We've got some good news to report. After just a little over two weeks on the market, our house is under contract. Given the recent upturn in the market around here and the ensuing busyness, the closing process will take around a month and a half to complete. This could not fit better with our timeline. We were under the impression that the whole process between accepting and offer and closing on the house would take a month to complete, not 6 weeks. Based on that, we were under the impression that the ideal time to sell the house would be about a week and a half from now. God knew better. I'm glad that He's running the show on this. Pretty cool, eh?
Last Sunday my pastor, Jeff, was gracious to allow for me to present our vision to our local church body. It was a great encouragement to hear and feel the support from our friends in our dear church. Another friend of ours, Matt, has invited us to come up to his church to speak on July 6 in Thompson Falls, MT. That all said, we are at about 50% of what we need in financial support to be able to go in August, but the gap is steadily closing. We are able to conduct a follow up mailing last week and hope to hear from more partners in the next week.
In Ecuador, there's good progress to report as well. Our contact with the school has located an apartment near the school that will meed our family's needs just fine for a good price. We will see photos of it next week. Hopefully, we will have something to share that you can see. It's on the first floor and has a patio. Where there's a patio, there's usually grass/dirt. Where there's grass/dirt, there's going to be a garden. Here in Montana, I have to think of ways to keep moisture in the soil. In Ecuador, I will have to think of ways of keeping the moisture from saturating the soil (raised garden?) We have been able to tentatively get our hands on some furniture.
Our main tasks for the next week are to begin packing and to find a home for our Malemute, Kodah. He's been a great dog, but we can't take him with us. A dog with 9" hair + an undercoat would probably not do very well down there. He's 5 years old and likes to play with mountain lions at night if anyone is interested. He appears to be disinterested in bears and deer.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Moving along...
What an exciting time this is. It is also so very busy and hectic. The main challenge right now is to find balance in the middle of all the change. We have finally been able to get the house on the market to sell and have mailed out letters requesting both financial and prayer support for our upcoming ministry in Quito.
I have gotten a little bit more information about what our ministry down there will look like. I am to teach one class of Physics, one Physics lab, and two General Science classes. I am looking forward to meeting the kids that I will be teaching and to building relationships with them. Most are not Christians. They come from a variety of backgrounds. Some come from wealthy families of international business leaders or government officials; some come from the middle/working class; and some come in from villages along the Amazon river basin. What a variety. I hear that kids from 30+ nations are represented at the school. As excited as I am about this ministry, I am just as excited about the school's outreach efforts into the community to the poor and street kids and also to villages along the tributaries of the Amazon. I cannot wait to join with them in this ministry. Heather is excited as well to join in this.
The support from friends and family has been great. Thank you all. If you are partnering with us through prayer, please continue to pray for strength and courage as we navigate through this radical change. It can be exhausting at times. To be honest, I am pretty tired already from getting the house ready to put on the market to sell and from sending out the support letters. Thankfully, Heather and the kids have been a tremendous help and support all along. Please also pray that we will be able to raise the support needed ($2000/month total) so that we can respond to God's call. There are potentially some minor setbacks in that department. Right now, we have about 1/6th of what's needed for fully funded support. Finally, please continue to pray that our house will promptly sell and that we will have a contract on it from a buyer no later than 3-4 weeks from now.
I have been given an opportunity to share the vision for our ministry more in depth on June 8 at our church (Lolo Community Church). If you are able to come, we'd love to see you there.
I have gotten a little bit more information about what our ministry down there will look like. I am to teach one class of Physics, one Physics lab, and two General Science classes. I am looking forward to meeting the kids that I will be teaching and to building relationships with them. Most are not Christians. They come from a variety of backgrounds. Some come from wealthy families of international business leaders or government officials; some come from the middle/working class; and some come in from villages along the Amazon river basin. What a variety. I hear that kids from 30+ nations are represented at the school. As excited as I am about this ministry, I am just as excited about the school's outreach efforts into the community to the poor and street kids and also to villages along the tributaries of the Amazon. I cannot wait to join with them in this ministry. Heather is excited as well to join in this.
