Good morning everyone! I am writing from the airport in Belize City, waiting to pick up a guest who will be staying with me this week. Andrew Osmun is representing the board of my missions society, SAMS-USA, and we will be trying to find retreat and conference centers for groups coming in January. I think that it will be a full (very full!) week as we work together, but I am looking forward to it.
We are so incredibly happy to have Juan and María Marentes back with us! They arrived Friday night with María's father and were greeted by a surprise party put on by our churches. It was a beautiful and tender moment, and I personally have been trying to soak up the time with them now that they have returned to be with us. Juan gave a sermon and testimony at church on Sunday, and I expect that he will be up-to-speed with an astounding acceleration. Thank you all so much for your prayers for him and us in his absence.
This week looks like it will be quite busy: Tuesday I will be giving a message at an ecumenical teacher's worship service for Education Week, and Friday we have our regularly scheduled church committee meeting, one which will be important as we prepare for short-term missions teams that are coming to visit very soon. Please keep these and other important meetings and conversations in your prayers this week. May God the Father according to his promise pour upon you the riches of his promised Holy Spirit through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord!