Hello,

Happy Thanksgiving.

I know this year has been different, and your Thanksgiving Day plans may be too, but I hope this letter finds you well. And I trust that wherever you are, you can find time to praise God this Thanksgiving season.

I preached a message recently in our sending church about why we give thanks. It was a short and simple message, but I want to share with you the bullet points of the message because God really blessed me during the preparation for it. He reminded me that even in 2020, we have so much to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my salvation, and I hope you are too. One day I am going to die or the rapture is going to take place and I am going to spend eternity with God. This excites me! It is why I love to tell people about Jesus. 

Colossians 1:12-13, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"

2. I am thankful for fellowship; both with God and with other believers. We have direct access to God. We do not have to go through anyone else. When we pray, God hears us. 

We have the Holy Spirit in us at the point of salvation. What a blessing. I like what John 14:26 says:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

We can see what God has said to us by reading His Word. So we can read His Word, and have the Holy Spirit teach us. I am thankful that God speaks to us this way.

I am also thankful for the fellowship that we get with the saints. As my family travels all over this country, it is amazing how we can meet people and have wonderful fellowship with them. Most of these people we have never met before. Some we don't even have much in common with. But, we both trust in and know God, so the fellowship is sweet. What a blessing it is to be around others and to get to know them.

3. God is still in control. No matter what happens today or tomorrow, my God is still on the throne and still in control. Nothing that has challenged me this year was a surprise to God. 

In Proverbs 3:5-6 we read, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

I am so thankful for this truth. That even in the midst of the chaos and confusion of this world, we just need to trust God. Because He is still in control.

This Thanksgiving is going to be a challenging time for a lot of people. Some are not able to gather as in years past. I trust though, that we can all look at our lives and see how God is still blessing.

This year we have seen souls saved. We have been in churches that are growing, and on fire for the Lord. Yes, we have also seen some that are struggling. But even in that, God is working in lives.

There is so much to be thankful for this year. And I thank God for that too.

In Christ,

Bryan & Lisa Tanner & Family

Since our last update, COVID-19 has found its way onto the Missionary Acres property. We know of at least one case so far.  The majority of the folks who live on the property are in the high-risk category, and some have other medical problems that can be a concern with COVID-19.

Please join us in praying for these dear saints. We're praying that no others would get the virus, and that any who might have it would recover quickly. 

This is also our prayer for all of you. We know that some of you who read our letters have also been touched by this virus. We pray daily that you and your loved ones would be healed. 

We were in a church this month that has a member in the ICU on a ventilator who is unconscious. As difficult as this situation is for the family, we have been so encouraged by the stories of how his wife has been lining up men from the church to go and read to this man and pray with him. What a testimony this is to everyone around them. And hopefully, even in this, someone else in the hospital might hear the Word of God being read and come to Christ as their Savior. What a blessing that would be.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." ~ Isaiah 5:8-11

• Our current committed support level is 85% 
• Owen's has continued to leave his G-tube alone, so it hasn't needed replacing since our trip to Missouri over the summer
• Lisa's business hasn't yet lost any clients during this pandemic, and continues to provide the income we need so Bryan can focus on contacting churches and preparing sermons. 
• We have been able to stay productive during this downtime.
• Simon's surgery to remove his enlarged tonsils and adenoids was a success and he has recovered.

• Owen has surgery to replace the battery in his VNS (an electronic device that's part of his seizure management). This surgery is on Tuesday, November 24, as long as the Covid test he just took comes back negative.
  
• For a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery - Tanner Baby #10 is due in spring 2021
  
• That our family would grow closer to God and continue to grow spiritually during deputation.
  
• For salvation for our children who are not yet saved.
  
• That the residents and staff currently at Missionary Acres would continue to stay healthy -- Pray that no one else would get COVID-19.
  
• To continue to connect with Pastors and fill our schedule for 2020 and 2021.
• That God would raise our support level to 100%
• For continued safety on the road, we have many miles to drive in the coming months.
• For continued health for our family.
  
• For wisdom for our oldest daughter as she seeks God's direction for her life after high school (she's currently applying to college and is praying about starting in the fall of 2021). 

About once a month we publish a new blog post. This offers a behind the scenes peek at our journey to become missionaries. Here is our latest blog post: 

We are so thankful that you have chosen to sign up for our monthly emails, and trust you are enjoying them. We praise God for each and every one of you.

Please consider joining our financial support team as well. If you would like to make a one-time tax-deductable donation or join our monthly support team, please visit our web site at https://tanners2ma.com/support-bryan-lisa-tanner/ to find out how.

We know that not everyone is in a place to give financially. If that is you, but you still want to help, we ask for your prayers. Please pray for us every time the Lord brings us to your mind. We know that your prayers are equally, if not more important, in our success in this ministry. We praise God for your continued support in prayer.

To learn more about our ministry we have uploaded a video presentation to our website: https://tanners2ma.com/virtual-deputation/. We would be honored if you could share this video with others who may be interested in learning more about our ministry. 

If you would like to know more about how you can volunteer at Missionary Acres, please send us an email or contact Ken Moon at missionaryacres@semo.net.