The entire family loves the new minivan!

Thank you for your prayers! 

We are excited to let you know the Lord has provided a minivan for our family.  Within a few months of your praying, we have a minivan that is the exact make, model and mileage we were trusting the Lord for.  We are now proud owners of a 2001 Honda Odyssey with a little over 113,000 miles.  The Lord provided this amazing van, down to the specific details, at a price we could afford.  Because of your prayers, God has provided us with a trustworthy vehicle our family can use for personal use and also for our ministry.  We’re looking forward to driving up to the St. Louis area for a church activity we wouldn’t have tried making in the Explorer, it gets better gas mileage than our other vehicles and we’re looking forward to filling it up for carpooling!  Please join us in praise to God for this amazing van.  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. . .” -Eph. 3:20a.

Building relationships on the job

“Hello, my name is Christy and this is my husband, Wayne.”  Relationships start with hello.  Whether it is a new student, someone joining us on staff, a new person at church, a new teacher I volunteer for, it always starts with “Hello, my name is. . . “.  Our ministry is based on relationships.  Relationships with co-workers, students, church family, financial supporters, husband/wife, children, and the list could go on.  Although Wayne’s ministry may look like a maintenance job, just fixing things, really it boils down to relationships.  Although my ministry may involve volunteering in at school, attending classes here on campus, or just making it to the breaks between classes, it all comes down to relationships.

Some relationships are very obvious.  Wayne has a different student working with him this semester, Anthony.  Wayne works with him three days a week and is teaching Anthony how to come along side and help in the HVAC department.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Wayne also talks with Anthony about classes, family life and future ministry.  As they work together, they sometimes chat about the job they are on, other times they discuss life issues.  Wayne also has relationships with his co-workers.  There is a new electrician on staff this year, Tom.  Just this past week we had lightning strike a tree on campus which in turn knocked out a lot of phone lines.  Wayne’s co-worker, Ken was gone out west in church meetings so Wayne and Tom worked together and fixed the phones.  Both of those relationships are very obvious to be developing. 

But then there’s the not so obvious.  For example, the family who calls after hours because they smell gas in their home and their pilot lights are out in their stove.  Wayne works on their stove, also asking them about how life is going.  Sometimes it’s a quick fix for the stove, but it a longer “fix” for listening to concerns and struggles the couple is going through.  Those opportunities happen on a daily basis for Wayne and it all started with “Hello, my name is Wayne” when they arrived on campus.  He started a relationship. 

Our lives are full of relationships.  Every day is an opportunity to build on our hellos.  Please pray for us as we interact with students, co-workers, and people in our community and our local church.  We desire to make the most of every opportunity.

Ultimately it all comes down to one relationship:  our relationship with God.  Only through God’s grace and love can we build relationships with those around us.  He is the one who prompts Wayne when he’s working on someone’s refrigerator to ask “how are things going for you?”.  He’s the one who directs my steps when I go to break and visit with students.  He’s the one who directs our thoughts as we discuss when and who to have over for meals.  He’s the one who gives us love and patience for those who have “after hours” questions or appliance breakdowns.  He is the one who is our all.

It all started with a simple hello.

2.  Christy is attending the SYIS (Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills) seminar.  We would appreciate prayers as this is every day for a week.  (August 2-7)  Please pray she will absorb what is being taught and then apply it to her life as she interacts with students, staff and her local school contacts as the semester begins. 

3.  Extra expenses this month.  We will have taken two trips to visit supporting churches by the end of July.  Beka and Josh both need eye exams and new contacts.  Christy is having dental work done.  Also, school supplies will need to be purchased soon.

4.  A minivan.  We have sold our big white truck at a reduced price to a family serving in Mexico with NTM, about ready to move into the tribe.  This leaves us without a trustworthy vehicle.  A minivan would be profitable for us as a family and also for our ministry .  Christy would have many opportunities to carpool if she had a vehicle that could carry more than four extra passengers.

5.  Our financial support level.  We are receiving around 50% of our Approved Ministry Budget.

6.  Exciting praise-finances to buy a new laptop!  Our laptop quit while trying to give a presentation at a supporting church.  This same church is providing the finances to replace it!  The laptop will be used for church presentations and Christy can use it as she attends different classes.  It’s an amazing answer to prayer!

Thank you for partnering with us in ministry through prayer!  We appreciate your involvement in our lives!

