Saturday, March 29, 2008

Minneapolis

On Monday I flew to Minneapolis, to teach a class at the Seminary and meet with Del Palmer, the World Missions Director and a couple of members of the World Missions Committee. I was warmly received, saw a lot of old friends and met a few new ones, and was reminded all over again what a privilege it has been to work in the AFLC all these years.

The Mission Board is meeting this Friday and Saturday (March 28th and 29th) and will discuss my letter of resignation which I gave to Pastor Palmer on Tuesday. Please pray for them as they seek the Lord on this and a number of other matters that affect the work of World Missions.

We will probably be going to Jerez the last week of May to explain ourselves to our friends and church there, say goodbye, and pick up a few things we will need for our new life in the US.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Big Decisions

We have been increasingly faced with the fact that in spite of wonderful progress with therapy and a large measure of independence that has resulted from it, Dad will still be needing someone to provide full time care for the foreseeable future. We've been warned repeatedly by different Physical Therapists, Doctors, Nurses, etc., that Mom must not be given the task of sole care giver ever again. She is also 88 years old and has some osteoporosis going on, so a fall while helping Dad could be disastrous for both of them.

After much prayer and careful consideration, Debbie and I have come to the conclusion that the only viable solution, and what also seems to us to be God's answer, is that we resign from the Mexico mission work and stay here in Phoenix to provide the care that Dad needs.

We spoke with our adult children in Mexico (Daniel and Marcela, and Ingrid) and they told us that the Lord had spoken to them last week to let them know that this was coming, so it wasn't a total surprise for them. They will continue working as Short Term Assistants under AFLC World Missions with Todd and Barb Schierkolk and living in what has been our house there in Jerez. If any of you would like to help support them, please send to AFLC World Missions in Plymouth MN. As STA's they have no guaranteed salary, medical insurance, etc. and are supported entirely by what is sent to AFLC designated for them. They are doing a wonderful job, working as full time missionaries in Jerez and we are very proud of them.

Keep tuning in to this blog, as we will continue to update from time to time both with news from here and from the Mexico field.

(By the way, we all need your prayers now more than ever!)

Dan Giles