Mariah & Isaac Hertzler
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail
of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the
hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or
their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others, and
their children are a blessing.
—Psalm 37:23–26
Looking back on this year, I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for all that the Lord did! Last year at this time, Isaac and I traveled to Pennsylvania for his family’s reunion. An hour into our drive back, our newly purchased CR-V’s transmission blew. Stuck on a Sunday with a broken-down car and no open repair shops, we took the advice of some friends and walked to a local church. Before the service had begun, we had three different families offer to host us while our car was being fixed. What originally should have taken a few days to fix turned into thirteen days of us living in the home of a sweet family in State College, PA. Over and over again we were amazed by their radical hospitality and how God truly does care for His children! We still reflect on that almost two-week adventure in awe of the friendships that were made and the unexpected blessings!
This year I (Mariah) have enjoyed my second year working with Real Life Campus Ministry. Watching God work in the lives of these young students reminds me daily of the gift that salvation is and that God truly is the one producing changed hearts! I have had the joy in this past year to witness and help with multiple baptisms of girls in my community group. Young people often have lots of spiritual hunger but may not know what to do with it. This has reminded me all the more of why God calls us to go out and share the gospel because the harvest is plentiful! One of the toughest things in life and ministry this past year was saying a temporary goodbye to both of my grandpas, just a few months apart from each other. Grieving while actively being present in the lives of so many students provided humbling opportunities to show students what grieving can look like and how God meets us in those hard and tough places. I will forever cherish the sweet last words from my Grandpa Ron and the times being able to sit outside and enjoy the sun and birds with Grandpa Max. I thank God that He gave me godly grandparents who set an example of love and following Jesus to my parents, who then went on to do the same for me!
One neat aspect of the past year was all the new states I checked off my travel list: Arizona, Colorado, and Texas! Two of the trips were for family weddings, and the third was a college ministry conference my staff team and I went to. I soaked up the many hours in airplanes and in rental cars and sightseeing! The world is so beautiful, and it was exciting to be in different places all in the span of a few months. I have even enjoyed a few little trips in Michigan to explore the beauty that is a bit more local.
This summer God opened a neat job opportunity for Isaac. A friend from church owns a honey business and sells honey, maple syrup, and jam all over the state of Michigan and some of Indiana! Isaac is one of their sales and delivery people and has enjoyed seeing parts of the state he never had seen and meeting random people from these stores. We are thankful for how this job came at just the right time and allows Isaac to provide for our family! The hours are very long (12–15 hour shifts), so if you think of him, he would love prayer for safety and alertness!
I know so much more happened in this year but those are some of the big and memorable moments. If you are ever traveling through Big Rapids, give us a call or text! We love visitors!