From our family to yours,

Wishing you a blessed Theophany and New Year!

What happened last month.

• Kriss completed the first draft of her dissertation days before Christmas.
• I enjoyed running a 15 mile trail race in the Red River Gorge and completing what I could to bring the year to a close before taking a long break.
• ​I'm sure you saw our emails communicating our goals and needs for the coming year (and thank you to those who responded!)
• And we celebrated Patrick's 11th birthday.

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Reflecting on 2022:

Last year was personally full of upheavel. I found myself squeezed in unexpected ways - some of it was what we are all facing, some of it was personal. Most of it was the transition stress of moving forward toward good things.

What is overwhelming is how prolonged upheaval impacts multiple areas of life. We feel like we are under 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000 lb not 10 + 10 + 10 = 30 lbs of pressure. My sense is that many of us had a year like that, so let me share what I've noticed in the hopes that it will be edifying for you.

First, when we are in prolonged seasons of upheavel it's common to wonder if we made a mistake. It's a conversation I've had with nearly every global worker in Christ about 6 months after they move. The honeymoon is over and the demands of life outweigh the supports. There are losses to grieve and passions tend to flare up too.

It's almost always helpful to suspend judgement for the first year - you probably haven't lost your way, you're just finding your "sea legs." It's helpful to recogize the added stress you are carrying is like an 60lb pack. Yes, you should keep moving forward, but you need to adjust your expectations to find a sustainable pace.

You probably have a few stressors you don't need to carry right now and a few supports you could add. How others respond to us and how we respond to them during this time will solidify or erode our relationships, so pay attention.

Finally, we can feel like we're holding the pieces of a shatter pot that we just can't put back together on our own.

Don't.

Instead, offer it to God asking Him to make something beautiful out of it. Ask him to send the helpers you need.

Guard your hope: "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10).

As God wills, here is what’s coming up this month.

• Kriss is editing her disertation based on feedback from her mentor before sending it to the other members of her committee (it's 225 pages). She is aiming for a March 31 defense.
• I'm working to define the key initiatives for the quarter based on the resources that have been entrusted to us.

Here are ways you can get involved:

🙏 Pray: for Kriss as she brings her dissertation to completion; for me as I'm clarifying what we can focus on this quarter given the resources we have.

👏Share: please pass this along to someone you think would be edified by it, and invite them to subscribe to our updates.

🤲 Give: We ended the year at 45% funded! It's hard to believe we need less than 20 people to be fully funded (see below).

With Expectant Hope,

​ ​Geoff Whiteman, ThM, LMFT​ ​🎁 access free resources I promised to share. 💌 Read and share my latest updates. 🤝 Let me know how can I help you or your community?​ “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (excerpt from Ephesians 3:14-21)

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Personal Support Update:

Thankful for your partnership in the Gospel... Philippians 1: 5-7

We thank God for our sustaining partners who gave last month. Their investment provides for our needs now and brings this ministry closer to viability. We need about 12 supporters to close the gap and be fully funded. Will you partner with us today?

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​$250 a month​

🙌 $100 a month 🙌

​$50 a month​

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It takes 2 minutes to set-up:

STEP ONE: Go to www.valeo.global/donate and select "Geoff".

✍️ Enter the amount

✅ Make this a recurring donation

💳 Enter Your Info and Payment Details

✅ Pay transaction fee for this donation (optional and appreciated)

✅ Donate

STEP TWO: Celebrate and pray.

🥳 Thank you for becoming a sustaining partner in ministry with our family!

🙏 Pray for us, this initiative, and that your investment would be multiplied for God's glory.

🎁 I'll get an expression of our gratitude in the mail to you ASAP.

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Giving by check? mail your check payable to “Valeo” with “Geoff’s Support” in the memo line to: Valeo | 245 Business Park Blvd | Columbia, SC 29302.

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Have other questions? reply to this email.