So much has happened since we last wrote. This of course, is due to the fact that we have been inexcusably negligent in our blogging as of late. Please accept our most sincere apology. We really do want to involve you in our lives as well as enable you to minister well in prayer. We know that so many of you who read our blog are praying diligently for the countries we visit as well as ourselves and our team. We will certainly endeavor to do a better job with that moving forward. Thank you for being faithful in this ministry, even when we drop the ball.
So the last time we blogged, it was September and we were in Quito, Ecuador, working at a special needs school. Now we’re a week into December and we find ourselves in Sungai Petani, Malaysia, with two more countries are behind us in Colombia and Japan. The culture shift going from South America to Asia was fairly severe and took some getting used to for all of us. The surprisingly cool weather that accompanied us through all of South America and even Japan is now a distant memory. It’s hot and humid here every day, not too unlike a St. Louis summer day. Then there’s the very obvious change in language – the “proficiency” that we had achieved in Spanish is no longer of any use to us. The Japanese language which we wrestled with last month was challenging to say the least. And moving forward, we’ll have to take on a new language challenge every month with each new country speaking a different language than the last.
In addition to all of this, we underwent team changes at the beginning of Colombia. I’ll try to explain that for you who are not as familiar with our program. Though there is a “squad” of 45 of us on this mission, we are broken up into several smaller “teams” of 6 or 7. Each team, though in the same country as the others, is sent to a different location where they will live life and do ministry as a unit. So with team changes, we parted ways with our companions of the first four months and were placed on a team with other members from our squad who similarly are coming from teams that they have come to know and love very closely by this time. While this change can be difficult and can feel like starting all over again, it is actually very healthy for both team and individual. Nonetheless, it is an adjustment and requires time and effort to get to know your new team members and get to the level of intimacy that is essential to ministering well together.
With all of the changes, however, I can honestly say that we are thrilled to be where we are right now, doing what we’re doing, alongside this new team. We’re really enjoying getting to know each of our new teammates as individuals as we also figure out who we are as a team. We can already tell that God is going to work mightily in and through this group that he’s placed us in. Ministry is going very well. As much as I’m excited to fill you in on what we’re doing right now in Malaysia, know that the next few blogs heading your way will be overviews of Colombia and Japan. We hope to follow those up very shortly, however, with more on what we’re doing here in Malaysia and how you can be praying.
The holiday season is a reminder of all of the loved ones that we’re used to being with this time of year. Know that we miss you and love you dearly! Thank you for continuing to be a part of our lives by following our travels and keeping us in your prayers. We love hearing from you! I can’t tell you how much of a treat and encouragement is every time we get an e-mail with pictures and news from home. Wherever you are, we hope that you are well. Please keep an eye out for more blogs coming your way later this week!
