Good morning everyone!
Much has been happening behind the scenes in the past couple of months in our lives and in ministry. Perhaps the biggest changes have been taking place in the Reed family! So here’s a quick update and a request for your prayers as I leave this coming Friday, April 10th, on a two-week trip to Guatemala.
On Nola’s last official day of work, her department at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners threw a big send-off party for her and a co-worker who also retired in March.
Nola Has Retired!
As of March 2nd, Nola has retired from her job of 33 years! I was grateful that her co-workers invited me to come to a big retirement party they threw for her. For several hours I heard person after person share how much Nola made a difference in the company and how much they will miss her. What a privilege it was for me to hear those testimonies first hand!
Now Nola is trying to figure out how this next chapter of life will unfold. She looks forward to having more time for investing in the grandkids and for shared ministry both locally and in being able to go on more mission trips with me to other places.
One of the first things we did after Nola’s retirement was to take a trip with our Omaha family to Washington DC. Here we are on the balcony of the Capitol building at night. Seeing many of the historical sights was great, but it was even better doing it with part of our family. As you might recall, Kolanya (pictured with the smiley face) is our newest granddaughter, who arrived from Thailand on Christmas day! She is adapting well to our family, learning English quickly, and we are enjoying getting to know and love her. According to the adoption protocol, once the six month mark arrives, we can reveal her face. Pictured here from left to right are Josh, Kolanya, Kristin, Landon, Brayden, Nola and me.
Scouting Trip Planned with Cesar and Eduardo in Guatemala
Eduardo Mejia and I shared a moment last year when he was at Lenexa Baptist to connect with many of us who have gone to Nicaragua on projects related to Project Hope in Nicaragua.
On the ministry front, a couple of my trips scheduled for January and for the spring had to be rescheduled, so during the past couple of months, Cesar Gonzalez has been continuing to follow up with our groups and leaders in various parts of Guatemala. I am thankful that this weekend I will be meeting Eduardo Mejia (our great friend from Nicaragua) in Guatemala to make the rounds with Cesar to prepare for several of our upcoming projects. One of those projects is prepping for another big soccer tournament in Guatemala. You might recall that Eduardo leads a ministry in Nicaragua that has organized evangelistic soccer tournaments. Two years ago, we did one in Guatemala that was a huge success. So we hope to be ready to do another one this year.
Beyond the soccer ministry, we plan to touch base with some of our cowboy friends and leaders in several public schools, then take a few days to go to the jungle and personally visit some of our Kekchi friends who are starting churches in several remote locations. When I go on a trip like this, Cesar likes to use the time for us to encourage and prepare for the future teams that we plan to bring. If things go as planned, the rest of the year will be very busy as we have a June public school project, a potential group leader training project in July, and a church to church project in September.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We couldn’t do it without you!
Love y'all!
Steve
PS…I have really enjoyed the “MAPS” process that Bill Burrows created for 2026. I’ve especially liked the way the online version works, allowing me to do my daily scripture commitment with ease. If you are interested in trying it, click here.
PSS…If you would like to invest in this ministry, you can give through the link below or send checks to:
Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210