November Newsletter

“Sold, to 4897” the auctioneer said as we claimed our small snowblower for $2. During October, we have been participating in the Intercultural Communication Course (ICC) at the Wycliffe-JAARS Center (jaars.org) near Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the required training activities was to attend an auction where we learned how to interact on the fly by observing other participants.

The focus of the training is preparation for transitioning to a new culture and serving well in any environment. The skills we are practicing and the topics we are studying are essential for successful cross-cultural communication during our language study in France and for our ministry in Cameroon.

Our classes begin every day at 8:00am and are filled with sessions on everything from spiritual growth to crisis contingency, bribery, and how to handle conflict. We also receive regular individual coaching and team training. Plus, we have homework. Another course requirement is attendance at an ethnic church. We are assigned to a Congolese French-speaking church and have loved being part of the joyful (and loud) worship.

While we are studying, our kids are having a great time with their grandparents. Eila, Josiah and Thaddeus are working hard in school and enjoying some fall fun. Eila is involved in choir and gymnastics and the boys are playing flag football. While it is hard to be away from them, God has given us times of refreshing for our marriage and we have been able to put more energy into our studies and the work assigned to us at ICC. We are very excited to see our children again when we return to Michigan on November 6th. We will have two weeks together in our home to pack up and sell our belongings before we close and move out.

With Joy,

Brian and Shannon

Praise God for answering our prayers beyond what we could imagine!

Many of you prayed for us to get into the cross-cultural training session. We are here and learning so much!
We requested prayer for the sale of our house: We had a lot of help getting ready and our house sold in less than a week for more than our asking price!
We asked you to pray for the French visa application process. We applied for our visas on 10/3 and received them 10/25.
You have prayed with us for God’s provision. We are at 100% of our promised monthly financial partnership.

Please Continue to Pray

for the house closing (Nov 18) to go smoothly and making travel plans
for wisdom in packing and selling things
for continued provision and trust in God
for transitions, saying goodbyes, and the grieving process (for us, our children, our families, and our friends)

Our home church, Bell Creek Community Church, has scheduled a commissioning service for us on December 11th at 10:00am. We would love for you to be there. The address is 30000 Five Mile Rd, Livonia, MI 48154.