The Simple Life - Week 22

Gobble Gobble Gobble!!!

Hitting the road for 5 hours with a turkey in a trash bag is one crazy way to start off the holiday festivities!

This Thanksgiving was the most meaningful and memorable holiday we have shared with our local friends and students in our time overseas. Having a real turkey in our oven for the first time in 3 years was something special!

It was the students’ first time to see a picture of a live turkey on the Internet and a prepared turkey on the table. They tasted turkey for the very first time and they absolutely loved it! Before everyone arrived, we spent the day together just the two of us cooking lots of food and reflecting on our relationships with these students.

We pryed for each student before they arrived, and we asked Father to bless our time together. Once everyone arrived, we gathered in a circle and each student expressed a pryer of thanksgiving. It touched our hearts to hear them say what they are thankful for, and to acknowledge the Father in doing so. We shared with them the true meaning of Thanksgiving and that we are thankful to Father for loving us and for sending his Son to die for our sins.

The highlight for Becky happened when some of the girls went to get Mama Li and bring her to our home. Mama Li came inside for TWO platefuls of turkey and dressing, took pictures with everyone in the photo booth, and even stayed to watch a little bit of Home Alone!

It was such a special night to have all of our friends in our home during a memorable holiday.

The Simple Life - Week 21

In Awe of Him...This Could be the Title Every Week

A fresh week brings about some new conversation starters with our student and teacher friends.
 
We took part in quite a few animated conversations with Becky’s university on our current visa situation. These meetings have really shown us how much Becky’s college is appreciative of her teaching here. With all that has happened, students are now showing more interest in all they have heard over the past few years. Within 24 hours after our announcement, the following photo was taken.

Our local students, teachers, and friends are stepping up and showing that they will continue what we have been blessed to be part of over the past three years.

Chris' volleyball team finished up the final week of play where Chris broke his big toe before the final game. The student volleyball tournament has just commenced; therefore Chris has been devoting a lot of his evenings to students playing in the tournament. Most nights are capped off with dinner alongside students from the international college. Through this, Chris established a friendship with a new student who is a Brother.

We spent the past few days in our capital city having meetings and relaxing with our local partners. It was a sad few days, nevertheless joyful. All parties know that Father will remain faithful and that our friendships will not fade away.

Becky headed home to start teaching and Chris stayed behind in the capital to assist our teammate in connecting with people we have worked with for the past few years. Chris and our teammate will come back on Wednesday where they will be transporting with them…TURKEY!!! The closest thing to a turkey we’ve been able to find in our area is roasted duck. However, this time we’ve ordered imported turkey to bring a true Thanksgiving meal to our students!
 
Stay tuned for the many exciting stories that will follow from our weekend long Thanksgiving festivities.

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The Simple Life - Week 20

Mountains and Cookies, O My O My

Rock-Top cooking, new friendships, volleyball, and a lot of cookies!!!

The month long staff volleyball tournament is going strong and Becky has once again substituted her play to Chris. The College of Foreign Language enjoys this time of year because of Chris' height and love for sports. This occasion is a time of cultivating our relationship with the school. Every weekday for a month is consumed with teachers from other colleges playing a sociable match of volleyball that leads into evening gatherings over tea or dinner.

With new students arriving on our campus throughout the year we look to discover ways for interacting with all the personalities. This past weekend, Chris took a group of new Cambodian students, a Korean student, and a new native colleague on a campout. They consumed their days caving, climbing, and cooking on hot rocks and open fires. Relationships are growing with these new friends. A lot was learned, and pr’d for.

Becky had her first one-on-one time with one of her new connections this week. This student comes from a minority group and she shared all about her minority culture with Becky. Becky asked her about her beliefs and she responded by saying she practices ancestor worship and the worship of the stone frog in the center of her village. This student watched the J film in Becky's class last year and is open to hearing stories from the Word. We are in efforts of providing this student an eye exam and a new pair of glasses. We hope that serving her in this way will open more doors to connect with this student. 

