Arrival

David and I arrived safely and uneventfully early Wednesday morning. And, yes, all of our luggage arrived this time- the first time. We spent the rest of Wednesday resting and organizing our apartment and meeting with the Wright family. Thursday, we went to the Foundation and it was so good to walk into that familiar place and see the familiar faces of the people we have grown to love over the last two years.

Later on Thursday, we met with one of the department heads at the university where we will be teaching this spring quarter. David will be teaching three courses – Psychology, Sociology and History of Religion. I will be teaching composition and journalism. This is our third teaching involvement at this new university and our most involved. These young people are eager to learn as they truly understand the way out of poverty is a good education. We will be on campus three days a week.

It is amazing what we feel as we walk around this town and how good it is to be here. Maybe it has to do with the sense that this is the place God has us to be at this time in our own personal journey.

A Family Story of God's Protection

Last night we had a great time with our family. Rick, Kristy, Micah and Lissi, Ray and Lacey joined us for a "see you later" dinner as we prepare to leave.


As usual, the little girls, Lissi, 7 and Lacey, 3 came up with a plan to spend the night together at Ray's. So off they went.  About 20 minutes after they left, as we gathered for prayer. Micah asked us to pray for Lissi as he felt frighted for her and didn't know why. So, of course, that is what we did.


We learned the reason this morning. About 2:00am Ray was awakened by his duplex neighbor and a fire engine.  The wall between them was smoking. Rain had seeped in and shorted out the wiring causing a smoldering fire. Everyone was fine, but I wondered what might have happened if we had not prayed God's protection over our family. The other joy of this is that we saw Micah's sensitivity to God's spirit. At 11 years of age, that is awesome.


We are so thankful that as we leave, we can truly entrust our children and grandchildren to Him.

In the morning...

The night before we leave is always full of last minute things to do.  It is now 8:05. We are almost done with everything.  All the luggage weighs just under the limit. Carry-ons are packed and shortly we will just relax and probably head to bed early.


However, amidst all the last minute activity of the past week or so, we stopped to reflect on God's incredible goodness to us.  About ten days ago, David and I were talking about our resources for the trip. I hope I can say this so it sounds right. We generally fund our own expenses and as we were calcuting our personal resources, we regretfully realized things are tighter this trip. Our needs for the trip are covered for those things to which we have commited ourselves,  but we didn't have alot of extra for the multide of unplanned humanitarian needs that capture our hearts. 


We have seen God provide through His people throughout our years of ministry and now is no exception. SO, let me say, within the last ten days, through the unsolicted gracious gifts of many friends, we are now ready to respond to those whom God places in front of us. We do pray for God's discernment and wisdom in using the funds entrusted to us.


We will do our best to keep the blog updated over the next months.  Thank you for sharing our journey! 

What's Happening Already

When our team leaders, Lynn and Ruby Johnston hit the ground in Kyryzstan this past week, there hasn't been a dull moment.   We don't want our friends to miss one moment of this exciting adventure.  Please visit their blog:  lambinternational.blogspot.com.

We leave on March 15th and have been incredibly busy preparing for our departure.  In our next post, we will share what we anticpate will be our responsibilities there and of course, "it is too soon to know" everything.

Just a Very Brief Word

In sharing the work we do in Krygyzstan, we are often asked, "how can we support what you are doing?"  That is a question that is deeply appreciated. We see so many needs every day.  Realizing that we cannot touch every life, we simply ask God to direct us to the one that He wants us to see. Lynn, Ruby, and the Wrights share a common theme with us - "Stop for the one in front of you as God directs."  It might be a senior citizen, a destitute family, or a college student at the university who only has one pair of socks. Handing out "a cup of cold water" looks different  to us every day.

In light of the cost of doing ministry, it is now possible to support the work through online giving.  On the right of the screen, there is a donation button.  Simply click on that button and follow the prompts.  If you feel led to support us personally, we are listed at the bottom of the list.

We are so thankful for your interest in what God is doing among the beautiful people of Krygyzstan.   We return in a little over two weeks.  We will be posting a little before we go, but to give you a little preview, please visit the blog of our team partners:  lambinternational.blogspot.com

One of David's greatest joys is to love the children. These youngsters live in a village with one water outlet for a village of over one hundred and twenty people. We will be visiting with them again this spring and look forward to seeing how they have grown.

A Powerful Day Surrounded by Powerful People

He hid his face in his grandmother's shoulder....a beautiful little boy.  He just arrived home to his new family just three weeks ago.  This little one is from Haiti.  We met this precious youngster at the Maimi Valley Adoption Fair in Dayton, Ohio, this morning.  This was the start of a very powerful day. I have been surrounded the last fourteen hours by giving, loving, sharing people who are giving themselves to the lives of children all around the world - the truly powerful people.

After seeing old friends and meeting many new adoptive parents at this adoption conference, my daughter, Kristy and I went to Springfield for another powerful moment surrounded by people giving sacrifically. It was the "Kids Helping Kids" Haiti Benefit Concert. The beauty of these moments for me was that my precious family was a part of the "giving today." Here are some pictures that tell the story....

These talented children helped raise nearly $2000 for a girls' orphanage in Haiti. The young girls in Haiti were safe, but their orphanage was totally destroyed.

My granddaughter, Lissi in the middle with new, special friends. She has a beautiful voice like her grandmother - her other grandmother.  :)

                                    My grandson, Micah...a gifted young musican.

My son-in-law, Rick and daughter, Kristy both have a tremendous heart for ministry.  We hope someday they will be able to join us in Krygyzstan or where ever God may lead them in their own adventure.

Lissi and two very special new friends, Korene and Kailyn.

These sisters shared in a dance routine.

Children in our world are learning about the suffering of children around the world and are stepping up to do something about it.  If their hearts are "divinely ruined" at this young age, just think of the potential for ministry in the future.

I thank God for this powerful day, surrounded by powerful people.

We are just four weeks from leaving for our second home in Central Asia.  In the coming days, I will be sharing more about our plans, our hopes and our needs as the journey continues.

It All Works Together for Good

One of the greatest joys of our time overseas is working with our partners. We have shared alot about our dear friends, Lynn and Ruby and also about the Wrights - John, Julie, Emma and Bekah.  We all have different roles and  functions which complement and enhance our mutal love and vision for the people of this Central Asia country.

This week, John offered to write about our newest book project and is usual John - he ties everything together beautifully.  Please visit his blog to find out just how....http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/ .

We leave in just five weeks and in the days ahead, we will be sharing what we will be doing...thank you for sharing our journey.