Moving Out

Wow, packing up a house to move across the South Pacific is complicated. It is difficult to decide what goes and what doesn't. What do you do with the boxes and boxes of love letters, children's doodlings, sentimental cards, and things like ribbons from the county fair and old school work? In addition to the many trips to the dump with things that nobody else would want, there are several truck loads of things being hauled away to new homes as we pare it down to what we will fit into the trunk of our car for the next several months and what will be stored until it ships out to Vanuatu.

Grace and Josh have been excited all along, but now that we are getting into the thick of it they are really getting anxious. They are having fun packing their own barrel (we are using 55 gallon drums for long term storage, they are easy to move and very resistant to the elements). Whatever doesn't fit they get to give give away.

O how the Lord has been gracious to us. He has prepared us to part with these earthly treasures. And He continues to remind us to store up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy.

Along with the packing we have been saying 'farewell' to our friends here in Montana that have become so much like family to us (we love you guys). Lord willing, on our way from Washington state to Michigan, we will get to spend a short day or two back here in Forsyth the first weekend of May (which is Gracie's birthday - she would be thrilled to get an email from you - gkenner@inbox.com ).

So that is what we are up to now. Thank you all for your prayers. God is so good! He has been opening doors for us to share the gospel and our burden for Vanuatu. He is also providing opportunities as we chart a schedule for the next several months of deputation travels. Keep praying with us for God to move in an awesome way as He provides for the preparations needed, and for us to get to the field!

Also, thank you, to those of you that have taken the time to send a note or email of encouragement. It really means a lot to us to know that you are beside us in this work.

Because His steadfast love is better than life, our lips will praise Him!

Greetings Team Vanuatu!

Yes, those of you who have partnered with us in prayer and finances are Team Vanuatu.

‘Deputation’ is defined as ‘the act of appointing a person or persons to represent or act for another.’

That in a nutshell is what we do while on deputation ministry. We seek those who would appoint us to go on their behalf.

Answered Prayer, and Clear Direction

In last month’s Update we asked you to join us in prayer for God’s guidance and clarity regarding the possibility of a missions internship. Well, God hears and answers the prayers of His people, though often not in the ways we expect!

Thank you for praying with us because after a trip to New Hampshire to meet with Larry Clouse, a pastor on the board of directors for our mission agency, we have the clear direction we have been praying for. Rather than spend the remainder of this year in an internship on his staff, we are going to follow his counsel to begin full-time deputation and get to the field. This was not at all what we expected to hear, although we found it very encouraging.

We heard it said recently that you can tell something is the work of God because you do not have to pull it, it pulls you. We can certainly identify with that statement. This past year has been exhilarating as we simply follow God while He graciously and powerfully leads us in the direction He wants us to go. We have been so blessed to watch Him open doors and make things happen.

Of course there have been times of discouragement and times of waiting. But there were lessons for us to learn there. To wait on the Lord, is not always easy. But those are the times He wants us to trust and rest in Him. And those times in the Valley of Wait have paled in comparison to the rest of the journey.

So where will this journey take us next?

Lord willing, we will join our team in departing for Vanuatu in August. The team is planning what is essentially an extended survey trip before spending a year with Equip, Wycliffe’s language institute in Australia (www.equip.edu.au).

Having been accepted into Equip’s study program, the team will receive training in linguistics, translation, and literacy. This training is indispensable and will go hand in hand with the chronological Bible teaching planned for the Ni-Vanuatu.

While in Vanuatu for this survey period prior to the training in Australia we would live in the capital of Port Vila as we begin our study of language and culture. Also during this time, trips will be made to explore the possible areas of ministry as the Lord leads us to the particular people group He is calling us to. We feel this time in Vanuatu would be an incredibly valuable head start on the full-time ministry.

Pray with us for the Lord’s will to be done. We trust Him completely. He knows best.

There are many financial hurdles to overcome, but with God all things are possible. We are trusting Him to provide the funds for airfare, tuition, etc., and the monthly support needed for basic living expenses in His time and in His way.

The LORD promises in His word to provide for all our needs. Please be in prayer with us for provision.

February in Washington...

...was filled with meetings; lunches, dinners, coffees, desserts (there goes the diet), and Sunday mornings with former home churches. What a blessing to see old faces we haven’t seen in years, and many new faces as well.

Thank for praying with us for this time. It was a refreshing time of reconnection with our families as well as an encouraging time of open doors for sharing the ministry with many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We look forward to seeing how God will use this time as He works in the hearts of His people to draw together our fellow laborers.

Lord willing, we will be returning to Washington for the month of April for more deputation ministry before we head off to Michigan for the month of May.

What does March hold? We are using this month to close up shop in Montana. We will be putting any household goods we might take to Vanuatu either in a storage unit or container as we reduce our ‘carry-alongs’ to what will fit into the trunk of a Honda Civic. Please pray with us for the quick and profitable sale of our crane truck and 130 acres of land in southeast Montana.

These last months in the states will consist of long hours of hard work on deputation ministry as we trust the Lord to provide. In order to walk by faith it is necessary to take the first step. Please continue to persist in prayer with us for many open doors to share our vision for ministry and for God to work in a mighty way to provide financial and prayer partners to be a part of Team Vanuatu.