Becky hosted a full-out girls night over the weekend while Chris was camping. It was a night full of fried rice, laughter, a chick-flick, and lots and lots of cookie-cutter shaped cookies! It brings us great joy to watch our relationships grow deeper in trust and rapport. Several of these girls meet with Becky to read the Word together. We lift them up and continue to ask Father to draw them near and deepen their desire to know Him personally. 

The Simple Life - Week 19

Weeks of Smiles

We are still here! We went without any Internet for several weeks, which is why this update is very detailed.

The past several weeks have been full of celebrations. We celebrated Mr. W’s 93rd birthday with him in his home. He shared with us that he has been recognized as a war veteran for his time of service during WWII. He was an interpreter for the US army during that time.

We spent our time with students during 2 key holidays in our culture. We have been to several weddings this month as well. Auntie’s daughter had a traditional minority wedding celebrated by 400 people in their village. It was a night full of local food, dancing & music, and minority traditions. We pr’ed a special blessing over their family and we brought them a gift from America that symbolizes the meaning of marriage in the Father’s eyes.

This past weekend our friends were married inside the local community. It was our first time to take part in a like-minded wedding in this culture. The choir sang hymns at their reception and it was such a beautiful sound to hear praises lifted to the Father in another language.

We have two quick stories we’d like to share:

The manager of the orphanage told us before that we could no longer make visits or donations without government permission. We left this newly presented obstacle at the Father’s feet and asked Him to take care of it. He showed us once again that He is our provider and that He is in control! Our local sister has a connection within the government who is happy to help us get this document for all of our visits. We attended this man’s wedding last week. Please remember our new relationship with this man and ask for opportunities to share with him.  Our visit to the orphanage two weeks ago was very successful thanks to the partnerships with you all back home. We were able to give them everything they asked for this month (a van full of booster seats and quiet books) and we have been welcomed to come again.

Thanks to your partnerships back home, more progress has been made with the Hani Sweet Spot. The foundation has been laid and the building structures are starting to rise. We had a meeting with our local partner last week about the upcoming stages and specific needs we could help with this month. He was able to exchange some of his tea from his tea business to obtain 1,000 good book radios at no cost! These radios present the entire OT and NT as well as hymns and p&w songs all in our language here. Our partnership with him will allow local partners to be supported as they distribute these radios to the lost. You may remember the story from this summer about Becky meeting a villager in the tea farms and then was asked to visit her home. Our friend told us that we would be giving one of these radios to this woman as part of the distribution!

If you would like more information about the Hani Sweet Spot and how you can specifically support this key part of our work, please send us a direct email and we’d love to connect with you. 

The Simple Life - Week 18

Life Back Together

Yippee! We are thankful to be together again. The first week together back home was very special. Being able to see everybody as one and talk together has been very comforting. We shared many meals with local friends last week in efforts to reconnect after everyone’s summer holiday.
 
The beginning of a new school year brings about more time being spent overseas. With the new semester underway, we see many opportunities for us to reach new students, grow old relationships, and strengthen our training and materials from what we have learned so far.
 
Chris has been given a very unique opportunity to work closely with the sophomore class on campus this semester. Their translation teacher (who isn’t family) has been telling them that if they wish to improve their English, they should spend their free time reading the good book (which is completely unrelated to their translation course)! Many students have come to us asking where to find a good book and what they should read out of it! So, over the past week and in the weeks to come, Chris is working on creating an in-depth training guide that will serve multiple purposes in our work. It will help teach the sophomore students the Word, train up and disciple the current family members on various levels, and will give guidance to our future teams when they come to interact with our students. We’ve been able to give many good books away this week and we hope that students will continue to ask for one!

The Simple Life - Week 16

5th Semester Down

Our last week on campus felt like a revolving door. The door started to close as we said goodbye to our graduated brothers and sisters, “see you soon” to our students we spend the most time with, and as we made our final donation drop to the orphanage before summer holiday. The door has already opened to reveal the expanded work we now have thanks to the teams’ relationships they’ve made this summer. We are excited to build upon the connections they’ve given us. We continue to be thankful and amazed by the expansion of work we receive because of teams.

