Transitions

Erick and I counted up all the times we have moved in our marriage and it came to 15 times!  One positive thing about moving is that it has helped us determine and keep only the most important things, and purge the rest…keeping it simple.  We also believe that moving so many times has taught us to be flexible and adaptable.  But what we treasure most is all of the people we have come to know and love in every city and community God has called us to.  We know we were in Indiana for a specific purpose. And we trust that, in addition to taking a new position with Back2Back and connecting more closely with others on our Back2Back team, God will give us great purpose in Ohio as well. (We’re confident, however, that our purpose here is NOT to become Buckeye fans!)

We moved into an apartment in Mason, Ohio on June 27^th (which was also our 33^rd Anniversary).  We think we have found a house and if everything goes through we will close in August and move again!  We were so thankful for all the people that helped us pack the truck in Indiana and unpack it in Ohio.  We captured a picture in Indiana. THANK YOU Steve, Patty, and Ian Harney, Kevin Mangin, and Tom Searcy. And in Ohio, we didn’t get a picture, but THANK YOU Steve Ross, Patricia Honeck, Kimberly & Mark Nolt, John and Corrie Guckenberger, and Todd Guckenberger.

We got a 3 month lease on the apartment, and decided to unpack only the things that were necessary while we looked for a house. This picture is in the “dining room” of the apartment.  It serves as both our office and eating area.

One of the unintended good consequences of Covid-19 has been the ability to provide Strong Families training for more of the Back2Back sites using Zoom.  In April and May we trained our Dominican Republic and Monterrey staff. After the training, we continued on with them to do two book discussions, which were so rich with learning. (In case you’re interested, the two books were: Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton and Slow Kingdom Coming by Ken Annan) Then, in late June  we started training the Mazatlán and Cancun sites, about 30 people. We will finish up 10 sessions with them this month.

Earlier this month, Erick had a chance to join about 6000 others in the Unify Cincy walk in downtown Cincinnati. The walk was organized by 50+ churches to join together to pray, worship, and walk, asking God to bring down His kingdom of justice and unity. I pray this is the beginning of a movement, in the name of Jesus, that has a lasting impact of peace across all colors, races, and ethnicities. 

Over the 4th we were able to spend some time with our kids and some of their friends in Bloomington. The drive from Cincy to Bloomington is only about 2 ½ hours. We love hanging out with them.

We are still social distancing but exploring some of the fun things to do outside in Ohio.  We discovered the Little Miami Trail and I’m remembering how much I love to bike. We also bought some inner tubes with plans to float on the Little Miami River. And last night we finally went out for our anniversary and were able to safely eat outside to celebrate.

We would invite you to visit us now, but our apartment is pretty full with stuff so it might be a little tight with Covid and all. But when we move into our house and it’s safer to be together, we look forward to having friends and family come to visit.

We continue to grateful and humbled by all of you who are part of our team. While it’s been challenging the past several months, we have, without question seen God’s faithfulness through you. He has never been surprised by anything and was not surprised by the pandemic. And he continues to be trustworthy and faithful.

Erick & Julie

Click here to help support our ministry

Praises

• The move to Ohio went exceptionally smooth and we had great friends to help us on both ends. 
• We think we found the right home and look forward to moving in next month.
• Eliza found a new job and she gets to work outside!
• The closing on our condo in Indiana went very smoothly.
• We have been able to train close to 40 staff from three different sites in the last couple months.
• Our Mazatlan site will be working to transition some kids who live in an orphanage back to their biological families or relatives. We will be helping them with this process. 

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for wisdom for me in my new role leading the Child and Family Development team. 
• Please pray that we are able to find a church where we can serve and be fed truth. 
• Please pray for the kids and families at our Mazatlan site who will be reintegrated. Pray for Julie and I as we assist with this process. 
• Please (continue) praying for the racial and political division in our country, and for wisdom for our federal and local leaders during the pandemic.
• Please pray that our closing and move go smoothly - again - into the new house.

The Bullseye (Video Update #2)

The Bullseye (Kevin's family. Kevin is in the orange shirt.) For this month's video update, we introduce you to a diagram that helps explain how we approach our work with families. We also introduce you to Kevin, who allowed us to have a front-row seat to what happens when a mom loves her son, someone listens to her struggle, and then walks with her and Kevin to address the root problems. We will refer to this diagram in the video.   *I do apologize for my (Erick's) awkwardness in front of the camera. And never mind that the remote didn't work quite right at the end. I know I need to keep my day-job.

