“But those who wait on the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) It is interesting to look at the different translations of the Hebrew word qāvâ in Isaiah 40:31 - which all point to waiting (NKJ), hoping (NIV) and trusting (NLT) in the Lord. Gathering Table so far this year has been in a time of waiting on the Lord for him to move. On the surface it may seem that things have come to a stand still - no Pop-Up dinners on the calendar as of yet for the year and the location for the 2nd year of doing the bee keeping apprenticeship that starts in May still being up in the air. Yet Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that God is working even as we wait. As one explanation of the word qāvâ explains it like a strand of rope being twisted and stretched into just the right tension, until it is ready for use. That is what it feels like right now, that as we wait on the Lord, the ministry is being twisted and stretched and prepared for the things God has planned. Like a tension that is being readied to be released to launch. What does this mean practically? Here are a few things we are waiting on the Lord for that you can be praying with us about, before we move into some of the things God has planned for Gathering Table this year. Land or property in the Clovis area for doing the bee keeping apprenticeship with Hives for Heros. We are praying for God to open the door for someone who has the space to let us use from May-September. We have some possibilities in the works, nothing nailed down yet though. While we wait, we have stepped out in faith and started inviting guys into the apprenticeship, with already two veterans who have said yes! You can find more details about the apprenticeship here: https://www.gatheringtablefarms.com/2026apprenticeship Gathering Table team meeting to plan out the pop-up dinners for this year. We are in the process of scheduling the planning meeting in the next few weeks hopefully. This has taken longer than we hoped for, BUT as we have been waiting on the Lord, God has brought quite a few unexpected people who have expressed interest in getting involved in the dinners this year! We have found that some of the most impactful discipleship happens within the planning team. We are excited to see what God has in store. Lastly, we are waiting on the Lord for ideas on how to connect local agriculture with the dinners and the ministry as a whole. During some recent vision strategy meetings with some dear friends, the Lord reminded us that gathering people around local agriculture is a part of the DNA of this ministry. We are planning another meeting soon to discuss practical ideas, be praying the Lord reveals his plans to us. We look forward to updating next time on God’s answers to these things. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support. The photos below are some recent movement and activity of our bee hives that help support the ministry of Gathering Table and the bee keeping apprenticeship. Blessings, Jeff and Kristy    

Rolling into 2026 in Quietness and Confidence "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, emphasis added)   This past weekend, I (Jeff) drove my 1978 Chevy truck (aka "The Bee Truck") out to check up on our bee hives. As I approached along the dirt path, I noticed  a good size puddle ahead from the recent rains. There was no way around the puddle, so I had to drive through it. My first thought was one of hesitation, wondering if the puddle might be too deep to pass through. But I figured the dually tires could probably handle it, and I proceeded ahead. To my delight, I was able to pass through the water with ease, allowing me to check the bee hives. This brief off-roading experience reminded me of God's faithfulness over the past year. We recently sent out an "End of the Year Recap" (see images below) to those supporting Gathering Table, specifically through our hive sponsorships. One of our answered prayers last year was being able to purchase new tires for The Bee Truck. Gathering Table uses the Bee Truck for a variety of needs, including transporting chairs, table sections and supplies for the Pop-Up Dinners, and moving and checking the bee hives that help support the ministry. A couple of the tires on the truck were getting pretty bare, and about halfway through the year, I was starting to limit how far I drove the truck. It was becoming an urgent need.  We decided to make the need known to our supporters as a Campaign on the GoMission.Church platform. God answered our prayers for new tires when someone generously told us they would like to donate $700 toward purchasing new tires. They also had a person at a local tire shop that could give a good deal. We knew this amount was likely enough to replace 4 of the 6 tires. We wondered if it might be worth spending a little more to go ahead and replace all 6 tires, but at the time the ministry did not have the extra funds for this purpose. So we prayed. From the time of the donation and when the appointment with the tire shop was set about a week later, God miraculously provided $240 leaving only a difference of $140 to replace all 6 tires! We had that amount available in the budget for Gathering Table and we were able to get all 6 tires replaced. This is one of the testimonies of God's faithfulness that we have seen in being a part of the Gathering Table ministry over the past year. It is a reminder as we move through the "puddles" ahead in 2026, that God will make a way. For in quietness and confidence is our strength when we place our trust in Him. 

How Jesus Took the Little We Had to Do Something Great Photos: 17 guests from the community gathered around the table at the Winter Wonderland Pop-Up Dinner in Old Town Clovis this past weekend; the two men who were part of the bee keeping apprenticeship this year, bravely standing in front of the hive last month without bee suits! (they had just taken their suits off) As we reflect on the year, we can see how God took the little that we had to offer him and used it to do beyond what we could imagine or think. As we prayed for God’s direction for Gathering Table earlier this year, I (Jeff) was challenged by the story of Jesus multiplying the fives loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 5,000 people. What struck me as I read this passage, was how the disciples first had to give up the little they had to Jesus.   16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. (Matthew 14:16-18)   In our eyes, it doesn’t seem like much, likely their meal (or someone else's meal) for the evening. What’s one meal? And it’s safe to say it wasn’t a life or death decision for them. BUT they still had to give it up, and trust Jesus to do whatever he wanted with it. If they had held onto what they had, they would’ve only fed themselves. And more importantly, they would’ve missed out on Jesus displaying his glory as the Bread of Life by feeding thousands of people. In a similar way, it felt what we had to offer God as a ministry this year was very little and yet costly at the same time. For some context, Kristy and I had just had our third child together last December. So everything about the year ahead seemed more daunting than usual, especially as we began to plan five Pop-Up Dinners for the year while anticipating juggling a newborn at some of those dinners. In addition, I felt like it was God’s timing to make a first small step in the direction for us to combine ministry and farming by doing our first year of a Beekeeping Apprenticeship, where we would disciple a couple young men by reading passages of scripture together while they learned the basics of bee keeping. While this wouldn’t be a huge commitment, it would require us giving of some of our free time (which usually consists of juggling our three littles) to meet with these men a couple of times a month over about 6 months. God was asking us to give him the little we had, so that he could multiply it into something beyond anything we could accomplish on our own. So we did. We gave to God our time and our comforts. We stepped out into our simple plan of hosting Pop-Up Dinners every other month this year and doing the 6-month long bee keeping apprenticeship. Like the disciples in this story, it wasn’t life or death for us, but it was still challenging to give God the little we had to offer.   So where is the multiplying? How did and is God using the little we have given to him this year? 1. He is multiplying faithfulness in me and Kristy. We have labored this year to continue to be faithful with what we have been given. It has been a labor prompted by love, especially this year with a newborn. God is working in us, as we learn to trust and wait on him. 2. He is multiplying our team! We had the privilege this year to partner with 3 young ladies in planning and leading the Pop-Up Dinners. It has been such a joy to learn to follow Jesus together and learn from each other, as He continues to lead this ministry. 3. He is multiplying his kingdom. God is always at work, and his word never returns void. As we are being faithful in sowing seeds of the Gospel at these dinners, we are seeing God’s kingdom sprout up like a seedling that is starting to bear lasting fruit – unbelievers being challenged by testimonies of God working in people’s lives and being drawn closer to Jesus; new believers finding connection and discipleship; people taking their next steps in following Jesus.   It has been so much fun this year seeing God multiply our efforts, and we are excited to see where God takes Gathering Table next year. As we begin to plan and dream into 2026, we can anticipate that once again Jesus will ask us to give to him the little we have in our hands. And we can trust that he will be faithful to do the work of multiplying what we give him for the glory of his name and his kingdom. Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)