If you are reading this blog, you are probably already aware of our plans for 2012. I hope all who read already know that we've been Stateside for 2 1/2 years now and Paul is looking forward to his graduation in May with a Master's in Theology from Reformed Theological Seminary here in Orlando. It's amazing to us to see how the Lord has provided for us the past 2 1/2 years and His goodness to us. It's overwhelming, actually!
We are so excited to be gearing up to return to Thailand, hopefully the end of October this year! We've been praying and praying and praying about so many of the details of our return and I'd just like to lay out a few of those details that the Lord seems to have answered and is still answering.
Firstly, in May of 2011, Paul traveled to Thailand to scout out areas of interest to us in serving upon our return. We had been praying about one certain province and thinking strategically about beginning a new church planting work there and moving our way south. Paul's trip confirmed our thoughts and it seems the area we were praying about will be a great launching point. We are hoping to move there and begin learning the customs of this city/area as it is different from where we were in central Thailand, where we lived in Bangkok.
Secondly, another major point of prayer has been for teammates. No one wants to be the Lone Ranger on the mission field, and we are no exception! So, we've been praying. The Lord is so gracious to have given us several folks who are seriously considering and praying to join us. If you are a praying person, please pray for these folks as well. Pray for clear discernment and leading from the Lord. In June, Paul will be taking some of them to Thailand to show them the area and give them a glimpse of what life is like there. The process for becoming a missionary is quite involved with Mission to the World (our agency) which we are also grateful for, but again, pray for wisdom for all who assess and are being assessed.
Thirdly, Paul started 2012 off calling and making contacts with different people and churches for financial support and he is already scheduled to speak at several different events in the coming months. Again, we stand amazed at the Lord's goodness. For the past 2 1/2 years we've looked at each other and said, "we don't know where the support is going to come from." When we returned from Thailand, most of the churches that support us, dropped us due to the fact that we were no longer on the field. And, we understand that reasoning. However, we also knew that we wanted to get done with seminary and back on the field as quickly as possible. When the churches dropped us, many said they would like to support us again when we head back to Thailand. So, we're hopeful that will happen, but the reality is that that money has probably already been pledged to other missionaries in need of support...which is good also! So, long story short, we've been looking at each other wondering where the money we need is going to come from. We've asked everyone we know for support, we've exhausted our contacts...but already, we see the Lord's wisdom and graciousness and goodness as we step out. We've been put in contact with many just through simple networking and though we don't know that any financial support will come of it, we pray that the Lord will bless and that we will be able to return in October. We've also has several people increase their support over the past 2 1/2 years which blesses us. We are aware that so many give sacrificially to their church and to missionaries and it blesses us and humbles us to be on the receiving end of that service.
So, in a not so little nutshell, that is what is going on with us! We are eager to return and get back to work in Thailand. No doubt, the road will have it's bumps and potholes. No doubt we will be discouraged, no doubt we will be even more dependent on Christ, no doubt we will struggle but it's all worth it for the sake of the gospel and for the name of Christ to be adored by all peoples. Please keep us in prayer, for He hears and He answers...just look what He has already done!
If you are interested in connecting us with your church, small group, or any other contact, please drop us a note in our comments. If you are interested in supporting us either prayerfully or financially, please let us know by dropping us a note in the comments or in our inbox at paulcrystal.henry (at) gmail.com. You can learn more about Mission to the World and us at www.mtw.org.
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