January 2026 Newsletter

Maltbie Missions January 2026 Newsletter

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! Our holiday season this year was filled with sweet family time and much-needed rest, and we are grateful for the opportunity to slow down and enjoy being together.

In November, a team from the IT Department had the opportunity to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child (OCC). Eighteen of us served on the first night of box sorting at the Charlotte, NC processing center—the largest of the eight centers, processing about a quarter of the shoebox gifts (nearly four million!). This was my first time volunteering with OCC, and it was such a joyful and meaningful experience. I hope to serve again next year.

We also celebrated Anastasia’s fourth birthday! She celebrated by getting Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins (her favorite treat), picking out a new bike, a movie theater outing with a friend, and a Chick-fil-A dinner. She also enjoyed celebrating with her classmates at school with princess cupcakes, which brought her so much joy.

With the start of the new year comes a busy training season at JAARS. We will be welcoming missionaries for a four-week Intercultural Communications Course (ICC), a four-month Pre-Field Orientation (PFO), and a new group of aviation pilots and mechanics beginning the two-year apprentice program. During ICC and PFO, I will be volunteering at the JAARS Missionary Kids (MK) Station, our on-campus childcare center. These training seasons bring an influx of children and extended hours, and the Lord placed it on my heart to serve the JAARS community in this way. I was also asked to help in the apprentice discipleship program for the incoming apprentices. 

Thank you so much for praying for us and partnering with us over this past year. While we did not meet the financial goals we were praying for, the Lord has continued to provide faithfully. In November, we reached 17% of our $5,000 monthly need, and in December, we reached 20%. As of January 1, 2026, we have raised 38% of our $30,000 goal. We ask that you continue praying for God to bring additional financial partners alongside us.

In the meantime, the Lord has provided additional income through the Army Reserves. After previously being flagged, Brenton spent two weeks focusing on his fitness, and the Lord answered our prayers—he passed his Army PT test. Shortly after, Brenton was offered Active Duty orders for three months during the first half of the year. While this is clearly a means of provision, it does require Brenton to step away temporarily from his full-time role as Director of IT with JAARS, as the position is based in Virginia. 

Several significant developments are also taking place within IT at JAARS. We are beginning an extensive project to overhaul communication between SIL and JAARS financial reporting systems, which will strengthen our partnerships in Papua New Guinea and Cameroon and ease the workload on our finance teams. We are also finalizing the transition to a new donation system by the end of this month. Our hope is that this will make it easier for partners and supported staff to access relevant information while reducing transaction costs so that more resources go directly to the mission.

Please also pray for staffing needs within the IT department. We are seeking replacements for both our Infrastructure Manager and AVL Lead, who recently retired. We are grateful for the faithful, long-term service of Kathy Smith and Allan Courtright, and we pray that God brings others who are willing to commit to the mission in the same way.

Progress with MBP continues, though at a slower pace, as fundraising remains the primary focus. I am working to increase visibility for the product by building relationships and sharing it with potential partners. I’ve begun connecting with the FaithTech group here in Charlotte and participating in a Missions Senior IT Leaders Slack group to engage with other ministries and churches. Please pray that God opens doors to strong partner ministries and guides these new relationships as they grow.

Thank you again for your prayers, encouragement, and faithful support. We are deeply grateful to walk this journey with you and look forward to all that the Lord will continue to do.

With grateful hearts, 

Brenton, Nicolle, Anastasia, & Theodore