Latest Update

As I begin this letter I am realizing that it has been far too long since we have written to inform you of what is happening in our lives and with our planning for Ch*. As the list of events is somewhat lengthy I will use bullet points below to quickly and chronologically update you with some of the more significant events of the past few months.

• A week long family vacation to Idaho. This time was split up between visiting a former youth pastor of mine who is now pastor of a small church in Bellevue Idaho and then spending several day at a family reunion on Kim's side of the family. This trip was a much needed rest for all of us and a very enjoyable time was had by all.
  
• Kim began working part-time at Starbuck's to help fill in a few of the financial gaps in our budget.
• The boys began their 3rd year of home school (which is going very well so far, we are pleased).
• Andrew (now 15 1/2) has begun drivers education through a nearby high school. This is a little scary for us.
• Paul & Kim spent the weekend attending the 2008 Seattle Missions Fest while the boys spent that time with Grandma and Grandpa Harris.
• Kim and Matthew spend the weekend attending a junior high youth retreat on the Washington coast while Paul, Andrew, and Josh took a road trip (a chance for Andrew to practice his driving skills) up to Vancouver, British Columbia.

On the mission side of things, we have also had many new and exciting things happening. I think that when we last wrote we mentioned our goal of wanting to "be ready" by the end of November. As we have spent these past few months contemplating what "being ready" actually means we have been finding that our definition is somewhat different than God's definition. As we often seem to focus on the here and now, God's focus is much more on the area of our hearts. He has been teaching us much over these last few months.

Again in the interest of being brief, the below bullet points represent a few of the highlights for us in our mission's preparation:

• A visit from the people we will be working with in Ch* which was tied in with an informational meeting night we had at our church that was attended by about 35 friends, supporters, and family members. We really wished that all of you could have been there. It was a great time.
• 2008 Seattle Missions Fest - a time in which we were able to catch up and renew friendships with a number of good friends we have made since becoming involved with missions. We had the opportunity to make several new and exciting contacts with possible resources for the future. We also had the chance to listen to and be encouraged by several current and former missionaries who shared their stories with during the two day conference.
  
• Multiple opportunities and appointments we've had, to meet one on one with people, to share our calling and story and invite them to partner with us in this ministry.
• Personal & Spiritual Growth - continually we find ourselves standing in awe of the way God is molding an shaping us through many situations and events is our daily lives as he prepares us for serving Him in Ch*.
• A mission's budget that now includes a fully-funded out-going portion and a monthly portion that is just shy of 70% pledged (80% is needed for us to set a departure date).
  
• Becoming more and more excited as we read emails from our friends in Ch* and hear of how the ministry there is expanding and growing.

For me personally, I am now focusing my time primarily on our monthly fund raising efforts and looking forward to soon being able to consider leaving my truck driving job to fully dedicate all of my attention to our mission's preparation.

An update on Kim's health: She has her follow-up scan on December 5th. Please be praying that everything comes out as clean as they are expecting and that there are no signs of remaining cancer cells. We know the results are really up to God and we are trusting Him with those results. We have been appreciating all the support and encouragement we have been receiving along the way. It has blessed us greatly to have so many people love and care for us. Thank you! We will let you know the results when we find out what they are.

I am hoping that the above information gives all of you a little bit better idea of what we have been up to these past few months. I promise to try and do my best at not letting such a long period of time go by before the next time we write. We wish and pray the blessings of our Lord upon you all. As always we long the next time we write. We wish and pray the blessings of our Lord upon you all. As always we love haring from you so please feel free to email us with questions, encouragement, or for whatever reason.

Many blessings to you and your families,
Paul & Kim (Andrew, Josh, and Matthew)