AUGUST 2026 UPDATE

Dear Friends,

Summer didn't go exactly as planned — and I'm grateful for that.

This year kept us closer to home than expected, which turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened. Without a camp assignment pulling us away, we had something we don't always get enough of: time. Time to be present with our neighbors, to slow down, and to actually be together as a family in a way that the school year rarely allows.

One of our highlights was a road trip down to South Carolina in our Sprinter van. All of us, packed in, making memories the way families do when there's nowhere else to be. It wasn't a big trip — it wasn't supposed to be. Just the Reddings on the road, laughing, seeing new things, finding out what we're made of when we're stuck together in a van for hours (or a couple extra days, while an unexpected van repair needed to be made). It was exactly what we needed.

Summer also brought something else we didn't plan for — sickness. Strep throat made its way through six of us. Then I got shingles. Then a virus decided to follow. There's an honesty to a season like that. You don't get to pretend everything is fine when half your family is on the couch. But there's also something quietly good about it — you show up for each other, you slow way down, and somehow connection happens anyway.

We're heading into fall rested in some ways, a little worn in others, and genuinely ready. Homeschool is starting back up. Young Life is kicking off. And the word I keep coming back to for this year is seek — seeking the Lord's face, seeking the kids and communities that need to know they're loved, and seeking the healthy rhythms that make all of it sustainable.

Grateful for every one of you who prays for our family and believes in this work. We don't take it lightly.

Gratefully,
Michael