Just over two years ago Christy and I boarded a flight from Dallas to Chicago. Chicago was the first stop on our two year journey with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We studied language and culture at Wheaton College, were commissioned at the General Assembly in Dallas, continued our training in Birmingham, visited family and friends, traveled to many churches, your churches, to ask for your partnership as we moved forward, and then we moved – from Texas to a city just east of Paris. You know the story – it seems like only yesterday, and yet, this side of Thailand, it sometimes feels like our work with immigrants in France happened a lifetime ago. We have experienced much change in the past two years, but one constant has been your partnership of prayer and encouragement. We are so thankful for you.
For those of you who do not receive our monthly e-updates, the next step in our journey will happen in early August. In May, Wilshire Baptist Church (Dallas, Texas) offered me the opportunity to serve as a Pastoral Resident. The Residency is part of Lily’s Transition into Ministry program, and it involves two years of service and learning at Wilshire with the intent of preparing me to be a better pastor. Christy and I are very excited about being at Wilshire and about seeing many of you again.
We will send another email update before we leave, but this is the last newsletter we will mail to you from Thailand. Please read on as we catch you up on the last few months, and as we reflect upon our time at the Upland Holistic Development Project.
