Through Their Eyes

One of the things I love about social media is that some of our tribal partners are actually online, and it is fun to get to see their pics from their daily life and ministry (also it gives me some pics from our ministry since my hubby isn't much for taking pics on his travels :) ). 

This post is from one of our partners who is actually on "furlough" back in their home area, but while there, he is attending a training to become more effective as a church planter (and hopefully to help us even more with training our future partners). Part of the training included a "practicum" time out in a remote area, and these are some of the pics from that time.

Felt like most of the pics were self-explanatory, but this one is of 2 guys pounding rice for supper. You have to pound it for quite a while to get all the husks off the rice kernels.

So thankful for this precious family and their heart to bring the good news to those who have never heard!

Play on the Pitch

All 3 of the kids have been involved in field sports this fall - on both the soccer and rugby "pitch" as they call it here.

I (Jen) had the privilege of helping to coach this great group of ladies for the soccer season, and we had a blast. It was a building season (with only a few returning starters from the previous year), but it was great to watch them grow both on and off the field. Mikayla was the team captain, and she made it a priority to invest in the girls. I love this pic of her leading devotions before one of their games.

It was a building year, but it was so fun to watch them grow and improve. They played very well as a team, and they even won our final tournament at home - in a nail-biter overtime followed by penalty kick off. Mikayla was one of the kickers, and all of our girls made their shots, and our amazing goalie saved a shot to give us the win!

Mikayla was voted on the all-tournament team. So proud of her accomplishments this season as she led the team in both assists and scores...both from a midfield position (tough to do!). But we were most proud of the way she invested in her team and directed them to HIM!

Zach had a great season too...couldn't find pics right off. He played center mid, and he never subbed off all season (which is rare in that position because it entails SO MUCH running). He had several scores for his team as well, and it was great to watch him leading on the field. They both won team awards - Mikayla got the Most Inspirational, and Zach got Most Valuable Player.

...and they still clean up pretty good... :)

After soccer comes rugby. Mikayla is the captain of her team again, and it is fun to watch her lead for Him on this new team. She has been a scoring machine this season, with 5 "tries" scored just this past Saturday alone. So fun to watch!

Ben has been getting in on the rugby game now too since they just inaugurated the middle school rugby team. He is playing scrum half (same as his big brother, similar to quarterback in football) and doing a great job.

That's him grabbing the ball out of the scrum to pass it down the line.

Zach is playing scrum half again this year, and since they don't have enough players, and he's young enough for the JV team, he is playing both JV and Varsity! He's been doing a great job too.

We actually had quite the scare with Zach last week when he was injured during rugby practice. He ended up with a collapsed lung, and it was tough to stabilize his breathing…some scary moments in there! He had to stay 4 nights in the hospital, but he is doing fine now. His lung is fine now, just a matter of letting his cracked rib heal, then he should be good to go. Thankful for God’s protection during that scary time!

Play on the Stage

Both Mikayla and Ben have been bitten by the theater bug. They LOVE to be on stage and perform with their friends (the other 3 of us just like to watch them on stage). Faith Academy has a phenomenal fine arts department, and we are so blessed that our kids can enjoy the world of theater.

Ben was JayBird in the middle school production of Honk Jr!

He did a GREAT job and had a blast.

 Mikayla had one of the leading roles in the comedic murder mystery Any Number Can Die. She played a ditzy blonde in a love triangle, so it stretched her just a little outside her comfort zone. :) It was fun to watch her shine on stage.

Thankful for the many opportunities that our kids have at Faith Academy!

Through Their Eyes

Another post from our tribal partners so you can see what life and ministry is like for them. These pics were especially touching because they are from a new area, where the light of the Gospel is just beginning to shine. It was good to see the faces of those that are hearing the good news for the first time. Won't you pray with us for them?

Thailand Trip

I had the incredible privilege of helping to coach Mikayla's soccer team this year, and we took the team on a trip to play in a tournament in Thailand. I was responsible for all the logistics, and this proved to be quite and adventure with 18 minors from 7 countries with various visa requirements (both for Thailand and the Philippines!). It was CRAZY but oh such a fun trip. :)

 Dinner in a Thai food court

 An outing to the "sticky waterfall"

 Here's our great team!

 We had the opportunity to have a day of ministry with a local Thai school, showing His love to them (mostly through smiles and high fives since we couldn't really communicate :) ).

 It was a young team and definitely a building year, but we still got a 3rd place trophy, and we were so very proud of the heart the girls showed both on and off the field.

 My greatest joy was getting to experience it all with this one. :) 

And I loved the way she signed the note from the team at the end of the season: "Thanks for being the kind of mom who I also enjoy having as a coach." 

 We had a long layover in Kuala Lumpur on the way home, so we headed in to the city to see the Petronas Towers.

 Added perk was that we got to have dinner with my brother and his wife, and Mikayla loved seeing her little cousin again. :)

So thankful for a great trip with a wonderful group!