We're Here!

We attended a minister's conference some years ago and the main speaker shared a jewel of wisdom he'd learned over his many years of pastoral ministry: "Wherever you are - be there."

Well, we're here! We arrived in Asia in an uneventful manner - Whew! (When traveling, uneventful could be associated with boring, but I'll take it since the opposite of boring can terrifying.) We were met at the airport by our partners, Kris and Sarah. They have been a blessing and continue to be a blessing to us.

There are, of course, many new things to experience. The people of our new country share two different cultures and languages. Everything is interpreted unless one knows two languages. That's not us. We're going to begin working on language training in a week. We're still processing what language to learn since both have advantages. We might decide to each do one and hope to cover both bases.

We've enjoyed the food so far. We know that there may, will be surprises coming, but to this point it has been good. We've been shopping and found a store that does have many of the basics of home, if not the brands we're used to. (I noticed today that Suzanne had found Heinz Kechup.) We have found a couple brands from the States that we had never heard of, though our partners were familiar with them from the East Coast. It's been helpful having a "taste of home" now and again.

The situation at our place of service is delicate. There are some legal issues that we're working through and there are signs that restrictions on our line of work may increase. Hence, you'll notice a little more circumspection than in the past. If you think about some of this you'll figure it out - or just pray for us and the situation in our organization.

We appreciate those who keep up with what we're doing and support us in prayer and finances. We couldn't do this without you. Feel free to leave comments if you'd like. It would be good to see if anyone reads these.

We're looking ahead to the future. There are many ways in which God is working in this country. I attended an early prayer meeting totally run by some of the young people here. It went for about an hour and a half with prayer and scripture. It was really encouraging to see their hearts for God and the dedication they have to seeking his face. I don't know about everyday, but I'll join them again.