A Day of Thanksgiving

11 minute read

Our dearest friends and family,

We know 2020 was a difficult year for many. We do not want to downplay any of the tragedies or turmoil you, loved ones, or nations have experienced. But, as I (Abi) was listening to the Lord a recent morning, I felt Him say, “Today is a day of thanksgiving,” and I felt to write a personal update/summary of 2020, and take time to say, “thank you,” to our Father for this past year. As you read, I pray you also remember things in your own life where you can join me in thanking God.

” Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This update is a list of thanksgiving, including:

• God’s perfect timing in visiting the USA in 2020
• God’s faithfulness and revelation to us in “lockdown”
• God’s leadership and power in the very first Online School of Worship
• God’s grace and tenderness as we welcomed Lily Joy
• God’s leadership and timing for us to work together full time in the same ministry
• Prayer Points

This is a longer update (11 minute read), so feel free to skip around if you like!

God’s perfect timing in visiting the USA in 2020

Many may not know this, but it was not our plan to visit the U.S. for Christmas 2019/New Years 2020. We had already visited the previous year, and so far in our marriage we had spent every other year visiting the USA. Around July, I (Abi) had a very strong desire to see my family. It was a bit overwhelming, especially as my sister was due to have her little girl in August. Some months went by, and we held it in our hearts. We took time to pray, and without getting any answers of, “Yes, go!” or “No, don’t go,” God simply told us, “There is a reason Abi wants to visit her family this year.” We could have never anticipated the reason was that 2020 would be a year of global pandemic and we wouldn’t be able to visit for Christmas in 2020!

All within a short time, Joel’s parents unexpectedly ended up spending Christmas with family out of state, and a monthly supporter bought our tickets to come! We surprised my sister, and we spent good amounts of time with my grandparents, siblings, and parents. We were also able to meet up with many of our financial supporters and enjoy our church family at Church on the Rock.

Thank You, Father, that you know all things and not only gave us the desire but the means to visit our family in America before the pandemic went global. You also kept us safe as we traveled back home, including traveling through LAX. You are a good Father!

God’s faithfulness and revelation to us in “lockdown”

Here in Western Australia (our state in Australia), the virus has been quite contained. We understand that we are extremely fortunate and this is not the case in many cities and countries. I think the fact that our population is much smaller probably has something to do with it.

Consequently, our lockdown in 2020 wasn’t as extreme, and we were able to go to the grocery store for necessities (but yes, toilet paper was sparse here, too!), and we could go outside for exercise and some work related activities. This meant that for a large portion of the lockdown, Joel was away from home helping with a building project (masks and social distancing included). Joel and I have a very teamwork-style of parenting, and we work in the same building, and Levi was always with us! So, I’d never done the stay-at-home mum gig before.

Much to my surprise, in spite of being terribly ill with morning sickness (crawling on the floor to get to the snacks haha), I found great joy in being a stay-at-home mum for a short season! God showed me once again that my identity is not in my work, but also this work of caring for and raising children is just as productive and important. I deeply love Levi and Lily, but (being vulnerable here) the thought of being alone with them for hours on end freaks me out sometimes haha. God used that little season to show me that I’m not alone even when I am “alone” with the kids, and I can find fulfilment in that role as well.

This was also the time that God showed us that I would be leaving Worship for the Nations ministry and joining Joel full time in Worship Team ministry.

Thank you, Jesus, for showing me that I can do all things through you! I’m starting new ministry with Joel, but I’m definitely having more time with my kids these days. This is a blessing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You are a good Friend and Shepherd!

God’s leadership and power in the very first Online School of Worship

I won’t spend long on this because I’ve shared a good bit already, but this school was incredible! From the speakers, to the staff, to students… all around amazing! It’s so clear that it was God’s timing, because we need worship and prayer warriors across the globe now more than ever. I also love doing new things, so it was a major privilege to be a part of pioneering this online school.

Thank You for including us in such a good strategy to increase prayer and worship across the world this year, God! You are full of wisdom and power!

God’s grace and tenderness as we welcomed Lily Joy

Lily Joy essentially means “Pure Joy”, and wow, she has certainly brought that to our little home. These past six weeks have been a time of laughter and refreshing (even in the midst of tiredness).

My labour with Lily was only 5 hours, including only 7 minutes of pushing (as opposed to Levi’s 15 hours and 2.5 hours of pushing!). I had a couple of “false starts” the days leading up to it, so when I was actually in labour I felt a bit unsure if it was the real deal or not. But God kept speaking different times to me, and I knew it was “for real” this time. I started timing contractions at 11:30pm, and I heard God say, “At 12:00, get up and wake up Joel.” After a couple of hours of labour, I heard Him say, “3:30.” We called the midwife to go into the birthing centre, and she asked us to meet her there at 3:45, which meant we had to leave the house by 3:30am! As we arrived at the birthing centre, I heard Him say some encouraging words, and, “4:30. Baby is coming soon.” I thought, “4:30?! That’s not a lot of time!” Lily was born at 4:27am, Thanksgiving Day!

When it was all through, I thought, “If it’s this easy every time I can definitely have some more!” Because the labour was so short, I had so much more energy than I expected. She was also extremely easy to nurse, and we were refreshed and happy when we brought her home that morning to meet Levi. I won’t say it’s been a total breeze, but it has been incredibly full of grace and an ease I didn’t expect in having two.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your encouraging words and perfect timing for Lily to be born! Thank You, God, for blessing us with Lily Joy! She of course fits perfectly into our family. You are a good and gracious God.

God’s leadership and timing for us to work together full time in the same ministry

Christmas and New Year are over, Lily Joy is six weeks old, and I’m feeling good. We got more officially started on ministry this week, and even though we’re juggling our babies a bit, we are still getting songwriting done. I have much hope and anticipation for what God will bring about in this! I am looking for and expecting the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary.

Thank You, Father, for Your perfect leadership and timing. You are a patient, compassionate, and inspiring Leader!

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Prayer Points

• Fresh perspective and anointing as we write songs
• Continued health in Western Australia (we just finished a 5-day mini lockdown; can read more on my Facebook with the picture of us in masks, or I can personally update you if you email or message me!)
• Renewed hope and assurance of God’s leadership in our lives, and yours, too
• God’s will to be done in the nations in 2021. Missions isn’t finished yet.

Thanks for taking time to read this! We love you, we appreciate you. Please don’t hesitate to send through your own prayer requests for this year.

Be blessed in abundance,

Abi, Joel, Levi, and Lily