Saturday, February 1, 2020

January 31, 2020

We went to Westville, a living history museum in Georgia and the kids got to work with the carpenter, leathersmith and blacksmith. 



           A few days ago Amy and the kids were driving somewhere in the van and made a wrong turn.  Amy decided that she needed to go the other direction, so she pulled into a driveway to turn around.  As Amy was shifting the van into reverse, one of the kids said “Mommy, are we going to live in this house now?”  I guess our kids are getting used to the lifestyle!
 
           It’s never a dull moment with our family.  Last month I wrote the newsletter from Georgia where we went to visit Amy’s parents for Christmas.  We spent two weeks with “Damma and Bonka” and then we drove to Tampa.  We spent two weeks in Tampa for some counseling before returning to the field, and by the end of that stay everything had changed!

           If you’ve heard me speak during this home assignment, you’ve heard me talk about spiritual warfare and opposition, and how difficult it has been just trying to be in Lohutok let alone being able to effectively communicate the gospel with her people.  Plans are always fluid and delays happen, but Jesus loves the Lopit more than we do and He is never panicked or surprised.  Because of our unique challenges, we have been doing some kind of regular counseling for most of our marriage.  After meeting with the counselors in Florida they have asked us to spend six months in the USA getting some further help becoming healthy and whole for a lifetime of ministry.  There’s the expected change in plans!

           I am getting on a plane in two weeks to go back to Lohutok to close some things down, keep some commitments, and get ready to be gone for six months longer than planned, and by April will be back to start the process.  Please keep praying for us as we deal with the emotions of changed plans, look for the appropriate counselors, and settle ourselves back down for a longer stay.  When we told the kids we were staying longer, Ezekiel’s response was “What about Ofuul?”  Ofuul is the village landlord for whose salvation we have been praying and he wants to see it through, we are all feeling that urgency while trying to remember that Jesus is already on the other end and has never been panicked or impatient, and he’s a way better missionary than any of us!  Thank you for partnering with us through all of this!

Justin, Amy, Ezekiel and Caleb Culp

We were having lunch to celebrate Justin’s birthday in Georgia and the kids decided to belly up to the bar…at least they weren’t breaking anything…

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