February 2015
Greetings and Happy New Year!
We’ve been through a wonderful holiday season of Christmas and the New Year. We spent both times with our international YWAM family here at the base, sharing good food from all over the world and laughing together. One of the hardest things about living overseas is not being able to spend holidays with immediate family. Thank God for the body of Christ and the good friends within it to comfort one another. We still baked and shared some holiday time through Skype (thank God for Skype too!)
NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS, NEW SCHOOL
This year, as many previous years, we begin with some staff training and preparations before we start the SBS again. This year the SBS will have 6 students, including 2 of our own staff! We’re also aiming at having a Chinese/English DTS starting in April to serve our near neighbours in the north. This June we’ll have another Thai/English DTS. And finally, we’ll be pioneering a new school on base: the School of Frontier Missions. This new school is designed to prepare people to reach out to unreached people groups and give them tools and skills to plant churches among them.
ELIAS IS GOING TO SCHOOL
Finally our young boy is ready to go to school. He’s going to be entering kindergarten this coming August. The Chiang Rai International Christian School (CRICS) is close to home (15 minute drive) and was designed, developed and established by missionaries who live in Chiang Rai. Many of the foundational values come from within our YWAM family. This school, being international, is not cheap, but it’s the cheapest English option. We’re in need of a $500/month (or $5,000 yearly) increase in support to be able to send him to this school. Would you consider supporting Elias’ education? please find information on how to give here.
BIBLE PROJECTS PHASE 2
Many of you may remember our trip to Kona, Hawaii last year. Our main purpose in going there was to serve a Bible Project. That Bible Project has moved forward to the point of doing the final edit before going public. The leader, David Hamilton, has designated the dates of April 6 – May 16 of this year to gather a group of editors and go through the entire Bible together. He has asked us to serve this project once again. It is our desire and plan to serve in this 6 week phase of the project in Kona, Hawaii. As this is an expense outside of our monthly budget, we’re aiming to raise money for our travel to/from Kona ($5,000 now thanks to the Canadian dollar). Would you consider investing in this kingdom-advancing project? please click here for info on how to give.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Intimacy in our walks with Jesus (personally and as a family)
2. Health (Rob was recently hospitalized for a couple of nights because of a bacterial infection in the stomach)
– Cy’s been battling sickness for the past 2-3 months. First she gets strong allergies, then a cold, then stomach issues, then other things. It just keeps rotating and she never really gets better. Please pray that this would end and that her health would be restored.
3. Wisdom and discernment (we realized that these are two of the best things to ask for as leaders in the body of Christ)
4. Finances (we need to see an increase in monthly support for Elias’ schooling and raise support for a specific trip to Kona for the Bible Project)
5. Our testimony (“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
Here are some pictures of our base, our ministries and community life over the past 8 years.
Blessings from our family to yours!