Ministry Update
Wayne and Shanna Dale
Grace Baptist Church
Scottdale, AZ
March 2023
What a blessing to serve others and to enjoy the salvation of the Lord!
In March, we celebrated Shanna’s big birthday. Two siblings and her mom joined us.
We also had a small surprise lunch after church and introduced people to bulgogi, japjae, and kimchi.
Praise the Lord for faithful members.
Praise the Lord that our church has been able to add members. We have a disparity between our young professionals and our retirees, but that represents our location and demographic. It means each family unit that visits our church usually consists of one or two people and no children. While that is different from most areas, praise God He is bringing people here and numerical and spiritual growth is occurring.
Praise the Lord for our children.
Rylee was in town for spring break and we were able to enjoy a few days in San Diego. A woman from church invited us to use her condo and although the weather was cold, we enjoyed seeing the Pacific and visiting the zoo. We also met up with the fiancé of a woman Shanna had discipled as a teen in Peru. Then I left and went up to L.A. for a pastors’ conference.
Please pray for evangelistic opportunities.
The Super Bowl and a large golf tournament were in town during February. I volunteered as part of the Super Bowl welcoming committee and met many volunteers at the airport and even viewed a ticket. I spoke with quite a few local people who were volunteering. I also was saddened by the constant JW presence at the airport.
Please pray for opportunities to interject spiritual truth into others.
One of our young men brought a friend to Bible study who recently moved to Phoenix. He has been facing some challenges and wanted to meet up. He also wanted to try Korean food, so I was able to get together to talk over a meal called bibimbap.
Please pray for spiritual maturity and growth.
God brought this man last fall and he came to Christ. Since his salvation, he has faced losing his job and other spiritual challenges. I meet with him and even indulge in his love for 50-cent wings.
Please pray for our older members.
This winter, we had numerous people with multiple heart stents, others with loss of vision, lung surgery, and various other medical ailments. This man has served faithfully and acquired an acute problem with sight and weakness. Presently there is another faithful attendee who is facing hospice and imminent passing to be with his Savior.
Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting the ministry here and our family.
While at times ministry can seem overwhelming, we know God has a plan and is faithful to us. I lost most of the church computer files and a young new member helped purchase a new set up. We have had vehicle repairs and are paying more this year for taxes. However, we are very blessed.
We are going through the book of 1 Corinthians and emphasizing the unity of the local church. Rylee will finish two years at Faith and pursue an engineering major. Gloria graduates in May. Claire is playing soccer and learning to drive. Simon is playing basketball and piano specials in church. Shanna and I were able to make it to their first Refresh conference and I made friends with some Burmese pastors.
