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Thailand Initiative Update
Dear Friends,
Not long after high school I heard a prolific poet say, “Writing is the hardest thing I do.” Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are all hard. That made sense to me. Ideas were easy. A young mind is curious about many things. Fast forward a bit and here I sit for the 20th day in a row thinking, “If I could only find the words.”
Some of you who have been with us awhile may already guess this. When you read updates from Rick and Myla, Rick writes the words and Myla fixes them and adds pictures. 17 years of ministry and life have been made happier and more successful because Myla fixes more than my words.
In July, Aden and I returned to the Philippines because school was starting. If Aden missed 9th grade here, we would have been in the USA for his high school years. Myla stayed in Massachusetts waiting for her interview to become a US Citizen. As of now we have no idea when that interview will be. Separation has been hard, but God prepared us. We give thanks, because we are awesomely and wonderfully made, Psalm 139:14. We are built to do hard things.
We are thankful for those who gave generously during our home assignment. You fed us emotionally, spiritually, and financially. One highlight for me was studying the Bible early Thursday mornings with faithful men. Challenging each other to apply what we read in our lives helped make the decision to return with Aden easier. One major theme throughout the Minor Prophets is God calls His people to remain faithful to the covenant he made with them. God is faithful and just. Our part is to be strong, courageous, and get to work. So that is what we did.
Thank you to everyone who cares for our family and encourages us.
Santisuk English Centers in Bangkok need volunteers. In the last few months 5 people were baptized and are now active in the local where they are being discipled. Serving for a month matters! So, if you cannot come, please help us recruit others who can.
"Coach Berry" is back. Each week I work with 5 coaches to train 45 basketball players age 12-17. In Thailand and the Philippines, sports ministry remains an excellent tool for evangelism; even the Apostle Paul leveraged its cultural relevance.
Myla receives her interview date, passes the citizenship test, new passport is issued quickly, and the Berry family gets mom back.
Pray that a money miracle happens. We still need $12,000 dollars of personal support. To fully fund our projects in Thailand and the Philippines the figure is $32,000. With a year to visit churches and meet new friends, I was hopefully confident that our personal support and all of our projects would be fully funded. Although we have not met our funding target, we are still working, praying and trusting that generous hearts will help us reach our goal.
That we continue to listen and obey the voice of God as he guides our lives.
Pray that more people in your life and mine meet, know, and follow Jesus.
Serving with you!
Rick and Myla Berry
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