The support from friends and family has been great. Thank you all. If you are partnering with us through prayer, please continue to pray for strength and courage as we navigate through this radical change. It can be exhausting at times. To be honest, I am pretty tired already from getting the house ready to put on the market to sell and from sending out the support letters. Thankfully, Heather and the kids have been a tremendous help and support all along. Please also pray that we will be able to raise the support needed ($2000/month total) so that we can respond to God's call. There are potentially some minor setbacks in that department. Right now, we have about 1/6th of what's needed for fully funded support. Finally, please continue to pray that our house will promptly sell and that we will have a contract on it from a buyer no later than 3-4 weeks from now.
I have been given an opportunity to share the vision for our ministry more in depth on June 8 at our church (Lolo Community Church). If you are able to come, we'd love to see you there.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Breaking News!
Heather and I are excited to announce that with God's help, we will be moving to Quito, Ecuador, in August to serve at Alliance Academy International (AAI). I, Bryan, will be serving as a high school Physics and General Science teacher as my principle mission. Alliance Academy International is a Christian, English-speaking, multi-national school that educates and ministers to nearly 600 students from more than 30 nations. The socioeconomic background of the student body is wide-ranging. Some students come from extremely affluent families from around the world, some from middle-class families, and some from extremely rural/impoverished areas, including tribes in the Amazon basin.
AAI is heavily involved in the community through various Community Service Outreach (CSO) ministries. In fact, all extracurricular activities are suspended each Wednesday afternoon to allow for the staff and interested students to go into the community and serve. More than 85% of the high school students at the school are involved. Through the CSOs, students and staff minister to street kids, orphans at a local orphanage, and the poor who live near the Quito trash dump. Other staff and student-involved ministries reach out into the surrounding communities--including villages in the upper Amazon basin along the Napo River (a tributary of the Amazon River) near the area where the Waorani tribe resides. The Waorani tribe is the same tribe that was documented in the movie "End of the Spear."
Quito, a city of approximately 3 million, is a city full of contrasts. While the city is striving to become an international city of commerce, there remain significant areas of poverty and need. Demographically, the city is divided into three sections. The northern portion of the city is the most modernized and affluent. The middle portion is the historical district. Southern portion of the city is the area of greatest need, the area where most of the poor reside. AAI is located in the central portion of the city.
We are humbled to be called into this ministry and are eager to serve. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in our mission? In order to live and work in Quito, Ecuador, we will need your prayers and financial support. AAI provides teachers a stipend that covers nearly one third of living expenses. As full-time missionaries, we need to raise $2,000 a month to supplement the stipend. Bryan received a formal offer yesterday, May 15, leaving us approximately 10 weeks to raise financial support. We know that with God all things are possible. If this is something that you are able to do, please contact us richardhenry2011@gmail.com for more information. Thank you so much. We look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming years!
Bryan and Heather
AAI is heavily involved in the community through various Community Service Outreach (CSO) ministries. In fact, all extracurricular activities are suspended each Wednesday afternoon to allow for the staff and interested students to go into the community and serve. More than 85% of the high school students at the school are involved. Through the CSOs, students and staff minister to street kids, orphans at a local orphanage, and the poor who live near the Quito trash dump. Other staff and student-involved ministries reach out into the surrounding communities--including villages in the upper Amazon basin along the Napo River (a tributary of the Amazon River) near the area where the Waorani tribe resides. The Waorani tribe is the same tribe that was documented in the movie "End of the Spear."
Quito, a city of approximately 3 million, is a city full of contrasts. While the city is striving to become an international city of commerce, there remain significant areas of poverty and need. Demographically, the city is divided into three sections. The northern portion of the city is the most modernized and affluent. The middle portion is the historical district. Southern portion of the city is the area of greatest need, the area where most of the poor reside. AAI is located in the central portion of the city.