Our time at the orphanage was very special. Thanks to our partnerships with you all back home, we were able to bless them with 17 canisters of glucose for babies, 5 baby walkers, and 5 baby push walkers/tables.It was so neat to sit on the floor with the team and assemble all of the walkers for them. The kids came out and started to play with them.

We ran into a small obstacle during our visit. The manager requested for us to have a permission document issued by the government in order to make future visits. This caught us off guard, but they did ensure to us that they definitely want us to keep coming back. This is happening because we’ve brought some large groups this summer to visit and they want to keep everyone safe. We praise Father that we will still be able to make visits when we return after summer holiday. They have already requested high chairs and more glucose for September’s donation drop!

After our visit, we headed over to see Auntie in the village for one last local meal before break. She was excited to meet new team members. We were able to help her get some medicine and pay for her to have a doctor’s visit later that day. We also lifted her up in pr for the pain she’s been feeling from rheumatoid arthritis. She was deeply moved by the invested interest everyone showed. We pr for Father to draw her near and that she will learn more about Him as we continue to spend time with her.

She drove Becky around the village on a moped to introduce her to all of her friends and told everyone, “This is my American daughter” in her local language! We are seeking opportunities to share the message with her and her family. She has asked us to come to her daughter’s wedding in the fall. We are pring for Father to show us how to use this unique event to teach them more about the Son.

We’d like everyone to join us in pring for our time in America with our student. Originally, we were set to bring 4 students to Texas for 8 weeks this summer as a new culture exchange program we’ve started with our university we work in. However, Father clearly had a plan for only one student to be accepted to come. We have arrived in Texas this week with this one student and we are fully dedicated to providing her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be exposed and saturated with the message and message-living people in an open country for the first time.

Instead of taking a summer break, we felt Father placing this student on our hearts to pour into and focus on for this special time. We know that His desire is for all to know Him. We want so badly for this sweet girl to know Him. We have arranged several internship positions for her to experience, 5 university tours lined up, and she has 3 gracious host families to live with for a total of 9 weeks.
 
This will be our last email update until we return to SE Asia after our summer holiday. There are several key requests we have listed below for you to remember us by over the next several weeks. We love and appreciate all of you and we want you to know that we look forward to beginning a new semester serving side by side with you all when we return.​ 

The Simple Life - Week 15

The Gumball 3000

This past week, and continuing on until the day we fly out, has reminded us of a great classic, The Cannonball Run. Our lives have been going at full speed with hardly any time for rest; and it has been great! The only difference? We are not looking for any finish line or prize. We are just living the call.

This weeks update is to simply say - "Thank You" - to everyone back home for keeping us in your pry'rs and helping fuel all the work that has been taking place this semester. This has been the most productive semester since we moved. We cannot wait to blast out our descriptive blogs within in the next few weeks so you can see what all He has done through obedience.

We apologize for the update being a day late, it has been hard to find the time to sit and send it out.

The Simple Life - Week 12

Drawing Them Closer

What a week! We are now in full swing as we host both visiting teams from Texas! Chris went up to the big city to meet our second team and he brought them down today to our town. His time in the big city was very productive and he was able to plan a full-day village trip for both teams during their time here. This will be a new opportunity we are able to offer for visiting teams. They will travel a few hours outside of the big city to meet and engage the women and children that make the handicraft items and work in tea production. We pry that Father will use this opportunity to open the hearts and eyes of each team member and that this experience will be a deep impact in their lives.

While in the big city Chris was also able to have some meaningful meetings with new partners. Out of these meetings came new Word audio files in the languages that surround our town.
 
Our time with students on campus has been booming! We know a major reason for this is due to the relationships our students are making with the visiting teams!
 
