December 16, 2014
Christmas greetings!
With 24 days until we board the plane for Sierra Leone, we know that an update is in order. You all mean the world to us, and we so appreciate your prayers and support! Love you all dearly!!
2014 WAS OFF TO AN AMAZING START with teams in February, May and June focusing on our orphans, street boys and construction! The Lord was at work as well as we shared in strategic planning among partnering organizations for future ministry opportunities. And we were especially thrilled that the adoption process for two of our orphans was completed in July, and the kiddos flew with their new forever parents to the USA!
IT WAS THE WEEK OF JULY 21 that Ebola entered the capital of Freetown, and we began to talk through what it might look like if we chose to stay in Sierra Leone, or how we would set things in motion to run ministries long-distance from Texas. After much thought and prayer, we departed for the USA mid-August. Thankfully, all work has continued with some modifications with the exception of construction!
EBOLA IS STILL A CONCERN IN WEST AFRICA, but we feel an overwhelming peace that we are to return HOME. We have now shifted gears and are making preparations to fly on January 10, 2015.
A NEW AREA OF MINISTRY: "RELIEF" - we have never liked the word RELIEF because there is no clear view to self-sustainability, but Sierra Leone is in an extreme crisis, and people we love are suffering. We know we cannot feed 6 million people, but we are developing a list of 15-20 family units, aside from our orphans and caretaker families for street boys, that we believe we need to assist. A basic parcel that will help to offset needs will include rice, peanuts, oil, salt and soap for approximately $75 per month. For families who have absolutely no income, we may double the parcel. We would like to commit to help these families for up to one year. We pray for discernment and wisdom as we seek to meet needs!
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE - with things settling down in Liberia, we feel more attention will be focused on Sierra Leone. Other missionaries are planning to return in 2015, and we are in on-going communication. Our prayer and our hope is that things will turn around for SL, and in the meantime, the Lord will be able to speak to hearts through this time of crisis that would not be open to hearing His Voice any other way.
We love you!! Thank you for your prayers, support and the love you have for us and all those we serve!!
It's all for the Kingdom!!
Tom, Beck and Bo
Christmas greetings!
With 24 days until we board the plane for Sierra Leone, we know that an update is in order. You all mean the world to us, and we so appreciate your prayers and support! Love you all dearly!!
2014 WAS OFF TO AN AMAZING START with teams in February, May and June focusing on our orphans, street boys and construction! The Lord was at work as well as we shared in strategic planning among partnering organizations for future ministry opportunities. And we were especially thrilled that the adoption process for two of our orphans was completed in July, and the kiddos flew with their new forever parents to the USA!
IT WAS THE WEEK OF JULY 21 that Ebola entered the capital of Freetown, and we began to talk through what it might look like if we chose to stay in Sierra Leone, or how we would set things in motion to run ministries long-distance from Texas. After much thought and prayer, we departed for the USA mid-August. Thankfully, all work has continued with some modifications with the exception of construction!
EBOLA IS STILL A CONCERN IN WEST AFRICA, but we feel an overwhelming peace that we are to return HOME. We have now shifted gears and are making preparations to fly on January 10, 2015.
A NEW AREA OF MINISTRY: "RELIEF" - we have never liked the word RELIEF because there is no clear view to self-sustainability, but Sierra Leone is in an extreme crisis, and people we love are suffering. We know we cannot feed 6 million people, but we are developing a list of 15-20 family units, aside from our orphans and caretaker families for street boys, that we believe we need to assist. A basic parcel that will help to offset needs will include rice, peanuts, oil, salt and soap for approximately $75 per month. For families who have absolutely no income, we may double the parcel. We would like to commit to help these families for up to one year. We pray for discernment and wisdom as we seek to meet needs!
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE - with things settling down in Liberia, we feel more attention will be focused on Sierra Leone. Other missionaries are planning to return in 2015, and we are in on-going communication. Our prayer and our hope is that things will turn around for SL, and in the meantime, the Lord will be able to speak to hearts through this time of crisis that would not be open to hearing His Voice any other way.
We love you!! Thank you for your prayers, support and the love you have for us and all those we serve!!
It's all for the Kingdom!!
Tom, Beck and Bo
