tck news

We've learned a lot on the farm over the past couple of months. We've done everything from converting yard space into garden (now I know how to make grass disappear) to harvesting some of our cold crops (like kale and asparagus). In the last couple of weeks we planted onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, bush beans, and brussle sprouts. We're watching the broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, kale, and garlic grow bigger every day.

Spring is the time for babies. Besides our own :) we have had babies from the goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs, and cats and purchased chicks and baby turkeys.

It's a lot of fun to learn about producing our own healthy food and dreaming of ways that we can use these skills to help people in the future.

​Reasons for Praise:

• The successful and peaceful birth of Boaz
• Growth and learning on the farm
• Opportunities to serve the TCK community this summer

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for connection with TCK'sthis summer as we prepare them for travel and welcome them back.
• Pray for safety and provision as we travel
• Pray that God would meet our needs financially so that we can do our job well

As TCK Care Coordinators we are gearing up for a busy summer. We've completed a couple of projects for our job. We drafted a budget proposal for our role with TeachBeyond. If everything goes well we will have a budget next year which will mean more opportunities to interact with TCK's and get training for ourselves. Another completed project was putting together information to help parents plan home assignment as a family. I polled and interviewed a lot of missionaries and TCK's to get a perspective on the joys and challenges of home assignment in preparation for this project. We've also been reading books on TCK issues to stay up to speed with our calling. And of course we're preparing for the summer.

Here's a glimpse of what will be keeping us busy:

June 9-12: I (Stephen) will make a trip to the West Coast to meet with a retreat center that has expressed interest in helping TCK's transition back to life in North America. I'll be asking them a lot of questions about their level of interest and potential involvement, and I'll be praying and talking with them about how we might be able to partner in the future.

June 17-23: We will be helping with TeachBeyond's pre-field orientation in Wheaton. Amy and I will be working with teenagers, helping them prepare to move overseas (and become TCK's!).

July 9-21: We will be volunteering with Barnabas International to help lead a transition seminar for TCK's returning to North America. The transition seminar will take place at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. Immediately after the seminar we will drive up to Ontario to visit Amy's extended family and some friends in the area.

Boaz is just over 7 weeks old now and we're getting used to being a family of five. Boaz is growing at a very healthy rate and sleeps decently, which means that we do as well for the most part. Pictured below are some of our highlights from the past couple months. First, of course, is the birth of Boaz. His birth was a very positive, empowering moment for our family. On the bottom left is Isaiah sharing his monkey with Boaz. He doesn't look happy about it, but I think that's because he just woke up from a nap. On the bottom right is Judah and Isaiah watching on as six sheep get sheared. The boys are very observant and love being involved with farm work whenever possible.

Give for the Blacks

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