Quick G-story: Becky met her friend M through a visiting team from North Carolina exactly 1 year ago. This team was able to share with her and introduce her to Father and gave her a good book. Once they left, M and Becky have continued to meet and read together each week and they have become really good friends. She has worn a jade Buddha necklace around her neck for her entire life, but she is not a Buddhist. Well, the last couple of weeks she has been in pain from hurting her foot. We have spent a lot of time prying for her foot. She said, “Even though I am not a follower, I can feel Father’s love for me. He loves me even though I do not believe in Him. I ask Him to heal my foot, and even if He does not heal my foot all the way, I know He has a plan for me.” M went to the hospital on Thursday to get an x-ray. She came over to our house the next day, grinning ear to ear, and pointing to her necklace. Except, the necklace she was pointing to was not the jade buddah necklace she has worn every day of her life, it was a silver necklace with two hearts! She took off her necklace! Becky immediately embraced her and they both started crying. M said, “This does not mean that I am a follower yet, but this is my first step. Before 1 year ago, I did not know Father existed. But now, I know He is real and He loves me and He healed my foot! The doctor said my foot is healed and I know it is a miracle from the Father!” He is moving! Just last week, Becky felt discouraged with what started to feel like their relationship wasn’t moving very far. And then something like this happens and we are reminded that ultimately, Father will make Himself known! Please continue to lift up M as she continues to step closer towards a relationship with the King.

The Simple Life - Week 11

Sight of the Father Ways

We've seen the presence of the Father in multiple ways this week. From seeing a little girl running down the street in a t-shirt that says, "J-sus died for you", to moments of d-ship with brothers and sisters, to living life with our Texas teammates and watching them grow, to introducing a lesson on facing fears with faith while cliff jumping with students for their first time; we have been encouraged.

While at dinner one night, one of the boys that Chris d'sples told us that he knows there is a Father because he sees all of His paintings through the creation surrounding him. He then shared the analogy of a painter and a painting. When we look at a painting we know that it had to have been created by someone, even though we never saw the painter put the art on the canvas. He went on sharing that through all the other beliefs he has studied in his life, he has finally resulted in following the Savior because it's the only belief that points to one true G. Whereas all the others have multiple g's. He said, "Believing in Father is not a multiple choice question." It was so encouraging to hear this young boy's heart and testimony and we know he stands on a Solid Rock. After our conversation, Chris shared with him that it is proof that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. This boy graduates in two weeks and is excited to start his masters program. We are saddened because his new school is in the northeast of our country.

Another sister came to that same dinner and shared her testimony with us. She has asked to meet with Becky this week to read together and to also speak to her classmate who is not a believer.

The Simple Life - Week 10

The Works of the Father

For the next eight weeks, we are excited to have an action packed schedule full of teams. We are proud and excited to partner with the teams and share with you the daily lives of those here.

Our hearts are bursting with thanksgiving from the overwhelming responses we received from you all after we sent out the email requesting pryer for our student's second visa interview! Although the student did not get accepted for the second time, really great conversations took place over the following several days that centered around the Father and His plan for this student. One way or another, it was meant for Chris and this student to have Tex-Mex together. Our relationship with him has grown to an even deeper level than before. In the end, this student told us that he thinks Father has a reason for him to stay where he is this summer and that he is grateful. He pryed at dinner tonight for everyone and also thanked Father for helping him. It is so exciting to see Father use this situation that has been initially a little disappointing and confusing to us all for His own glory. Father is stirring in this boy's heart. So for now, we trust that it is clear that Father's plan is for the one girl to visit Texas this summer. We are excited that she was initially accepted for her visa and that she has the opportunity to live life with a community of family members.

After nine days of traveling for Chris, we reunited together in the big city to wait for our first team to arrive. Our time was productive and full of several key meetings with some of our local partners. We were able to plan some really exciting future village trips for our visiting teams this summer. The night before our team arrived was the cherry {tomato} on top! We met up with some dear friends and coworkers for some real brick oven pizza and encouraging fellowship that was much appreciated and refreshing! We have grown to really cherish our time in the big city with these new friends. Father gives us what we need and who we need at just the right time. Our hearts {and stomachs} are full!

