changes

Ok so we alluded to some things going on in our lives and we are now ready to share that here.

 

Bethany and I have, for the last four years, looked at living and ministering in the Guest House ministry in the region of Papua, Indonesia. That's quite a bit of time to look forward to something. In those 4 years though, we have recently realized, how little information we sought out ahead of time as to the area and what it would be like to both live and work there. We just assumed that support work was support work and looked the same and took the same as in any area or ministry. That was a wrong assumption. We never took the time to visit the region ahead of time either.

 

The last three months of our lives in Papua have been tough and thorugh it all, we've realized, along with leadership that right now in the present conditions, our family is not the right fit for that ministry. It's a tough admittance on our part, but we believe that we're making the right choice right now in stepping out of that ministry.

 

In the mean time, we'll be returning to Salatiga to complete our un-finished langauge study and to really evaluate where the Lord would open the doors for us to serve next. We're still convinced that the best place for us to serve is here in Indonesia and until we're convinced by Him otherwise, this is where we'll serve. We just want to make sober-minded and temperate choices taking into consideration all the valid factors when we get ready to move into the next place.

 

Guys, this is not an easy update to write. We often feel like we just "couldn't hack it" in Papua, but we know that's not the case. We believe that God can empower anyone to serve in any capacity anywhere for a time, and at the same time, we also believe that He wants us to make wise choices and use our gifts and abilities and even backgrounds in the best fit that He provides. Because of that, we know that there will be needs that we can fulfill here in Indonesia and we're going to be seeking out what those are.

 

In the mean time, we're resting here in Jakarta and awaiting further information on Owen's health. We REALLY need your prayers as we transition into and from such an enexpected situation.

 

Let's all keep intelligiently Serving our God!

 

Joel for the Potters