June Update
Dear Ministry Partners,
It is hard to believe, but we have just entered our last full month in Minnesota. Our house is under contract (praise God!), and we're scheduled to fly out to Oahu on July 14. Please keep praying for us as we pack up and head out.
Family
Today, June 2, 2021, is our 20th wedding anniversary. As I (Chris) write this, I want to take a moment to praise God for the wife he has given me. We were 21 and 20 when we got married, and we had no idea what we were doing. As the Andrew Peterson song goes, "Everyone said we were much too young, but we did it anyway."
I could not imagine a better wife for me than Katie. We have walked through joys and sorrows. We have sinned against each other and forgiven each other. We have moved (have we ever moved!). But she has been with me through it all, and we've both found that "the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down." I'm so grateful to God for the wife he has given me. If you know her, you know what a treasure she is to me, to our boys, and to so many others.
Otherwise, we are doing well as a family. Our three oldest boys will attend Trinity Christian School in Kailua, and Noah will start kindergarten at Saint Benedict Hall, a classical Christian co-op in Kailua. Pray for them as they transition back to the Islands.
Ministry
We are gearing up for the launch of our BCS extension site in the fall and praying for the right students who'd be willing to jump in. Some are taking a "wait and see" approach, which is totally understandable, but we're eager to help equip churches in Hawaii and beyond.
Chris has also had opportunities to continue to connect with pastors and teachers across the Pacific Islands through several Zoom calls with brothers scattered around the Islands. COVID restrictions will continue to make it hard to travel to some places for a while, but the Lord is opening doors for ongoing relational connections in the Pacific Islands.
Our ministry team is coming together. Along with Pastor Todd Morikawa, we've also hired Pastor J. R. Cuevas, who is moving from California to Hawaii this summer, to help teach a few courses. The Larsons and the Irwins have both been appointed with TLI and are raising funds, and a 2021 BCS college graduate, Bekah Kirby, is going on staff at a school in the area and will serve at a partner church (see below for a pic of the team from our recent graduation).
We have a lot of opportunity in front of us, so we need the Lord's wisdom to know how best to spend our time and focus our energy.
Fundraising
By God's grace, we have the support launch out!
We are praying about some new opportunities in the coming years for a theological library and a physical space, but for now we want to say thank you Lord! God is using so many of you to provide for this ministry, and we are so grateful for your ongoing partnership.
Yours in Christ,
Chris and Katie
Prayer Requests
Pray for the Lord's help as we pack and move over the next six weeks.
Pray that God would be with Luke, Simon, Elliot, and Noah as they transition back and start in school
Pray for the Lord to bring the right students to our BCS extension.
Pray that we'd have wisdom to navigate all of the opportunities for ministry, set up good patterns, and lead our team well.
Praise Reports
Praise God for 20 years of marriage!
Our house is under contract!
The Lord has provided monthly support for us to launch out well.
It is exciting to see how the Lord is bringing a team together for Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
