Missionary Blogs

Sabbath elevator

Sun, 27 May 2012 17:04 GMT

Something particularly fascinating here in Israel is the way elevators work each Sabbath (each weekend, Friday evening to Saturday evening). If you visit Israel and stay in a hotel for over the weekend, this is something you will certainly notice and wonder about. So, wonder no longer!

The Jews are required to abstain from operating electric switches on the Sabbath. Since this includes elevator buttons, a special mode has been created for elevators so that Jews can continue using them even without ever touching a button. The elevators are designed to work by opening and closing on every single floor. This is a very time-consuming method, but the religious Jews will stand and wait until the elevator reaches their floor. They will step on, never touch a button, and wait for the elevator to open and close its doors on every floor until it has reached their desired stop. Then, they simply walk off.

I took the picture for this post in our very own apartment building. The elevator on the left side is the one that is used for Sabbath. The one on the right works normally, seven days a week.

I'll bet you are wondering how many people here actually observe this law. Well, I think you would be surprised at this elevator's popularity. Just put it this way... there is an elevator like this in nearly every multiple-story building in Israel!

Fascinating, isn't it?

Quiet Weekend

Sun, 27 May 2012 15:12 GMT

We have had a very nice, very quiet weekend here. Yesterday, Elena went to play with some friends and so we even had about an hour to ourselves – which just never happens! Even today, we’re just relaxing and enjoying … Continue reading →

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Sun, 27 May 2012 14:42 GMT

TODAY WE REJOICED WITH 6 PEOPLE WHO WERE BAPTIZED! I DO NOT HAVE WORDS TO EXPLAIN THE JOY AT SEEING EACH OF THESE PARTICULAR BELIEVERS OBEY. THEY ALL RESISTED OUR LORD'S CALLING FOR MANY YEARS! IT WAS SO SWEET TO SEE THEIR TEARS OF SINCERITY AND JOY! CONGRATULATIONS TO PABLO, KARINA, ARMANDO, ALAN, IVAN AND MELISA!

Living on the edge

Sun, 27 May 2012 13:36 GMT

"If you aren't living on the edge, you're taking up too much room." This has been a only-half-joking family motto of ours. This week Luke and I are thankful for the opportunity to head out to an edge together. We're accompanying a team from Kijabe (two surgical doctors and us) to a refugee camp on a border of this country. Back to the edge. Where the largest collection of refugees in the world (about half a million people) live. People who fled war and drought to eke out an existence. People who have now been there for about twenty years, an entire generation who knows only this way of life. Through a series of providences doctors from Kijabe have been invited to provide teaching and medical care. Ever since I read of the massive influx of population into these camps in the last year I have wanted to go, a humanitarian disaster on our doorstep so to speak. The camps closed to NGO's for about six months because of the danger of kidnapping and attack in 2011-2012. But now the UN is allowing workers to return. Even up to the last few hours today we wondered if we would be canceled, however. This is a culture where violence is an accepted expression of will, where displeasure is expressed through a grenade. Thankfully the situation is considered stable at the moment in spite of recent isolated events affecting Kenyans mostly, who became targets when the country's military invaded their neighbor.

Jesus moved towards hostile people, and healed and loved and cared in spite of risk.

This is a rare opportunity for us to follow in those footsteps. Please pray for the Kingdom to make subtle but real inroads into a desperate place, and for us to be used in that process. Please pray for meaningful service, stamina, and a safe return Wednesday evening. And pray for precious time together for Luke and me, and for God to continue to make his future calling clear.

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Sun, 27 May 2012 13:15 GMT

LUKE IS HOME!!! For a few days our family is whole. These days become more rare with each year, our family is in a life-phase of dispersion. So we revel in the right-ness of his being with us until his Swahili program starts in Mombasa. Half way through Yale. He's energetic, full of ideas, fun, pulling out his trash-picked treasures from a two-week janitorial job moving furniture and cleaning up dorms after the students left, full of stories, and so happy to be back in Africa. Almost as happy as we are to have him.

Here he arrived Friday morning, and we stopped at Art Cafe on our way back to Kijabe.

Enjoy a few pictures from the last 48 hours, arrival, pizza with some kids and neighbors, church, a hike (not to mention being on call and doing rounds together . . )

The whole family this morning after church, and then we spent the afternoon climbing Longonot. A long-time wish of Acacia's and a goodbye trip for Caleb and Hannah . . .

