Answered Prayers from December

• Aubree taught the English Class Lesson on December 2nd.
• A few Christmas cards made it all the way across the Atlantic to help encourage us!
• Our first outreach was a hit! We had multiple new families show up- one even wandered in straight from the park to hear a gospel presentation!
• Kris was able to go caroling with the men of our church- they were able to encourage a struggling community in North Manchester.
• We enjoyed our time with Aubree's parents. We got to show them our city and other places in North England!! Our first Christmas overseas felt more like home because of their presence!
• We are continuing to build and make new relationships with neighbours. We want to have a family over for dinner soon.
• Together with our church, we were able to raise £2500 for neighbours in need and make 30 Christmas baskets.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. One thing that echoes in our hearts and minds is that prayer is the work of this missionary journey; we can do nothing apart from Jesus! We would love for you to join us each week in praying over the work of ministry, our family, and life in Manchester.
   • Monday: ​Pray for our church as we adjust to new rhythms as one of our pastors, M, as he begins preparing to church plant in 2027. Pray for him and his family as they transition to a new church on Jan 4th.
   • Tuesday: Pray for boldness and spiritual conversations where we can share the gospel! As we prayer walk, map the city, pick up our children from school- and all the other moments of our day. Pray for connections and in roads to relationships in our community.
   • Wednesday: Pray for Christ's unity, truth, and grace, and peace to reign supreme in our home! Pray for salvation for Riley and Eleanor. Isaiah 50:4
   • Thursday- Pray our roles at the church. We will be taking on more leadership this year. Pray God gives us a vision he wants for Manchester.
   • Friday - Pray for Kris as he prepares to teach Alpha in January. Pray for many people to come and find truth!

Stories from the Field

The month of December has been filled with Christmas merriment. The girls had Christmas performances where Mady had a solo, Eleanor made her primary school debut as Mary, and Riley was able to sing with her class at a local grocery store. Aubree's parents spent Christmas with us, and we enjoyed some home-cooked meals and quality time together.

Christmas in England has been sweet but different from our usual South Carolina traditions. We have enjoyed a Christmas carol service at Manchester Cathedral, including a brass band, a lovely Christmas market, a carol service at Trinity Church, and a wonderful Christmas Day service.

We were able to come beside our church and help with a Christmas outreach. We had crafts, carols, and Christmas treats partnered with a gospel presentation! We were blessed to see many church members pitch in and make this a blessing for our community.

2026 represents another faith year.

It’s one thing to move and live, it’s another to make an impact.

We are hitting that strange 6-month phase where most things are no longer new. The shine has worn off, the cold is here, and people are hibernating. Pray for us in this. It's really daunting, first of all, but secondly, the hearts of Mancunians can only be thawed by the Lord. This is one of the parts that you constantly deal with on the field. Apart from HIM you can do nothing, says John 15. We ask that you keep praying for us to meet people who are ready to hear. We call them God prepared people.

Our goals for 2026 are to really dig into Manchester. We want to connect with at least one evangelical church in every borough next year, if there is one there. We know that God has called us, in our unique role, to be a connector. We want more churches encouraged, resourced, prayed over, and participating in the great commission. We believe that these relationships will help us know the heart of the city and know the true needs. Another goal that Kris has is to begin a discipleship cohort this year with the men of the church. We believe this will be the catalyst to see our church take hold of the missionary task.

We are thankful to finish 2025 with so many highs and new moments for the Kuriger fam. If you're thinking about doing something crazy for Jesus, do it. He will give you everything you need along the way.

Thank you for partnering along with us in prayer as we are sharing the gospel, making disciples, and helping plant churches. If you'd like to financially support us, 100% of gifts to our ministry account help cover ministry activities, travel, and local outreach as we serve in Manchester. Thank you for being part of what God is doing here!

All gifts are tax-deductible through the International Mission Board