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Masters' Family Our family prays that each of you is blessed in this season of Advent with the devotion of the Wise Men, the richness of their pursuit of a distant star, and the thrill of discovering the source of all our joy and hope. As our family prepares for the celebration of the Lord’s birth, we wish to share with you our work, as it continues to unfold before us in wondrous ways. God continues to challenge each one of us as we grow in the midst of new contexts. Matthew is a sophomore in high school. He has persisted and improved in his distance running, chess playing and German. He has an amazing perspective in his faith, and seems quite mature and articulate about how he envisions his walk with God. Christian will graduate from Rhodes College in May 2004, with a major in English, a minor in Philosophy. It is exciting to be a part of the lives of these two young men, and we feel honored to be a part of what they must overcome to be what God is calling each of them to be. Mark is at a crucial place in his academic and professional life. There are opportunities in the near future for Mark to utilize his skills as an interpreter for GBGM, which could be integrated into the commitments he continues to have at Vanderbilt. He has loved his teaching responsibilities, and will continue next semester. Kathleen has challenged her administrative and assessment skills in her work in New York. Being away from the family for two or more weeks out of the month has been the greatest cost. Being involved in the heart of work which enables and supports mission personnel, from application through retirement, has been an honor and reward beyond measure, broadening the perspective of how God’s mission is embraced throughout the world. Her focus, in addition to the training of Deaconesses, Church and Community Workers, and U.S.-2’s, will be to develop a program for enabling applicants for mission service. This will involve communicating with sending communities through the Conference Committee on Mission Personnel committees, Mission Personnel staff, and persons committed to mission service. You might be able to imagine some of the challenges this task provides, when over fifty percent of our standard support missionaries represent countries from outside the North American continent. It is an exciting opportunity for us to be involved in new approach to preparing mission personnel. Both Mark and Kathleen continue to respond to invitations to visit covenant churches. If your church (in either Tennessee or Memphis Annual Conference) is interested in a visit in the first six months of 2004, and you have not had a visit in the past three years, please contact us at 615-332-9969. Our time is limited but we will work with you to find an opportunity to continue to share our mission together. Please know your prayerful support has enabled our dreams of furthering our education, of training and enabling personnel, and supporting the efforts of GBGM. We are most thankful for your continued support, and pray that you enjoy God’s bounteous blessings of joy, peace, and love in this most blessed of times. Agape, Mark and Kathleen |
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