Caleb was asked to lead worship this morning, very meaningful for us as he only has one more Sunday at RVA.

Fuel Smuggling in West Africa

Sun, 27 May 2012 12:52 GMT

Of the burn patients I see in Galmi, the number one cause of burns in males over the age of 16, is gasoline explosions . . . usually as a result of smuggling.

The petrol is purchased, over our southern border, in Nigeria and then smuggled across to be sold here for a profit (which is still cheaper than at the gas stations).

The BBC has published a photo essay on the gasoline smuggling process . . . granted, they've focused on transportation via the sea . . . something we don't have. But it's an interesting essay, nonetheless.

Check out the report here.

Pentecost Sunday

Sun, 27 May 2012 12:27 GMT

We celebrated Pentecost Sunday today with a joint service with the OMS fellowship, held at the Budapest Ministry Center. You may recall that we held a joint baptismal service with OMS in January, so it was our turn to host the service. There was a great turnout from both fellowships, and a wonderful spirit of unity.

We had a lot of great help in making this day a success. Júlia organized a great team of helpers to plan and prepare for the luncheon that we held after the service. (Many thanks go out to Júlia, Judit, Jutka, Ela, and Zita!) Péter worked with the OMS pastor, Sanyi, in planning the music. In addition Péter and Sanyi shared preaching responsibilities, planning together one sermon that they preached in two parts. Larry led the service, and also helped with set-up, take-down, and of course photos.

Following the service we enjoyed food and fellowship! People stayed around for a long time afterwards, talking and enjoying one another's company. It was such a beautiful day we put chairs and tables out in the garden so that people could enjoy the outdoors as well.

Must Haves for Mommies (and their babies)

Sun, 27 May 2012 10:19 GMT

Ok...after having 3 kids in 4 yrs, I have what I consider real experience with little ones. We travel a ton, and I am crazy about fun and inventive products. There are a couple of things that I want every mom to have, products that have been essential for our family, and I wanted to list them here. These are the things that I tell friends about when they want baby or kid gift ideas.

The first of these things is the Miracle Blanket. It is our favorite swaddling blanket and is good for newborns up until they are old enough to wiggle themselves out...way older than for a normal swaddle. We call it the baby straight jacket!

Next is Hooter Hiders. This is my favorite cover up for nursing!!! I had one last almost 3 years (2 kids nursing for a year and a half) and loved, loved, loved it. Before the Hooter Hider, I would break out into a sweat if I had to nurse in public, it was so stressful! I care a lot less now about nursing in public, but it allowed me to be discreet...always important!

We also adore our Tiny Diner. This is a rubbery placemat that you roll up and back out and it has suction cups that stick it to the table with a little trough at the bottom. Awesome for restaurants where you little ones can eat off the table w/o either getting some gross disease (haha) or messing up the restaurant's table with mac and cheese and ketchup! We just wipe ours off with a baby wipe at the restaurant and wash it when we get home.

Every busy mama needs a good sling! I can't find mine on-line, but here is one that is close: The Maya Wrap

My favorite sippy cup is the Learning Curve sippy cup. It can be hard to drink from, but if you cut the valve slit a little bigger w/ a razor it is THE BEST! It is the only sippy cup that has lasted in this house. The kids can't chew up the valve, and I don't have to have a dishwasher or a sterilizer to get the valve clean. I LOVE IT!!!

I seriously recommend that every mom get some cloth diapers. Two of my favorite cloth diaper stores are Cotton Babies and Green Mountain Diapers. Cotton Babies gave me a diaper grant because I'm a missioary, and it was the only way I would've ever gotten started with cloth diapers! They are a very cool store. Green Mountatin Diapers has the best selection of inexpensive cloth diapers and they give free evangelism stuff with an order! Love them, as well.

My latest love is the GyroBowls. These are AWESOME! No, they are not completely spill proof...a kid, if trying hard enough, can get the stuff to fall out of the bowl, but my 2 yr old can walk up and down stairs, carry the bowl in the car, walk around the house with it, and not a bit spills. GET THESE! They are really super cool.

Our favorite toys are the Little People sets and anything LeapFrog. Both of those brands have held up to years of hard play and the kids LOVE them. When I need a gift for a little person, I go first to check out those products.

For older kids are the Leap Frog video series and the TAG reader system.

