Greetings to our Faithful Supporters,

As I write I am thanking the Lord for a few raindrops that are falling.  We are about 3 weeks into a dry season and it’s nice not having to be wet and muddy as in rainy season, but the thick smoke that hangs in the air after just a few days without rain is enough to drive anyone to allergies.  The people take any dry day they can get to try to burn off their land for the next field of rice but around the outskirts of town there is so much peat moss that it just smolders and doesn’t really burn.  So we’ve decided we enjoy rainy season better as it clears and cools the air a bit.  I know some of you are in up to your knees in snow still and the winter is probably getting long.  It’s hard for us to imagine as we enjoy our flip-flops and T-shirts everyday!    Thinking about the weather around the world makes me wonder what the weather will be like in heaven.  Will it always be one perfect temperature as determined by the Lord or does He have different parts of the new earth each displaying the best part of each of the four seasons?  Guess we will have to wait to find out, you never know, the wait may not be that long, He is coming soon!  It’s fun to think about and anticipate!

For the last few days we have become used to the clunking sound of a diesel powered cement mixer.  Not on a truck as in the States just a small stand alone one that the men fill with rocks, cement and water.  There is a community project to re-cement the little road in front of our house.  No the government doesn’t do that, they will provide a bit of money to help but it’s up to the people who live on the road to organize and do all the work.  Tim has been able to join in on the project and get to know some of our neighbors a bit better in the process.  They work from 7-10pm when the men get home from work.  It’s a bit tricky to get in and out of our driveway at the moment but the end result will be nice.  As we think about the roads and paths the Lord has put before us, it still is so different than we expected and we continue to ask the Lord for direction for where he would have us after this interim time of living and ministering here in town.

We just had a fellowship conference last week with all the New Tribes Mission families we work with here on West Borneo.  We had a speaker from the States, heard reports about what God is doing in different tribal works here, and had lots of time for fellowship and encouraging one another as we press forward in this foreign land.  As we heard different testimonies it was interesting to hear how so many of our co-workers have found themselves in a different place than they had imagined or that things have not “turned out” as they had expected.  It’s been a good reminder for me that only the Lord knows the path and the plans He has for us.  Even when we have good, godly intentions to do this or that God still changes our course at times to accomplish His purpose, not ours. 

We read the news on the internet and hear from our families of the hard times people are facing in the States with businesses and factories closing and financial problems abounding.  In the midst of all that is happening we thank you for the continued support you send our way and want you to know it’s not something we take lightly.  We know it’s a sacrifice on your part to give and we thank you.  May the Lord continue to bless and encourage you in these last days to lean heavily upon Him in all areas of life and trust His heart to care for you and your family.

Dina and Abby are doing well and have been fairly healthy lately.  They are starting to enjoy one another more as playmates and Dina always finds a new way to make Abby laugh.  They love playing ring around the rosy and finding lizards hiding in the corners of our house.  They are getting more brave to touch them but usually just sneak up on them and then go screaming and running around the house when it moves!  We thank the Lord for our precious girls.

We would love to hear from you or know how better to pray for you.  I would enjoy catching up with any of you that are on Facebook too!

After His Glory in Indonesia,

Tim, Andrea, Dina & Abby