I’ve had a few people ask how our trip to Florida went ( or maybe you don’t even know we went) so I thought I’d write up a little report of our time there.
We arrived in at our headquarters last Monday night about an hour late. There were a few delays, but overall it was a good flight and it was nice to arrive in a warmer climate. We stayed in an apartment just across from the main building at the New Tribes Mission Headquarters. The Main building is really gorgeous with this huge wooden staircase and wood floors etc. It is a renovated historical building and has a lot of character.
We were met by John and Linda McGhee who are in charge of the Mission Medical Plan. The Med Plan Office will be the office that Tim will be working in when we move down to Florida. They are a really nice couple and were very excited to have us down there.
Tuesday we spent the day going over things in the office with John and Linda. Overall things look pretty basic. The one thing that was stressed by John and Linda, as well as others we met during our time there, was that the main ministry in the med plan office was that we are able to answer questions and talk with missionaries when they call. They explained that many of the missionaries are confused by their claim statements. Some of them are frustrated with trying to settle their claims and often are dealing with difficult medical conditions at the same time. Our job then is to help them settle their claims and to help them understand their statements while offering encouragement to them as well. This is in addition to administering the medical insurance, life insurance and emergency evacuation plans.
Wednesday we went out house hunting. That was interesting to say the least. Houses in Florida are very expensive and houses that are $200,000 or less (regardless of size) are considered ‘fixer-uppers”. We were floored at the condition of the houses we saw and it was very discouraging. We also visited the mission run elementary school where Adam and Nicole will be attending.
Our last day of our visit, we met with the committee. We talked with them about the housing situation and how our current support level wouldn’t be able to handle a mortgage payment. They did come up with a couple apartments there at the mission. They are both 3 bedroom (one with 2 bathrooms and one with 1 bathroom). They both need some renovation, but they hope to have them ready by this summer. We put our name down for the one with 2 bathrooms!! What a luxury to have 2 bathrooms!! It will be a tight fit with only 3 bedrooms, but we’re trusting the Lord for the grace to handle the small living space. The price is right as the rent plus utilities is only a little more than we are paying now. This means that with housing available ( Lord willing), that we will be moving to Florida in mid-July or early August.
Once John and Linda heard that we had housing available and are planning on coming, Linda began crying. She said, “You guys don’t realize how long we have prayed for someone to help us. You are an answer to prayer!”
So that’s it in a nutshell. We struggled the last few months, making a decision on what the Lord had for our future. Seeing all the adjustments we will need to make, I know that our struggle isn’t over, but we have seen that the need is there and that the Lord can use us to further His desire to reach the world with the gospel.
Thanks for all your prayers. Keep praying..
Love, Tim and Teresa
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