Ok mamas - and it is always good to know of a good store to shop the coolest mom invented products: Check out Mom 4 Life. It is owned by a Christian mommy who has a really cool store. She also has free shipping on all her stuff, which is AWESOME! It is an awesome store just to browse in.

Now...go do some shopping!

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Sun, 27 May 2012 10:12 GMT

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Random pics around my school

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:57 GMT

Our first adoption loss: Adalyn

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:55 GMT

If you have been on Facebook in the last week, and if you are Facebook friends with either Brandon or me, then you've seen this little girl: Adalyn in Russia.

You've also seen that we had decided to adopt her. We had been planning on adopting a special needs child and I had been doing hours of research every day to try to figure out which country we should adopt from. I started with foster children in the U.S. Then I called adoption agencies in the U.S. to find out if they have hard to place children from birth-moms there. Then I found myself ruling out country after country either because of cost, or age of children, or length of stay in country, or restrictions of the number of children already in the home, or minimum income levels. Russia had was not on our short list. It was just too expensive. Double that of another country we were looking at.

Then one evening we get an e-mail regarding a sweet girl in Russia who needs a family. Would we be interested in adopting a cleft palate? I sadly responded that no, because Russia was just too expensive, but I would begin to pray for the little girl that a family would find her.

Well, the owner of the agency, because I said I would pray, forwarded some pictures of this little girl to me and to another woman in order for us to pray for her. It wasn't a professional e-mail, but a personal one.

That is when I saw sweet Adalyn. And my heart was sickened. I stuck her story on FB and asked for money to adopt her or someone else to adopt her. I thought is worse than tragic that there was a precious baby who was without a mom or dad in an orphanage and because to get her costs what it costs to buy a car, I couldn't rescue her. I balled and we prayed and I balled and we prayed some more and finally Brandon had to come and escort me to bed.

Then the next morning arrived. Brandon woke me up before dawn and asked me to come look at Facebook. We had received so much support and so many offers for help that we were totally overwhelmed. All of a sudden it seemed that the huge expense (originally the only reason Russia was out for us) was not going to be a big deal! People were opening their hearts! And they promised to open their wallets!

We started researching what all it would take to get her home and to take care of her. We spoke with a plastic surgeon, we researched online, we got in contact with other adoptive families who had cleft palate issues. We prayed a lot. It seemed that God had put this little girl right in our path! And we were committed. We were prepared to handle multiple surgeries, severe speech problems, possible hearing loss, attachment issues, undernourishment, using feeding tubes, raising a child whose face isn't like everyone else's. We, with the Lords help, knew we could do this. That we should do this. That our discomfort and our difficulty was very worth this child's life. We could handle it all...

Until.

We got the e-mail from Reece's Rainbow that told us that they hadn't had a chance to add this to Adalyn's profile, but she looks as if she has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). A couple of facial features, along with the hole in her heart, along with her cleft...all of those are super consistent with FAS and being that she is from Russia, the likelihood is great. We had done some research on FAS. We did some more. Brandon yelled at the Lord (really yelled, with tears), I cried. I felt sick to my stomach. The more I researched it, the more I felt that this was something I just can't handle. Brandon felt the same.

I want to write an entire blog telling all the reasons why we don't feel like we can adopt an FAS baby, but I need to just get this over with. It is so painful.

An FAS child can have a spectrum of problems, ranging from learning disabilities to severe mental retardation. FAS children are usually very likable and sweet, generous to a fault, and usually have poor impulse control. FAS children can have short term memory problems and be very untrustworthy because of it. FAS women (in the moderate to severe range) tend to have FAS babies. They don't have the ability to reason through the consequences of their actions. They tend to be very sexually active when they are old enough because they don't reason well cause and effect. They are extremely trusting yet resist anyone who tries to control them. As younger children, they are apt to wander off, can't always remember simple instructions. But always appear very capable and normal. They are brain damaged. The result of a birth-mother who drank while pregnant. The severity of the FAS is normally related to how much the mother drank, but there is no way to tell until the child is older as to what disabilities she will have.

What we read said that parents of FAS children need to provide as much stability and routine as possible. They they have to keep their eyes on them and give them a lot of wiggle room if they forget to do something after you told them the 100th time. That their impulsiveness is a result of brain damage, not because they don't want to obey. An older FAS child needs an advocate at all times. They don't have the ability to make good decisions about where they go after school or with whom. They are likely to get themselves into compromising situations.

