Dear praying friends and supporting churches,
“And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and
turned unto the Lord” - Acts 11:21. The grace of God that Barnabas witnessed in Antioch
was the result of the hand of the Lord guiding His servants. Without His hand involved,
our service would be in vain. We thank the Lord for how His hand has been with us. As
another year ends, it would be foolish not recognize His guiding and protective hand in our
lives.
5,000 miles in two months! We are thankful for the meetings that the Lord
provided for us in 2023. Within the last two months, we have traveled nearly 5,000 miles.
In the last three months, we were in a different church each Sunday, finishing out the
month of November at our home church. We are grateful for how the Lord has provided
for our needs and we look forward to seeing how He will fill up the calendar for 2024.
These last few months of traveling have been productive as a few churches decided to
partner with our ministry. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!
After being in the States for more than a year, we are still experiencing reverse
culture shock but things are getting better! Reverse culture shock describes the
confusion or disorientation a person feels when they return to their home country and find
that they do not fit (or belong) as they did before they left. It is a reverse homesickness.
Things that should feel normal here do not because we have become used to another way
of living. Portugal had become our home and we were comfortable there. We understood
how things worked and how they thought. We miss the friends that we left behind. We are
slowly making friends and new relationships here. We ask a lot of questions and get a lot of
strange looks! Sometimes we still have difficulty finding the English word for something.
We are still looking for doctors, dentists, etc. We continue to discover where to find
everyday products. Brands in the States are different than what we have been using.
Recently we have been dealing with furnace issues. We did not have a furnace or central
AC in Portugal! Jocelyn has been a big help since she returned to the States six years before
we did. We want to thank everyone for their help and understanding as we acclimate back
to our home country.
We ask that you would earnestly pray for the church in Portugal where we
ministered (IBE). The pastor that replaced David is now moving back to Brazil, so the
church is in the process of searching for their next pastor. One candidate has already
preached at the church and is scheduled to preach two more times. Please pray that they
will find the right man that will maintain sound doctrine.
We want to once again thank you for your faithful prayers and support. We
appreciate all of you. Without you, we could not do what God has led us to do.
We pray that you have a blessed, Christ-centered Christmas and a happy new year.
Serving the One we love,
David & Julie Loop
APBM Field Director

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