Time out!

Thanks to all of you who sent notes, Christmas cards, or goofy online Christmas greetings. It's a special time of year, and we know how busy things can get, so we appreciate being included in your thoughts.

One highlight of our holiday was a get-together with other missionaries here. A group of about 20 missionaries and their families convened in Bauang, La Union for a couple of days of fun, food, and fellowship. Our family joined the family of Steve and Lenae Hong and Jim and Linda Huckaba from Baguio City, Chuck and Mickey Richards and the family of Carl and Ronalyn Stevens from Cagayan, and Kay Davidson and Leslie Ostick from Neuva Vizcaya. At various times throughout the days, Jim Huckaba would bring a message of encouragement or exhortation to us missionaries, then two or three missionaries would report on their work over the past year or so. It's always encouraging to share our accomplishments and challenges with others who can relate to us in a special way. We commiserated with one another over the impact the economy's had on missionaries, we marvelled with one another over how God has provided and sustained, we celebrated lifetime achievements, and we pondered together cultural and interpersonal dilemmas and quandries. For me anyway, the get-together was a reminder that we're not alone.

Do you have someone who expects to hear from you in detail each year? Someone who will rejoice with you as you count the ways God has blessed you? Someone who will listen sympathetically as share how you've coped with hardship? Someone who will pray for you? Someone who will tease you good-naturedly? Someone who will laugh together at and take strength together from shared experiences of years past? I hope so. Such people are not to be taken for granted!

Please keep us in your prayers over the next weeks. I'll be continuing teaching church planting and working on my studies, and preparing for at least one church planter training event a few months down the road. Carole is counseling regularly missionaries and their family members who come to her for help in coping with a wide variety of issues. Thanks for caring.

In Christ,

Chris McKinney