I had to take a look at myself as a mother, and our family. We don't fit that. Our life is anything but routine! We travel and change plans at a moment's notice. We plan one thing and then we have someone show up at a door and our entire day changes. We have to be entirely flexible!

I don't think I'm the kind of mother that can take care of a child that needs that level of micromanaging. I am a big picture mama and my kids are very independent for their age. I need BoyD to help me with BabyK so that I can buckle GirlM into the car. That kind of special need...I just don't think I can handle it. And saying that out loud and writing it here makes me sick.

I was raised to believe that I can do anything. Literally. It has never occurred to me when faced with something difficult that I couldn't do it. Want me to climb that mountain? I can do that! Want me to get an Engineering degree? I can do that! Want me to move to Guatemala with my family? I can do that! Want me to adopt a special needs child? I can do that!

And then I am faced, maybe for the first time in my life, with something I don't think I can do. It is very humbling. It is sad to think that this girl won't be in my family in part because of my weakness.

I know that God has a plan for our family. I know that God has a plan for that little girl. My struggles with all this do not call that into question. I will continue to walk forward trusting in Him for what is best for sweet Adalyn.

We ask for your continued prayers. Please, lets pray Adalyn into a family! A dear friend told me I could be Adalyn's prayer momma. So that is what I am. Please pray for us on this adoption journey that God would council us and continue to guide us.

Naming the World

Sun, 27 May 2012 07:48 GMT

I've got two new friends. And they have a blog. Ryan and Andrew will spend the next 15 months visiting locations around the world where International Teams is seeing “lives and communities transformed by the power of God.” Ryan writes the stories, and Andrew snaps the pictures (the photo in the header of this post is Andrew's handiwork). They've been in Athens for the past three weeks, and I'm very impressed with their work. Do follow along. Here's a well told story that they recently posted about a refugee they've befriended at our refugee center.

According to the world, Javod is an immigrant, a refugee, forgotten and voiceless. He is an invisible man. He is one of thousands, hundreds of thousands, displaced and uprooted, expelled from whatever home they’ve known. He is a statistic, and a poorly recorded one at that.

According to Greece, Javod does not exist.

Javod remembers the day when the running began. Born and raised in the city of Ghazni, Afghanistan, he was still a young boy when the Taliban came to power. In an attempt to preemptively assure complete and total control of the area, it was made illegal to possess any sort of gun, a law that was strictly and unforgivingly enforced. But not always with the utmost obedience. Because in such a land, to give away one’s last vestige of protection was to accept and admit defeat, complete subjugation to those that had demanded it. This the Taliban knew. But they would not be deterred from their quest for total control, and so they clenched their fist on Ghazni without scruples and without mercy.

Javod remembers walking about town one day when some men stopped him, offering candy and cookies. And with their treats they spoke sweetly to this young Afghan boy, asking him questions about his home and his family, questions that were rewarded with gifts. And did he know if his father owned a gun? It was not a problem if he did, it was okay and he could tell the truth. Javod was 8 years old when he said yes.

He remembers approaching home later that day to find Taliban men outside with his father, handcuffed and under interrogation. As he stood watching, the men ransacked his house, searching for the weapon that his father insisted did not exist but Javod in his innocence had revealed. When they found it, Javod’s father and mother and younger sister where brought out of the house. They were reminded that it was illegal to posses a weapon under the reign of the Taliban, that they were liars, and that to lie was deserving of death. And then they were executed.

He remembers the men walking passed him, away from the life they had just stripped him of. How one handed him a cookie and patted his head, saying that he had been a good boy for telling the truth. The neighbors helped him bury the bodies of his family and gave him a place to live as long as he worked in their fields, but they could do no more than that. He was eight when the running began.

Continue reading Javod's story HERE. Or check out their blog for more pictures and stories: namingtheworld.org

Filed under: World Tagged: Athens, Blog, Friends, Refugees

Ben's Baby Shower

Sun, 27 May 2012 06:58 GMT

On Friday we were given a baby shower for Ben by the other missionaries that live in our area. We were excited when we returned home from Guatemala City to learn that they wanted to do that for us. It was also a time for them to all meet Ben and love on him a little. It was a luncheon so in addition to the shower we also got to fellowship around the table some. Cruz napped for the first hour so that freed us up to just relax and enjoy ourselves. I did not take many photos (sadly) but here are a few from the day-

Our friends James and Joy made this cake for the shower. I LOVED it! I thought it was very cute.

