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June 4, 2008
Hello families and friends,
Many thanks for your prayers for us since our move back to America. It
has now been a little more than a year. The adjustment has been an
incredible adjustment, especially for the boys who have been very
patient with everything, as we have sought out a good doctor and
counselor for the family. We have accomplished a lot thus far with
God's help and have begun to heal and become healthy again. God is
good!
Karyn's progress has been great regarding her health. Her doctor
and counselor have both helped her with a variety of issues, and Karyn
really feels like she has some practical solutions for the future.
Her weight is already down as a result of a better diet and increased
exercise. Actually, we are all exercising more regularly as a
family and it has been healthy for all of us. As some of you know,
Karyn was diagnosed with diabetes recently and that is part of the
reason for the improved diet and exercise routine. We are, thus,
not overwhelmed by the diagnosis but rather see it as a challenge and
opportunity to stay healthier as a family. Please pray for us in
this regard.
Jacob has also been improving. His ADHD is much better and his
medication has not altered his enjoyable and funny personality. He
will be a teenager this August!
Caleb has also been doing well. He has grown taller than me at
6'2" and is becoming quite a young man at 15 (this week). The
adjustment to the U.S. has been hard for him without other children of
Missionaries, with whom he readily identifies, and the European customs
that he grew familiar with. The last few months have been better
than ever though.
Both boys have excelled in school. Caleb had top honors in his
freshmen class as he has taken a number of advanced honor classes. I am
proud of both boys.
Finally, we have made a decision regarding our continued ministry to the
Lord. This year has given us a lot of time to search our hearts,
pray, and reflect on what God is calling us to. Our travels to
preach and teach in a variety of churches and states has surely helped
with this decision making process.
After a recent visit to Columbia, SC, where I was invited to speak, I
met with the State Baptist Convention and the pastor of the Deaf church
in Columbia. This meeting helped convince us that we should move
to Columbia to work with the Deaf church there and the statewide Deaf
Ministry. This really is a confirmation of something that has been
on my heart, in particular, for quite sometime. I will be working
closely with the local Deaf pastor in Columbia to help to train the
church's leadership and then also with the statewide Deaf ministry as a
consultant for the other churches in the State. Our vision is for
me to help strengthen the Deaf Ministry in the state by providing a
mixture of training, encouragement, and leadership to the churches in
the State Baptist. Our initial commitment is for the next 3 to 5
years. Karyn will likely be working part-time in a ministry or
church office in Columbia.
We will be moving sometime around the end of July or early August.
We have already found a house we would like to rent, and we ask you to
pray for the approval. It is a very nice ranch house with big back
and front yard. The only downside with the house is that it does
not have a refrigerator, washing machine or dryer. Please also
pray that if we do get approved for the rental that we will be able to
find some used and reliable ones at a reasonable price.
If some of you are wondering whether this means an end to our vision for
reaching the Deaf overseas, do not worry! We will be actively
pursuing short-term trips while we are in Columbia, and we will continue
to look to the Lord for future possibilities with the IMB (International
Mission Board) when the boys have graduated from high school.
Actually, I am working on a mission trip to Zambia for next summer.
It will likely be more of a research trip to determine what shape future
trips might take. We particularly want to look at the impact of
HIV/AIDS on the deaf community in Zambia. We will keep you
informed as things come together for this initial trip.
Please continue to pray for us to stay healthy, be strong with God daily
and our move to Columbia, SC.
Thank you for your continued prayers and taking the time to read this
brief update on where God is leading our family.
God bless you.
Fritz
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