Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Furlough Timeline

Dear friends,

We are looking forward to seeing many of you when we are on furlough this fall. Here is a timeline of what we expect to be doing:

September
We will arrive mid-September and stay in Enumclaw. The first few weeks we will get settled and take care of practical matters, such as doctors appointments and scheduling meetings.


October-November
Our priority is to reconnect with friends and supporters. We would like to set up two different dates to share in the Auburn area with whomever would like to come, and we also would love to see people individually. Most of our time will be in the Puget Sound region, plus visits to Oregon and to Bellingham.

Fernando will attend an annual theological training conference in Iowa, for the fifth year in a row, and he will share with a supporting church and individuals in Minnesota. I will stay in Washington with the kids and prepare to have surgery for endometriosis, ideally sometime in late November (details pending).

December
Fernando and my parents will help out during my recovery, and we anticipate celebrating Christmas together. This will be a good time for Fernando to think, pray, and plan for the coming year.


January
We will finish meetings, medical appointments, and preparing to return to Honduras in late January.

Prayer Request
1) For encouraging, Spirit-led meetings with our prayer and financial partners as we hear about their lives and thank them for their role in how God has been at work in Honduras.

2) For many opportunities to share with potential supporters and for more people to join our support team.

3) For those Fernando mentors and works with in Honduras to grow spiritually and serve faithfully. Fernando will be in touch with them during this time.


4) For our family to adjust well, be a strong team, and create special memories.
We will really miss Miss K, our beloved baby-sitter!

5) For successful surgery and adequate time to recover before returning to Honduras.

Ways to Help
1) Introduce us to your friends, family, or small group -- whoever might like to learn about mission work with Garifuna people. This would be easy and low-key, such as meeting at a coffee shop or us providing beverages and snacks for a home gathering.

2) Send us an email or Facebook message with questions you have (ministry, Garifuna culture, daily life in Honduras, our family, etc.) or to schedule a time to get together, which will greatly aid us as we prepare.

3) Send a special gift, if the Lord leads you, for expenses such as gas for car travel, personal items (see below), and printed materials (updated prayer card, for example). Our round-trip plane tickets are purchased, some friends have offered to sell us their car for a low price, and my parents have graciously offered to let us live with them, greatly reducing expenses (praise God!).

4) We would like to borrow or buy a used refrigerator (medium-sized), and our kids will need cold-weather clothes and shoes (our son wears size 4T and our daughter 2T).
My kids' typical at-home attire (and they are still hot!)

Thank you for all the ways you have joined with us and blessed our family, and thank you for taking the time to read our blog! See you soon!

Our family has changed a bit since our 2013 furlough!