We had a potluck lunch that was delicious.

eating around the table

A few of our gifts

This is what Ben did for most of the shower. The rest of the time he was being passed around from person to person. He is such an easy baby (so far anyway). I let him wear the outfit that he wore home from the hospital. Cruz also wore it to his baby shower in Guatemala.

the ladies watching me open the gifts

Ben with Mrs. Diana

We had a fun time and are thankful for this fellowship group that we are now a part of.

Trip to Cambodia & Baptism

Sun, 27 May 2012 06:35 GMT

Last summer I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia with a missions team from Okinawa, Japan. My first morning in Siem Reap, I debated whether or not to go back to the cafe that I had been going to for breakfast each time I was there for the previous year and a half. I stopped just short of the cafe and considered another cafe I had found that had great food and Air Conditioning. After reflecting for a minute I decided that I should continue going to the first restaurant as I had begun to develop a small relationship with two of the waitresses that worked the area where I sat.

During that trip I was able to pray for one of the ladies, Sokneat, and then share with another, Sokhat, about the Lord and also introduce her to another believer who had set up her own businesses just like Sokhat wanted to do. My family met both Sokneat and Sokhat an the teams that we have brought through.

This year Sokhat invited Clark and my family to join her for her sister's wedding. It would have been a little expensive to bring the whole family down but Clark and I were able to attend and had a great trip over all.

We were able to visit a couple of new outreach ministries to poor neighborhoods that Paul Chamrong, who runs our orphanage, has started or partnered with others on. The church that the kids attend had a Baptism service and three of the older girls were baptized as they publicly declared their commitment to Jesus Christ.

<span style="font-size:large;"><b>Families who…

Sun, 27 May 2012 05:53 GMT

Families who are Together stay Together
One of the main things I got from a recent conference was this thought: "It is not the actual things you do together a family so much as the quality of time together as a family that makes the difference."

Are we vegging out in front of a TV together, or am I truly communicating with my wife and children and enjoying them personally?

I used to believe that "the family that prays together stays together." Obviously that is quite simplistic and unrealistic. In truth, the family that spends enough quality time together in communication will be able to form the depth of relationship needed to grow together and pray together each day. Even for families that are really busy, simply turning off the TV and shutting down the computer for an evening or two a week can do wonders!

My kids and wife need to see me live my life for Jesus, not just hear a good message or devotion time. They need to see me repenting for my mistakes, not just hear me telling them what to do. My kids and wife need to see practical acts of love, not just words and good intentions. The crux of the issue: My family is the best way for me to grow, the most important ministry to be involved in, and my most important legacy. What we do at home, with the family, really matters.

Dishes

Sun, 27 May 2012 04:56 GMT

Today I simply wanted to give you a glimpse of a daily routine around here…washing dishes.

Honestly, I normally didn't mind doing dishes, especially with a crowd in the kitchen helping! We did have a dish washer in Phoenix so I didn't have many dish washing experiences. But here it's all done by hand and for me it isn't quite the same “enjoyable” experience..however with Chuck helping (I wash, he dries) it is better

Here is a photo of our kitchen sink:

First, please ignore the caulk which is being eaten by the water (another reason we don't drink it, in addition to the typhoid we may contract!)

Anyway, this is how I do my dishes. The darker blue bowl is filled with first cold water from the tap and then hot water which is boiled either in an electric hot pot or if electricity is out I boil it on the gas stove.

To the right of the blue bowl is where I “stack” a few dirty dishes plus it gives me just enough room to rinse the dishes under the tap without filling the blue bowl up with cold water…if I'm careful.

It gets a bit tight and frustrating at times, and when we don't have running water I have to use two bowls, one for washing and one for rinsing, but I get the dishes washed no matter what!

Different, yet Alike

Sun, 27 May 2012 04:30 GMT

As I walk this crazy life I am now living there are days where I think I must be the only crazy person here. I want "my readers" (those few of you crazy enough to keep coming back here) to experience life here, yet it isn't so easy to find a way for that to happen. How do you explain the crazy experiences in such a way that someone not here understands? How do you explain with laughter and acceptance the way things are done here? How do you celebrate the small accomplishments and yet understand how monumental they are?

