“Exceedingly Abundantly Above”

THE BAGLEY BRIEF

Dear Co-laborers in Ministry,                                                                                                                                                         August 2, 2024

Ephesians 3:20 is a verse that Laura has been holding onto during this time of ministry transition in our lives. The month of July has shown us several examples of this incredible promise. The verse says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

We sent our last update on June 24 and since then, God has been answering some prayers we’ve been praying about for over a year. On July 1, we received word that we had a buyer for our home in Nebraska! We want to thank all of you that have interceded for us regarding this request. Some of you have prayed for it every day for the last year! But God did more than we could have imagined by allowing our home to be sold to some dear friends who genuinely appreciate the history of the Hull Church. Since we put our home up for sale last June, we all wished that these friends of ours would be able to move into the former Hull Church. Through a series of events only God could arrange, God made that happen. We are so overjoyed about this answer to the prayers of so many people.

We close on August 7; therefore, we will be in Nebraska from August 5-11 to pack up all our belongings and make the final move. Pray for Laura and me as we each drive a U-Haul back to Utah. Our daughter, Joy, will be driving one of our vehicles.

July 8-12, our whole family was able to serve together at the Village Church’s first-ever Vacation Bible School. VBS is one of our favorite ministries to participate in. We prayed that the Lord would send us twenty-five children. God answered by bringing twenty-six children! We had wonderful participation from the members of the Village Church, and we know of one young person who trusted Christ as their personal Savior. We were able to connect with several unsaved families and we’ve been able to keep making connections since VBS ended. That week of special ministry confirmed to us even more that stepping into pastoral ministry again is what the Lord is leading us to do.

Last year, when we put our home up for sale, a home went on the market just outside of Montpelier that I thought would work great for our family. However, after two weeks on the market it sold. I was disappointed but we knew God would provide us a place out here that would be right for our family. In the middle of May ‘24, that same home appeared on the market again! The owners went through the trial of losing a parent and felt they needed to move to care for the parent who was now alone. We went and looked at the home twice and got excited about the possibility of living there. However, the price was a bit too high after we had lowered the price of our home in Nebraska.

On July 26, we received word from our real estate agent that the owners of the home had decided to lower the price significantly and that they wanted us to know about it first. They lowered the price the exact amount that we lowered our home in Nebraska, thereby making it feasible to make an offer. We made an offer the next day and on Sunday, July 28 our offer was accepted! We close on the new home August 23. Many times, over the past year, I have wondered why it was taking so long for our home to sell and to find a new home in Idaho. Well, God was preparing the right people for our home. He also allowed us to buy a home in Idaho for a lower price than it was listed for a year ago. But during the last year, the owners made several major upgrades to the home. The home has an acre of land for our animals, extra space for my office and includes every detail that we prayed about as a family.

The next major prayer request is that we can find the right building for Hope Bible Church to meet in. We have inquired about five different buildings in Montpelier and we’re trusting God to lead us to just the right place. Keep praying for a building that will be visible, affordable, accessible (good parking), and available (all week and not just on Sunday). Pray that we’ll see Ephesians 3:20 in this church building! We know that God will provide what we need to begin services in the fall. Pray that the Lord will lead us to know the exact date for starting the church.

Our Saturday evening church services at the Village Church, led by the Frontier School of the Bible students and graduates, will conclude on August 10. It’s been a tremendous joy for me to listen to these former students preach and lead worship. Over the next two weeks, most of the students will head back to Frontier or to other ministry opportunities but they will be dearly missed. God answered prayers by using these ten students as a strong witness for Christ through their work ethic and their words. We are grateful that two of them, Amos and Emily Stott, will not be leaving but will remain here to assist with the start of Hope Bible Church. Please pray for them as they continue to adjust to life in Bear Lake Valley.

I finish my job as Maintenance Supervisor on August 31. Thanks for praying for me as I worked in this new role. It has been rewarding and instructive on so many levels. It has also connected me to people who will be part of Hope Bible Church. I praise God for this season that He gave me to learn and grow by taking me way beyond my comfort zone.

Soon, we will be leaving the family of believers at the Village Church in Garden City, UT and making the thirty mile move to Montpelier, ID. We’ve been encouraged and helped by the faithful preaching and teaching ministry of Pastor Charlie Endicott. We know that this church will be ministering side by side with us in this valley for the cause of Christ. We now count them as valuable partners. God knew that we needed this time to become acquainted with other believers in the valley before starting a new church. Pray that the Village Church will shine brightly in the south end of Bear Lake Valley and Hope Bible Church in the north.

Perhaps you’ve been praying about a matter for a long time now and you’re feeling like God isn’t listening. Maybe you’ve sensed a nudging from the Lord to attempt something new for Him and you’re scared. It could be that you’re in a season of waiting and you’re tempted to start pushing doors open on your own. We can sympathize with each of those scenarios. However, it would do all of us well to meditate on and pray through those inspired words in Ephesians 3:20. After reading the truth of that verse, I think we all could agree with Paul’s follow-up to that in the next verse, “to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Thank you for praying for us, encouraging us, and supporting us financially. We are so blessed to have a team of believers standing with us to reach this needy valley for Christ. We are humbled and honored to be an extension of your ministry in this special place.

For the glory of the One Who works exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
The Bagley Family

(We will send our new address in the next Bagley Brief!)