July Newsletter '06

Greetings,

July has been the month of perseverance. Yet, in the midst of my working towards the completion of summer school and Emily’s 40 hour weeks at Chick-fil-a, we have seen the Lord provide, both in our circumstances and in the ministry on Eleuthera.

Eleuthera Happenings

This month has been a busy one in terms of the ministry on Eleuthera. One of the biggest changes has been the recent resignation from one of the missionary families.

Shaun and Diane Childers have served for about a year at EBTC, and after seeking the Lord’s leading they have accepted a ministry change back stateside. The ministry at the Training Center was sad to see them leave, but confident that the Lord has great plans for their future.

Another friend of ours, Julie Landau, left Eleuthera to work at CMA’s US office. She is doing an excellent job working with our mission director, Ron Stokes; though we know she misses Eleuthera.

Mono and I from 2003This month I also talked with my friend Mono. He said that life on the island was good; however the spiritual journey was increasingly difficult. Remember to pray for Mono, he has such great potential to become a leader.

Emily and Tammy from this past MayEmily called Tammy Weinburger, one of the ladies from her old discipleship group, and caught up with what’s new. She found out that Tammy was in a car accident with some of our other friends on the island, and they totally smashed up their truck; however no one was seriously injured. We also learned that some of the summer teams have really been making an impact in the settlements, so it’s good to hear that people are continually being encouraged there.

Providence

The Lord continues to show himself faithful in our lives here in Texas. For example, this month we had to take the car in to get the emissions inspected, and for the first time ever we failed. Turns out we needed new tires; something we really hadn’t budgeted for.

Well, that same week, I got a note in the mail that I had received a scholarship for this semester, so we were able to take the little money we has saved for school and transfer it over to tires. It’s amazing how the Lord provides for what we need right when we need it. And to top it off the tire store gave us a free carwash to boot, (sometimes it’s the little things that matter).

The church and Emily were gracious enough to let me take a few days off this coming August to fly back to Wisconsin to help my dad (once summer school is over). This will be a much needed break, and I am sincerely looking forward to going home. Thus is so many ways, both big and small, we see God's goodness and glory in our lives.

Update
Seems this month has flown past. But we have so much to be grateful for. Summer school is almost over, and Emily’s is looking forward to starting back at teaching kindergarten.

Prayer Requests
When we look at what our lives could be, we're so humbled to see how the Lord has always blessed and taken care of us. Here are a few of the areas where we continue to need your prayers...

Praise that the Lord has provided for all of our needs
Praise that another summer of teams to Eleuthera is coming to completion
Praise for another month of health and safety
Praise for good jobs and good friends

Pray for me (Ryan). I’m fairly worn out from summer school and packing in all my hours at church, and I’m increasingly feeling like I need a break
Pray for missionaries Brad and Alicia Fox as they continue to journey through pregnancy on the mission field
Pray for missionaries Dave and Vickie Hawkins as they go back to Mayo, seeking new treatment for Vickie’s mystery illness
Pray for Emily as she transitions back to kindergarten

Check out our answered prayer requests here: CLICK HERE.

Thank you for keeping up with us and our progress in ministry. We so value your prayers and support, and we would ask you to take a moment and pray for our journey and how you can play a part. To find out more CLICK HERE.