1. Many have asked how the potty training is going and said they have been praying specifically for that - THANK YOU! We have definitely seen the results. The boys have been doing very well. There are still accidents but few willful choices like we were seeing. We’ve had a number of dry days and neither of them have had more than one accident in a day. They have stayed dry even during their naps and many nights they have been dry. Praise God.
2. Within 24 hours of our email about Carla not being able to come God had convicted us that He had given Kristy to us and that we had not been using the person/vessel He had provided as He intended. We contacted Kristy and asked her if she would like to become more responsible for literacy work and have some of her duties with the boys lifted. She was thrilled with the idea. We’ve arranged for someone to help with the boys a couple hours a day while we are in India so that Kristy can help Connie with literacy. Some of the formatting and editing work Connie has been doing she will train Kristy to do and they will swap - Kristy will work on the computer and Connie will be with the boys, giving both a much needed break. In Myanmar there is a short-termer who will be working with Connie’s parents. She will assume primary responsibility for the boys allowing Kristy to spend time helping Connie on literacy. God brought everything together so perfectly in all of our hearts and minds we wondered how we didn’t see this before. When Carla Bieber wrote us the next day and said God enabling she still wanted to come to Myanmar all we could do is laugh. Connie will be working to train Kristy so that in future trips she can assume more responsibility in the literacy ministry. What a blessing. We are so excited to see what God is going to do through Kristy and in Kristy’s life on this trip.
3. There maybe a young woman in India that can assume much of the editing and formatting responsibilities for Connie long term. There is still nothing definite but she is a young woman of great ability and BI is considering hiring her as a full time typist/assistant. She would be more than capable of doing the editing and formatting of the Bible Storybooks being written in India. This has been a huge time consuming part of Connie’s work there. Not only would it free up Connie’s time but it would enable the projects to move more quickly because they would not have to wait for Connie’s return to proceed.
4. The remainder of our personal support has been committed!!! Yes, you read correctly, we still are having a hard time believing it ourselves. We have prayed all year that these funds would be committed before we returned to India. We felt led of God to commit to making this trip but when people asked, “What if your support doesn’t come in,” we’ll have to admit we would question if this was faith or foolishness on our part. Yet each time we prayed, God renewed our faith. With one week to go we received a letter of commitment for our remaining need. ISN”T GOD AMAZING!!!! We will continue to raise ministry funds for things not included in our personal budget like the costs of these workshops, our laptops, etc. But the personal funds we needed to raise to be cleared for full time ministry are committed and we are rejoicing in that.
5. We have just learned that due to legal complications, no one is being given the software Birch wanted to use. Be in prayer for Birch as not only does it mean this will not be avialable for training but he now has to undertake the huge process of writing his own editor for BI.
6. We were missing a number of important things we needed for this trip. We do not have a large home and things are pretty orderly so we had run out of places to look. We have been praying all week about the missing items and last night God led us to them. Praise Him!
7. Lastly, please pray for Kristy’s funding. She still needs about $1600.

We will try to email one more time before we go to give you specific prayer requests for each translation project.

God’s Richest Blessings,
Birch, Connie, Warren and Rowan