1. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IN MARYLAND – On June 18, Al and I (Mickey) shared about Bible translation with children in grades 1-7 at Grace Bible Church in Manchester, MD. We had a wonderful time with the kids and we are especially grateful to the Lord for making it possible for me to participate this year. Last year, we couldn’t go because I wasn’t feeling well. This past weekend, I wasn’t sure if we would have to cancel out again because of my health, but God made it possible! PTL!
2. EXTENDED FAMILY – On June 2nd, Al and I attended the wedding of our niece Ellen (daughter of Al’s sister Sandy and brother-in-law Dennis) in Washington, D.C. It was great to see Al’s sisters and their families again. We hadn’t seen some of our nieces and nephews for many years, so it was fun interacting with them now as adults. We all agreed that a wedding was a nice way to have a family reunion.
PRAYER ITEMS:
1. JEREMY AND THE KIDS – Thanks so much for your prayers for Jeremy and his four children in the midst of the divorce proceedings. Pray for wisdom and guidance from God for Jeremy as he continues seeking legal help in dealing with the divorce, especially in regards to the custody hearing that will take place today, June 20.
2. COUPLES IN CRISIS – Please continue to pray with us for some couples who are near and dear to us whose marriages are in turmoil. Pray for the Lord’s healing touch and strength for them, and wisdom for us as we seek to help them.
3. KARAO NEW TESTAMENT PROJECT – It is no simple thing to translate the Scriptures into another language. The process is challenging and time consuming. As it nears completion, the enemy of our souls does all he can to stop it from happening. We are seeing this happening in the Karao project in the Philippines. Our colleague, Sherri Brainard, and a variety of Karao speakers completed translating the New Testament into Karao last year. A few months ago, Sherri began the revision process. Her main helper in
the translation process – and who Sherri had thought would help her with the revision as well – had to leave the village to go help her adult son who had a stroke. Pray for God’s provision of capable Karao speakers to help Sherri with the revision so His Word can soon be published and into the hands of the people.
4. ONLINE FACILITATION – I (Al) was recently asked to facilitate a risk assessment and risk management plan for a new project that is being developed. This assessment will involve 12 individuals representing six organizations and will be held in several sessions via internet video conferencing. These individuals are located in several different countries and time zones, which will add to the challenges. The preparations have already begun and I’m looking forward to leading the three online sessions in July. Your prayers are greatly appreciated for the remaining preparations, good internet connections, good
participation in the sessions, and results that will serve well as this new outreach is put into practice.
5. TRAVEL TO THAILAND – Planning is well underway for me to travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand in late July to join in a conference for one of the groups working in a near-by country. I have been asked to provide some individual training during this time with them as well as to provide a presentation to the whole group on how to handle a particularly risk-prone situation that this group faces. I have also been asked to stop in Bangkok for a day to conduct a facility risk assessment at a location that has been chosen for a
conference in October. Please pray for smooth travel and good interactions with the many people I will see on this trip.
