Matt & Jenni Cox

Matt and Jenni Cox came on staff in 1992. Matt has served as Farmer, Program Director, Director of Equine Ministries and now as the Executive Director. Matt teaches multiple classes for the School of Discipleship. Jenni serves as his secretary and has homeschooled all of their five children, three of which are out of the house now. Their two eldest are married and they have five grandchildren. Jenni also assists with the “Marriage Dynamics” class. Both Matt and Jenni are School of Discipleship alumni.

The Cox Chronicles

Fall 2024

Waiting….

Sometimes it seems to be the theme in life. And I’m so bad at it. Anyone who knows me well knows that sitting still for long periods of time is challenging for me. My chronic rib issue only compounds the restlessness in my mind. Yet, over this past year in particular, I’ve found myself in multiple waiting rooms. Many for Matt, but for other family members as well. During the most recent one, I started to despair that this is what my future may look like. In reality, we are always waiting; waiting in line, waiting for a call, waiting for answered prayers. It struck me in that moment just how much life is full of waiting. You may not find yourself in medical waiting rooms, but we have all found ourselves waiting on the Lord. We are waiting for answers, waiting for comfort, waiting for rest, or waiting for release. We deceive ourselves that the culmination of our desires will bring us relief. Have you ever waited for someone to get through surgery only to realize that the healing process is so much longer than the procedure? Here are just a few verses of how God encourages us to wait.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Lamentations 3:25 “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

Psalm 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Psalm 62:5 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

There are so many scriptures about waiting, yet why is it so hard? For myself, it is often because I am not content with where the Lord has me. I want to be somewhere else. I want to keep moving. I want the process to be over and the product to be had, whether that be healing for a loved one, or a plate of food at a restaurant. Yet the act of waiting itself reminds us of our total dependence on God. It confronts us with the reality that there is so very little that we can control in our lives! My prayer is that the Lord will continue to teach me to rest in the waiting process, but also teach me contentment and rest in these seasons as well.

Updates: We had a full and challenging summer season as Matt’s second hip replacement surgery took place at the end of the first week of camp. Both Emily and Jonathan were working full time in camp, leaving Matt home alone much of the time other than me flying through to deliver meals, adjust compression socks and leg pumps, refresh ice packs and the like. I had a tremendous team of volunteer nurses down at camp allowing me to be available to Matt as needed. He was able to have meetings in our living room and listen to the sounds of trail rides going past the house throughout the day. Taking this step away from the energy of camp and speaking was a very challenging time, but one that the Lord used to draw him closer. Matt’s recovery from his surgeries continues to progress. We still have some follow-up appointments in the future, but he is excited to be sleeping better at night, able to cross a room without excruciating pain, and also sat on a horse and the steer for the first time in what feels like forever. It continues to be an exercise in patience as he’s had some back pain to complicate the recovery, but everyday is an improvement on what was. We were even able to go on a short hike for our 31st anniversary and due to the unseasonably warm fall, even got to kayak on Oct 31st!

Dad update
At the end of September, my dad, Steve, took a fall due to low oxygen levels from Covid. They did a CAT scan to check for broken bones (which none were found) but it revealed a large mass in his left abdomen. He has been back and forth from the hospital to nursing homes trying to rebuild his strength in order to eventually address the cancerous mass. They believe it to be a liposarcoma. Due to insurance limitations we anticipate him coming home soon, whether he is ready or not. We continue to pray for his healing and regaining of strength so he can have the surgery to remove the mass.

Mission Opportunity!
We (Matt, myself, and Jonathan) are hoping to go to the Dominican Republic with Meeting God in Missions this January. I have had the wonderful opportunity to go the past 2 years with my kids, but due to Matt’s issues with his hips, he was unable to go with us. The mission has reached out looking for more volunteers this week and Matt will also be speaking (via interpreter) while we are there. We are hoping to raise the funds to allow all three of us (and potentially Emily) to go together. We will be helping with construction, children’s ministries, medical, and any other needs that arise. Every week is different. If you would like to help sponsor us, that would be a huge blessing. We each need to raise $1590 for a grand total of $4770. We have already raised $2700 of that but we believe if the Lord wants us to be there, He will provide for the rest. You can give through https://mgm.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/jennicox1

Retreat season flew by with full events. Matt has been able to do a few Message from the Mount sessions and instructing the students in some of their classes. Jenni spoke for one of the ladies’ retreats and we recently returned from speaking for an event downstate put on by Unbound, a leadership program for college age students. There were about 90 students in attendance and it was a sweet time of us both getting to share and interact with them.

Jonathan got his first deer as well as his driver’s permit all in the same week. It’s hard to believe my baby boy now towers over me!

Emily has been such a blessing through this season of caregiving. It has been wonderful to have them home after the summer season and this mom is having mixed feelings about losing her to an outside job.

Prayers and Praises:

• Please pray for Matt’s continued healing. Despite being able to sit in a saddle, there is still nerve pain. Pray for wisdom with follow-up appointments.
• Our Fort Wilderness is seeing the construction of its 2nd turret due to the wonderful weather we’ve been having. We are excited to have this underway this fall!
• Pray that we are able to raise the needed funds for the mission trip.
• Pray for my Dad’s transition home and gaining strength for his surgery.
• Praise that we anticipate all the kids being home for Thanksgiving! Pray for safe travels and work schedules to cooperate.
• Praise for opportunities of ministry both on and off the mountain.
• Prayer for our monthly support level as it’s been hard to make ends meet. Praise for a few odd temporary jobs that helped for a little while.

We thank you all for your part in praying for and supporting us. You have blessed us with the ability to serve here for over 30 years. We look forward to seeing what the Lord will do with the days and years to come.

In His Service,
Matt and Jenni Cox and family