there were more beautiful flowers and lush green trees around Easter, that was also something that was reliable all year (beautiful and green). Even when I lived in San Diego I could appreciate the beautiful flowers of Spring, but it also never really got the look of Winter. I have now come through my first winter in the Midwest. We had the lush green summer. We had the colorful fall where it looked like each tree was hand painted. We had the cold winter where everything was suddenly stark and bare. And now we’re in spring with new life just starting to sprout up. I remember David telling me that he always loved Easter in the Midwest because it fit so perfectly with the season (he probably phrased it way better than that). But there’s something about going through Lent (which seems longer every year) and being surrounded by death, where even nature looks kind of hopeless, and then right about the time of Easter: life! So, while the weather is still leaning chilly (although we’re starting to have more warm days), the end is in sight. The flowers are blooming. The trees are budding. He is risen!

So now for the family update. When last we wrote we mentioned how our plans to return to Belize to pack out our stuff and say goodbye had changed as the church was in need of the rectory sooner than our travel would allow. We also mentioned that my mom was able to go down to Belize to help organize our stuff a little to be shipped. Well, we are happy to say it arrived here to Indiana (way faster than we anticipated!). While we still have a few things left in Belize to sell, it is very nice to have most of our possessions back with us after a year. I also have to add, it is truly amazing to have a God that answers prayers you didn’t even know you had to pray. When we planned to return to Belize, it was going to be in the summer so that we could ship our stuff straight up to Toronto and our new home. So finding out the majority of our house was going to be arriving early could have been very stressful. We are currently renting a very small furnished home in Indiana (no space for our belongings). Except that in this cozy home there just happens to a completely empty basement that was able to accommodate all the boxes! We didn’t know when we were looking for a place to rent that we would need to find somewhere with a lot of storage space, and yet here we are in the perfect house that God provided for our temporary stay in the States. It also has the added benefit of treating homesickness (in that the basement now smells like home since it’s full of our stuff). 

Speaking of this house, I’m doing much better since we moved. In the last update that I wrote I was having a really hard time with being away from home and stuck in a sort of limbo, but getting our own place has really helped me start adjusting to our new life. We will always cherish the time we spent living with family, but there is something nice about being just us. Even so, we are less than ten minutes from grandparents and taking full advantage of the closeness while we have it! It is strange to think that we are coming up on moving again already. While we don’t have dates yet, we are planning on heading up to Toronto by the beginning of August. This may sound weird, but I’m excited to being moving out of the States. Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., and I’ve enjoyed being back for a time, but I found from my four years in Belize that I love serving in another culture. I miss being on the mission field. Even though I agree that your own backyard can be your mission field, I don’t think that’s what God has planned for us right now. We may not have an address yet for where God is calling us after David finishes school, but we still feel called to go. It’s strange for me, never having felt called to the missionary life growing up, to not have a solid plan yet, but I keeping thinking of Isaiah saying, “Here am I. Send me!” Maybe for right now it’s enough just to be willing to go.

I say that, but trust me, we are actively discerning where God is calling us next. David just finished up his first year courses at Wycliffe College (I can’t believe he has one year down already!), and while the classes have been challenging, he is doing a fine job. I’ll take a second to brag here that not only is he working hard to do well in his classes, but he is also making sure to take time for his family (even if that means late nights and early mornings). While it can be distracting for him to have us around while he’s working (we live in pretty tight quarters), I love that the boys get to see their daddy throughout the day. David works in the foyer and Austin has taken to running to the door, knocking, and calling “Daddy” when he needs his Daddy fix. It’s adorable! The fact that David has already finished one year of his program is proving to us that the time is already flying by and we will soon be returning to the mission field. Until that point we’re excited to see how God will use Toronto as our new mission field for the short time that we are in residence. We are happily getting involved with our new church, even if it’s currently over Zoom, and looking forward to plugging in even more in person (they’ve even asked me to join the music team when we arrive!).

Concerning our churches in Belize, we are happy to report that they are finally open again to in-person services. It took a long time, but the parishioners are now able to come together and worship. Yay! I was excited to see both churches all decorated for Easter (and talk to some parishioners about how things are moving forward). Please continue to pray for our churches in Belize as they continue to transition. They have a great team of people working hard to get things moving, but it is still going to take a lot of work. As for our boys, they are both doing very well. Austin just turned two-years-old and got to celebrate with cake (that he refused to eat – minus the M&Ms) and fun times with family. James is getting so big and positively adores rolling around after his brother. Those two are going to be thick as thieves. And we, of course, are loving getting to raise these two goofy, frustrating, loving boys!

