Tom Lin

It’s been 3 weeks since we arrived at our new home in Missouri. We’re still living out of suitcases, unpacking boxes, and visiting furniture stores daily, but we’ve been thankful to God for a smooth move thus far. New friends and a group of St. Louis-based InterVarsity staff have warmly welcomed us and helped us so much.

After living in “Uncle Jim’s house” and “Grandpa’s house” for the past year, Abby has been excited to finally call this place, “Abby’s house” and recites her home address regularly. She loves running around the house like a race track. Olivia is enjoying sleeping in her own crib and bedroom for the first time. And Nancy and I are enjoying our first full kitchen in 6 years!

*LEARNING MISSOURI LANGUAGE & CULTURE:
We have been approaching our new context like a foreign mission field, as we did in Mongolia. We seek to understand the nuances of the language and culture. Here’s some lessons learned thus far:

* When getting from point A to B, it always takes about 20 minutes.
* For vacations and weekend getaways, people head to the lakes.
* Most of Missouri pronounces the state, “Mis-zura.”
* The term “Asian” or “Chinese” is used instead of “Asian American”…
* Panera is St. Louis Bread Company here and referred to as “the bread company.”
* People tend to be long-time locals and ask, “What high school did you go to?”
* Don’t wear Chicago Cubs hats in public…

*TAHOE TRIP & HOME PHOTOS:
Before leaving the Bay Area, we took one last family trip to Lake Tahoe with friends Mike & Oli and Sol & Chay (and babies Chloe & Zack). It was too warm for skiing, but Abby was still able to have fun in the snow. To see photos from our trip, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomandnancylin/sets/72157600337516276/ . To see new photos of Olivia taken in our new home, as well as photos of Tom’s recent speaking engagements, click on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomandnancylin/.

*NEW ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFO:
Tom and Nancy Lin
1001 Brightfield Manor Court
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(Home) 636-532-7504
(Tom’s Cell) 650-387-2684
(Nancy’s Cell) 650-387-2686
(New Email) tomlin@post.harvard.edu

*PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Regional Leadership Team Meetings, June 19-21. Pray for my first official meeting with the leadership team (4 staff whom I will be directly supervising), as we build our team relationships and discuss InterVarsity business. Pray for my leadership of the meetings and wisdom as we make decisions related to the upcoming academic year.

2. Making the Central Region our home. Pray for our relationships in the community, esp. for Nancy to develop significant friendships with other moms. Pray for the Lord to give us deep connections, as we go on our daily evening walks around our neighborhood. Pray also for patience in the process of settling into our home and choosing a church for our family.

3. Transition back to “work” and Regional Director role. On July 1st, my sabbatical officially ends and my new job begins. I’ve been reflecting recently on Solomon’s transition to his new leadership position in Israel, and his prayer, “Give your servant knowledge and wisdom, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Chronicles 1:10, 1 Kings 3:9). Please pray for knowledge and wisdom during my transition.

On Behalf of Our Family,
Tom

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