As we get closer to leaving for PNG, at some point there has to be a last time visiting friends, supporters and churches. This may have been it for Michigan.
We always enjoy visiting the church in Jackson that we attended while at New Tribes Bible Institute (NTBI). This time was no exception! In addition to spending time with friends, we also were able to meet another NTM missionary family that has been serving in the same region of PNG where we are headed. How exciting to see a picture of what is ahead for us.
It was also great to spend time at NTBI seeing friends who are on staff there. So many of the missionaries who serve there do so with much lower support than those out “on the field”. While many churches want to support only missionaries who are overseas, the ones who serve back here are vital to the whole process. We value so greatly the investment that our instructors made into our lives. They are training the next generation of missionaries and we are grateful for their service. Anyway, time to get off that soap box and back to the story!
Our next stop was to visit friends from NTBI who now live near Kalamazoo. The highlight for the boys was “helping” prepare the fish that Bart and Travis caught earlier in the day. Very yummy!!
We also had the chance to see one of Bart’s fellow MK’s from Bangladesh as we traveled up north to another church where we were speaking on Sunday.
On Sunday after church we headed home to PA, getting to see a glimpse of Lake Huron on the way. The boys thought it was cool that we got to be in 3 different states within a matter of hours.
Now we’re back in PA – with many more goodbyes ahead of us!