Ministry Update
Wayne and Shanna Dale
Grace Baptist Church, Phoenix, AZ
July 2023
Dear Friends and Family,
We never know what the next day brings. It is a blessing to know that God is sovereign and guides our steps. In June we took a redeye flight to NY to visit Wayne’s dad and report at a supporting church. The trip included a lack of sleep, and a lack of clean air to breathe due to the Canadian forest fires. However, we were blessed by the improved health of Wayne’s dad, and the encouragement of seeing many friends from ODBC in upstate NY. It was encouraging to catch up with Pastor Dave and Naomi Deleon, and Dr. David and Kathy Little. We were grateful for Paul and Laura providing a place to stay, and for allowing Simon to fish in the pond (1 Thess 3:6-8).
Attendance has been lower this summer as many flee to cooler temps, but we have seen many faithful at services and at our men’s and ladies Bible Studies. We have also had a new family begin attending which is a direct answer to prayer. They have two young children with another due in December and we also have some young women in the church who are due near the end of the year. The local church grows in many ways! Please continue to pray for the air conditioning units as we have had to order new units and they will not arrive for almost 6 months. The cost is $50K with a pastor friend doing the duct work and installation. We are praying that our present units endure the sweltering 110+ degrees that have arrived. We also have surprise repairs at church that occur, and we are thankful for members who help. Recently an AC compressor went, bathroom repairs were needed in two lavatories, and an electrical issue caused us to lose our auditorium lights (2 Cor 4:17).
Happy to help the members of the church fellowship in spite of health issues. Cancer treatments and age can be debilitating but enabling believers to have time together can provide joyful home visits (1 Thess 5:11).
We thank God for providing us a house, and we thank God for experienced friends and volunteers who have helped repair and maintain that home. We recently have had a dishwasher issue, mold issue, car repairs and now a garage door that does not function because of a broken belt. A friend recently came and blessed us with a new dishwasher and helped with some pressing repairs (Phil 4:19).
Family is a blessing from God. Rylee is counseling at the Wilds in NH for the summer. Gloria is enjoying her last summer before going to college. Claire got her license, and works two jobs (boba tea and grocery store), although they have not given her many hours. Simon is swimming, doing some summer computer prep classes, and enjoying being a kid. Shanna is busily teaching English and travelling with her mom to attend a niece’s wedding in MI. Wayne is helping to facilitate repairs at Shanna’s mom’s home and trying to keep up on vehicle and home repairs. We are thankful for a knowledgeable unsaved neighbor that is a huge help. We took him out for dinner to thank him for his help. God places people around us who encourage us (Heb 10:24).
