Hey Everyone,
What a start to the new year!
By the time you get this, Chris and I will be back in Chennai, India for a children's home dedication. We're so thankful for the opportunity to go back and see the children as well as offer thanks for God's faithful provision for them over the years. It will be a time of rejoicing at God's provision and also a time of grieving the loss of little Suryakala, who passed away this Spring. We are eager to see her sister, the sole survivor of her family. Her mother, father, and now sister were all victims of AIDS. Maybe you could take a moment to remember all of those abandoned because of HIV and AIDS. This pandemic is wreaking havoc on an incomprehensible number of our brothers and sisters.
Since the new year, we've been hopping! Chris and I traveled to Atlanta to speak at the Passion 07 conference—Chris did an incredible job expressing God's heart for the poor and for us. Chris traveled to Vanderbilt University to speak to the MBA and divinity students on poverty in India, and the two of us traveled to George Fox University in Oregon where Chris and I spoke at their missions conference. January was a full month, but rest is around the corner.
We wanted to send this letter with three primary objectives in mind.
First, we need to thank each of you for your faithfulness in prayer and support this past year. We ended 2006 with a positive support balance and the hope that 2007 would be another year full of God's provision. As always, we are humbled and blessed by each of you who think of us, support us, and pray for us. We couldn't do any of this without you.
Second, we would like to specifically ask you for your prayers. In the February issue of Christianity Today, Chris has an article on community as part of the Christian Vision Project series. Chris feels humbled to be included in this series of articles and hopes that his offering will be helpful in some way. This opportunity to write has opened up other opportunities for similar influence. On January first, Chris signed a book contract with IV Press. The manuscript is due May 1. We'll be sure and let you know when it is available for sale—later this year or early next year.
Third, this is a sabbatical year for us. The board has strongly encouraged us to take time off for rest, reflection, and renewal. It's the first real sabbatical we will have ever taken. After 10+ years of very active service among the poorest of the poor, our community is beginning to learn more about rhythms of rest and reflection and nurturing the body, mind, and soul regularly. So, with this sabbatical, we hope to initiate some new healthy rhythms of rest and renewing the imagination.
Our sabbatical will take place in two parts. The first part will take place in Northern Spain on El Camino de Santiago. Google the camino to learn more about this historical, life-changing Christian pilgrimage. We will walk daily, about eight hours per day, for approximately 5 weeks making our way to our destination—the cathedral that commemorates the life and martyrdom of St. James.
The second part of our sabbatical will take place at Duke Divinity School. The Center for Reconciliation, led by Chris Rice and Fr. Emmanuel Katongole, has invited us to be visiting practitioner fellows for the fall semester.
Stay tuned for more exciting details!
More than ever, Chris and I feel the need for your continued partnership and prayers. We need you in our service. Thank you for standing with us and supporting us and loving us so well.
Trying to take it slow, keep it simple, and bless God every step,
Phileena