Our time has come and gone for us here in the States.  We have just packed our 6 duffle bags and are ready to begin the trek back to Indonesia on Wednesday.  What a great time we have had these past 4 months.  Memories that are close to the surface for us are times of sharing and fellowshipping with friends and family, seeing the girls enjoy the beach, berry picking, parks, American ice cream, and meeting our families for the first time.  We have also truly benefited by great times of  refreshing in the Lord!  Due to having our home assignment time shortened by a month and a half (because of our Visa requirement in Indonesia) we have tried to cram visits in and get things done before heading back.  Wow has it been a whirlwind but we have enjoyed the times of connecting and fellowship along the way.  Thanks for praying for us through this time and for many of you in Jacksonville who came to our luncheon last weekend where we shared what the Lord is doing in and through us in Indonesia!

It’s been a different home assignment time for us as we have felt the grief of not having Tim’s mom here with us, and losing my grandmother.  We’ve also dealt with a lot of roller coaster emotions as we look ahead to what the Lord has for us back in Indonesia.  As many of you know we are not heading straight back into the village.  We will be renting a home in the town of Pontianak for a time in order to pursue a ministry shift that entails working more closely with Indonesian believers to equip and encourage them to reach their own people for Christ.  There are many areas that are still unclear but we are confident that as we continue to walk in the light that the Lord has given us, that He will make it clear what the next step is.  We will keep you updated on the specifics of what this ministry shift will look like for us.  Thanks for praying with us on these things!

Another developing part of our story is in regards to our partners the Carpenters.  Some of you may have already heard but if not, we found out just a couple weeks ago that they will not be rejoining us in Borneo.  They have also been on home assignment this summer.  They are sensing the Lords leading into another area in ministry at this time.  We will truly miss them.  This came as a surprise to us but we are trusting that the Lord is orchestrating things according to His plan and we know that we can trust His faithful heart to continue to provide for and lead us and the Carpenters into what He sees best.  How great to know that the Lord sees the big picture and is using these changes in our lives for His glory and our growth!

Dina and Abby are doing well and continue to bring us much joy and laughter.  Dina is just getting down more words to “Jesus loves me” and goes around the house singing it- so precious!  Thanks for praying for them especially as we go through lots of travel and moves and new people and places again.  We’ll be changing time zones by 12 hours so that will take a couple weeks to get used to.

Thank you for serving Christ and blessing us through your ministry of prayer and giving!