Indi* was indeed “incredible” as advertised. Our conference week was a tremendous blessing and time of prayer, worship and discussion about the future of the ministry. We gathered to remember what God has done in the past and to seek Him about the future direction of the ministry. It was great to see our teammates from around the globe and to see some of Indi*. We really enjoyed a trip to the Taj Mahal and a tour of famous sites in J*ipur, the Pink City.
Allyson and the girls returned home after the conference. Steve remained in Indi* to direct the ev*ngelistic film project for the M*rwari people of R*jasthan—an unreached people group of over 10 million. It was hot, hard work sweating from new found pours in over 110 degrees for 12 to 18 hour days. There was a lot of spiritual resistance to this project including conflicts with rebelling actors having trouble committing to the project. We also learned firsthand about something called I.S.T. or “Indi*n Stretchable Time.” That means things won't happen when you think they will and you hold very loosely to your best laid production plans and hope for the best. Nevertheless, the team persevered, got the needed footage, witnessed to the actors, and had a great time making a movie in Indi*. Steve will be diligently working on editing this project over the summer. Thanks again for praying for us during our expedition, we were very encouraged by your prayers.
In other news, Samuel has been officially accepted to UMASS Amherst in the College of Engineering. We got this news just a few days before we headed off to Indi*. We are also pleased to report that he got a great financial aid package as well so our expected family contribution should be manageable. All of our prayers are being answered regarding his future education. Thank you for your faithfulness. We continue to pray for Samuel that he will have a great transition from high school to university later this year.
Our newest challenge is summer housing. Allyson's parents have graciously offered to rearrange their home to accommodate us all, but we are hesitant to displace her parents for 8 weeks. In addition, we would love to be on the North Shore for July and August (although we're not limited to being there). We need something affordable that accommodates the five of us within our reduced furlough budget. Here's the kicker: we don't own any furniture. House-sitting or a furnished apartment would work best for us. If you have any leads, suggestions or ideas please contact us. We have been in this position before and know how God likes to provide at the last minute! We are trusting in his goodness and wait in expectation.
Rachel is excited to have a missions experience of her very own. She has committed to going to Canton, Mississippi this July on a “mercy ministry trip” with a friend's church team from Gloucester. Let's pray that all $400 in finances for her trip are raised as well.
Lastly, our support levels are slowly but surely rising. Our plan is to leave fully-funded this time after reaching 100% of our goal. Presently, we are at 70%. If you intend to start, increase, or change your giving for our ministry in the next year—please let us know at this time.
We still also hope to see all of you sometime over the next few months. Feel free to contact us at anytime using our new ministry email address.
Prayers and Praises:
* Thank God for the amazing break-throughs for the production teams in Indi*
* Pray for Steve and others who will be diligently editing the film footage in the months ahead
* Pray for housing for us for July and August
* Ask God about contributing to this work financially (starting for the first time or increasing funding) to help us reach 100%
* Pray that Lord will raise up others to participate in this ministry effort
* Pray for Rachel's upcoming ministry trip to Mississippi with a church group in July.
Steve sets up the next shot while the team checks on the translations of lines from English to M*rwari.
No comments:
Post a Comment