I should probably call it quits or I’ll keep rambling for another few hundred words (I’m pretty good at rambling on – especially when I’m up late). But we want to thank you all again for your continued prayers and support. This time of transition is still new for our family. And while we might not always know exactly what the mission field is going to look like, we do know that God will use us wherever we are (transition and after).

Prayer Requests!

Student Housing

Please pray that we are offered student housing before we move to Toronto. Student family housing is considerably cheaper and would be very helpful for our family.

David’s Doctoral Studies

Please pray for David and the work he has to do for his degree program.

Sleep for Our Kids

Please pray that our boys consistently sleep through the night. They had been doing really well at sleeping, but it is kind of all over the place now and both stresses me out as well as keeps me from sleeping.

Selling our Truck

Please pray that we can quickly sell our truck in Belize for a good price – this is made much harder since we are not there in person.

Churches/Ministry Team in Belize

Please pray for the churches we left in Belize. They are just starting up services again – which is it’s own challenge as they navigate COVID-19 restrictions – as well as transitioning to new leadership since we left.

Missionary Support

Please pray for our continued missionary financial support. We are still missionaries through our mission’s society – SAMS – but this is a time of training and transition, which can always be a little tough. Please pray that we maintain support throughout our time in Toronto so that we can immediately return to the mission field once David receives his degree.

Our Mission Partners

Please pray for our mission partners. They are truly an incredibly important part of our mission team and amazing people.

Discernment for the Future

Please pray for our discernment of where God is calling us to go next. We are in the process of talking with different people around the world to see where we are needed, but we want to make sure we go where God is calling us.

Lament and Thanksgiving

I feel like most of my updates start with some reference to time: “It’s been so long since my last update,” “Time sure is flying by,” “Can you believe that it’s [—] time all ready?” … or something along those lines. And as I sat down to write this update I was thinking the same sort of thing about time, especially since we’re here at the end of the year already. I typically like my updates to be about positives – how things are going with our ministry and all the ways we see God working (or maybe fun stories about bugs, or kids, or relating to different cultures). But for this one, while I still hope I can show you how we see God working, and maybe even brag about my kids a little (they are so stinkin’ cute!), I also know that not every update can be peppy and fun. When we share these updates with you it’s because we truly value each of you as partners in this ministry in which we are called, and as partners you need to know about the downs as well as the ups. So today, I think I’m going to try and share exactly where I’m at (whatever that means).

A Lament

First off, I know this has been a Hard Year for everyone. This is not the year anyone anticipated, so part of me feels like any complaining I might have for the year would be trivial when so many others have had it so much worse. We have been blessed with good health, places to stay, time with family, and thankfully no loss of loved ones. It has been a year when, despite everything getting incredibly unpredictable, David has been able to start his first semester of doctoral study through Wycliffe College, we were able to welcome James into the world, and we have been able to see Austin grow into a truly fun and loving person. But despite all of that, I still struggle many days to see any good. I still find myself asking, “Why like this, God?”

When we were making the decision to change the direction of our ministry from pastoral ministry in Belize towards theological development (requiring David to get a PhD), and then seeing where in the world God will place us next, it took a lot of prayer. We wanted to make sure this was how God was calling us; and we truly believe we made the right decision. But I remember a year and a half ago, when this long process was starting, I had the whole thing planned out in my head. It was stressful thinking about the transition, saying goodbye to people, and changing our whole lives, but I knew God was going to take care of us.

Then we got to the beginning of this year, and while we didn’t know yet which university David would end up at, we still had our plan for the year. We were still loving our ministry in Belize and already anticipating how much we would miss everyone when we moved. I then found out I was pregnant with James: we thought God had a funny sense of humor (since my due date was going to be the start of David’s first term of coursework), but we were excited for our growing family.

And then COVID-19 started to get bad and we made the very fast, and heartbreaking, decision to evacuate from Belize. I remember thinking it was weird because every other time I had visited the States I was excited to be with family and see old friends, but this time I was just sad to go (even though we knew it was the right decision due to my pregnancy). At the time we thought – at the absolute latest – we would be back in Belize by summer.

