December 2025 - Christmas McCarty Ministry Minute

Dustin L. McCarty
2 days ago
9 min read

Updated: 11 hours ago

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! Thank you for reading our annual Christmas letter (written by Tracy) followed by a brief Ministry Update at the end. I hope you enjoy catching up on all the happenings and changes in the McCarty family... thank you for being a part of our lives! We love you and are grateful for you! -- Dustin

Merry Christmas Family and Friends!

We pray that each of you are entering into the Christmas season full of joy, reflecting on past traditions, eagerly building new ones, and being peacefully reminded that the Lord is in our midst. At this stage of our lives we are no longer surprised that each year is full of its own joys and trials. As we reflect on 2025 we have clung to many truths, including this one: "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8).

As in most good stories, it seems best to begin at the beginning. In early January, we began walking a journey that would unravel through the course of the next several months. Dustin’s sweet mom, Vival, went through a series of tests, often attending seven or more appointments a week for several months, which thankfully resulted in her regaining strength and balance, generally helping her feel and sleep better, and so much more. While receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia were not what any of us have hoped for, we trust that the Lord has gone before us, and He continues to supply what we each need daily for this current season of life. We are grateful for the health that has been restored to her and that she is once again living with us and sharing life with us. Overall, she is doing very well!

WINTER & SPRING

WINTER and SPRING held a whirlwind of other activity as well, from Tracy instructing the Born 2 Be students through another year at Chisholm Challenge (the annual show in Fort Worth for equestrians with disabilities) in early January, to Trinity graduating with her Masters degree as a Dietician from Abilene Christian University in May. Remington became an Assistant Coach for the first time for Summit Volleyball, traveling to tournaments throughout Texas and Louisiana, and finished up her time at Dallas College Brookhaven, after changing her degree to Kinesiology in the spring semester. Dustin and I (Tracy) had our annual getaway with our dear friends Ross and Christy Bryant, and we both oversaw several fundraising events for Strategic Impact and Born 2 Be. Sierra and I attended the annual There{4} Gathering for Christian high school girls, and Sierra participated in her first 4-H Shooting Sports competition and enjoyed working with Dakota’s young dog, Nola, in the “Dog Project” training sessions. Joyfully, Dustin returned to Africa for the first time in over a year and a half after overcoming the effects and treatment of several incidences of cardiac Atrial Fibrillation.

SUMMER

The SUMMER seemed to bring some calm after the storm as we settled into new routines! In June we had the delight of returning to Arkansas for vacation. We explored caves, kayaked, swam, identified birds, hiked to a coffee shop that sits in the middle of a park, attended an Arkansas Naturals minor league baseball game, enjoyed the Daisy Air Gun Museum, slid down an old water slide near Roaring River, visited Eureka Springs, and more! We also rested, played games, and made delicious meals together as a family. The highlight may have very well been removing several huge, downed trees that blocked the driveway at our dear friend’s beautiful home after the prior year’s tornado and storms. In about 5 hours of chainsawing, and using a truck, tow strap & “creative” pulley system, the McCarty/Chidester/Leslie crew had cleared the rubble and restored the use of the circular drive to David and Jennifer Brown’s cabin in the woods. We even videoed the victory lap once it was completed!

In July, Dustin had an amazing trip with Strategic Impact throughout Africa and in Dubai. He has sent MMM updates for that trip. Unfortunately, as many of you know, on his way home his heart decided to misbehave again. Immediately after arriving home, we returned to Oklahoma for another ablation procedure. This one did not go as smoothly as the previous ones and resulted in a 5-day hospital stay due to complications with low blood pressure and kidneys… This is when we began to hold more closely to the truths of Deuteronomy 31:8 and others like it, pressing in closely to the Lord! We have spent the past months trusting that He knows all things, holds in His hands all the intricate systems of our bodies, and will walk with us in, whatever the future might hold.

FALL

In early FALL, within the span of about two weeks, we heard two cardiologists and a nephrologist suggest we strongly explore if Dustin is a candidate for a heart transplant. We also received the news that in early September his defibrillator had fired and subsequently saved his life. Those conversations set off a series of appointments that are continuing now - and likely to carry on through 2026. The process is lengthy and detailed, and comes with a mix of tests, emotions, and difficult decisions to make along the way. Thankfully, Dustin feels a bit better now compared with early September, but he rarely has a time when he feels “good.” I think many days we still walk in a bit of a fog, with the events seeming surreal, and yet we are moving forward, trusting the Lord to guide us each step of the journey. I also must add that we are eternally grateful for Christian Healthcare Ministries, which has gone above and beyond to care for Dustin’s medical needs, including calling to pray with him before procedures.

LIFE GOES ON...

However, life does not pause when health needs arise, but charges on at its own pace. This fall, Sierra began her senior year of high school. She and I have visited eight colleges across Oklahoma and Texas, completed college applications, scholarship applications, etc. We had a great time exploring various campuses and were thrilled Dustin could join us in Lubbock and Canyon, TX. Sierra has also taken on numerous dual credit courses and performed in DCA’s One Act Drama performance of “These Shining Lives.” Remington is thriving as she continues her Kinesiology/pre-PT bachelor’s degree at Texas Woman’s University. Watching her find delight in learning about the Lord’s amazing creation of the human body has been a joy for us to behold. She is also now Head Coach of her own 11U team for Summit this year and Assistant Coach for a 13U team. Trinity has passed her Licensed Dietician Exam and has been hired as a Registered Dietician with Medical City Lewisville! We are super proud of her hard work and are praying that her PRN position can move her toward a full time position soon. Vival’s schedule has slowed down and she's been enjoying time with family, particularly her very active great grandsons.

