Dear friends,
Wedding news
May 31st was a beautiful sunny day in Chicagoland! It was the wedding day of our daughter, Rachel. Family and friends gathered for the occasion and it was truly a wonderful celebration. The above photo is of our three kids. We praise God for our new son-in-law, Josh Ellison. Nathan was able to fly in for 3 days from his overseas post and Glenn was the photographer for the wedding. My brother John was a huge help in setting up the reception and my sisters and parents gave him a helping hand. Some of Rachel's childhood friends from the Middle East were also present and they added an Arab flavor with the traditional Arab dance (debkeh) which everyone joined in with. All in all it was a fun, relaxing wedding and all the work that went into planning it was well worth it. Now it is a rush to the finish as we finish packing and saying our good-byes here on this side of the ocean; that part never gets easier.
Departure
This will be the last time we write to you from the USA. On June 17th we will fly from Chicago to Iraq, via Vienna. We covet your prayers as we embark on this new adventure. Life promises to be challenging in our new place of ministry and we will count on you, our faithful partners, to stand with us. We have set up a website where you can follow what's happening in our lives and ask questions/make comments... The address is: ww.phoeniciekonnection.blogspot.com No, you have not been misspelling our name all these years; that's my son's creative mind at work:) (and it makes it more difficult to “find” us)
Opportunities for financial partnership
We have enjoyed getting to many of your churches during the last 6 months and sharing what God is doing in the Middle East. You have been so supportive and we return once again with the strong sense that we belong to a wonderful family of partners and friends. Thank you to those who have given faithfully to our support over the past 25 years. As you may know, the GCF has suffered recently for several reasons, one being the falling value of the dollar overseas. Field budgets have had to be cut and ministry opportunities put on hold. Please consider how you might be involved in seeing this crisis come to an end. Send your gift to the C&MA address below.
As we begin in a new country, we will rely heavily on our Work Funds for different ministry needs & projects. You can give to this need by marking your gift for our Work . Soon after we hit the ground, we hope to rent or buy a building for a community center where we'll teach English and have a coffee shop/student center, etc. We'd love to be able to purchase a building so that we can renovate it to suit our specific needs like we did in the last place we were. If you'd like to give a gift to this project, please refer to account #1-47200-45-59-09012. You can contact us about bringing a team out to help do manual labor and/or teach English at the center. We count on your partnership to help make this center a success! Thank you so much for your sacrifice as we work together to see the Kingdom expanded in the Middle East. We look forward to reporting great things to you very soon.
Send gifts to: The C&MA P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
Under His Care,
Darrell & Cheryl
4 comments:
I love the new blog and yes, it will be a great way to keep up with you and pray for you regularly. You both are close in mind as you journey to your next home.
-Missy
Wonderful blog and enjoyed the Wedding pics. Blessings as you go to the next step in your lives. Know you are covered with prayer and are loved much.
-MAForry
Hi Guys:
The photos of mom, dad and the wedding are great.
We know you are looking forward to your continued journey.
Our thoughts are with you.
Floyd and Nancy
Hey, great job setting up the blog. You always do such a great job of sending updates and this will only help. We pray for you. We read Heb. 13:7 and think of you and thank God for your life and example. Maybe we can come visit you in your new home someday. Love, ross & taya
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