Made it back to Ecuador!

Hey, this is just a short entry to say that we made it back to Ecuador! We arrived at the apartment in Ibarra at 3AM today and crashed for a while. We hit the ground running tho as I've already been out with Andy to buy supplies for our welcome party and we are off for the jungle tomorrow for the weekend. Many thanks to all of you who made our year in the US such a blessing to us! Thanks also to you who were praying over the last few days of our travels. We had an uneventful trip, and all our luggage made it safe and sound.

In His grip
Kevin & Kathy

Having fun in Oklahoma ;-)

Bruce Brief - June 2010

The suitcases are packed…even Kimberly’s compound bow and arrows, which turned out to be too long for our regular suitcases. We have mastered the delicate technique of getting each suitcase to as close to the 50 lb. limit as humanly possible! J (For some reason our two teenage daughters wanted to bring down w-w-a-a-a-y-y more than they did when they were younger…like clothes and heavy books and jewelry-making supplies….so packing this time was not such an easy task!) J Kenny is getting settled in here in New Hampshire, with an official job (flagging vehicles for road construction) and a ticket to fly back to Wisconsin in August for his second year at NTBI. What fun it’s been to have this month together with him and Kevin’s family! Keilah flew down to Missouri the end of May and is happily settled into her routine there at camp. She did hurt her knee while playing Capture the Flag, so we pray that heals quickly. We plan to head out driving from New England soon after Father’s Day, spend a few days with Kathy’s family in Oklahoma, and then pick up Keilah and her cousin Laura at camp the 3rd of July. Our flight is out of St. Louis July 8th. We are looking forward to jumping back into the ministry in Ecuador! This summer the Luz family, our field directors, will be in Germany for meetings for several weeks, and the Erndwein family will be flying to Germany as well for their year of home assignment. That leaves just seven Liebenzell families on the field. Two of those families, the Galarzas and Millans, have been dealing with health issues. We are so thankful to hear that Mercedes Galarza is recovering from a serious illness (she was hospitalized and almost died due to a mis-diagnosis) and that LuzMarina Millan’s results from a biopsy were negative. The Millan family is carrying a heavy burden as they man the Awa Center alone. The Awa people are excitedly awaiting our return---we hear they are planning a welcome party, complete with a couple of pigs to butcher! (They also sent us a list of gifts we should bring them….we’d appreciate your prayers as we find the right God-honoring way to respond to their requests.) We pray that the Lord will graciously help us with patience and wisdom as we settle back into our responsibilities. While it’s easy to jump back into many things, we sure want to be discerning and keep His priorities on the top of our list! In the months following our arrival, we will be shopping for a vehicle (challenging!) and looking into the possibilities of getting resident visas for our family (doubly challenging!) This will certainly entail quite a few trips to Quito. We will likely need to hire a lawyer for the visa paperwork. Again, we appreciate your prayers for patience as we tackle these tasks. May we rest in His perfect timing! Depending on His grace, Kevin & Kathy & kids

Maine June 2010

A recent work trip to Camp Ruffinit

Hike up Mt Monadnock

Family back together again! :-)

Winding down our time in New England

It's time to bring our year of home assignment to a close! We are ready to get back to Ecuador but can't say that packing and living out our suitcases is our favorite thing. Neither is saying so many goodbyes! But we are thankful for a good year and feel like God accomplished His will for us during these months we have been in the USA.

Kenny....Kenny just finished his first year at NTBI in Wisconsin. He loved his studies and the fellowship with the other MK's and students. God provided him with a good job at a small hotel just a few blocks from the school in order to pay his school bills--a job he should be able to return to in the fall. He plans to spend the summer living with his grandparents in New Hampshire and looks forward to his second (and last) year at NTBI beginning in August. From our perspective as parents, we feel like Kenny has made the transition well, and we feel confident that he can handle life here in the USA as he studies over the next few years. We've seen him grow spiritually and learn to take responsibility for himself. We thank the Lord for His grace in Kenny's life, through so many changes!

Keilah and Kimberly....Adjusting to the USA took some effort for our girls, but we've seen them come to relax and enjoy their American heritage. They are both looking forward to returning to Ecuador this summer, but realize that leaving their friends, family, and some aspects of life here will also be harder than they had imagined a year ago! This gives them something to look forward to coming back to on our next visit! Keilah is spreading her wings a little by heading off to Whispering Winds Bible Camp May 28th, along with her cousin Laura Shaub, to work for four weeks and then attend a Teen Extreme week as campers. Kimberly is saving her money to buy a compound bow to take back to Ecuador with us....she hopes to take up archery along with her new interests in piano and guitar. Our home in the mountains there ought to be a great place for perfecting her varied talents! Visitors, beware! :-)

Renewed vision for the ministry....We are thankful for the way the Lord has renewed our hearts to prepare us for going back. Many blessings have contributed to His work of renewal in our hearts: books we've read, encouragement and growth through Bible teaching, times of prayer and fellowship with friends, and even through special times with our families. We had many busy days, but it came with the confidence that we were involved in exactly what God had for us. We are full of thanks to our God for His mercy and grace that are new each and every day.

The end of June we will be heading down to the Midwest in order to fly out of St. Louis the first week in July. We'd appreciate your prayers as we make the transition back into the different roles in ministry.

In Christ,

Kevin & Kathy