Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we are three weeks into 2011 and at the same time it feels like it’s been much longer than just a few weeks. January has been a busy month for our family and the calendar is quickly filling up for February and March. There have already been a few “firsts” in this new year. 1) Julio spent two weeks in Thailand! He went with a class from the seminary and they spent time in both Bangkok and Chang Mai. They visited different ministry sites and attended a week-long conference entitled “Missions and Money.” Julio enjoyed the opportunity to live with a local family and learn more about their culture and the church in Thailand. It has provided us lots of food for thought as we prepare to serve in Colombia. 2) While Julio was in Thailand, Katie took a week-long J-term class about the history of the Evangelical Covenant Church, the denomination we belong to. It was a very intense week, but a great class that again provided a lot to reflect on. So awesome to see how God has been at work throughout history and how we are invited to be a part of God’s mission. Here are some pictures from Julio’s time in Thailand!

A new form of transportation

Julio's classmates on the trip

New friends

Now, we go into this new year wondering what other “firsts” we’ll experience. What will 2011 bring for our family? We continue to pray that we’ll be able to return to Colombia to serve with the Covenant Church and we are actively seeking people and churches to partner with us! We are so encouraged by the support we have received and to date we have 18% of our support for 2 years! We are SO thankful to those who have contributed financially and have committed to praying for us regularly.  Please pray for us as we still have 82% of our support to raise! This seems overwhelming at times, but we know that God is faithful and so we wait and trust. To find out how to join our support team, click here.

The next two weekends we are excited that we will be able to visit various churches in Illinois to share our story. We are so thankful for the opportunities we have to connect with others who have similar passions. We ask for your prayers as we travel and speak in church services, small group settings, children’s Sunday school classes, youth gatherings, etc.

So, again, we look forward to this new year with much anticipation. What else will 2011 hold?