Team Joys

Our first meeting as a local team was a precious time of sharing, planning and prayer.  We did have one former DC area staff skype to be present.  She had been here when the regional conference was last in DC so her advice and experience were very valuable.  It is exciting to be a part of what God is doing here!  Already HE is growing the team and expanding the number of churches involved. 

A short time later we drove to Springfield, VA to meet one of the gals that Carol is coaching.  She is considering coming on as staff in this area.  We were really excited to meet her in person and get to share about the ministry in this area.         

Traveling North

We traveled to upstate New York for our regional directors meeting in mid November.  God blessed us in so many ways!  We had beautiful weather for all the long drives.  We got to meet a former student who is currently a professor in a nearby college.  Richard led her to the Lord many years ago and our time together was very precious. 

At the meeting our Regional Field Director, Dave Larson up dates us on important information.  He also helps us make future plans for the region.

 At the directors meeting we get to share and pray for one another.  It is a most precious time.

 This time Richard got to teach on spiritual authority, healing and spiritual warfare.  Typically, Richard used drama and involving the "audience" to bring the teaching home.

 We discovered some new talents in the process!

 Jesus won it all back for us !!

Our NE Regional Directors team keeps growing

More than we expected!

" FBR is a church of the nations, for the nations, therefore we exist to win, disciple, and send people across the street and around the world with the message of Jesus Christ."

 It was a tremendous opportunity.  We were reconnecting with a church that wanted to reach out to a campus just down the street from them.  We were blessed to have team mates join us.

Team mates

That same day  Montgomery College celebrates the world and different cultures of some of their students.

 We were blessed to be able to invite church members to join us at this amazing event and meet international students and it fit perfectly with the above mentioned purpose posted in their sanctuary. We enjoyed Indian food and a parade of various cultural sights and sounds.

We hadthe opportunity to purchase spices from around the world.  Then we returned to our host church and visited with another church that is a new plant using the facility.  Another chance to cast the vision!  Amazing! God really filled our day!

Culture Shock

At the beginning of each new semester, new students arrive from all over the world.  It is a scary and exciting time.  For about 6 weeks they are immersed in change and find the new adventure pleasant enough with similarities to home.  This is called the "honeymoon period."  After this period, they can start to experience doubts and reservations.  Difficulties understanding professors and other English speakers, loneliness and missing family, and unfamiliar food choices contribute to wondering if they will ever fit in and why they came.  American friends they acquired during the honeymoon period can help them overcome at this stage so they do not move into disillusionment and despair.  Without support, they travel down the road to withdrawal.  Friendships can not be overstated as the miracle medicine.  This is one reason we try to get as many people as possible to become friends to international students.  Friends are a lifelines.

We have been traveling down to VA for a lot of years ... as our daughter went to school here and as we were engaged in regional mobilization.  We met people, enjoyed the climate and became familiar with the area shopping.  We never suspected that this was our own "honeymoon period."  It is true that the packing, selling, saying good byes, buying, moving, and unpacking was physically and emotionally tiring.  But I never expected my first feeling when walking into our new house to be "oh my, what have we done?"   The amount of change we experienced in every area of life was overwhelming.  The battle of the mind was intense over the next few weeks. It was a battle to stay in faith and in God's Presence, continually reminding ourselves how He led, provided, blessed and protected us every step of the way.  We had to give ourselves permission to be tired and sad, to rest and enjoy re-creation, to have good days where a lot gets done and have bad days when we can't get out of our own way.  This has been quite a trip!

We have been blessed by friends we met previously who helped us have the energy to meet new people.  We are blessed to have found a local church.  We are starting to reach out to area pastors to encourage them in ministering to international students and are seeing that God has touched their hearts.  This has been a culture shock experience for us--a good reminder of what international students go through when they come here--good reminder of the importance of what we do in welcoming them and extending the love of Jesus to them! 

UConn ICF Welcome Picnic

Teams and Body Life

Tim and Julie

 Team work, body life are all a part of what is key in The Kingdom.  We are blessed to be on the ground here in DC area and helping to bring together a team that will pray and work to see our Father's Kingdom come.

Maritza and Carol

 We are meeting together to prayer walk campuses and pray for one another. These pictures are from our regional conference in March.  This is one of the virtues of our team, we pray together.

Hannah and Sam

 But we have not forgotten the team that we left in CT.  They are an amazing group like David's Mighty Men of Valor.  They are praying and doing exploits for God.

Jon and Ruth

Before, during & after: a whirlwind!

"Have a good rest" as Will and Donna step aside for a season to rest up

Praying for Jon and Ruth the new volunteer leaders of ICF

The next morning we had a leadership team meeting to start the year!

Richard is rejoicing because he is about to baptize two of his friends!

We had a great celebration!

 
We also attended Mansfield Christian Fellowship the Sunday before leaving CT.  They were the first church to get behind us and support us financially after we joined ISI.  It was a blessing to have them pray for us and send us off after sharing our testimonies of what God has done for us.

There are no photos of the final days of packing, loading the moving van and trailer, and cleaning the house before the Friday closing.  Then we drove to VA amidst delays and violent thunderstorms. Did our walkthrough on the new house on Sunday afternoon and closed Monday morning.  After the movers left on Tues it took a few days to get our heads above water.  We still have boxes but I think there is a light.

The next Sunday we met with Lisa to talk about her ministry to I/S and how we can help.  Picture is from an earlier meeting ; )

Then Father God blessed us with a reunion with people we haven't seen in a long time.  Richard led his co-worker to Jesus many years ago and he is still faithfully following !  We enjoyed meeting his grands too!

We are moving!

 God has done miraculous things for us.  We went to VA and within 10 days had found a house, achieved an agreement with the seller, and did the home inspection!

 The next four weeks will be extremely busy as we pack and do all the stuff to accomplish moving, while still going to ICF on Friday nights.  We leave CT on June 19th, Lord willing.  Don't blink ; )

The wall in our bedroom to be ...