Merry Christmas to all our loved ones...

This past year has been a year full of shifting around. As with any life, we have had our fair share of joy and loss, but through it all Christ continues to be glorified and remind us that life on earth is just a temporary arrangement and seasons come and go. It’s been a challenging year for Tonya and I as we have become empty nesters, added two grandsons with the announcement of another granddaughter due in February.  Our kiddo’s are spread out across the continent so here is a quick overview of our kids from shore to shore.

On the East Coast you will find Josiah Esther, Sarah and Amethyst. Josiah is still in the Navy stationed in Norfolk VA. He is attached to the aircraft carrier, Gerald Ford. We had the opportunity to spend thanksgiving with them (We also had Hannah’s Rory along with us) We traveled some to visit several colonial areas. It really helped us to appreciate Thanksgiving more. Josiah is active serving in the children's ministry in his church and it’s exciting to see how he serves Jesus in that capacity. He also continues to work to be a witness to the sailors he works alongside every day.

In Missouri you will find Hannah, Bradley and Aurora are firmly situated in Farmington MO along with Catherine, Jared and Woodland (soon also new baby Rosie). All of them are serving the Lord though their church there in various capacities. Jared recently found out that he will be on staff running media production and everyone else is plugged into a ministry somewhere sharing Christ though their various gifts. Both Brad and Jared went through a preaching cohort this past spring and are now better equipped to communicate the gospel.

Across the state in Hollister, Judah is in his senior year at College of the Ozarks majoring in theater. He celebrated his first major role in an original play where he played the lead character. College is challenging him to grow in his relationship with Jesus and God has surrounded him with good people who continue to inspire him to walk in faith and trust. We are very proud of what God is doing in his life as he shares the love of Jesus with those around him.

To the South, in San Antonio Texas, Micaiah and Micah are working though their first year of parenting as they celebrated the gift of a son, Walker, in April. They are busy working through the challenges of being new parents and anticipating a move in the next year to North Carolina while Micah continues to pursue a future in the Army. Micaiah is still writing and singing and trying to figure out how to accomplish ministry calling with family life.

Up in the northwest you will find the rest of the Sawyer clan. Aleah and Lathan celebrated the birth of their third son, Charlie, in May and are still busy chasing around two other very active little boys (Ezra and Leo). We are very proud of how far Aleah and Lathen have traveled in their journey with Christ. Both are very active in church now with Aleah singing in the worship team and Lathen continuing to lead Bible studies and seek out continued growth in his journey with Jesus.

Also, in Olympia you will find our baby boy, Elijah. It may be a bit much to say that he's a baby since he's 18, 6’3” and on his own, but he is the guilty party for making us empty nesters and will always be our baby. He is currently working at Starbucks while taking some college classes considering what his future looks like. I am blessed by the godly heart he shows toward his coworkers and others in his life who need Jesus. And in these things, we are looking forward to seeing how God grows and shapes Elijah.

Finally, Noah and Alexis are living up in Whidbey Island Washington where Noah is stationed in his role attached to a Navy airwing. This summer we had a celebration of Marriage with Noah and Alexis with a ceremony which served to bring much of the family together in once place for a short time. Noah continues to be a contender for the faith and led a dear friend of his to the Lord this spring. It was a joy for us to be able to baptize him this fall before we left Washington.

While Tonya and I grieve the absence of our children in our everyday circle, we are quite grateful that God has given us opportunity to move about and spend time with each of them this year.

God has been working in our lives and the future for us is full of a lot of change as well. In the latter part of 2021 God began to move upon our hearts that there would be some shifting in our world. And so it passed that we packed up our house in August and began a relocation process that is still in action today. This time ministry relocation has not been as clear as in time’s past, but Tonya and I are currently residing in an RV we purchased this summer and planning to settle down in central Tennessee at the first of the year.

More info, you say? Okay. As we prayed and sought God’s guidance for the immediate future, we discovered that there is a need for church planting influences in Tennessee (and the southeast in general) as there has been a large migration pattern of people moving east from the west for reasons economic and political. We were asked to consider ministry for a time here to help bridge the cultural divide that comes with the integration of these different types of people groups. Tonya and I will be settling in Eagleville TN in January to work with Grove Hill Church and some other partners to help potentially establish new works there in the rapidly growing area.

If you want to know more about the middle Tennessee area and what we are specifically doing there, check out www.sawyerclan.org for more details. There you will also find our podcast called “ask Mom and Dad,” which we have been doing for the past few years. It’s light-hearted conversation between the two of us on life issues and things we have learned about life, parenting, and Jesus along the way. If you have a regular podcast channel you follow you can look us up there.

If you want to reach us directly you can do so by emailing greg@sawyerclan.org or Tonyas7@sawyerclan.org.

Our Physical address after the first of the year will be 905 Chapel Hill Pike, Eagleville TN 37060

As Jesus is given to us as Emmanuel, God with us, our prayer for all of you is God’s very presence in tangible ways for this holiday season and the whole year through.  May his incredible love for each one, and His gift of mercy be so near your hearts and home this coming year!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Php 4:6-7”