Update

It has been a while since I last wrote, things have been pretty busy this past couple months.  Since Paul’s arrival, things have been pretty non-stop, in fact, as soon as we got Paul moved into the guest house it has been slammed with guests!  looks like we got him moved right in time.  

During the month of January, we had a team in Bolivia. They had a great success in training students the I-Med, I-See, and I-Dent programs.  We even had someone from Ecuador meet us there.  His name is Ralondo, he was one of the first students to graduate from the I-Dent program in Ecuador and now continues to do dentistry and teach it to others as well as spreading the gospel.  I had the pleasure of meeting and going into the jungle with him while I was in Ecuador.  He is a very good teacher and a very humble man.

Speaking of Ecuador, we have a team headed down there during the 2^nd and 3^rd week of March, I believe.  Please keep the team in your prayers.  They will be at the training center I built last year training the Ecuadorians in most of our programs.  It has been very successful in the past, we are praying for another success this year too.

Brian, our video guy, made a video of their trip to Bolivia and we got all of I-TEC together today before lunch and watched it.  I was not on this trip and had heard very little about it.  It is often difficult to realize that you are making a difference when you work day to day on simple construction projects or running errands or whatever. I have, more than once, looked at what I originally came here to do and then look at how much has changed, both in my view of missions my priorities and personal life with God.

So I say all of that to emphasize that seeing the video of Bolivia and seeing all the tools that I have helped organize and put together being used and people’s lives being touched was extremely encouraging!  Way too often, all this turns into just work, but then you get little reminders of what you are really doing. I am not belittling anyone or their job.  No matter what job you have, you have the ability to touch lives, it is up to us to realize this and use that ability for the good.

Just recently I was informed that my dad has Leukemia.  I’m sure it was certainly more of a shock to him than it was for me, but it did take me aback.  I love my dad, and the fact that he is 2 time zones and a couple thousand miles away has been difficult. I’m honestly used to being the victim when medical/hospital stuff is involved, and now being on the other side of things, I feel rather helpless.  The distance isn’t helping. 

We have not been as close as I, or he for that matter, would have liked, seeing as we have lived so far apart for all of my double-digit years.  But that doesn’t change the fact that we are father and son.  We had planned on doing a mountain biking trip this year out in Utah, and we still plan on doing it at some point, but it looks like I will be trying to go out there before we get that chance.  In fact, the first thing my dad said to me when I was telling him I was going to come out there was, “You are supposed to be coming out so we can go mountain biking, not to see me in the hospital!!”  Anyway, any prayers you can send my dad’s way would be very much appreciated.

I would like most people’s prayer to be toward my dad, but the only other prayer request I have is for discernment in when to go out there. I feel like I need to time it perfectly so that I will be of some help and not a hinderance.  From what everyone I have spoken to has told me, it is extremely unpredictable to say when that would be.

As ever, I am extremely grateful for your support, financially, yes, but more importantly, spiritually.  There isn’t any way at all that it would be possible for me to be here doing what I do without such a great family supporting me.  Your prayers are felt, and I am grateful.

Your brother in Christ,

Austin