March was a breath of fresh air! The winter is clearing out, and the spring is here. It has been nice to go on bike rides again and feel the sun’s warmth. The city’s mood is changing, and we are beginning to see more people outside. It is a blessing, and we are grateful to be coming out of our human hibernation :)

Ministry

This month has been exciting in the youth ministry. As mentioned earlier, the weather is changing, so there are more things to do outside. We have our extensive Easter Outreach happening in April. We have guests coming in from the States who will guide our church in outreach around the city. We hope to share the gospel and invite people to our Easter service and events throughout the week. One of the events is a carnival that I am planning. We will have an Easter Egg hunt, booths, and fun. Please pray for the impact of this outreach. We are eager to see the Lord provide. 

We had our monthly sports outreach event last week. Unfortunately, some sickness has spread throughout the community, which I fell victim to. I missed this event, but thank God for the boy’s bible study. They stepped up and led the event without me. This was a great blessing to see them do this. I am grateful to be doing life with these boys and look forward to more events. Stay tuned; we have added beach volley to the list :)   

We hosted our Pre-Teen Lock-In event this month! What a joyous time! Most people at the church were not familiar with a lock-in. It was great to introduce this to our church. The students enjoyed it and grew in their knowledge of Christ. From the icebreakers to the late-night games, there was a significant amount of fun and camaraderie. The highlight was the worship. These 3rd to 6th-grade students were singing at the top of their lungs, "His mercy is more." What a beautiful time. 

A last update is the growth of our teens. We have had a few different students serve the church in significant ways. Some examples of their service are set up, kitchen duty, helping out during Sunday school, and reading the scripture for the service. This is a big deal and a sign of maturity for some. Join us in praying that their service would be from the heart and for the glory of the Lord. 

Family

We have started a new routine in the Byrd house. Tuesday nights, Heidi and I alternate taking Noah out on dates. We have done it all month, and it has been great for him. He is growing so fast, and we aim to be intentional at this time. One of these dates, I took both boys to a fun park.

This month, the seminary had another seminar week. Being together in person with my brothers and sister in Christ is always great. We had a great time with our guest speaker learning about "when I am weak, then I am strong" from 2 Corinthians 12. It was incredibly encouraging and fired us up to empty ourselves for the sake of Christ. 

Heidi and some friends have started a midday bible study on Tuesdays. This is a massive blessing for at-home mothers. In Finland, being an at-home mom isn't typical. In the family structure, both parents usually work. There aren't many accommodations for these mothers, so it is great that they have a place where they can study God's word with the kiddos. 

Noah and Lukas are part of the youth ministry. We don't have much help regarding people watching our children during youth events. That means they end up doing everything we do, which is great. There is something special about having your children grow up in and around the ministry. It becomes part of them :)

Nonetheless, our boys are such a joy in our lives, and it is excellent to be missionaries with them.   

Last Wednesday, I spoke with my pastor and a ministry partner about sports. He mentioned that he went surfing in Finland in the winter. I was so confused. I said something along the lines of, "that is cool. What water do you surf on?" Everyone busts out laughing. I was clueless. There is a sport here called “windsurfing.” They sail across frozen lakes with gliders attached to their sail. It is cool. Check out the picture below.