Paul is now at home. They ran several tests and think it may be something viral but are not sure. All the tests came back fine. His symptoms were intense headaches and difficulty swallowing along with other flu like symptoms. Pray that Paul will get some good rest and that whatever this is/was will pass. Continue to pray that the whole family would be strengthened. Thank you so much!
Please pray for Paul Ramey, our worship pastor here @ the Gallery Church. His wife Meredith took Paul to the emergency room earlier this afternoon. I do not know of any of the details other than…he was feeling flu-like and became extremely ill later this afternoon.
Just over a month ago, his family moved here from Portland, OR. Pray that God would quickly restore health and strength to Paul. Pray that God would strengthen the faith of his whole family and give them his peace. Also pray that this trial will continue to deeply confirm the Ramey’s call to NYC.
I’ll updated you on Paul when I have something. Thanks for praying.
Tuesday of this week I had the privilege of taking the train to Baltimore for a partners meeting with The Gallery Church Baltimore. It is hard to believe that a church that is still in church plant mode itself could be instrumental in planting another church, but that is exactly what The Gallery Church of Manhattan has done. Church Planter Ellis Prince and his wife Ginger along with their kids moved to NYC for about six months for training and have now been in Baltimore about 9 months planting The Gallery Church Baltimore. Ellis is a man’s man yet with visible compassion for the people of Baltimore. God has already begun to establish the work of their hands in a variety of wonderful ways. It was thrilling to sit in TGCB’s partner meeting Tuesday hearing testimonies and updates at what God was already doing. It is amazing what God does, when a group of people commits to living for the glory of God, the advancement of the gospel, and the good of a city while persevering through whatever comes their way. It takes missionary resolve. God has granted Ellis and his team just that as he shared at their partner meeting,
“We have had vehicles broken into, bikes and scooters stolen, home windows smashed, children rushed to the hospital because a junkie left a needle in a play area, people shot outside our homes, drugs sold from our steps, work environments from the gates of hell, and marriages challenged…our team has weathered and is weathering these types of storms.”
Maybe you are considering planting your life in a strategic urban center like Baltimore or New York. Pray that God will give you missionary resolve like Ellis and his team in Baltimore have. Should we expect better treatment than our master?
Thanks for hanging in here with us as we seek to update you with prayer requests and happenings here in New York City. Our hearts remain amazed at our God. His faithfulness, mercy, and kindness have been an overflowing fountain to us. The past three months have been truly amazing. It seems every day has been filled with dozens of new experiences in the city that never sleeps with two newborns that we often pray will. Susan has been an inspiration to me in her perseverance of feeding and caring for our babies. My cousin Hannah decided to head back to Clarksville three months early and begin college. We are really excited for her, have a little more space in the apartment, but definitely have our hands extra full without her help. She did amazing while here with us and was here when we needed her most. Fortunately Gran (Susan’s grandmother) is with us right now for a couple of weeks while other family and friends continue to make plans to come up this winter and spring. Before Gran got up here, our whole family of five went out to eat to what is quickly becoming one of our favorite Upper West Side restaraunts, The Popover Café. It has an eclectic and affordable menu and is just about 4 blocks away. As you can imagine, everyone wanted a look at the babies. Jack once again was a champ. I had a great day of prayer, reading, and planning a week ago Friday and feel like I finally made it over a hump, feeling some measure of being settled, and a fresh readiness for all that awaits us. Please pray with us in the following areas:
Family
Ministry
More regular updates and prayer requests to come! Let us know how you are doing!