But we have been in the States now for nine months. Nine months and counting. Belize didn’t open its borders in time for us to make it back before David started school. Canada didn’t open its borders in time for us to make it up there before the start of the semester. And the combination of winter break being too short for us to make it back to Belize to pack and say our goodbyes in January, and the fact that Belize still seems to be at the peak of its fight against the coronavirus means we are still here.

That also means for the past nine months (and counting) we have been in limbo. We’ve bought plane tickets, and had them get cancelled. We’ve made plans to try and move into places without any furniture (since we still haven’t officially moved out of Belize). We’ve had plans A, B, C, D, … and each time I think I have a little bit of control, something changes, and all our plans are upended.

When people ask what I’m learning in all of this, it seems like the obvious answer is to lean on God, and His plans are always better than mine. But in the moment, while I know that to be true, I struggle. We have been away from home for a very long time. We love that our kids have gotten so much time with their grandparents; at the same time, we really miss home. I’m excited for this next phase of our lives that God has planned for us. I’m excited for this next phase of ministry. But for now, I’m tired. It feels a little trivial to say, but it’s kind of exhausting to not be home, to not even have properly left home. In the midst of being in limbo, with our feet both in the new and old, it’s very easy for me to focus on my frustrations. While there are good days and bad days, I’m the kind of pessimistic person that can wallow in the bad if I’m not careful. One of the things I’m really struggling with is not physically being present in church every week. We attend church on Zoom, but not being physically surrounded by the body of Christ every week, not sharing in Holy Communion, not having the accountability of other believers each week is physically weighing me down.

But David and I were talking about some of our struggles and what we are thankful for in all of this, he reminded me that being thankful is an actual discipline. I’m not always going to feel thankful, but I have to actively give thanks. So here it goes.

A Thanksgiving

As we come to the end of this year I truly do have so many things for which I need to give thanks.

We are so thankful for the birth of our son. James is an absolute delight. He loves to smile and coo. He loves his brother and spending time with family. He’s quite the snuggler and is even starting to enjoy books almost as much as his brother did at that age.

We are so thankful for Austin. He is so much fun! He loves books, sticks, and cars. He’s constantly talking and clearly has an enormous imagination. While we haven’t been going out much (which can get depressing) it has meant we’ve spent a lot of quality time together as a family. We are also still incredibly thankful for the time we were able to spend with my parents and the time we have been able to spend with David’s. These are all blessings that we were not expecting.

We are thankful to have had a place to stay for the past nine months. Whether it was with my family or David’s, it has been incredible to have had places to live (especially since we only brought a handful of suitcases with us). We know it’s not easy to have a bunch of people suddenly move in to your house. Our parents have been wonderful. We are also thankful that God is providing a modest little place for us to rent (fully furnished) here in Richmond for a few months this coming spring before we are able to return to Belize, and then move on to Canada. We are very excited to have our own space as a family.

We are thankful that David had a great first semester in his PhD program. The program is hard, and doing classes online is not ideal, but at least he was able to start the program full-time despite this Hard Year. One of the things we have learned about Wycliffe (even from a distance) is that they are very big on community and upholding one another in the faith. We are so excited that David was accepted into this program and we can’t wait until we are able to immerse ourselves fully in the theological college’s community.

We are thankful that our Belizean partners in ministry have continued ministry in our absence, with all the uncertainty and with the doors of both churches still closed because of the pandemic. And while we very much miss our churches in Belize, we are also thankful that we have been able to find and participate with an Anglican congregation in Toronto (via Zoom) that we are hoping to join once we finalize this move.

We are thankful to have gotten to spend Christmas with family. One of the things that we never really expected to be able to do – what with David’s being a priest and our being missionaries – was to spend Christmas or Easter with family. This year we have actually gotten to do both. While there are hard things about not being home for Christmas, it is nice to finally get this opportunity. We don’t know how often we will be able to do this as we continue to follow God’s call to serve as missionaries in the years to come.

Finally, we are thankful for all of you, our supporters. This has been a Hard Year for everyone, in so many ways. And we are incredibly thankful that you have stuck with us. Whether through your prayers or your financial support, having you alongside us as we become better equipped for service on the mission field continues to be an incredible blessing. We could not do this with out you. Seriously.

