Thanksgiving

Well, another "last" has come and gone.  It kind of felt that way even though it was not a true last but with the passing of this Thanksgiving we did realize we would not be with family next Thanksgiving.  It did have some emotion associated with it but I want to give credit to Kristin's family and say that rather than dwelling on this fact or complaining about it they were encouraging, peaceful and understanding.  I am thankful that they have realized the necessity of this mission.  I give thanks to the Lord for the Ford family and their continued love and prayers.

I did spend some time in reflection about the Thanksgiving to come.  We will find ourselves in the capital of Rwanda.  We will find ourselves with new family and I think we are both excited about the new relationships we will continue to build and nurture.  I am excited that we will be with the Koonce and Crowson families.  We look forward to sharing our hearts with them and we look forward to growing under God's guidance and nurturing.

Our planning has continued to vamp up a little as we winter arrives.  It has forced us to begin sorting out clothing for our children.  We have began the difficult task of planning for our children's clothing needs for the next 2 years.  They will no longer need winter clothes or hot summer clothing.  They will need two years of spring and fall clothing.  The weather in Rwanda is around 75-80 degrees all the time.  We realized that we are sorting their winter clothes for the last time and have already packed most of the summer clothing to give away.  

Each of these "lasts" continues to bring us closer to the reality of God's plan.  We are excited to begin this segment of our journey but we are also stressed by it.  Kristin and I have different ideas of what must be done first and what is the most important and as all married couples do, we take that out on each other.   Fortunately we have the love that God has granted us and we have a unified heart about this mission and God renews us with peace each day.  We have continued to pray together about this trip and we again ask that each of you remember to lift up our family and the work that we are undertaking.

Prayer needs this month:

Two families in our team are moving to Rwanda in the next 2 weeks.  The Koonce family and the Crowson family have said their goodbyes in Togo and are leaving this week.  Please pray for them.

We pray for safe travel for our family during the holidays and I pray that my family in Missouri will be as supportive as Kristin's was.  This will be our last Christmas for 2 years.

We are praying for our fund raising.  I have been blessed by two great workers in this area.  My partner at work, Sylvia, has undertaken the task of being our liaison to the other doctors in the clinic and has begun raising money in this area.  She has done an amazing job and so I ask that you pray for her and those who are giving.

We still await word from Preston Road church of Christ who is still considering a mission team to support.  We were told they would meet this month. 

We need prayers for planning.  We have many lists and they grow by the day.  Pray that we will not take the stress of this out on each other.

We do have continued financial needs and because our teammates are in the process of moving, our web site has not been updated to include our current needs list.  I will post that on this blog for now.

Thank you all for your prayers.  We are humbled to hear over and over again people say, "We are praying for you".   We are strengthened and encouraged by your love and the fact that we are not alone in this journey.

Blessings to all and Happy Thanksgiving.  Praise and Honor to the God of all.