First Update: God is Good

First of all, we want to thank everyone who so kindly encouraged us, prayed for us, and just

loved on us in all sorts of ways as we were preparing to leave Texas. We were truly

overwhelmed by the kindness we received by our church and camp family, and that love

certainly sent us off with joy and hope for what the Lord has for our future in church ministry!

A little recap of what we are doing in Greenville, South Carolina - Adam is the Church Planter in

Residence here at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church. A part of his responsibilities include

working with the young adults ministry. The church's heart is that Adam would gain experience

and knowledge while exercising his gifts of preaching, teaching, and discipling over the next two

years. The hope is that at the end of that time we would sense a clear call to a certain place and

people to plant a church!

Two things we learned on our journey here: we have the very best friends! Case in point - Tuan

and Paula La drove our second vehicle from Texas to Greenville with us (while Adam drove the

Penske) and they hosted us on the way at their first camp home in Jackson, MS where fried

catfish and tall green trees are in beautiful abundance.

Second thing is that Atlanta traffic is no joke. Our eta went from 2pm to 6pm once we hit Atlanta.

So our sweet young adult unloading team was no longer able to help us. BUT it all worked out

because I avoided the embarrassment of showing lots of people exactly how much nonsensical

things someone can pack into a large Penske truck and we had two strong young men come

help with the large things the next day.

Our first week in Greenville was full of settling into our home, getting the boys set up for public

school, and exploring the nearby area. We were warmly welcomed by the folks here at Mitchell

Road Presbyterian Church and hosted right away by church members and also dear old

Oklahoma friends who had transplanted to Spartanburg (a neighboring town to Greenville) a

long time ago, which was just so sweet!

Exactly one week after arriving in Greenville we started hearing murmurings of a tropical storm

making its way to the area, and of course Adam and I did not take it to seriously because we are

from Oklahoma and are used to tornadoes, but also because we are at least four hours from the

ocean, where you would think things like hurricanes don’t do much damage. But alas, we woke

to the sound of large trees cracking in half and a flooded back porch. We were one of the very

few homes in our area that had no damage to our house and were only out of power for a

couple of hours, which was such a blessing.

Our second church service was in the parking lot of our church because our church had no

electricity. We got to sing, and gather and pray in small groups where we heard hard stories of

loss and beautiful stories of God's provisions for his people. Within the following days our

church regained power but the apartments and homes nearby did not. So we had the honor of

joining an effort to serve our community by opening our church and serving dinners for our

neighbors across the street and anyone else who needed wifi and hot food. It was a sweet time.

Adam and I got to meet some of our neighbors and get to know them in a way that we never

would have in normal circumstances.

At that point our boys had not been able to start school because the storm hit the day they

finished enrollment. I was still a little hesitant about sending them into that new

environment(coming from homeschooling them in Texas) and I had considered just keeping

them at home and continuing homeschooling. But the Lord was so kind to us and our boys by

letting us meet some friends who go to the church and also send their kiddos to the same

school. So, through the Lord’s kindness, Louis already had a buddy going into kindergarten, and

although Mo was very nervous he became a friend and a star student in no time!

On top of serving our local community our church was also able to gather food for Greenville

and Asheville EMS workers and families who were in need. Many EMS workers lost their own

homes in the storm but were still out serving the community and working to provide for their

families paycheck to paycheck. Adam and I were able to load up our minivan and two EMS

vehicles full of food and snacks for our brave and tireless first responders. The director of EMS

was almost in tears when he related his gratitude for how the body of Christ had provided for his

employees who needed it desperately.

As things start to normalize around here, Adam and I are meeting so many lovely brothers and

sisters in Christ and are also diving into the young adults ministry. Adam is going to be taking

the young adults on a retreat in a couple of weeks where he will be speaking and ministering to

them at Camp Ridge Haven. I am also a part of a women’s prayer and Bible study and excited

about being an active volunteer and praying mom for our little public school that is a two minute

walk from our house.

I am also very blessed to have been able to partner with some dear friends in doing some

remote part time work for their mission minded company Golden Grove Real Estate. The

mission of their company is to invest in communities through compassionate relationships and

accessible housing. They have bought existing properties in Texas and in Missouri and have

worked to make those properties safe and affordable to help families and individuals in the midst

of the current housing crisis. Golden Grove also partners with local churches and nonprofits to

serve the vulnerable in those communities, and they strive to do everything to honor God and

his undeniable care for the poor. I have been able to do all sorts of fun projects remotely for

them from our new lil home in Greenville

Our goal for our first year at Mitchell road Presbyterian is to learn all we can from this growing,

healthy, and mission centered church.

Here is how you can pray for us:

● Pray that our boys would feel loved and excited in this new community

● Pray that Adam would be able to glean all the knowledge he can from his time with the

staff at MRPC and that his studies would be fruitful and devotional as he prepares for

licensure and ordination exams

● Pray that I (Kirsten) would find my place and purpose in this new stage of life. I would

love to know what would most please the Lord in my future vocational pursuits.

● Pray for our ministry to the young adults here!

● Pray that God would burden our hearts for a place and people and open all the doors we

need to walk through to serve him there!

Romans 12:9-13

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with

brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in

spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute

to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

We miss you all, and think of you often with much love and affection,

The Bettertons

(written by Kirsten and edited and approved by Adam)