The Simple Life - Week 9

Thanks & Encouraged

When we put together our updates to send to all of you, it reminds us of the times Paul would send out letters to various gatherings and thank them in remembrance. We want to thank each of you for serving with us with your pryers, support, and encouragement. When we encounter times of loneliness and adversity, we are reminded that we are not in this alone. Holding hands with y'all across the globe keeps us alive and thriving and we continue to be grateful for you.
 
An encouraging story from our week:

Time with Mr. W has really been pressing hard on our hearts the last few weeks. We ended up visiting him again this week and we took him to eat lunch at a vegetarian/Asian-style “Luby’s”! The owner of the restaurant passed out some tracts on Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. First we thought, “How is it legal for them to pass out these tracts, but we can’t pass out anything on the Son?” Mr. W thanked the owner for giving us these materials and told her that we believe in the Son and that He is all we need. Mr. W is blind in one eye and only relies on a small radio that transmits sermons and scripture readings because he can no longer read. Because of this, there is much of the good book he has never learned. He is such a lover of story telling, so we decided to tell him the story of Jonah and the big fish. It was so neat to see him connect to the theme of the story and grasp what Father teaches us when we try to run away from Him.

After sharing some stories about how he sees Father move in his life on a monthly basis, he basically quoted scripture without even knowing it. He said there are 3 things we must always do, “be happy, pry pry pry, and be full of thanksgivingness.” This sweet man summarized 1 Thess 5:16, “Always be joyful. Never stop prying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is Father’s will for you who belong to the Son.” Our Father is mightier than Mighty! He speaks to us in so many ways!
 
We’d like to focus on our praises and upcoming requests in this update.

The Simple Life - Week 8

The Norm's

Living overseas has transformed our ideas of what adventure looks like, and has reshaped our understanding of “normal”. Buying unrefrigerated meat, eggs, & milk, looking up at an intersection to see a man walking his water buffalo or goats, and fitting 3 people on a moped ride into town has become our normal.  The week for us was full of our normal gatherings, expeditions, and lunches with those around us. It is weeks like these that really make this place feel like home, and that we are right where we need to be.
 
Chris went on an all-day bike and hike trip with some boys and ended up chasing a mountain stream to search for the source. To their sadness it was never found; however, they did discover some really good swimming holes along the way. Throughout the day there were many conversations about Buddhism, the Son, His Father, and where it all started. This all came from Chris asking the boys, "Which two men walked on water?" It really helps to know where the local beliefs stem from, and how you can bring them back to Truth.
 
Many of you know about our 92-year-old friend, Mr. W. He continues to be such an inspiration and encouragement to us. Mr. W grew up attending a school that was run by North American M’s. He spent his childhood learning English and hearing the Message but never had any interest in accepting the Son. He spent much of his adulthood as an interpreter for the US Army and his English skills never cease to amaze us. It wasn’t until he was 84 that he accepted our Savior and he has been walking with Father ever since. His testimony encourages us to remain steadfast in our relationships with students on campus and to not give up on the boys we have in our home each week. This week, we spent an afternoon with him laughing and sharing about what the Father has been teaching all of us.  He shared with us that the night before we came to see him, he was “talking to his L-rd”, and telling Him that he felt lonely. He asked Father to give him some friends to visit with. He said he was so thankful to see us and that we were an answer to his pr. He also said that even if we didn’t come to see him, he trusted in his L-rd to provide someone else to come. He said he relies on the timing of our Father.
 
One thing we love about him is his way of telling stories. One day while he had nothing to do, he starting cutting out pictures from some magazines. He then took these pictures and placed them on his wall to tell the story of how Moses came from a child in the river to the leader of the Exodus. For being a Brother in the great family for only 8 years, he has more to offer to us than any person we have ever met. We were saddened to hear fireworks being shot off during our visit with Mr. W that signaled that a death had just occurred in the nursing home.

