Hello Family & Friends,
Thank you for your prayers and support these last few months! We have been putting off writing this update for a while now as we don’t know quite what to say regarding our next steps. However, we need prayer and we deeply value and appreciate your role in our lives and ministry.
To stay or to go… The recent meetings with leadership didn’t bring the clarity and direction that we were hoping for, but they did give us some interim steps to pursue while looking to the Lord for making a long-term decision. This past month we have focused on exploring a different and more creative option for ministry on our island. It certainly isn’t an ideal model but could be a possibility in light of the challenges we face. At this point however, even that option looks unlikely to be successful in the near future. This has left our team a bit divided on what God is leading us towards. Some feel we should stick it out for the long-term hope of seeing the Gospel spread here (even on a very small scale) regardless of the challenges. Others feel we have done all we could and that now is the time to move on to another island that already has open opportunities, trusting that God has a different plan to reach this area.
It’s been really tough to think of leaving all of these people and the possibility of God working through us here. At the same time, we are also pulled by the needs and openness in several villages on another island. There is already a core group of believers there, but they are asking for help to reach the rest of their large/spread-out language group. As we struggle with the waiting and the unknowns, we know that God has a perfect plan in His perfect timing.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27:14
Since being back, we have enjoyed the growing connections and opportunities with neighbors and others in our community. The girls are doing well and learning more and more of the language. Our health has been about the same lately except that Moriah is having issues in one of her eyes (maybe it’s scratched?) and also has some type of boils that her body has been fighting for a couple months.
PRAYER:
- For God’s clear direction for each of us on our team.
- For boldness and more opportunities to share the truth and make disciples here.
- Health needs: Allegra’s hair, Tyler’s knee and overall health to improve, Moriah’s eye and sores.
