2022 Update

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It's been 8 Months...

...since we boarded a plane, baby Zion in tow, and crossed many oceans to return to the United States for a season. The two years we spent in Dubai serving on the FOCUS team have left an indelible mark on our marriage and our hearts. It was very difficult to leave so many close friends and budding relationships, but we rejoice to entrust them all to our sovereign God who continues to build His Kingdom all over the world. 

What Was Our Last Month in Dubai Like?

The sweetest kinship developed between Ivan and Zion. We treasured the two months we could share Z with him. 

SO many people brought us food while we packed up our apartment. This night we tried Indian Chaat for the first time!

We were able to participate in a number of the Summer Bible Discussions before we left. As new and seasoned students studied the book of Joshua, we were so encouraged to see gospel work continuing.

Many "last nights" with friends. This group of students and singles became particularly dear to us.

One thing we really wanted to do before we left was take Zion to the beach near our apartment. Granted, we had to leave around 6:30am to get there while it was a bearable temperature, but we did it! 

Last minute packing mayhem was made easier by friends coming over to help organize things and care for Zion.

So Many Goodbyes

The combination of having a new baby to introduce to our friends and hard goodbyes to say before we left made July 2021 a very full month, but we wouldn't have had it any other way. 

What Have We Been Up To? 

We devoted the first three months of being back in the states (August-October) to visiting all the churches and a number of individuals who supported us over the past two years. We left each church so encouraged by the care, love, and prayers we received from our brothers and sisters stateside. In the midst of so much difficulty and unrest in America, we are encouraged by how God continues to change lives with His gospel and build up His church. During this time, Todd also started taking classes at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Honestly, reentry has been challenging for us. Reverse culture shock, joining a new (and old) church community, the stress of another move, and miscommunication between us has presented unique temptations. There have been times when we have felt lost, depressed, discouraged, and overwhelmed. However, as we've talked with missionary friends we've discovered this is a very normal experience for someone returning from overseas missions. That has been a comfort to us, but even more than that, we have been sustained by the presence and promises of the Lord. We miss Dubai a lot. But we remain hopeful for the future and are excited to see where God is going to lead us! (if you want to learn more about how to serve missionaries in reentry, this article has some helpful insights) The turn of the year has brought many new and exciting opportunities for us which we will share with you in an update in the next week!

CROSS Conference

We continue to try to find ways of staying involved with FOCUS over here in the states. In January, that took shape in setting up and manning a booth for FOCUS at CROSS Conference. We so enjoyed telling college students about how God is working through FOCUS. We were also freshly encouraged by God's heart for the nations set forth in the preaching and testimonies at the conference. 

- Pray with Us - 

• Our friend from Saudi (who Brittany was discipling) has been kept home for a longer period of time than expected in order to be trained in skills to prepare her for marriage. Please pray for God to guard her faith in Him and that her parents would release her from their desire for her to marry a muslim man. 

• Pray for "Joy" as she starts up Bible discussions on her campus after staying home for a semester in Nigeria. 

• Praise God for an unexpected source of funding for a number of FOCUS team members who were not fully funded! Pray for continued funding for the intern program and that more students would join it. 

• Pray for Matt and Kate Zylstra, the couple from Australia that joined FOCUS last Fall. They are stepping into a lot of positions we left. Pray for God to encourage their hearts and knit them into the FOCUS team.