We are humbled to be called into this ministry and are eager to serve. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in our mission? In order to live and work in Quito, Ecuador, we will need your prayers and financial support. AAI provides teachers a stipend that covers nearly one third of living expenses. As full-time missionaries, we need to raise $2,000 a month to supplement the stipend. Bryan received a formal offer yesterday, May 15, leaving us approximately 10 weeks to raise financial support. We know that with God all things are possible. If this is something that you are able to do, please contact us richardhenry2011@gmail.com for more information. Thank you so much. We look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming years!
Bryan and Heather
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Moving Along
Over the past few weeks, I have had three interviews with Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador. It appears that this may be a good fit for our family should an offer come in the coming days or weeks. I think that it will. I have been told that following the next interview an offer might be made. Regarding the other possibility in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I have not heard from them in nearly two weeks. I am interpreting this as God's direction for us. Heather and I feel led in the direction of Quito, so this may just be God's confirmation.
We have been feverishly getting the house ready to sell. The inside of the house has been cleaned and painted. The decks have been redone. Our belongings have been downsized but will need to be further downsized prior to moving. Some nonessential items have been boxed. The house is finally ready to sell. We will first try listing it ourselves for a couple of weeks. If we do not receive any offers, then we will ask a wonderful friend of ours who is an agent to sell it for us. Passport documents have been filled out and are ready to send in. I have also readied my teacher's certification documents for submittal pending an offer. We have established contact with the agency who will be handling the administrative end of our ministry should we go to Quito: Resourcing Christian Education International. The time table is getting short to be able to make the move this year, but we have prepared as much as we can at this point. Soon we will be drafting support letters to send out. We also plan to list our home as well.
Here are a few prayer requests as we prepare to make the jump.
1. We need courage and physical strength to pull this off. This is a radical change from the "known" to the "unknown". Also, I am a little weary from preparing the house to sell, though not exhausted.
2. We need to sell our home for a decent price in a timely manner.
3. We need to close the gap on the support that needs to be raised by mid-July.
Thank you for your prayers! They have been a big help to us over the past few months while navigating the process.
We have been feverishly getting the house ready to sell. The inside of the house has been cleaned and painted. The decks have been redone. Our belongings have been downsized but will need to be further downsized prior to moving. Some nonessential items have been boxed. The house is finally ready to sell. We will first try listing it ourselves for a couple of weeks. If we do not receive any offers, then we will ask a wonderful friend of ours who is an agent to sell it for us. Passport documents have been filled out and are ready to send in. I have also readied my teacher's certification documents for submittal pending an offer. We have established contact with the agency who will be handling the administrative end of our ministry should we go to Quito: Resourcing Christian Education International. The time table is getting short to be able to make the move this year, but we have prepared as much as we can at this point. Soon we will be drafting support letters to send out. We also plan to list our home as well.
Here are a few prayer requests as we prepare to make the jump.
1. We need courage and physical strength to pull this off. This is a radical change from the "known" to the "unknown". Also, I am a little weary from preparing the house to sell, though not exhausted.
2. We need to sell our home for a decent price in a timely manner.
3. We need to close the gap on the support that needs to be raised by mid-July.
Thank you for your prayers! They have been a big help to us over the past few months while navigating the process.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Jonathan Henry, Clarence Jones and Alliance Academy International
Every so often something happens that stops you in your tracks. Most of you know that Heather homeschools the kids. As part of Jonathan's curriculum, he read the autobiography of Clarence Jones, a missionary who started a radio ministry in Ecuador that eventually went global. During the early years of his ministry the property on which the radio tower stands was split into two sections. One of the sections was given to missionaries to allow for the building of an international school.
