This summer was an amazing time for us to reconnect with friends and family. Our time spent with family has been an especially huge blessing as we realize that time to be with them is only more limited as we quickly approach 2011 and NewGuinea.
Oklahoma.
It was great to see Evie’s family- We were able to attend the college graduation of her sister from OU (Congrats to her!), and see the rest of the family as they came to watch Lauren walk the stage as well.
California.
From Oklahoma, our trek to Southern California was a long one. 24 hours of driving later, it was nice to say our goodbyes to some good friends of ours who are now serving overseas in Southern Asia. It was so nice to see our friends and family in the LA area, and visit Cornerstone in SimiValley- a home church for me through HighSchool. We had the privilege of photographing the Hartzel’s wedding in SantaMaria (they are classmates of ours headed to Indonesia) before heading north to Livermore (east of SanFrancisco) to visit with my family and home church, Cornerstone. It was a blessing to be back among the great friends and family we have among that body of believers in Livermore. We were able to share our ministry with the young adult ministry there, where we made several great new friends. It has been a privilege to get more involved with Sunset Community Church- where we were blessed with the opportunity to share our ministry with the youth and adult congregations. Overall, our time in California was a huge blessing and encouragement, and we look forward to returning for the holidays this year!
Indiana.
The long stretch of Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Chicago is long and straight and FLAT- But that rough drive was rewarded with the blessing of more encouragement from the friends and family of our sending church- Christ’s Covenant Church in WinonaLake, Indiana. During our years between Bible School and Missionary Training, this body of believers has loved on us more than we could ever say. Our time among these faithful brothers and sister in Christ is ALWAYS rewarding, and between evenings spend in the company of friends and camping trips with small group members, WinonaLake has become another home to us.
Missouri.
Back at the MTC here in Roach, Misery… Our semester kicked off with a really intense course that we are thankful is over. We learned a lot from our “Culture and Language Acquisition Practicum” – but this part of the training has been some of the most intense stuff we have encountered yet. We have spent our days here in Roach learning how to document foreign language, and catalog culture for reference when translating the bible and lesson plans for tribal people. This term so far has been difficult, but encouraging as it is slowly hitting home- We are actually going to do this tribal church planting thing. Heavy.
I want to say sorry about the HUGE gap between posts thus far… we have been working hard on newsletters lately, and posting some stuff on the projects page! Check it out! We love you all and thanks tons for keeping up with us! We promise to not go 6months again without some sort of update! after all… things will only get crazier when we move 12,000 miles away!