© Wendy Anne Clark, 2026

Another year has passed, and like many before it, it was a very quick year, and still a lot happened. There were some big events: at the beginning of the year, our daughter Heather and her husband Phil had their first child, our first grandchild, Luke, and we flew to Marseille soon after he was born to meet him. Roy and I, along with Haley and Hannah, took a trip to visit the family again at the beginning of June. Two trips to France, flying “standby,” which is its own kind of adventure. We took a trip to the Grand Canyon and attended the wedding of our niece, Karli, in Arizona. We traveled to see a Christmas concert in Chicago–Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, CeCe Winans. 

I continued immunotherapy treatments for endometrial cancer while, at the same time, a friend with a similar diagnosis, on a similar timeline, chose to stop her cancer treatments and went to be with Jesus. I don’t know how to process the similarities and differences in our journeys, but they have caused me to lean even more heavily into Jesus and to trust more firmly in God’s plans for me, whatever they may be.

We moved to a new house again this year. We have now lived in 6 houses in the 11 years that we have been in the Wood River Valley. This move was unexpected because at the end of 2024, the owner of the house assured us that we would be able to sign a new lease for another year at the end of April, 2025, but, in March, she changed her mind and told us we would need to leave by April 30th. Unexpected and certainly inconvenient since I had surgery in March, and Roy had surgery in April, and neither of us could lift boxes or move furniture. But . . . we were able to hire movers to help us this time, and we had the help of many friends, so we were settled into a new house at the first of May.

Though we continued to look for a new location for the Coffee House and the House Church, we were unable to find a place that would work, and we moved church to the new house–a beautiful place with lots of room and a pastor and his wife as landlords. We recognize this house as a very gracious gift from God at just the right time.

Most of life, however, is not made up of the big events, but the ordinary, everyday ones, interspersed with challenges and celebrations. Every day, meeting with God in the morning, as I have done for decades now. Studying through Isaiah, starting Jeremiah and Proverbs, re-reading and reflecting on The Practice of the Presence of God, reading Dallas Williard’s book Renovation of the Heart, biographies of Mother Theresa and Lottie Moon, several novels by Charles Martin, and too many Bible study books to name.

Praying daily through long lists of prayer requests for family and friends and strangers. Writing articles and talks, filming YouTube videos, listening and watching personal testimonies of faith and videos on apologetics. 

For women’s Bible study we worked through the Navigator’s book Growing Strong in God’s Family. Our group went through some growth, from a consistent two, to a consistent seven or eight, something that God decided to do. I continued preparing for and leading worship for our church service and cooking dinners each week. 

Every Sunday, I met with two groups of ladies at the jail for worship and Bible study. It’s difficult to express how meaningful this is in my life and all that God is teaching me through this experience. I am so thankful for this opportunity. If you ever get the opportunity to serve, and on the surface it looks like “work,” don’t be afraid to step up and step in. Don’t miss the amazing things God will do when we just keep showing up.

Last year, at the first of the year, I chose the word “new” for a spiritual focus for the year. I reflected on these two passages:

Remember Not–Isaiah 43:18-19

“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.”

Remember–Isaiah 46:9-10

“Remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose.”

What new things did I encounter? New grandson, new home, new ideas, new friends, new visitors to church, new group of ladies at the jail, new understanding about God’s plans, God’s purposes, and God’s ways.

I had to let go of my vision of the Coffee House and the House Church and wait on God for what He wants to do next and how He wants to do it. We are still expecting that we will have a neutral ministry location to reach out to and to connect with our community, a version of the Coffee House, but it will not be what it was before. We perceive that God is doing a new thing. We don’t yet fully know what that will look like.

My word for this year is “rescue,” and the verse that has brought focus to the word is Proverbs 24:11:

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”

God’s purpose for me is that I would do my part to reach out to rescue those who are lost and perishing, to act as an ambassador on God’s behalf and call out loudly: “Be reconciled to God” and then to point to Jesus as the only way of salvation.

The door to the ark is open, and the storm clouds are gathering overhead, but only those who will enter into the way of salvation that God has provided will be saved. All those who seek to save themselves in some other way will be lost. There were no life boats, floating around the outside of the ark. And when the time was right — God Himself shut the door.

So this year, I will focus on what it means to reach out to rescue those who are perishing, to pull back from the edge those who are teetering over the cliff. I will focus on having a greater sense of the urgency of sharing the Gospel and even more boldness and courage.

“And pray also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel . . . Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

And now I am 62, and I look forward to another year walking with Jesus and growing in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.