Tom Lin

Dear Friends,

After 9 months on furlough, focused on our four goals — Physical rest, Spiritual renewal, Debriefing & healthy re-entry, and Sharing with friends & churches — the time to move to Missouri is finally arriving! Last month, we bought a home in Chesterfield, MO, a town about 20 miles from downtown St. Louis. We plan to move into our new home on May 22, and then spend the next few weeks settling in before Tom’s new job begins. (In case you’re wondering “Why Missouri? What will you be doing?” and you missed our last email, click on www.tomandnancylin.com. See Feb. 22nd’ blog, “Preparing for a New Journey.”)

*HAWAII TRIP & PHOTOS:

Courtesy of a sabbatical grant for pastoral leaders from the Lily Endowment, we spent 3 weeks in Hawaii as a family. After a few days in Honolulu visiting friends, we spent the rest of our time in Kihei, Maui. Tom did some writing and reflection, while we also all enjoyed times at the “baby beach”, an evening luau, and just hanging out in our condo. “My favorite was the kiddie pool,” concluded Abby. (We went every afternoon). We also had a wonderful time with Nancy’s sister, who joined us for a week. To see photos from our trip, click on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomandnancylin/. Also check out the new folder “April 07-Olivia at 4 months”!

*READING & STUDY:

This spring, Tom is finishing up the required curriculum of his Masters of Global Leadership program at Fuller. Last quarter, Tom enjoyed one class on “Christian Worldview and Challenges” and another class on “Contemporary Culture and Missiological Perspectives”. We wish we could say that we’ve read all those leisure books on our shelf during this furlough, but we’ve only managed to squeeze in a few while the kids sleep! Some good books that we’ve been reading include:

The Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.
More than Serving Tea by several Asian American InterVarsity staff colleagues.
Anthropological Insights for Missionaries by Paul Hiebert. (Wish we would have read this one before Mongolia!).

* UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

April 15: Tom preaches at Wellspring Church, San Leandro, CA

April 26: House “closing date” in St. Louis, MO (Tom only)

April 27: Tom preaches at Mountain View Chinese Christian Church, CA

April 28: Ministry Presentation for Bay Area supporters, Mountain View, CA

April 29: Tom preaches at Chinese Independent Baptist Church, San Francisco

May 12: Move from Bay Area to Chicago (stopover)

May 13-14: Tom visits IV staff at Catalyst Student Leadership Conference, Missouri (http://www.ivcatalyst.com)

May 18-21: Tom speaks at AFC-Ontario Student Conference, Toronto (http://www.campus-challenge.com/2007/)

May 22: Final Move from Chicago to Chesterfield, MO!

*PRAYER REQUESTS:

Good closure and good move. Pray for our smooth departure from the Bay Area, as we track down our things (boxes and things which are spread out in various people’s homes!), say good-bye to friends, and end the routines we’ve established during our time here. Pray also for good cooperation from Abby and Olivia, which will make the move to Chicago and then Chesterfield so much more bearable!
Two cars and Office Space. As we move, these are the first things we’ll look for in Missouri. We currently own no cars, and there is currently no IV Regional office. Please pray for the Lord to match our car needs with someone else who is looking to sell, and pray for the Lord to prepare an affordable, strategic place for Tom to set up the IV Regional Office!
Continue praying for our Sabbatical goals of physical rest, spiritual renewal, and sharing with friends and churches. Please esp. pray for the latter, as we will be meeting with many supporters and churches in the coming weeks to share about our upcoming ministry.

With Love,

Tom and Nancy

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