Pray for Our Family

So to recap my rather long and rambling update: this has been so hard, but we are so thankful. There are days that I just cry for what seems like nothing; but even so, I will continue working on the discipline of thankfulness. Please continue praying for our little family. Please especially pray for David as he adjusts back to academia. Please pray for our boys: there are a lot of big transitions coming their way.

And definitely please pray for our continued missionary financial support. This has been a Hard Year on everyone, and combined with this new mission field trajectory, it appears that our missionary account has taken a real hit financially, a hit that has happened during a year when we are trying to move from one country to another, and one where I even ended up giving birth in the States. But let me again say thank you for continuing to support us as we move forward! And as always, please reach out to us through phone calls or email if you want more details about our ministry, or if you just want to say “Hi!” 

We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas (it’s still Christmas!), and a happy New Year!

Love always,
The Alenskis Family

Watching and Waiting

It’s hard to believe it has been over three months since our last blog update. Keeping track of the days of the week (let alone the months), when everyday kind of looks the same is becoming increasingly more difficult. There is just a lot of time spent indoors, or working on online. I can’t wait until we somehow return to face-to-face ministry!

In our last update we were writing you from my parent’s house in Georgia. While it was very strange to evacuate to the States, it was also incredibly nice to get to spend that time with my family (especially Austin getting to see his Grammie and Grandpopi!). We are now in Indiana with David’s parents, and we are loving getting to now see Austin’s Grandma and Grandpa! While this time in the States was not planned, it has been a true blessing to get to spend time with family. One of the hardest things for me about being a missionary is not getting to see family very often. And now that we have Austin, and another one on the way, it is even more special when we get these rare moments to see grandparents in person. 

As far as our ministry in Belize goes, we are continuing to connect with people remotely. It is definitely much harder to minister to people when you are not there in person, but we also know that much of our ministry would look the same if we were back in Belize right now since the churches and schools are still closed. For most of our time here in the States, Belize has done very well at containing, and almost completely stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The few cases that would come up were typically found with people who were already being quarantined (and therefor more easily contained). However, in the last few weeks cases have been spiking across the country. It was only about 4 weeks ago that cases were under 100, but, almost out of nowhere, cases are now quickly approaching 1,000. Please pray for Belize as they work to trace and treat those who are infected. Please especially pray for hospitals that are already overwhelmed with the sudden influx of sick people. And please pray for quick healing for those who are sick. Belize had been planning on opening the international airport on August 15, but with the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases they have decided to keep the airport closed until further notice. So at this point David, Austin, and I are planning on staying here in the States for the birth of our next child.

I am now nearing week 37 of pregnancy (it’s crazy how fast this one seems to be going!). It is also strange spending the majority of this pregnancy in the States. Since I had Austin in Belize, everything about my prenatal appointments here seems foreign. Things are just done differently here and it almost makes this feel like a first pregnancy all over again, since so much of it is new (especially in the time of COVID-19). I’m very curious which way I will have preferred when this is all said and done. The biggest blessing at this point is that this next baby is still healthy and not here yet! As you might remember from my pregnancy with Austin, I was already on bead rest at 34 weeks and we were just praying for him to make it to 36. Well in this pregnancy I made it to 36 weeks and then the doctors decided to put me on bed rest. Both the baby and I are healthy, he just seems also to want to make an early appearance. Please pray for continued good health for me and the baby. Please also pray that we make it to at least 37 weeks (preferably longer) before I go into labor. And please also pray for a safe delivery: we’re getting close!

One other thing I would ask for you to prayerfully consider at the end here would be to begin, renew or increase your financial support for our family’s ministry. Over the past few months we have seen a decrease in our financial support (something we anticipated for this difficult time during a world pandemic), but as we approach the birth of our next child – and the considerable financial burden of unexpectedly having our son be born in the United States – we are asking for your help. Whether you might be willing and able to to increase your giving (by even a small amount), or whether you might like to start giving, or whether you would might even be willing to give a one time gift to help cover our insurance deductible for the upcoming birth, we would very much appreciate your partnership!

I think that’s all I have for an update right now. Thank you again for praying, and financially supporting our family. We are missing our home and in-person ministry in Belize, but we know God has a plan for all of this! We continue to pray for you. We would also love to get in touch with you all on a more personal level: if you would be open to a video call so that you can hear more about what’s going on with our family, and so that we can know better how to pray for yours, please send us a private message or email and we’ll set something up!

We invite you to partner with us in our ministry!

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