Thursday, November 29, 2012

MOVING FORWARD!!

> Furlough Plans
> Our tickets are bought! June 14 we land in Chicago ready to take
> in all the time with family, friends and American culture that we can.
> This is new to us, to have our tickets so far in advance, but we feel
> blessed that the Lord has faithfully provided over the last couple
> years so that we were able to save a bit by each month. We will be
> enjoying some much needed family time on our way home (another first
> for us), and the entire family is looking forward to getting to see
> Manila and England along the way.
> Another blessing from the Lord.... Some dear folks from our home
> area have made a house available for us to stay in while we're home.
> Knowing ahead of time where we'll be staying makes us SO VERY thankful
> for this offer, and the absence of stress that comes with figuring out
> where to live is amazing! It may not seem like a big deal, but when
> you're literally half a world away, and only staying in the US for 1
> year (so many places want 2 year leases now it seems) and have a
> limited income...it becomes a big deal! Our family is ensured of our
> "own space". To this third-culture family...that is music to our ears!
>
> Check your Calendars!!
> We have actually already scheduled our first 2 speaking
> engagements for while we're home, and we can't wait to get more!
> After taking a bit of time to acclimate, catch up with family,
> friends, our home church, and get used to driving on the "right" side
> of the road again, we hope to start taking meetings with our
> supporting churches, individuals, new churches, families, Bible
> studies, Sunday School classes, and any other kind of meet you can
> think of, starting in mid-July. Check your calendars, and let's "set
> a date"!
>
> Mibu Christmas???
> We thank you so much for your prayers as we've talked,
> investigated and prayed about moving ahead in Mibu. The Lord has been
> SO good, and we believe there is clear indication that we should move
> ahead in this. We have met with the family that remains there serving
> the Mibu church, Geoff and Shannon Husa, and have been tremendously
> encouraged with our talks and times of fellowship together. While
> there are still a number of things to discuss, both families feel
> confident and comfortable with us moving forward in our plans. We
> will take the opportunities to talk as they come.
> One BIG opportunity we could have is to spend Christmas with them
> in Mibu! We have flights booked for a visit from Dec. 14 to Jan. 7.
> Almost 3 1/2 weeks to reconnect with the church there, talk, plan and
> dream! It's a wonderful opportunity that we believe would benefit
> everyone. However, with it being a helicopter only location yet, the
> price is prohibitive. We are doing all we can to sell our car to make
> those funds available. It has been on the market now for over 4
> months, and despite us dropping the price significantly, we just can't
> seem to find a buyer. Please pray with us that the car would sell in
> the next 2 weeks so that we could make this visit into Mibu with the
> entire family.
>
> Ministry Math...
> ((ICT - Chris) + Larry) = (Chris + Mibu)
> With all this moving forward, it is sometime hard to remain
> focused also on the present. We are rapidly approaching the 4 year
> mark of when we returned to the field in early Jan. 2009. The
> combination of the holiday season, the extended time away from
> precious family and friends, and the fact that we still have another 6
> months to serve here can be overwhelming at times. As we choose to
> fix our eyes on Him, He is faithful to supply the strength we need.
> Another blessing from the Lord, (and a form of strength being met) He
> has provided a replacement for Chris as a Help Desk Technician at
> ICT. Chris has begun the process of training a dear fellow brother
> Larry Folkers to take on the many responsibilities in this ministry.
> It is rare to have enough time to allow for a proper transition in
> ministry, so we are simply amazed at the lengths to which the Lord has
> gone to ensure a smooth transition back into our ministry in Mibu. As
> Larry grows more comfortable with the Helpdesk role, this will free us
> up for more trips into Mibu in the comming months (provided finances
> allow)! Our desire is to finish strong even as we feel our strength
> waning. Please pray for us, maybe especially during this holiday
> season, that we would stay focused, and continue to give our
> ministries here our best...right up to the end!
>
> Thank you, and have a blessed Christmas season!
> Chris, Angie, Jael, Baruch, and Titus Walker
>
> Pictures: Jael 11 1/2; Baruch 8; Titus 4 1/2
>
>
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