Speaking of our grandsons, Gideon and Reuben fill our home with noise, laughter, rough housing, monster trucks, and Hot Wheels whenever they visit. Those two boys are growing too fast. Gideon at 5 years old is quite the talker, and is learning so much as Dakota works with him at home recognizing letters, numbers, and phonics. At two and a half years old, Reuben is certainly ALL boy. He has no fear and can be found climbing all sorts of objects, jumping on or off furniture, tackling his brother, or making it clear that he can hold his own. This little man is also sweet, thankfully lets us cuddle him still some times, and says the funniest things as his vocabulary expands daily. We are so grateful that Dakota and Cody are diligently bringing up the boys to know the Lord, and daily set the example of how to love Him and others. To round out the summary of our family’s year, Dakota has returned to PRN Physical Therapy work on Saturdays at a rehab center in Denton, and Cody continues to faithfully work for Moore Supply at their DEK warehouse.

Undoubtably, we have walked through various trials this year within our family, within Strategic Impact, within Born 2 Be, and within the church. I’d be lying if I said we have handled everything well. We have cried. There have been prolonged times of stress, anxiety, grief, brokenness, fear, and depression — and yet the Lord has met us at every point of need and drawn us closer to His heart. It is fitting that our pastor taught through James last year… “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” certainly is a challenge and we are certainly not perfect, but through the testing of the past year we have sought to still find joy in all circumstances, to grow in Christ-likeness, and to love others well along the way.

As the journey of this past year draws to a close and we enter into this Christmas season, we find peace, comfort, and joy through the Scriptures: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). The future holds many unknowns, yet we will strive to rest in His saving grace and trust that whatever comes our way is for our good (Romans 8:28), knowing the Lord goes before us and will never forsake us. May these truths bring you hope and peace as well in the year ahead as the stories of our lives continue to unfold, encouraging you to truly live through Him.

With much love,

Dustin, Tracy, Trinity, Remi, Sierra and Maw (Vival) McCarty

A PERSONAL NOTE & FRUIT of the MINISTRY

What a year it has been! Tracy will catch you up on all the happenings of the McCarty family in our annual Christmas letter. I hope it is an encouragement to your soul to persevere in all circumstances and “press in” to God in faith no matter what is going on in life. He is trustworthy and good.

My plans of resuming international travel after recovering from Atrial Fibrillation have now been curtailed again with this latest set of heart events — both the Atrial Flutter and the engagement of my Defibrillator to reset my heart which saved my life. If you know me well, you can imagine how frustrating and confusing I am finding this situation. However, it is a comfort to know that I am not alone in my confusion… neither in the present nor historically. Throughout the Scriptures, when one of God’s people is in crisis and cries out to Him for help, they almost never get an answer from the Lord which provides “the WHY.” But God often answers with “the WHO.” The WHO of His character & nature, His power, His presence, His sovereignty, His knowledge of the situation, and — most importantly — His steadfast love.

In all honesty, this often does not “feel” like it is a sufficient answer to me. However, the WHO is actually a much better and sufficient answer than the WHY. WHY will only be applicable to this specific situation… WHO covers ALL situations. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised His steadfast love to a thousand generations. As Tracy shared, in Deuteronomy 31:8, Moses reminds Joshua and God’s people that, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” We move forward.

My inability to be physically present with our Strategic Impact teams in various nations across Africa is NOT what I would prefer, but it is the reality of the current situation… and God is sovereign. It does not change the calling to embody the Great Commandment and to fulfill the Great Commission! We move forward.

In the past 2 months, God provided enough funding to bulk-print (saving a LOT of cost per training manual) 20,150 Strategic Impact training manuals in 5 languages… and 20,200 evangelism and discipleship tools. We also were able to gather senior leaders from 9 different nations for in-person Fan-the-Flame Summits, led by our Regional Directors. These Summits provide a focused time of planning, prayer, encouragement, and equipping for the coming year of field ministry work. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS PROVISION! We move forward.

Strategic Impact Africa is well-positioned and prepared for a great and fruitful 2026! The only thing we lack is funding to execute the plans. Due to my impaired state for much of the year, fundraising events and development did not receive the energy and attention needed to do both the preparation and the provision for execution. We could really use your financial partnership to help our Field Ministry to be well-supplied for the coming year. Everything is ready… the “bags are packed,” the “car is loaded,” the “fluids are checked,” the “snacks are procured,” and the “GPS is programmed.” All we need is “gas in the tank.”

If you sense the Lord calling you to partner with us at this time and would like to make an end-of-year contribution, click HERE for a link to Africa Field Ministry.

I’m so very thankful for your ongoing prayers for my health and support of our shared work! I have included the most up-to-date Fruit of the Ministry Report which captures 2025 numerically. It is truly amazing what the Lord has done through Strategic Impact over the years!

May God continue to bless you, and others through you!

Dustin & the Strategic Impact Africa Family