Click here for a little of Kevin's story

Praises Julie still tested positive for a SIBO infection. The treatment of antibiotics has had a positive effect on how she's feeling.   Nick got a teaching assistantship at IU, and continues to thrive at the university. Eliza is loving her job and the people on her team. One of our Indian national staff (Santosh), after four trips to the government, was finally able to get them to start fogging regularly in the slum for mosquitos. Malaria and dengue are a constant threat there.  Someone we know well and love has sponsored one of the children of a Strong Family in India. The English and Spanish translations of the training materials were delivered and they look great.  We've almost completed a version of the parent curriculum that is specifically written for non-literate individuals. (Most in India and some in Haiti will be non-literates.) Requests Please continue to pray for Julie's health as she has now started a more restricted diet that will bring some challenges in India and Haiti. Pray that this treatment plan will be the one that brings full health back to her gut.  Pray for the families in India, that they would find hope and be motivated to attend the parent classes.  Pray for 14 year old Anitha as her ability to receive an education is being threatened by the need to work and support her family. (India) Pray for 15 year old Kajal who needs much more tutoring before she can enter 10th grade. She is feeling the pressure to quite school. (India) Please continue to pray that the conditions in Haiti won't deteriorate so we can train there in October. Pray for safe travel for us: Sept 9-28 in India, and Oct. 10-28 in Haiti.  Please continue to pray that our time in India in September is fruitful as we continue working with our staff and the Strong Families in the slum. Please continue to pray for favor and wisdom as we begin working with our Back2Back Cincinnati staff to come alongside families in the the at-risk urban community of Price Hill. (All it took was meeting some of the families in the neighborhood, and our hearts are already hurting and hoping for them.)

Give

He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy And to walk humbly with your God.

A Sweet & Emotional Return (to Cancun, MX)

A Sweet & Emotional Return It's been about 17 months since we moved from Mexico to Noblesville, IN. On March 29 we returned to the site where God gave us a vision to holistically care for at-risk families in the marginalized communities of Tres Reyes and Bonfil. (We now call this the Strong Families Program.) As we were driving to the team house from the airport, many familiar sites, smells, sounds, and people, flooded our memories and welcomed us back to the place where we served for six years. A place where we left parts of our hearts.   The week was full of hugs, (Mexican) kisses, laughter, and tears. God graciously showed us all that He has continued to do through the staff to empower and strengthen the families in Bonfil and Tres Reyes. We were reminded what can happen when God provides vision and resources to carry out His plan. He loves the people of Mexico (and Haiti, India, Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Cincinnati) more than we do. We are grateful He called us to do this work. And we are also grateful for so many people like you, who partner with us in prayer and financial support. We couldn't do it without you. We hope you enjoy some of the pictures from Mexico. Praises Our staff and partners in India who are busy implementing the Strong Families Program and principles with 25 families. They also just hired another national staff to help with the program. (We trained in India in February.) Our staff (and the children we serve) in Haiti are safe and back to work, after recent protests necessitated their evacuation. Julie and I are almost finished with edits to the Strong Families Program training materials. We hope to take it to Haiti next. We have been blessed to spend quality time with our kids and Julie's family over the last few months.  Requests Please continue to pray for Julie's health. Although she's seen a lot doctors, not much has changed. The SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) infection is not gone. She also continues to try alternative treatments. Please pray for continued safety for our Haiti staff and all the children we serve there. Please pray for commitment and hope for the new Strong Families in India. Pray also for discernment, wisdom, and strength for the staff. Please pray that we receive funding needed to take our training to each of the Back2Back sites.  Please pray for our personal support. We currently have a $700/month deficit. Humbled and Grateful Erick & Julie

Reflections on Hope from 2018

I’ve been reflecting over this past year in order to discern what the Lord has been teaching me. It has been a year of transitions.  For those of you who have experienced a transition this year I know you can relate.  For Erick & me, our transition involved moving to a new location, trying to figure out where we “belong,” and taking on new responsibilities with Back2Back.  A process of letting go and embracing new beginnings.  Sometimes we have had mixed emotions. Moving and starting over (literally), the letting go of the old, has been difficult and felt raw, while embracing the new has been overwhelming, exciting, challenging, and sometimes discouraging.  For me, it’s been a year of doctor visits and trying new treatments.  A year of establishing new rhythms and engaging with family in new ways.  A year of developing new roles and a new training program for Back2Back. I’ve written several Reflections from 2018 that I’d like to share with you. 

Reflection: Shedding the old dead parts of ourselves allows new growth to start.

The first part of the year we were taking our sabbatical.  During that time Erick & I walked a lot…..like over 100 miles together.  Later I learned that walking helps regulate the brain, and boy do I need help with that!  Going on walks has always been a way for me to connect with God.  God has used what I see and experience in nature and art to communicate messages to me.  On many occasions when I was walking I would get the impression that God wanted me to pay close attention.  In those moments I felt like there was something I’m supposed to learn, to take notice of.  Often that means I stop and take a picture or stop and pray.  It happened to me when Erick & I were on one of our long walks this past spring.  We were walking through a forest and I noticed the path was lined with tons of tree bark.  All of the trees in this area had big pieces of bark that had been stripped away from their trunks.  We kept walking and I was struck by the amount of bark that was stripped away.  The trees had big patches of bare, raw wood that was exposed.  It made me wonder…..what if the trees had to shed the old dry bark in order to see new growth?  Which made me pray…..Lord, what is dead and old in me that you want to remove in order to see new growth?  