Little did I know that the school mentioned in the book was the same school that I had previously researched about a teaching need posted on their website for an Earth Science and Physics teacher. Within an hour of contacting the school, I received a reply from a school administrator. She told me that moments before receiving my email that she and the director were discussing their pressing need for a person with my qualifications. There were no applicants at the moment that could fill the need. She sent me an application packet along with a YouTube video link that discussed the school, its history, and mission. I was blown away by all that I heard and read. The emphasis that the school places on outreach to the community, especially the poor, is great. There is a strong emphasis on discipleship and servant leadership. A great emphasis is placed on spiritual maturity among staff members. The school is well organized. Jonathan and Rebecca would receive a scholarship to attend. The school pays the teachers a stipend, which would offset some of the amount needed to be raised for us to go down there to serve.
They appear to be very interested in us coming down to serve. Heather and the kids are extremely interested in the possibility as well...as am I. They have asked for me to quickly fill out and submit an application package and also to submit references.
I think that this is probably where we are going to go serve.
There is a lot to do in a short period of time, but we have already started the process of preparing should God continue to open doors to serve in Quito.
Again this school, Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador, is looking like a very strong possibility. I am scheduled to interview with them next week. I will let you know what happens. How exciting.
Bryan
Little did I know that the school mentioned in the book was the same school that I had previously researched about a teaching need posted on their website for an Earth Science and Physics teacher. Within an hour of contacting the school, I received a reply from a school administrator. She told me that moments before receiving my email that she and the director were discussing their pressing need for a person with my qualifications. There were no applicants at the moment that could fill the need. She sent me an application packet along with a YouTube video link that discussed the school, its history, and mission. I was blown away by all that I heard and read. The emphasis that the school places on outreach to the community, especially the poor, is great. There is a strong emphasis on discipleship and servant leadership. A great emphasis is placed on spiritual maturity among staff members. The school is well organized. Jonathan and Rebecca would receive a scholarship to attend. The school pays the teachers a stipend, which would offset some of the amount needed to be raised for us to go down there to serve.
They appear to be very interested in us coming down to serve. Heather and the kids are extremely interested in the possibility as well...as am I. They have asked for me to quickly fill out and submit an application package and also to submit references.
I think that this is probably where we are going to go serve.
There is a lot to do in a short period of time, but we have already started the process of preparing should God continue to open doors to serve in Quito.
Again this school, Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador, is looking like a very strong possibility. I am scheduled to interview with them next week. I will let you know what happens. How exciting.
Bryan
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The Beginning
So here we are at the beginning of the journey, answering the call to go overseas to serve in Latin America. Our vision is to move to either Guatemala, Honduras or somewhere else in the region where Bryan will serve as a teacher at an international Christian school. While there, we wish to also work with those living in extreme poverty in the surrounding ghettos to show God's love for them by building relationships, sharing our faith, and teaching skills that will improve their lives.
To accomplish this mission, we need your help. We need you to pray for God to direct us to where He wants us to go, on his timetable. We also need for you to join with us in praying that God will take care of the details that will free us us to be able to go. Specifically we need to sell our house, downsize our belongings, and put them into storage. To do all this, we need to fix up a few things on the house first.We also need for you to pray that Will will begin to sleep through the night. It has been nearly a year since we all have slept through the night for more than one night in a row. A rested mind is a clear mind. Finally, we ask that you consider supporting us financially once I am hired by a school and have been able to align with a sending organization. The cost per month for a family of 5 to live in Guatemala City is around $3600.
Thank you.
To accomplish this mission, we need your help. We need you to pray for God to direct us to where He wants us to go, on his timetable. We also need for you to join with us in praying that God will take care of the details that will free us us to be able to go. Specifically we need to sell our house, downsize our belongings, and put them into storage. To do all this, we need to fix up a few things on the house first.We also need for you to pray that Will will begin to sleep through the night. It has been nearly a year since we all have slept through the night for more than one night in a row. A rested mind is a clear mind. Finally, we ask that you consider supporting us financially once I am hired by a school and have been able to align with a sending organization. The cost per month for a family of 5 to live in Guatemala City is around $3600.
Thank you.
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