Missionary (Sabbatical) Update
000August 28, 2007
Missionary (Sabbatical) Update
I know it’s been since May of this year that you’ve heard from me. I wasn’t really hiding! I made it around the world from L.A. and back from mid-March to 1st of May—Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sri Lanka. It was an amazing trip with many teaching and ministry opportunities in a short period of time. It was fun watching the Holy Spirit organize and connect my schedule so quickly for three weeks in Kenya. I was actually to go to DR Congo first but terrible shooting/war erupted with a rebel army and so the day before leaving, I had to shift first to Kenya and then went to Congo in April.
So much happened in such a short time. I’ve attached reports of both this trip and the current information on our boys and David’s House of Refuge. I’m hoping you will open them and read them or print them for later reading. Kenya/Sri Lanka report is one page—other report on the boys is longer and fills you in on the conditions in Congo right now. THESE REPORTS ARE ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED IN PRAYER AND RESOURCES. I am simply a channel.
I spent May involved in my son Tom’s wedding to Amanda in Kansas City and visiting family and FLRC partners. June was very busy handling semi-annual financial reports, recording all trip expenditures, and writing the reports I’ve attached. In July I finished a final paper due to Wagner Leadership Institute and received my diploma as Doctor of Ministry with an emphasis on Practical Leadership. This was great but the more wonderful thing that happened is that while I was in Kenya last September, 2006 I had a very detailed dream and Jesus handed me my diploma Himself and had an amazing party for me with lots of people—so that dream meant everything to me! I am home for the remainder of the year and will be working on a grant and a book. These were instructions given me by the Holy Spirit while I was on retreat alone in January of this year. Besides
these big assignments, I weave in many other activities and responsibilities on a daily basis:
• I spend a couple of hours a day on prayer and study. Missions groups also recommend that missionaries in difficult areas spend a year sabbatical after 5 years on the field. So that He can send us out renewed and refreshed and restored! It’s about Him—not me.
• I counsel different individuals as needed—sometimes several hours a week and sometimes an hour. I’ve simply asked our Lord to use me while I’m home.
• I have had several opportunities to teach and to minister to various groups.
• I assisted a leader in our church with her assignments for a graduate missions class.
• Then there is the normal—updating my credit report, car repairs, ministry & family
correspondence, filing, insurance and so on—trying to keep my life here in order—just like
you! It is actually challenging to keep organized when you move from home-to-home, and
store your life in boxes and suitcases in your car or sheds. I’m getting there!!!!
• I am house guest in a very beautiful California home while the owners are in Oregon. I
manage the routines of the gardeners, pest control, swimming pool caretakers, water leak,
wasp problem and a broken patio door (by the gardeners). This is certainly a huge change
from bucket baths, cold showers, squatting toilets, constant noise, problems & challenges, etc. Only God could orchestrate something like this for sure! I am able to swim daily as their pool is a pebble-tech pool and doesn’t get hot in this 105-110 degrees daily heat in the desert.
• I look after two other homes currently as their owners are on vacations to Hawaii and Italy and they are near my home and members of my church—getting mail, pest control, watering dozens of plants etc. I’m so grateful for this opportunity!
• ALL projects in DR Congo and Kenya—continue without me there. I spend 2-4 hours a day in emails, text-messaging, and international phone calls-- trying to teach them how to write good reports; asking dozens of questions to complete reports; solving problems; getting money to them etc. We have two host homes that care for our boys in Congo. It is difficult getting them to understand what is needed and why! Also, they can’t type and don’t know the keyboard so it takes them a lot longer to write me and they have to pay by the minute for internet!
• In Kenya we continue to help with the widows, a prison project, our church we planted in a very poor almost slum area and the home we started for girls who are Aids orphans. In
addition I’m helping a young man 18 years who is very bright with his high school fees and to start a youth prayer group, Youth Eagles Prayer Team, at his school (private schools board for greater student control & public schools are really bad with no books and conditions are terrible). He is just now finishing sophomore year—typical of poor families.
I am in Rancho Mirage (same community former President Ford lived in), California for now and have a PO Box 3589, Palm Desert, CA 92261. I’m ten minutes from Palm Springs. My cell # is 920-251- 1144. I too have limited daytime minutes but it is free after 7p which is good since I am two hours behind central time.
However, Monday nights I am taking a German I class at the Jr. college (another Holy Spirit assignment); Tuesday nights are my home fellowship night (my church group); Wednesday nights are intense Worship/Prayer at our church extension in Yucca Valley (about 45 min. from my house). Thursday, Friday and the weekends are best. I’ve attended a conference every month since May—to be refueled and re-fired so as to serve HIM with more strength, courage, wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit for the next five years or so. I am so desperate for more of the supernatural—to be as Paul said, “I didn’t come to you with eloquent or persuasive words but in demonstration of power.” Well this should give you some idea of my life on sabbatical! I truly am working to be accountable for this precious time I’ve been given. I don’t yet know when I’ll leave after the first of the year. I am waiting for God’s direction and strategy. Please pray for me as I seek to know His will and His ways for myself and those affiliated with Family Life Resource Center.
I do keep you in my personal prayers—if you have special requests that you haven’t made known to me, I’d like to know so that I pray effectively for you. Thanks again for caring—and caring enough to read this.
Much love and prayers,
Mom/Theresa
CRVF is the Congo branch of FLRC, a 501c 3 corporation. All donations are tax deductible.