Reflection: When transformation and progress are slow (and they usually are), we must keep on asking, seeking, and knocking. 

Every year at the beginning of the year we have asked God to show us a word (or phrase) He wants us to focus on.  In 2018 my word was WALK HUMBLY.  And during our transition I wanted to focus on what it meant to WALK HUMBLY.  Staying mindful of keeping a humble attitude in starting new roles. And staying humble in

finding out what was making me sick and seeking treatments from doctors.  It was easy to get frustrated on the medical side of things because I wasn’t making the progress I thought I would.  Now eleven months into 2018 and I still have a SIBO infection and the treatment has not “cured” me.  Many times throughout the year people have asked to pray over me and I have longed for God to heal me, but that has not happened yet.  Along the way I realized I stopped believing in a miracle and I think I lost a little hope.  But then in August I read a book about prayer and I read the verse in Matthew 7:7 where it says to ask, seek, knock. A verse I’ve heard all my life.  But this time I read it in the NLT which says:

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking, and you will find.

Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you

When I read the words…KEEP ON asking, seeking, knocking, it challenged me to persevere (even with chronic illness and pain), to continue to Hope, and trust in God.  

Reflection: Hope, however small it may be, helps us to persevere in the hard stuff. 

And as we visited Back2Back sites in Monterrey & Mazatlan, Mexico, and Haiti, I was reminded again about the need to KEEP ON to Persevere because the work we are doing is slow and long.  Transformation and change takes so much time, perseverance, faith, and hope.

Hope for… broken marriages to be restored

Hope for…. answers to complex problems

Hope for…..strength and wisdom to love special needs foster teens

Hope for…..a teen who at 15 has already been through 3 drug rehab programs

Hope for……a family who’s 17 year old daughter chose to take her own life

Reflection: I’m not the same person I was. I’m different at my core. And this is good.

I recently read a blog from another missionary who was reflecting on her experience re-entering into America.  She expressed that she felt like she had gone to Narnia.  A place where so much happened that it was difficult to put into words.   Beth Watkins said:  “words can fail when it comes to describing our deep life-altering experiences.” I can relate, because I often feel like I don’t have the words to explain to people how much I’ve been changed.  I feel like I’m a very different person than when I left for Mexico 7 years ago.   

Reflection: In addition to shedding the old dead parts, we must remain deeply rooted in the Truth. 

We had the opportunity to attend the national conference in early November.  The theme was being deeply rooted.  One of the keynote speakers said it well:  Gregory Lan Ijiwola said “our roots must penetrate to a deeper strata in order for us to grow.”  My overall takeaway from the conference was that I want to be more deeply rooted in the Bible.

Romans 15:13

May the God of HOPE 
fill you with joy & peace
as you trust in Him, so that 
you may overflow with
HOPE by the power of
the Holy Spirit.

Farm Animals

If you live in or have visited Indiana, chances are you're going to see farm animals, whether by accident or on purpose. Julie and I are fully embracing our life in Indiana, so recently we went to the 4H Fair near us and while we didn't embrace the animals, we did see and appreciate them. We are grateful for farms and farmers. (Oh, and I lost the staring contest with the llama.)

In addition to learning more about farm animals, Julie and I also attended training about Trust Based Relational Intervention, specifically when working with children who have experienced trauma. We also attended coaching training that an be used to coach staff, parents, or whoever we may need to coach. Regarding the Strong Families curriculum, we are beginning the process of converting content into in-class training material. In official terms it's called instructional design. I'm including a link HERE to a Prezi presentation we created for our site directors to update them and describe some of the modules we're creating. (It's 4 minutes or less and has a video.... of us.) We head back to Monterrey and Mazatlan, Mexico for about 3 weeks in Sept/Oct to do more site reviews in preparation for future training.

Nick started his new job in Bloomington, IN last week and starts classes at IU next week. He's excited. Eliza also started a new job at a chiropractic office. She is very interested in holistic and alternative medicine. Nate did extremely well in his first round of pre-nursing classes. He starts his next 9-week cohort next week. 

This month, we're asking you to pray with us for more people to join our support team. We have some ongoing new expenses and other expenses that are far more than we were paying in MX. We know God owns it all and are trusting Him. So we are also inviting you to pray about joining our team if you're not already on it. 

Prayer Opportunities

• Pray that God will raise up more partners to join our support team.
• Please continue to pray for Julie's health. She sees another doctor this week.
• Pray for Eliza and her new job, that it will be fun and fulfilling for her.
• Pray for Nick not get too stressed out as he starts classes and works.
• Continue to pray for Julie and I as we move down this path of identifying the best ways to help the children and families we serve and how to roll out global training.

Humbled & Grateful.
erick & julie