Dear Loved Ones,
As the New Year begins, our thoughts are filled with gratitude for you! As we look back at 1999, we are humbled with the ways God has provided for our every need. Many of those needs for love, support, encouragement and prayers came through you. Thank you for being a vessel of God's blessing to us and to those you may never meet this side of Heaven.
In this new millennium we are expecting great things from God for the poor. As the mission grows, we are in ever-increasing need of your support in our lives. We cannot thank you enough for remembering us and joining with us in ministry among the least of these, around the world.
In December we went to Nepal. This was an important time for our community working there. Chris led a retreat for our staff and met with a local Christian organization about possible partnership in ministry among the poor of Kathmandu. It was a fruitful visit to this beautiful land where less than 1% of the population are Christian. We had a special Christmas party with some new Nepali believers and our staff's language teachers. It was a joy to share the Savior's birth with them! Chris and I were encouraged to be a part of the deep relationships between our North American staff and the Nepali people.
I'm happy to report that God opened the door for some more of Chris' writings to be published. He was a featured writer in Nov/Dec 1999 issue of Maze and January 2000 issue of Good News. I've enclosed a copy of the Good News article for you.
February 14 is the scheduled departure for our temporary move to Peru. We are planning to be there for 6 months living and working with our staff in Lima. We are looking forward to having this concentrated time with the poor. We will study the language and acclimate as much as we can to the culture. Our ministry efforts will be highly devoted to the street children in a city where the estimates are as high as 400,000 little ones living on the streets. We are hoping to assist in the development of a drop-in center for these children. Our time in Lima will also be given to much reflection and writing about the last few years. So much has happened in our lives and the life of the mission, and we are looking forward to slowing down a bit to process the investments God has made in us and in the poor whom we have come to know.
As we move into this next phase in the journey, please consider the following as you pray for us:
1. Open hearts for us to receive what God has for us
2. A time of renewing and refreshment by the Spirit of God
3. God's empowerment for us to serve our staff and the nationals
4. Hearts to receive an increase of God's passion for the lost and the least
5. Posture of humility and obedience (“To whom much is given, much is required.”)
6. The ability to learn Spanish easily
7. Good health
Thank you again for partnering with us. May the Lord pour out His Blessings and Grace in your life as you follow Him.
love & respect,
Phileena