Settling Into Texas & Seeing God Move
- Ben Graber
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Early Days in Dallas Filled with God’s Faithfulness
Greetings from Texas!
It's been almost two weeks since we got down here, and we're doing our best to settle in quickly. We arrived on a Thursday, unloaded the trailers on that Friday, and immediately started unpacking boxes. It's a process, but Rachael has been doing great work putting the house in order while I'm gone.
The kids are adapting to Texas very well. Annie has been enjoying Little Village (the preschool-age ministry at TVC). Emory has been doing well at the church, too. I went through a series of orientation meetings to start. I have met many staff members, and I seem to be fitting into the culture here. Everyone is kind and helpful, and, most importantly, unified in the gospel mission. I think I'll get along well here.
The weekend we got down to Dallas was Made Alive weekend at The Village Church, which is one of three annual catalytic events ultimately aimed at drawing more people toward Christ. The specific aim of this event was to invite people to be made alive in Christ (appropriately named, huh?) and to baptize those coming into the fold. God moved in powerful ways. There was a prayer service on Sunday focused on interceding for a high school worship event happening at the same time at the high school down the road, which drew nearly 1,000 students from 19 high schools. Between the regular services and the prayer service, over 5,300 people came to worship Christ and hear the gospel. 25 people were baptized! It's not just about numbers, but the numbers do reflect that God is moving in and among his people.
To all of you who are praying for us, we truly appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts. Here are some specific ways you can pray for our family:
For everything to continue to go well for Rachael in these last few weeks of pregnancy and for a healthy birth in September.
For us to develop the relationships we need here in Texas quickly.
For our kids to develop friendships and continue to adapt well.
We are continuing to raise support. As of today, we are praising God that we are at 85% raised for the first year! However, our work is nowhere near done. We are continuing to connect with people and churches who may be willing to support us as we look toward the launch of the church in 2028. For those currently supporting us, we thank you for your generosity. If God puts it on your heart to support us financially, please visit bengraber.org/support. We need to continue raising support not only for this year but also for next year (since many people blessed us with a one-time gift), as well as for the eventual church plant itself. Whether or not you choose to support us financially, we thank you for your prayers!
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