One of the greatest challenges to living overseas is being far away from family.  We feel this acutely as we watch our kids interact with their grandparents.  We’re grateful for technology that allows instantaneous communication across the ocean! Here our 8 year old is enjoying chatting with his grandparents in Colorado.

Seeing this display of “old things” reminded me that we are never to old to be used for our intended purpose. While there might be new and easier ways to weigh, stir, and cut, all of these tools can still accomplish those things. Each believer has a purpose—to share the hope of Christ. There’s no age limit (young or old), no obsolete methods, no expiration date—we are called and equipped.

This city has a diverse international population. We are starting to have access to many various types of food and one of them is ramen! We enjoy Asian food and ramen is a welcome treat in cold or heat!

This last Monday we hosted a leadership seminar for locals on the subject of feedback in the workplace. Several of our higher level English speakers attended the seminar and it was very interesting to hear from them on this subject. In short, the giving and receiving of good feedback seemed like a rarity in most jobs. One man even mentioned how he worked so hard at his job and was proud of what he did, only to be fired the next day and not given a reason. Another talked about how she wanted to make a change in her workplace and be open to giving and receiving feedback in a positive way. Overall it was an interesting discussion and an example of a different way to pour into the lives of people here.  Please pray for the Leadership Institute branch of the center as we strive to not only lead good discussions and coach locals in various areas of their lives, but also to show God’s love through our words and actions to people who are open to life changes.

Pretzel dipping, family trees, minute-to-win-it games, making cloth banners, singing camp songs, teaching new words and more and more… it’s been a crazy week! Today was our last day of Kids Camp. We feel grateful for the Lord’s favor on us during this week. For those of you who prayed for the camp and for strength and stamina for us, thank you. Before dismissing the children for the last time, we had a short program to end the week. We were very encouraged by the many parents who showed up and pray that we can find creative ways to connect with them in the future as well. Will you continue to pray that the time spent this week to lead to deeper connections with families here? 

Successful days 1 and 2 of the Kids Camp at our center are complete! It is going very well! Here are a couple of snapshots from the first two days:

This Monday marks the beginning of a one week kids camp, the children’s version of English intensives we have done in the past for adults. We are prepared for 30 kids and currently have 25 signed up to come. Will you pray with us on these specific topics for the week?

– for the children who attend

– that we will make connections with the parents

– for our local friends who are helping us this week

– for our team to build relationships and rapport with those around us this week for His glory

Would you join us in prayer for a Kids English Program we are preparing for that will take place in mid-September?  We usually teach university age and higher, but feel like we want to connect with some of our students’ kids!  We had a version of this last year, but this year will be a whole new adventure in our new center!  We are hoping for at least 20 kids.  Will you join us in praying for some of the kids and helpers buy name?

“…we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”  1 Thessalonians 2:8b
Pray for sweet times of sharing and connection with our local friends.