A recap of furlough and what's next for us...
at Auckland International Airport
Kia ora koutou! Greetings from Auckland, where we have returned from our 3 months of furlough work in the USA and are settling back into our home and routine. If you are new to our email list, then welcome! There are links at the bottom of the email for additional ways to connect with us, such as Facebook and Instagram.
It's mid-winter here, so we've packed away our shorts and jandals and have pulled out the woollies...there's nothing like a freezing cold toilet seat to wake you up in the morning!
Here's a recap of what we got up to for the second half of our furlough...
vacation with all the cousins...so many cousins
Wait...where's Kenny?
these generous families donated over $10,000 to our ministry during a week of VBS!
We were overwhelmed with how God provided for our needs on this trip. From free transportation, to inexpensive accomodation, to all of the families who opened their homes and hearts to ours - God truly is able to do more than we can ask or imagine!
Church Plant Funding Update
As many of you know, we were not just connecting with our personal financial partners, we also had to spend time raising start-up funds for the church plant.
Here's where we are:
Our Goal:
$270,000
This amount covers start-up purchases as well as operating costs for the first five years, on a diminishing basis. This does not include our salary or personal ministry expenses.
Current Commitments:
$145,000 (54%)
If you are interested in getting involved as a financial partner with a one-time, tax-deductible gift, please visit this website and follow the instructions.
Family Update.
The kids have returned to school for Term 3 of their school year (NZ has year-round schooling, from February through mid-December). They're also joining in with some extra activities, such as choir, basketball, and piano lessons. It's a busy time for us as a family, but we enjoy exploring what the kids enjoy. Henry loves to bake with mum (probably so he can taste-test things along the way), so one of our first activities after we returned from furlough was to make banana bread together. Nothing makes a house smell like home like banana bread baking in the oven!
Lane and Henry both celebrated birthdays in June!
Prayer Requests.
Praise: Financial Provision
Praise God that He has provided enough funding to cover the costs of our furlough, as well as increasing our monthly partnerships. He is so, so good to us.
Our Teammates: The Taylors
Our teammates - Hamish & Molly Taylor - are back in NZ with us, and we're loving getting to spend time with them. They still have about 60% of their monthly funding to raise, so please pray that they gain some ongoing financial partners. If you'd like to help, you can find out how here.
Elaine Hutchison (Nate's mum)
Please pray for Elaine as she has been diagnosed stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Praise God that she's now in full remission! However, this type of cancer usually returns quickly, so please pray for continued success with her clinical trial, and for her white blood cell count to increase.
Tami Meaige (Whitney's mum)
Pray for continued strength and healing as she recovers from treatment for breast cancer.
Potential Church Plant Venue
Please pray for favour with the developing community centre management in NW Auckland. It's looking more and more promising. We expect to find out by November if our request to use the auditorium has been approved.
Praise: Church Plant Progress
We've secured a solid partnership with Shore Community Church. Continue to pray that God will stir the hearts of the individuals he's chosen to be heavily involved in our NW Auckland church plant. Please pray that we follow God's leading in this, and that He will provide the workers and opportunities we need for the spiritual harvest.
Financial Partnership
Please pray for our financial partnerships to remain strong, that God will provide for what we need, and that we will be good stewards of what He provides. If you'd like to help, you can donate here.
Our Family
Pray for good health and positive friendships.