WHAT A YEAR!
We praise God for all he’s done this past year. Here is a quick summary as we look back with praise and thanksgiving and look ahead with joyful anticipation…
FAMILY UPDATE…
Most recently, we just enjoyed a brief vacation and were blessed to have family visit us. Bill’s niece Melissa and her boyfriend Chris came over. And our daughter Bethy and her boyfriend Ricky came, too, overlapping with Melissa for one week. They were all here for Bill’s birthday and Thanksgiving. We were glad to be able to meet Ricky at last and really enjoyed the time with all the “kids.”
Max!! And of course, the other big news in our life is that Elisa is due with our first grandchild in January. Maxwell Olson Schlink is due on January 22 and we’re so excited we can hardly wait! We want to be there for his birth and are already checking for good deals on airfare.
OUR MOVE AND TRANSLATION UPDATE…
In January, following God’s unexpected leading, we shifted our base of operations to the city. God opened the way and we moved into a house and were able to get set up here for efficient progress translation project. We were able to buy a vehicle (necessary when in town) and the owners graciously allowed us to pay for it over one year. Praise the Lord, we just made the last payment this month, which will free up our budget quite a bit!
Our Palawano translation helpers are glad to come up on a regular basis and we’ve seen good results working here in town! We finished Ephesians and 1 Peter, and this coming week we will have Luke (2nd longest book in the New Testament) ready for its final consultant check. Meanwhile, we’ve gotten 1-2 Timothy coming along, as well.
MINISTRY UPDATE…
Bill has been able to help with regional leadership responsibilities over our missionaries here on Palawan. This has not taken much of his time and he does it mostly in off hours, after translating all day. Last year, one person was trying to handle all of this, but having Bill and one other man join the leadership team has really helped.Besides working on translation, Donna has been able to help with the work of several committees which give oversight to our mission home and planned our Palawan regional conference, and she is doing some of the mission’s regional bookkeeping.
HEALTH UPDATE…
Bill will need to get procedures done on his kidney stones. They bother him often, but so far no emergency or crisis. Lord willing, we can wait deal with them early next year, so it’s all during one year and we only have to pay the deductible once.
PLEASE PRAY…
As always, we need your prayers for us and this ministry. Please continue to lift us up to the Lord.Pray in particular for our final checking step on the book of Luke next week. We want to find any last portions which are unclear so they can be revised before we send the whole book to the consultant.Please also pray that Bill’s kidney stones would not cause too much discomfort or a health crisis until we are able to deal with them medically.
And we’d appreciate prayer for wisdom in planning and for God’s provision for airfare before Max is born, and for the medical expenses on the horizon.God is so good and this year once again has proven his faithfulness. And we appreciate your part in our lives and ministry, as well, as we partner together Reaching Palawanos.
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Reaching Palawanos together with you,
-Bill and Donna