Do you remember the magazine for children "Highlights"?  I think we saw one recently at the orthodontist’s office.  There were always two pictures in the magazine where you had to pick out the 10 differences in the pictures.  I could always find the first 7-8 without a problem, but the final few were always a challenge.  Well, we’d like to place the same challenge to you:  can you find the differences in the photo above and the image "newest project February 2009" on our photo page of the five plex?  (If you click on the picture, it will be enlarged.)  Hopefully the differences are quite obvious!

The students have all gone their separate ways.  As we write this, Amber Book is in Indonesia with a team of students, visiting tribal works, meeting with leadership and meeting future co-workers.  Misty Graveley has arrived home in Montana after a round about trip including time with friends, a trip to the Grand Canyon, and a wedding in California!  The Hamb family is traveling throughout the summer, meeting with churches and friends, and seeing some family members.  They have one more semester left in the training and hope to be heading soon to Cambodia!  Please pray for all of the students this summer as they have church meetings, renew old friendships and spend time with their families.

Our summer is full of work, work, work.  Well, for Wayne that is.  This summer, along with his normal maintenance jobs, he is working on a number of projects.  Included with all of this is the three week preparation for the Enrichment Seminar (formerly known as Refresher Course).  Over 400 furloughing missionaries, home staff, and their families will be arriving to start the Seminar by June 15.  For the next couple of weeks please pray for all of the staff here as we prepare the campus for the influx of people and also for the Seminar as it takes place.

After looking over March’s prayer requests, we’re excited to share with you some of God’s answers.  Thank you so much for your faithful prayers!

• Praise:  Wayne has finished the installation of the duct work in the five plex.  We continue to look forward to August when we can post pictures of students living in this building!
• Praise:  The work on the remodels is being done.  Because of Wayne’s work load with the five plex and other maintenance issues, he hasn’t had much involvement with this.  We praise God for the team of men in the maintenance department who are doing an amazing job on these two apartments!
• The warmer months are upon us!  This means installation of window A/C units for the students and switching all the main classrooms and office building from heat to A/C.  Please pray that each unit will start up without a problem.
• Wayne is keeping busy with his regular maintenance jobs. This time of the year the work load is heavier.  Please pray for endurance and wisdom as he works each day.
• Only a few more weeks of classes are left! Amber Book, one of the singles Christy disciples, will be taking a three week trip to Indonesia with a team of other students.  Misty Graveley, the other single Christy disciples, will be heading to California for a friend’s wedding then up to Montana for the summer.  Please pray for their time with family and friends.  Also, please pray the Lord will open doors for them to share about their ministry and where the Lord is leading them.
• Please continue to pray for our finances.  We are receiving 50% of our Approved Ministry Budget. 

What is AMS class?  Applied Ministry Skills.  Every Friday morning, for an hour after chapel, the students break up into small groups and discuss the past week’s classes. The time consists of group interaction to help candidates apply the concepts learned in other classes to their life & ministry while here at the MTC.   Basically it’s a time to talk out how their classes can be applied to every day life:  ministries through church, interaction on the campus, outreach ministries, husband/wife/children relationships, roommates, etc. These small groups stay together througout their time here.  Whenever there are small group discussions in other classes, often these same groups are used.  As a result, these students become very close.  About once a month, this same group in the picture meets in our home.  The other weeks they are in others’ homes.   We enjoy our time with these students and are grateful for the interaction we have with them.  Please pray for each of them as they head out for the summer, interacting with their churches, jobs, and friends and family in their home areas. 

     Welcome to the first day of Animism class!  Animism class is a 36 hour course giving an overview of the complex nature and characteristics of animism and animistic people.  I’m excited that for the next 18 school days I will be sitting in on this class.  My other responsibilities will interfere some, but as much as is possible I will be there. 

     What does this have to do with my ministry here?  I’ve seen during our time here there are many classes which have changed since we went through the training.  I’m able to interact with the students as I attend class and throughout the day. The two single ladies I disciple are also in these classes and we enjoy discussing what we have learned as we have our time together.  Along with each of these opportunities, the classes have stretched me spiritually and opened my eyes even more to what our students will be facing on the field.

     Why don’t you come and visit?  We’d love to show you around, let you sit in on a couple of classes or help Wayne with some of his projects!  The students here would enjoy meeting you and sharing their heart for tribal missions with you.