Our Great Master's Plan

Once we arrived in our capital city we noticed the dry air from the bus and the higher altitude had caused us to have a sore throat, so we headed to the nearest pharmacy to buy some cough drops.

While looking through a few stores we had no luck; so Becky thought of one last place to try that was out of our area. As soon as we walked in, Chris spotted the lady who supervises S3 and her husband just from noticing the back of her head. We were planning to get in touch with her during our visit but we were having some security issues and didn’t know how to go about it. We walked up to her and Chris placed his arm around her. When she recognized us, she started to cry. She told us that she had been thinking of us earlier that day and needed to schedule a meeting with us soon. She told us that this particular store was nowhere near her house and that she had never been there before. We were all rejoicing in thanksgiving that Father brought us together. He is good. After an hour of catching up with each other in the middle of the aisle, we parted ways with our next meeting scheduled and a good idea of where the community plants are headed. He has a plan.

The next morning we woke up to 50 degrees of cold rain and Chris hacking green, but that was not going to stop him from going and seeing his wife complete her second race. Chris had been talking with a friend on how to get directions to the 5K and found out that we had to go to a part of the city we had never been to before. We spent 45 minutes in the rain trying to hail a cab and another 30 minutes trying help the cab driver get to the race. We ended up being late, but the race officiator was patient and knew Becky was coming. She waited behind to help Becky with the route. What came next is indescribable. 

While Becky was running, Chris was sitting at the finish line cheering on the runners. All of a sudden the race officiator starts to ask Chris how long we’ve been living in the capital. He answered with, "We don't live here, we live in M-Town." Her eyes opened and her jaw dropped. Chris mentioned that we had been there the past two years living on the university campus and helping out a family that invited us over. The officiator then turned to Chris and whispered, “We were their supervisors and have been trying to reach out to you, but were kept from having your info and any contact.” Chris ended up responding, "No worries! Our Master has planned for this to happen."

After the race concluded, we were introduced to all of the runners. A majority of those we met were on the team who works with the same minority group and translator that we do. They have been in our country for 10+ years and have built their own library of training material. When Chris mentioned what materials we have been looking for, one person spoke up and said, "We can take care of you now; consider us your team." Hallelujah...and OKAY!!!

It did not stop there. 5 hours later, after eating bottomless pancakes at a small little western restaurant, and a lot of coffee drinking, we had connected the dots to past teams, relationships in America, built new friendships, and reconnected one long friendship that Becky started in 2008. Our day of resting became one of spiritual refreshment and full of wonder. He has a plan.

What a weekend, and it still wasn’t over. We had a few stops left on Sunday and decided to make one specific stop out of the way for lunch. As soon as we opened the door, Chris spotted the man he met with back in Texas before we traveled back to Asia. Chris and this man met for hours in Texas and discussed the work and area we live in. They talked on tracking growth, matching maps, sharing divine stories, building an accurate matrix on the numbers of followers, and so much more. Chris has been talking about how he could get in touch with him; but again, we had been having security and Internet issues.

So nonetheless, our Master made it happen. He is the divine orchestrator! By the end of our weekend, Chris was laughing with joy. He took so much away from his meeting in Texas and was so excited to see this man again in our country. By the way, Chris saw the back of his head from across the room and knew right away it was him. A little repeat from Friday night. 

The Simple Life - Week 7

Our Great Master's Plan

There are days, even weeks, when we see our Master at work and last week there was no short of it. A great friend of ours once gave us some wise words, "Man's unwillingness isn't a deterrent to our Great Master's plan." Last week was full of student-led activities, a last minute lunch with an out of town friend, and one unimaginable weekend in our capital city. To shorten the post we ended up placing this weekend's activities on our blog.

