Hello from frozen New Hampshire!
Some of you might think that we dropped of the face of the earth here with as much communication as we have been getting out lately.... But no, we have only been caught up in the whirlwind of the American lifestyle! And although we have been busy, we have been very much blessed.
We are now over half way through our furlough year, and are heading down the home stretch towards returning to Ecuador sometime this summer. We are thankful that we have been able to either visit or have scheduled to visit all but one of our supporting churches. We have really enjoyed being able rub shoulders with many of you over the past few months and receive encouragement from you. I hope that we have also been able to encourage you as well as we’ve shared what God is doing among the Awa!
It has been a pleasure for us to take part in so many activities at our home church. This has been a time of refreshing as we learn new things and are reminded of old. Our batteries are truly being recharged as we look toward returning. Teaching a small group on 1st John has been challenging me to dig into the Word. Attending a small group on strengthening our marriage has helped Kathy and I see our relationship from a different perspective and identify areas where we can grow. Just a little promo here for the marriage seminar: we are going through a video series by Paul Tripp called “What did you expect”, and it is very good material! Not only has it helped us with our relationship with each other, but also our relationships with our daughters, friends, and others. I think that between Kathy and I, we are involved in over 6 different weekly Bible study groups either together or individually, and we thank the Lord for so many opportunities to ‘tank up’ spiritually!
We continue to enjoy several winter sports, including ice-skating, sledding, and skiing. Kimberly and I are taking ski lessons this year through a school program, which has been a great experience for the two of us. No broken legs yet! Even though I grew up in ski country, I never learned as a kid.
This coming week I (Kevin) have the opportunity of going to Haiti with a small work team through the Monadnock Bible Conference. Our team will travel to Port-au-prince to aid in the re-construction of a Haitian pastor’s home. Since many people were willing and even longing to help in the wake of the earthquake, I feel privileged to be able to be able to tag along. Please pray that we will be truly helpful as we seek to show God’s love to the Haitian people. I am still scheduled to go again in April with a group from our church.
As far as an update on the ministry in Ecuador, the Shaubs returned in December from their short trip, and have started construction on their mountain home. (They are living in our house this year while they build.) Doug and Dorcas Williams were able to purchase a reliable truck, so that is also an answer to prayer. Pray for both of them as they seek to minister to the Awa in spite of some unrest in the area. Also, both of the Williams’ daughters are experiencing some health troubles as we write. God has been working among the Awa. The Shaubs and Williams report seeing some growth in maturity in the believers as Doug has been teaching on Church leadership. Doug says that he sees a desire in Milton to be involved in shepherding his own people. Please pray with us for a strong church among the Awa who will be able to reach out and impact their whole people group like Paul and his motley band of missionaries impacted all of Asia!
Thanks for your prayers!
Kevin & Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment