The funny thing is, this isn’t just how my life is in grammar class, but in everything! As an MK (missionary kid), I wanted to be a missionary and it didn’t really seem like a scary thing to me. It seemed quite normal, fun and adventurous. I thought I had it all right… but now, all of a sudden fear is striking me, all the what-ifs:

• What if I get malaria?
• What if Gracia gets malaria?
• What if one of us gets that weird worm that comes out of your skin and you have to pull a little bit out every day?
• What if I can’t get to the level in another language that I’m supposed to?
• What if I end up having to do medical work in a remote location?
• What if I have to stitch up a wound??!!!
• What if someone’s life is in my hands?
• What if I WILL stick out like a sore thumb in another country.
• What if I do a bad job homeschooling?
• What if I hole up in my house and create a mini-America for myself?
• What if I don’t get along with my co-workers?

This is just a small snippet of the fears that I’ve recently become acquainted with. The one good thing that I’ve seen come out of all these fears, is that each time I feel scared, the only thing I can do is run to God saying, “I can’t do this!” It’s then that it dawns on me, “No, I can’t, and that’s the whole point, only God can.”

If I ever stitch up a wound, learn a language well enough to tell someone about God, have the courage to tell someone about God, or make it through malaria without deciding to quit, it’ll only be because of the power of God that He has so graciously allowed in my life. When I think I’ve got it all under-control and I’m doing it all right, it’s then that I realize, I’m doing it completely wrong and depending on myself. More than anything else, I need these reminders to keep me sourced in the Vine (John 15).

~Katy

The funny thing is, this isn’t just how my life is in grammar class, but in everything! As an MK (missionary kid), I wanted to be a missionary and it didn’t really seem like a scary thing to me. It seemed quite normal, fun and adventurous. I thought I had it all right… but now, all of a sudden fear is striking me, all the what-ifs:

• What if I get malaria?
• What if Gracia gets malaria?
• What if one of us gets that weird worm that comes out of your skin and you have to pull a little bit out every day?
• What if I can’t get to the level in another language that I’m supposed to?
• What if I end up having to do medical work in a remote location?
• What if I have to stitch up a wound??!!!
• What if someone’s life is in my hands?
• What if I WILL stick out like a sore thumb in another country.
• What if I do a bad job homeschooling?
• What if I hole up in my house and create a mini-America for myself?
• What if I don’t get along with my co-workers?

This is just a small snippet of the fears that I’ve recently become acquainted with. The one good thing that I’ve seen come out of all these fears, is that each time I feel scared, the only thing I can do is run to God saying, “I can’t do this!” It’s then that it dawns on me, “No, I can’t, and that’s the whole point, only God can.”

If I ever stitch up a wound, learn a language well enough to tell someone about God, have the courage to tell someone about God, or make it through malaria without deciding to quit, it’ll only be because of the power of God that He has so graciously allowed in my life. When I think I’ve got it all under-control and I’m doing it all right, it’s then that I realize, I’m doing it completely wrong and depending on myself. More than anything else, I need these reminders to keep me sourced in the Vine (John 15).

~Katy

Cameron giving me a shot for Field Health class.

• My (Katy’s) parents and little brother just arrived back in Paraguay for the last time. They’ll be there for a few weeks to take care of their things and say good-byes. I’m sure it’ll be hard as they’ve been in Paraguay for 16 years and Nathan was born there.
• We will be officially graduating from the Missionary Training Center in December of this year, however we have to decide if we should stay for either the additional Missionary Technology course, linguistic course or neither. We want our decision to be based on what will be the most beneficial when we go to a foreign country.
• Classes, homework, ministry and much more are keeping us busy. We feel like God is using this time to help us be better time managers, please pray we won’t waste time.

Praise:

• We have been in awe of how God has provided not only for our needs, but above and beyond! In fact this entire semester’s bill is already paid in full! Praise Him!!
• For the African believers currently being trained as missionaries in Africa!

• Missionary Technology - Imagine living somewhere so remote there’s no power company to service you….what do you do? That’s exactly what we’re learning about! Solar panels, generators, battery maintenance,  soldering (see picture), volts, watts, amps…and the list could go on! As you can imagine Cameron is eating this class up…and I, Katy….we’ll let’s just say I’m thankful for Cameron!
  
• Biblical Parenting - How are we going to be effective missionaries if we can’t even handle our children right? This class was a great challenge to Cameron and I. The book we used for this course was Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp, I highly recommend it!
• Families in Ministry – What does it look like when you go into missions as a whole family? What part will your kids play in the ministry? How will you school them? How will you connect them to your home country and at the same time integrate them into the new culture? This class helped us look into these kinds of questions.
• Student Teaching – In this class we get to have lots of practice getting up in front of people and speaking. Like our teacher has pointed out to us, if we’re going to be missionaries we’re going to have to talk!
• New Testament Church Principles - We say we’re going out to build churches…and not a church building, but a church body, so what does that look like? What are things we should have in the church because they’re Biblical and what things are just cultural? How will we know when the church is established and mature? We’re digging these difficult questions!

Are you interested in joining New Tribes Mission to help reach those who have never heard of our loving God? Check out how you can go!

Our class!

Why in the world do we need to take 3 whole semesters to dedicate to learning how to be a missionary? What in the world are we learning anyways? Here’s just a glimpse of the many things we’ve been delving into this semester:

• Foundational Bible Teaching – In this class we not only heard about the importance of teaching God’s Word sequentially from beginning to end, but also got to practice some Bible teaching ourselves!
• Worldview Analysis – We learned about how significantly your worldview affects your actions and we were challenged with areas our own worldviews need to change.
• Teamwork – Many missionaries leave the feild because they can’t get along with other people. We know that God values unity in His Body because of the many verses dedicated to it. Our teamwork class has been eye opening and humbling!
• Phonetics – We sit in class and say all kinds of crazy sounds! The better hold we get on being able to pronounce different sounds, the less accent we’ll have when learning another language.

These are just a few of the many classes we’ve been going through. We feel so privileged to be here learning from so many experienced missionaries!

To keep up with us more you can visit my (Katy) personal blog, which I update more often: Purposely Frugal. 

Cameron teaching on Jesus and Nicodemus for Foundational Bible Teaching Class

Often, in these first few weeks, we have felt absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of information we are absorbing and with the monumental task that awaits us after we finish here. Every day we are growing in our understanding of just how much we will need to rely on God to enable us to not only make the best use of our time here, but to press on the finish in the job God has given us.

Keep us in your prayers as we continue in our studies here in Missouri. We want to make the best use of this time as possible, as we are being equipped for the job ahead of us.

– Cameron, Katy & Gracia

In Christ ALONE, Cameron, Katy & Gracia

New Mailing Address: 134 Main Dr. Roach, MO 65787

It is clear that God wants us to change our viewpoint on what truly matters in this life.  The value set that God’s Word presents is radically different from that which we may be living our life in accordance with.  The Bible teaches us that the things which seem important, like wealth, prosperity, good health, friends, and happiness, really aren’t!

Those things, which are not inherently bad, pale in comparison to the things which we have in Christ, as believers, RIGHT NOW.  Wealth can never bring true joy.  The number of friendships you maintain has nothing to do with whether or not you are experiencing peace, or contentment.  Is our ability to be used by God to fulfill His will dependent on our health?  No!  God’s promises to us transcend these earthly conditions!

If the truths taught in God’s Word are so much more valuable to us than any thing we could gain here, why do we continue to live as if the opposite were true.  Let’s choose to change our point of view on what matters to agree with God’s truth.  Let’s join with Paul in counting all earthly accomplishments as rubbish!

       1 Peter 1:23-25,  Ecclesiastes 1,  Philippians 3:4-8

Cameron flying

Just wanted to write a new post, since it’s been a LONG time! We’re currently in Midland,

Gracia loves flying!

TX. Cameron is still going to his Airframe and Power Plant classes (A & P). He has completed his instrument rating in flying, so now he just lacks the commercial rating and finishing his A & P. When he’s not in classes he’s working part time as an alarm technician.

Gracia’s doing good! Just turned 3! Where has the time gone?

Katy takes Gracia and babysits 5 afternoons a week. She also has started a blog called Purposely Frugal.

Thanks to everyone out there that prays for us and our future ministry in missions! We’re going to try keeping our ministry blog updated better!

Katy

• For us to keep our eyes on God and what He has for us to do.
• For us to raise Gracia in a Godly manner.
• For Cameron to get a lot of flying in before his classes start.
• For Cameron as he starts his classes.

PRAISE:

• That we are getting closer to the foreign mission field.
• All of you who pray for us and encourage us!