Hi Friends we wanted to give an update on what our family is doing while on our home assignment in the States. We have now been on US soil for a little over 2 months. We were able to spend Thanksgiving through the New Year up in Michigan with Andrea’s family. It was a fun month of getting back into the familiarity of life as we remembered it here in the US. Simple every day things that we haven’t done for a few years now have helped us to feel at home. Things like hot showers, the privacy of a home of our own, no roosters waking us all throughout the night, drinkable tap water, all the variety of food options, and visiting with friends and family in our heart language.
That last one is a big one. We normally work in 2 different Asia Pacific languages at any given time and the brain is required to do lots of processing and trying to keep up and constantly trying to recall the right word to express what you mean. So to be “home” and not have to constantly be doing that just gives a big Ahhhhhhhh, sigh of ease!
With the Holidays, comes the fun of seeing our kids enjoy the aspects of Advent and Christmas celebrations that we don’t often get to do. Of course we celebrate when we’re on the field but there is another layer of different fun while in the States! It was great to get to see most of our relatives and some friends whom we have not seen in 3 or more years!
The month of January we have been enjoying settling in and setting up our house here in Florida. We have so many wonderful friends that have helped us get into our home. We cannot express our gratitude enough. And again we’ve been celebrating the joys of this place where going for walks/exercising doesn’t generate strange looks and amazed stares. In the village to do anything beyond a leisurely stroll to visit someone is a rarity for the locals. So regular running for exercise is unheard of. Another thing is seeing and hearing birds (other than chickens). Birds and animals in general are rare in the village due to them regularly being hunted. It’s funny that when we come to the States, and live in the city, we see more variety of birds and other small animals than we do in the village.
Back in our other “home”, ministry has continued. Our partners were able to do a final print of several projects that our team has been working on over the years. Three big projects that finally got printed are the Gospel of Mark, the book of Genesis, and an evangelism tool called The Lamb. We are praying these resources will be a blessing to the believers, and create opportunities for the spread of the gospel among more Kendawangan people.
We would love to connect with any of you in the Jacksonville area in the next few months. Below is our contact info if you are interested in getting coffee, a meal, or to just hanging out!
Email: Tim_ullum@ntm.org Facebook name: Andrea Ullum
Tim’s cell: 904-514-9537 Andrea’s cell 904-514-8147
So glad to see all of you and we are looking to spend some time catching up!