Been a while...

Let me begin with apologies for the length of time since our last update. We are all doing well. We did have a great Christmas season. We missed our families, but God blessed us greatly through the past year here. Here's a little about what is going on with us right now.

In general - we are still adjusting! It is amazing how we have to continue to remind ourselves that everyone has some different background. Culturally speaking, there are some things that we probably never understand, but we continue to try and have some friends who help us get beneath the surface sometimes. We are all excited about our transition time this summer. When we move from Senegal to Rwanda, we are taking a bit of a detour through the States! We will be speaking this June in Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida. We are thankful for this opportunity to share and to see family and friends!

The kids - Luke and Abby (or Abi as her teachers at school spell it!) are doing great. They are learning French pretty well and they love their school. They love to play - with anyone - regardless of language. Anywhere we go, they are likely to find someone to entertain or play with. They love to play together and of course they have their share of disagreements...

April - April is now learning more about the financial world she will be accounting for. For now she has purchased the software and is learning the program and how Michelle Eby uses it for the Africa West Field bookkeeping. She has now made first contact with the person in charge of the children's ministries for our new field. She is also attending a conference on ministering to street children. This is really giving her an even deeper desire to to something to help children.

Spencer - Spencer is beginning to assist our new Field Strategy Coordinator, Chanshi Chanda. There are some limitations due to the distance we are from the field right now, but he is getting to know many things about the French Equatorial Field. The main help right now is being the communicator between the general church and the region to the local district superintendents. The communication right now is maily about preparations for General Assembly.

Prayer - First we need to ask for prayer for two of our pastor/leaders on the Africa West Field. They were involved in a traffic accident in which two people died. They were help in police custody - for their protection from the families of the deceased - for nearly three days. They are required to pay remuneration to the falilies of the deceased now. Their names are Moise and Cyrille. Moise is in the hospital now recovering from injuries recieved in the beating the two received after the accident. We can hardly begin to imagine what these two men of God are going through. Please, say a prayer for them.
- Pray for our transition. There are many details and a TON of waiting. We need your prayerful support as we wait on God and others througout this process.
- Pray for us as we enter new positions. We have begun slowly, which is good, but we want to be use by God in our new assignments.
- Rwanda - pray for peace to prevail. Things look to be okay there and have been pretty settled for some time, but conflict continues close by. Pray for the people there in the areas of comflict as you think of our safety.

We will try to update again soon - with pics! We greatly appreciate your prayers, and as always we love to hear from family and friends any way any time! Blessings!