First 20 Days of 2010

Amazing that we are almost 3 weeks into this new year already! Seems like last night that we were watching fireworks and the ball drop to bring in 2010!

This year has started off with a great start for us! We are so excited about all that is to come in the next 11 1/2 months. :)

First, when our oldest (can't go into a lot of specifics about us on this blog) went back to school after the break, there was a new kid in the class. Turns out that he has the same committment to God that we do and his family goes to the same place on Sundays that we do too. It was great to get to meet his family last week and it's so nice for him to be in our oldest's class and be able to have a good friend! Then, as a complete shock to us, our oldest's main classroom teacher said that she has made the same the Committment to God as us too. That is practically a miracle ... there are 18 million people in this city, but one of the less than 1% that believes as we believe is our child's teacher. We are so thankful!

The Center that we are planting in the middle of the village that we have been engaging is getting up and running! There continues to be great interest and lots of people wanting to come. We are so thrilled that we are able to establish this and be able to have a permanent bridge into this community.

We have developed several different language learning opportunities and that is keeping us busy as well. We feel like we have turned a corner (albeit a small one...) and we are able to understand and communicate much better! One of us was able to have a conversation about our Faith last Monday in the language we are learning. Of course, there was a lot more we wanted to say and wished we knew, but it was an 'in-depth' conversation, not just, "I believe this... and we don't believe this..." kind of conversation. That was very encouraging to be able to talk and communicate in this way ----> that's what this is all about!

As a family we are progressing, growing, and continuing to settle here. We appreciate this process, but we greatly appreciate that the first year of moving to a 3rd world country is behind us! We know that we have much to learn and do, but we are thankful that God has brought us to the place that we are at now.

Trusting that your first 20 days of 2010 have been terrific!