To start off the week, the entire campus celebrated Water Festival. Imagine thousands of students standing in fountain pools of water splashing everyone with buckets of water. It was chaotic but fun! A couple of days later, we awoke to a message from our friend from a few hours away asking if we had lunch plans. Of course, we cleared our schedule and spent two hours with our friend and his threes boys. The impact they made while walking around our campus is still being talked about. He has a plan.

The week went on with activities that our students had planned out. Thursday capped off the activities with an English corner that included 60 students playing "Gorilla Beats the Man - Man Beats the Gun - Gun Beats the Gorilla". Overall, the 90 minutes turned from a planned itinerary to conversations that really opened up the students minds to some interesting topics ;). He has a plan.

To finish off the week, we headed up to our capital city on Friday so Becky could run in the spring 5K, and so we could get some R&R...Beef ;). What happened from the beginning hours of our trip down to the last few minutes before our return home was something we could have never imagined.

The Simple Life - Week 5 & 6

11 Days No Internet...Brings Joy

Due to a loss of internet and a secure line of communication for nearly 2 weeks, we have not been able to send an update until now! We have had a packed last couple of weeks full of opening doors! We are so thankful that Father gives us holidays to use as a means to share His message! Chris took some students camping with a friend on Easter weekend, Becky dyed eggs and shared the resurrection story with nearly 200 students, and we hosted an Easter meal in our home with 15 students gathered around the table holding hands in pryer. For many of them, it was their first time to experience what it is like to talk directly to the Father and express their thankfulness!

We'd like to share a quick story as a reminder of how awesome our Father is. Becky was walking around town with a friend when her friend wanted to stop at an outdoor market to look for some fruit. They stopped at the entrance of the market to taste some cherries, and all of a sudden an elderly fruit peddler asked Becky, “Are you a believer?” Becky felt so strange because this is not a typical question local people ask right off the bat! She responded by saying that yes she is a believer. The lady had the most joyful smile on her face and began stuffing a bag full of corn and fruit. She handed the bag to Becky and insisted that she take it. Becky tried to pay her for the bag of goods, but the lady refused and said, “You are a believer and I am, too. Father has blessed me so I want to bless you!” This was the most special piece of corn Becky has ever had. How cool is He?
 
We are reminded that we carry the HS within us and there is great joy in knowing that we are connected as brothers and sisters in the name of the Son around the world.

We are thankful for everyone who continues to Pr for us and His work. Here is what we are thankful for and some answered Pr's:

  • Our visit to the orphanage/elderly home this month was a huge success! We were able to stay for an entire hour! We brought tons of diapers and laundry detergent per their request and they were very thankful. They have requested more children/adult diapers for next month’s delivery. During this visit, we were able to spend time with some of the children and play with them! A family in Florida will adopt one of the boys we’ve known from this particular orphanage this summer. We are hoping to have the chance to teach him some English before he leaves!
  • We experienced a lack of Internet and a secure line of communication for nearly 2 weeks. This was a very difficult and uneasy time, but we are thankful we now have access again!
  • He has risen!!!

As for this coming week, here is our agenda and Pr Requests:

  • Many of you know that we were able to visit the homes of 4 boys over the last 2 years. One of these boys has been given a good book and has asked to know more.
  • Pr Request: A student asked Becky for a good book this week. They will begin reading together. We ask Father to draw this student near to Him and that this student will come to know Him.
  • PR Request: Becky went with R to her baby doc appointment and we learned that the baby’s umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck one time. The doctors are not too concerned at the moment, but we pry for no further complications for the remainder of R’s pregnancy. She is due August 8.
  • PR Request: We have resumed our village cell training with S3 and her husband. We are training them in a new d-ship method that is a bit of a challenge for them. We are confident that Father has provided this specific material for all of us to use and become familiar with. We pry for continued guidance and wisdom as we all grow together in the expansion of the local body.


