We are back! Our month-long road trip through the eastern and southern US is over. We enjoyed so much wonderful hospitality from many of you, and we enjoyed meeting with our supporting churches and individuals – many of them for the first time! We were blessed by the enthusiasm with which our reports were met, and we were encouraged to hear from so many people who are praying for us and the Pal people. We were thankful for the opportunity to share the things that God has been doing in Pal along with the things that He has been doing in us. Obedience to God despite our own feelings has been a major theme as we’ve shared how we’ve face struggles and the temptation to give up. But God offers us rest and strength when we need it, and reminds us in many ways that the temporary things we chase after on this earth are cheap substitutions for the joy that He has for us.
Everyone stayed healthy until the last day of travel (and even then all the puking happened outside the van!), and our van ran smoothly for the whole trip. We got to do some good sightseeing as a family, too – a friend took us to the Philadelphia Phillies’ home opener, we toured around all the monuments and museums in Washington, D.C., saw some buggies in Amish country, and enjoyed some warm weather for a couple of weeks in the more southern states. It was exhausting at times, but our kids made some good memories of their birth country, and we were greatly encouraged by the Body.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our coworkers report that things are going well in Pal. Literacy classes continue, and Axel is able to teach Bible lessons now that he is finished with language study (yay!). Our other coworker, Nate, got to spend the month of March in Pal on a short trip, and we are glad for that time for the Pal church to be encouraged by him. Please continue to pray for the spiritual growth of the believers in Pal. Pray also for our coworkers as one set (the Fachners) transition to furlough in Germany and the other set (the Claasens) transition back to Pal from their furlough in the US. July is the big month for those transitions.
As we wait for the warm weather to follow us to Minnesota, we will be resting a bit and continuing life in St. Boni. We’ll do a bit of homeschooling with the kids, Chris will continue to work on the translation of Ephesians, and we hope to spend a lot of time with family and friends.
