Brent & Clark wear construction masks around Noah to keep from sharing the flu!
I had to think for a minute whether it was 2011 or 2012. I’ve been thinking about some plans next year. It’s amazing to think that in only a few short months we’ll be starting another year. For the first time in a long time, I’m actually excited about the future, even though I know it will be filled with all sorts of new challenges. Soon, I will be sharing some news that God has been shaping in my heart, as well as some others here in our area. It’s in the area of strategic discipleship with a vision toward church planting efforts. It’s taken several years to work through my own convictions, as well as various methodologies, and I believe it’s starting to come together and will shape our families involvement more long term in this part of the world. So stay tuned!
Noah is doing really well. It’s been so great to be home. We’ve kept everyone abreast on facebook, but for those of you that don’t use it, we’re back home and he’s recovering well. He had trouble sleeping the first few nights, but is now back on schedule and playing with his brothers almost like normal. Today he fell off the piano stool, fortunately banging only the front of his head. How do you get a 4yr old to ‘not’ act like a 4yr old? We’re trying to teach him to be careful, he’s hearing a lot of ‘NO NOAH” from everyone. Today he attempted to go on the trampoline with his brothers.
Life is almost returning to normal. We have some old friends coming to visit this week, Jamie and Melanie Shurr with their 5 kids. We haven’t seen them for maybe 6-8 yrs? Jamie was my youth pastor when I was 15-17yrs old, he wasn’t that much older. It will be great to hang out and catch up! They are driving from Croatia, and will be here for 4 days.
Deb is now 11 weeks, and sporting a ‘slight’ bulge though nothing really cool yet. The kids are following along with the app (formerly was a book last pregnancy) “what to expect when you are expecting”.. we remember reading that so closely the first few kids, it’s fun following the progress again… especially knowing THIS IS IT!!
We’ve handed out most of the 400 packages put together for new and returning students in our town. We are hosting our first fall outreach, a Rap concert, this coming Sunday night. Please pray that it goes well, and that progress is made in the lives of many who have already made steps toward Christ as they reconnect with believers.
Part of our double glass front doors, triple paned, heavy and expensive.
The Cafe is moving along, slowly. Our front doors arrived though, and we hope to get them installed soon. Right now we’re finally painting the ceiling, then the stucco interior walls, then the tile which will wrap up most of our materials purchased to date.
The next goal on the cafe is to get the gas project finished, so we can get the place warm for winter. At this point we’ll not be opening until after Jan 1, but hoping to use it in Oct/Nov/Dec a few times for some different events and maybe, if the kitchen is installed, trial run some things to the public.
Enjoying some good fellowship among leaders (missionaries and foreigners) here as we work toward some better organization and planning this coming year. There’s no replacement for time and ‘miles under the hood’ when it comes to genuine friendship. It takes time to build meaningful, trusted friendship, sometimes I wish it weren’t so! Once you get there with a friend, you realize how precious they are, what a gift to journey through life and it’s many challenges with these things called friends:) We still go through seasons of ‘missing’ our Texas & Canadian family, but are thankful for the richness of friendships in our lives now in RZ as well.
I pray that you are encouraged in Christ today. He loves you, and has your best interest in mind. Go to Him today and cast your cares before Him, because He cares for you! Thanks for checking in, I’m trying to put together a printed newsletter soon for the Fall, if you’d like to get one in the mail (and don’t attend a church that gets them already in bulk), please let us know!
Sincerely,
Bruce & Deb Crowe
Rzhyschiv, Ukraine