He Is Risen Celebrations

Easter happened to fall on a school holiday this year called, “Tomb Sweeping Festival”. This is a nationwide holiday where families visit the graves of their passed loved ones. They burn incense, paper money, paper houses, paper Jackie Chan’s and celebrities, fake gold jewelry, and other items of worldly wealth in the belief that the aroma of these burnings will reach their dead family members in their afterlife. This is a deeply rooted tradition amongst the culture we live in.

We had the opportunity to share about the Tomb and the powerful resurrection story of salvation to our students during this time. Becky dyed Easter eggs with her classes and walked through the events of Holy Week with them. 200 students heard the message and the meaning of Easter.

To continue with our weekly celebration of "He Is Risen" Chris took some boys out for an overnight camping trip. The boys got to help one of Chris' friends work on his new outdoor adventure park. They spent the day cleaning a cave, making some new climbing routes, and building steps into the cave. With the sun starting to set they all sat around and had some homemade Texas chili, while watching the eclipse take place. For each boy it was their first eclipse they have ever seen and they all got real excited.

We had a special gathering in our home of 15 students for an Easter meal later that week. This was one of the largest groups we’ve had the privilege of hosting, and several of these students were new to our home. The highlight of the evening happened when we all held hands in a circle around the table and each person pryed. Some of them were nervous, but it was a great opportunity for them to express their thankfulness and experience what it is like to talk to Father. One of the boys we are close with happened to pick up a good book that was on our coffee table, and he said he was interested in reading it to know more.

We continue to be amazed at what Father does when we open up our home to these students. We feel that keeping our home open and hosting dinners is not only a gift of friendship and love but also a multitude of opportunities to share. The Son did not love the lost from afar. He drew near to them, lived life with them, and loved them with a perfect and authentic love. Our desire is to become more like Him as we love on our students.

Please remember us each week as we host meals in our home and have game nights with students. We ask Father to flood us with opportunities and conversations that point to His salvation.

10 Fingers and 10 Toes

We have an awesome friendship with a young married couple in town that we’ve known the wife for 10 years. She was a student on our campus in 2005 and was led to the Father by a team from LABC that summer. Becky also met her in 2005 and has been friends with her since then. Right before we came back to the states in December, we had dinner with them and they told us they had just found out they were expecting their first child earlier that day. We have recently spent time with them and she is now 5 months pregnant! R is a family member, but her husband A is not. However, our time together recently has shown significant movement forward for him. He asked us to give their child an English name that means courage, love, and faith. We are excited to dig into scripture and pour out the words of the Father that speaks on the miracle of having a baby.

R asked Becky to go with her to her ultrasound appointment at the local government hospital. This was Becky’s first time to see the movements of a baby in a sonogram. It is so powerful to see the miracle of life right in front of you and to be reminded that there is an ultimate Creator who loves every ounce of us. The coolest part was hearing the heartbeat! It was such a special time between two sisters in Chst. Becky spent time prying with R and sharing a few verses with her.

Psalm 139: 13-18 says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O’ Father, They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

This verse takes on a whole new meaning when you look up at a screen and see a tiny human wriggling around its mother’s womb! We pry that R’s husband will hear this truth and believe in the ultimate Creator!

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Father always, for He is the eternal Rock!”

Becky gave R this verse written on a note-card before her sonogram, and it was perfect timing. The doctor revealed that the baby’s umbilical cord is wrapped around its neck one time. They are not too concerned about this right now and will continue to monitor him/her. This made R feel worried, but this specific verse was of great comfort to the heart of a worried, expectant mother.

After her appointment, her husband drove us around town. When he parked his car, he said that there was a local community nearby and asked if we wanted to go! R had been to this community many times, but A had not and was interested in going inside. So, we all went inside the community and watched a group of small children rehearsing for their Easter performance. This was such a big moment! R usually attends the community alone and it gave her great encouragement to know that her husband was interested in giving it a visit. We continue to pry for A and that his heart will be transformed by the grace of the Father. Just as the Son changed the world when He was born, we really believe that a baby changes everything. Our pr'yr is that Father will use this precious new miracle of life to transform the lives of this sweet couple.