Dear Family and Friends,
It’s about time that we’ve sat down and shared some of the highlights of what we’ve been up to over the past few months.
First of all, thank you for taking the time to follow our lives and pray for us, the Moi, and others we have the privilege of serving. Words fail to express how thankful we are for your faithful partnership with us over all these years. This past May marked 13 years on the field, this Summer nine years living and serving among the Moi tribe and six years serving our international laborers in a leadership capacity
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Here are some of the current and future events we would like to fill you in on.
Short Family Update
Speaking of dates…July 26, 2014 will mark 17 years of marriage for us. What’s even more special than that is the fact that our love for each other has only grown; not diminished. May He, by His grace alone, continue to get the glory through our family.
After helping teach our girls all last school year, Lydia is back in Oklahoma with her folks. It was a joy to have her as part of our family. She is already missed by not only us, but the Moi as well.
Atalee (left) and Alyssa (right) will be going to the Christian international school in a city 300 miles to our east. They will be starting into 9th and 8th grade respectively and living in a dorm together. This will be a big change after living at home and doing homeschooling all the way up until now.
Ashlynn is going to really miss her sisters while they are in school. She got a new friend for this years 11th birthday, a little pup named Charlie, to help keep her company.
Latest happenings with the Moi
During the past few months we’ve started a marriage and family discipleship class for couples. There are 10 couples excited to grow in what it means to love one another as Christ loves The Church. It’s been great to see their enthusiasm to apply the practical truths of God’s word to their marriages. Not only are the newlyweds eager to grow, but the older couples as well.
Awayo and the other men in the couples discipleship class went home with an assignment to think and pray about one way they might show love to their wives and come back the next week to share what God put on their hearts.
Awayo went to the garden and prayed about what he could do. The Lord answered his prayer with the idea to build his next house in a way that no Moi man has ever done.
Click here to take 2 1/2 minutes to watch Awayo and his wife Simi share about it.http://youtu.be/iRn-V41N48E
Upcoming Two-Month Evangelism
Akaoma (Ah-ha-oo-ma), shown here with his son, stayed here in our small hamlet for several days while his daughter was being treated for meningitis. He is known as one of the ones with a dimi mbiteo (hard heart). Through the testimony and love of the Moi believers the Lord has softened his heart over the last couple of years. He now wants to hear The Creator’s Talk.
After a number of night meetings the Moi church has decided to hold another “outreach” so folks like Akaoma and others who have yet to hear for the first time can have an opportunity to hear the story from Creation to Christ.
Expecting a larger turnout the Moi church has opted to host the outreach here where they can more readily feed and house many visitors. Preparations are being made for the upcoming teaching starting August 4th. About 16 men will be directly involved in the Bible teaching, with the more experienced teachers pairing with the less experienced. This will be a first for some of the older men, like Awayo.
After the two-months of teaching they intend on traveling to the different hamlets for continued follow-up and discipleship, as they have already been doing.
Our Growing Team
This past June a number of us from our foundation here in Asia-Pacific got together for a time of encouragement and fellowship. Over the past five years our overall ministry team has doubled in size and we now work among nine people groups, including the Moi. We continue to pray for laborers as the need for planters and waterers is truly staggering.
Please pray for these needs:
Pray for Atalee and Alyssa as they make some major adjustments to being away from home and being in a school setting for the very first time in their lives. They are excited yet anxious at the same time.
Pray for us too as the thought of not seeing our girls for a couple months at a time has already been hard. We believe this will be the best thing for them, but it’s hard nonetheless.
Pray for the couples and families among the Moi church; that they might grow in their sense of ownership to the responsibilities of raising a family in the fear and knowledge of The Creator.
Pray for the upcoming two-month evangelism starting August 4th. Not only is it a chance for people to hear the Good News, but it’s also a chance for the Moi church to grow as they engage in “the work of the ministry”. (Eph. 4)
Pray for the different international ministry teams we help serve as we together with them desire to trust God for more.
In His Love,
Rich and Karen
Atalee, Alyssa, and Ashlynn