Yet, every now and then you come across a like soul, someone walking just a few steps ahead of you that helps you realize, oh wait - I am not the only one walking these exact same steps. Maybe we are taking a little different path, but you are reminded that you are a lot more alike than diffent.

Shar Carlson is a middle school English teacher at Hannah's school. She celebrated her one year of life in Spain anniversary this week. She wrote a blog post that had me rolling in laughter and a few tears rolling down my cheeks. She lives in a neighboring small town, is single, and is here for a two year term, yet in the midst of those differences there were so many similarities I had to share it with you. It is a little long, so pull up a comfy chair, get a cup of coffee (or iced team for me), and enjoy the laughter as you read her account of her first year in Spain.

Today in my Neighborhood

Sun, 27 May 2012 03:20 GMT

Its the largest multi-cultural festival in California.

Our church has a diaper changing station- a service to the community,

the only place in this huge celebration that parents can peacefully change a diaper

Located in Ninolandia, at Harrison and 20th, the heart of the party.

Happy kids everywhere!

Happy parents too!

Come and see us :)

12 Incredible Years!

Sun, 27 May 2012 02:04 GMT

It's official, 12 years ago today the woman who had captured my heart (and mind) and completely changed all of my future plans was crazy enough to say "I do"! Linda, you are the most amazing woman and each year you become more and more beautiful inside and out! I can never thank God enough for bringing us together! I love you so much! Thank you for these 12 incredible years and I can't wait to see where God will take us in the next 12! Happy Anniversary!

Men's Retreat

Sun, 27 May 2012 01:32 GMT

On Friday, four of us from Jesús María, and another 6 men from the first church here went to a men's retreat to Camp Koinonia, a Bible Church camp about three hours northwest. We arrived after 10 p.m. on Friday, after getting a bit lost. Ismael gave the teaching time both days.

The camp is situated on 35 acres of beautiful wooded hillside, with a fair amount of water available. We found a chameleon, and I wanted to bring it home and add to our pet collection, but it is a protected animal...cool looking!

PEI Fun!

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:17 GMT

SNAP SHOTS FROM PEI

Lobster feast at Grampy & Grammie Kennys

Ava making a new friend at the

Great Canadian Soap Company, Brackley

Tristan and Grammie checking out

the goat milk soap shop

Aaron & Erica at the Covehead Wharf

Erica picking out her lobster

Autumn and Emerson

Fresh Lobster!

Grampy and Ava enjoying the bubbles at the

end of a big day

Quick Trip

Sat, 26 May 2012 20:09 GMT

Thursday my mom and I flew to San Diego for a quick visit with my great-aunt. It was Mom’s Mother’s Day gift from Kristy and me. Thanks to frequent flyer miles, it was a reasonable gift! We had a great visit Thursday afternoon then had dinner with my cousin and walked around Old Town. Friday was gray and drizzly (in fact, better weather in Washington than in San Diego), but we walked along the beach because it’s normal for Washingtonians to walk on the beach on cold drizzly days. We visited with my great-aunt again then flew home to warmer, sunnier weather. :-) I’m so glad we could squeeze it between my busy schedule, Mom’s teaching, and someone staying with Grandmother.

Students

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:00 GMT

Monday Lena and I will go to meet a friend who has contacts in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. Uzhgorod is in the far eastern part of Ukraine – a border town not far from both Hungary and Slovakia. It’s a town with a distinctly “Western Europe” feel to it. I like it.

Most of our work with churches comes through an introduction and recommendation from someone else, and comes after a relationship has been established. For this purpose, my good friend and missionary, Mary Jill is coming to Uzhgorod to introduce us to some of her pastor friends she has from her ministry in Uzhgorod.

I’ve been there before with Mary Jill, and we’re meeting again to shore up some of those relationships, and hopefully get some churches to start working with INSTE.

Each year we have students finishing the First Level. Some of them continue onto Level Two, but the majority of them don’t. Level 1 is for all believers, whereas Level 2 is just for leaders. For that reason, we’re always looking to replace the students that have finished. Recruitment is an important part of our work here that is too easily crowded out by other demands.

Pray for us as we meet with pastors Tuesday and Wednesday – that there would be fruit from our travels, and that we would have a safe trip.

Dissolved, Part II

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:35 GMT

Those We Serve (1)

Sat, 26 May 2012 16:41 GMT

Some random shots from interior, taken over the past few months. These are the people we serve.