Dear Friends,
Summer is here at last and our African heat-starved bodies are soaking up the sun. Henry and Kevin are out of college for the summer and both working up on Mackinac Island. We are thankful they were able to find good summer jobs in such a beautiful environment where they can also board. A number of our Michigan friends will be looking them up and saying hello, as will we when we travel up later in June to say goodbye.
The decision to relocate to Germany has opened a new avenue of ministry to us! Initially, we chose to move there to be better positioned for my (Doug's) international coordinator role in Wycliffe, while allowing Roger to attend Black Forest Academy (BFA). But early in May, BFA interviewed Priscilla and offered her a full time position as Personnel Office Coordinator. BFA is a boarding school in Kandern, Germany, and is a co-laborer in the evangelical missionary movement. The school supports parents serving in 50 countries throughout Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, through the education and care of their children. Priscilla's position is unpaid, since all BFA staff members are missionaries who raise their financial support from churches, friends, and family. Sound familiar? That is how we are already supported--thanks to you--and we were moving there anyway. Ergo, two ministries for the price of one! The school was delighted to find a good match for this office position, given Priscilla’s three-year experience at the International School in Burkina Faso.
The language technology training effort that I coordinate was recently featured in Rev. 7, a quarterly magazine published by JAARS that highlights Bible translation and the support services they provide. We invite you to read the articles in this issue, and especially the cover story that features the incident in 2001 that the Lord used to change our course to focus on the training and equipping of others in technology for Bible translation. If you can't access the online magazine, we have a limited number of hard copies that we would be happy to send you upon request.
Sunday, May 27, officially marked the last church presentation for this furlough, ending months of heavy travel. Our long distance road trips totaled 19,000 miles, enough to travel coast to coast six and a half times between New York City and San Francisco. And to think that on our last furlough in 2004/5 we were worried that the price of gas would go over two dollars per gallon! We weren't able to get everywhere we wanted to, but we certainly tried. If you'd been at one of the presentations, you would have heard us talking about the new technology to speed up Bible translation and using the Biblical principle of multiplication by training trainers (2 Timothy 2:2). People responded very positively to the reports of how technology is being used to further God's Kingdom, and this served to keep our spirits high and motivate us for each new trip. We praise God for the time of ministry that He has given us here. In the remaining month or so we'll be getting ready for our July 17 departure, and hopefully get a bit of down time as well.
In our last letter we asked for prayer for a place to live in Germany--a major concern for us since we'd heard that unfurnished apartments come without cupboards or even light fixtures. But God has wonderfully provided once again! We will be subleasing a fully furnished apartment from BFA missionaries who are returning to the US on furlough. This is a huge load off our shoulders, and we are actually excited now about starting our work there this summer. All that is left is to purchase a vehicle there that will get us around, and so we share this special need with you for $6,000. We will need to start over because we've been using a van that was graciously loaned to us, and the two vehicles we've purchased this furlough will be staying with our sons, Henry and Kevin, as they continue in college. If you are interested in giving for this special need, please mark your gift for "vehicle" so that we can set it apart and keep the graph on our website up to date as gifts are sent in.
Why is it that some of you have more faith in God's ability to provide for our ministry at times than we do? Looking out at the unknown is always scary for us, but you, our friends, always counter by assuring us, "God will provide, He always does!" We know this deep down, of course, but like Peter stepping out of the boat and heading towards Jesus, we tend to look down at the waves and start to sink. For all of you who continue to encourage us, we want to say "Thank you!" May God continue to build faith in all of us as we follow His leading.
Partners in the Gospel,
Doug & Priscilla Higby
Prayer & Praise
- Praise God for a furnished apartment in Germany where Doug, Priscilla, and Roger will stay for the first year!
- Praise God for Priscilla's full time position at Black Forest Academy where she will be serving to allow missionary parents to serve in remote or difficult locations.
- Pray for both the funds for a vehicle, and a reasonably priced and reliable car for use in Germany to and from the school, stores, and train station.
- Praise God for Roger's recent profession of faith, and pray that he makes a good transition to Black Forest Academy.
P&P June 2012.pdf
