Fiji Family Adventures

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! It's a good time to reflect on the past year, and all the things we have to be thankful for.

Ray's Graduation: MA in Biblical Studies

We are happy to announce that after five years of hard work, Ray got an A on his thesis (dealing with community development and the biblical response to poverty), and has graduated with his Master's degree! His degree was through the Fiji Bible College, with his professors and his accreditation from the states. The graduation ceremony was wonderful. We are thankful for the opportunities God has given us to further our education here in Fiji. Laura continues to work on her MA and Ray has been approached to pursue his doctorate.

Student Teams & Future Ministry Plans

We've always loved working with students. From running a study-abroad program to hosting short-term teams, we've seen God transform many lives through His Spirit over our 10 years in Fiji. There's something about the combination of culture, adventure, discipleship and community that forms an effective recipe for life-change in the lives of students and those they interact with.

While we are continuing to host short-term teams, we are also looking forward to having students for longer periods of time, as it really enables the them to go deeper in local ministry. This summer we will host a 6-week Edge Team through Pioneers, and we are praying about starting a 9 month Gap Year program for university students next year.

Momi Bay: Pre-School, Agape Farms & Outreach Centre

Last night Ray spoke at the graduation of the Agape Pre-School down at Momi Bay. The pre-school is a great outreach to the community.

Over this last year we have seen tremendous progress at Momi Bay. The produce is flourishing on the farm, baby fish are on order for the fish ponds, and work on the building is progressing. We have chickens, goats, sheep and a horse on the farm as well. Joji and Aliti Raratabu and their children continue in day-to-day ministry and outreach as they manage the farm and the pre-school.

Transition to Pioneers: Urgent Prayer Request Support at 32%)

As many of you already know, we have recently transferred to Pioneers International, a highly respected and innovative missions organization. Pioneers currently partners with more than 2,000 churches to send more than 1,900 missionaries to over 200 countries. We are thankful for the way God has led us to this group and are looking forward to how He will continue to use us in ministry here in Fiji through Pioneers (PI).

With PI, we still rely entirely upon financial support through churches and individuals (PI does not "pay" us). Right now our support level is only 32%. We know the transition time is a little rocky at first, but we are hopeful all our partners in ministry will continue to be a part of this work in some way. We've been encouraged to be candid about the rather difficult situation we find ourselves in of figuring out how to live on 32% of what we need. According to policy our monthly pledged support level must increase if we are to stay on the mission field. At present we plan to continue to move forward in faith with whatever we have in whatever way we can.

PLEASE PRAY that God would provide the additional financial partners that we need! Your prayers mean so much to us. We are confident that God will continue to meet all our needs according to His riches and glory.

Pioneers

2010-10-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind ride, but recently a new opportunity has opened up for us to deepen our existing ministries in Fiji. We thank our advisors who have been praying with us and guiding us in this transition, especially those who met with us all the way in Fiji. This week we have been accepted as members with Pioneers International www.pioneers.org. Through Pioneers we will continue our ministry partnerships in Fiji (Agape Farms at Momi Bay, Homes of Hope, and college ministry). We are so thankful for our past 3 years with Students International and praise the Lord for all He's done. We're sad to leave, and yet confident this is the Lord's leading for us. We will be dedicating future updates to inform you more on the transition and ways you can continue to partner with us to see the gospel reach the lost. Stay tuned!

In Florida with Mom

2010-09-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for your prayers for Ray's mom, Linda. She made it through brain surgery last week and has been recovering at home. This week she had a dizzy spell and tightness in her chest so they re-admitted her for a couple of days and ran further tests. We're thankful she was able to come back home today. We're still waiting to hear more from the doctors. For those who are interested in viewing more frequent updates about Linda, you can visit her Caring Bridge website at:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindapittman

Our flight to LA and then to FL was a bit rough. . .27 hours of travel (including about 5 hours of Isla screaming on the airplane--she refused to sleep!). We've had some serious jet-lag, but we're all doing much better today.

Linda is doing really well, considering all she's been through. She has all of her long-term memories, although she does get confused about practical things (like how to take a bath, or why she walked into the kitchen). She recognized all of us and has had some sweet snuggles and plays with the grandchildren. We are so thankful to be here.

The doctor has told Linda that with chemo and radiation she can expect to live another 2 to 3 years. I think we're all a bit in shock and trying to process everything. It's been so sudden and unexpected. We're continuing to pray for God's healing for Linda and know that He has her in His hands no matter what these next couple of years hold for her.

All of Ray's siblings and their families were together when we arrived in FL, and we had two days together before the others left. It was great to see everyone (pictured below). We're enjoying the blessings of this unexpected time with family and trying to make the most of each day.

We're off to Florida

2010-09-07T01:40:00.000-07:00

We've purchased our plane tickets and we fly out to Fiji on Thursday. Ray's mom had brain surgery this morning, and she pulled through it. She recognized Ray's dad and said a few words when he saw her afterward.

We are busy trying to get everything in order here in Fiji before we depart. We'll update again from Florida

Update on Ray's Mom

2010-09-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

Update on Ray's Mom

The news about Ray's mom isn't very good. The doctors have discovered that the tumor in her head is a very aggressive brain tumor. It looks like it has roots going down into the brain. It also has indications of very rapid growth. It's a little larger than a golf ball, located in her frontal a-lobe. Rather than simply doing a biopsy on it, the doctors have determined that they need to quickly remove the whole thing and then do further testing on it. Surgery is scheduled for Monday morning (in Orlando, FL).

The doctors are saying that the surgery may affect her memory and change her personality, along with other possible consequences of removing part of the brain. Ray packed his bags and tried to get on a flight yesterday but it didn't work out (one flight was booked, the other astronomically expensive). He is feeling pretty torn up about not being there right now (he is the only one from his family not there).

We are now planning on traveling as a family to the USA. We hope to depart this coming Thursday. We are already ticketed to go back at Christmas but when we tried to change our flight it was going to be $6,000! So we are purchasing new round-trip tickets on faith that God will provide what we need for this trip.

Thank you so much for your love and support. Please keep Linda in your prayers. We're all still hoping and praying for the best. Even though we don't always understand why, we know that God is in control. He is faithful and He is good.

Pray for Ray's Mom

2010-09-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

Urgent Prayer Request:

Please pray for Ray's mom (Linda). She has been having headaches and some numbness on her right side, so she went in today to have it checked out. They did a CT scan, which revealed a lump in her head. The doctors think it is a brain tumor. Linda was transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Orlando where they will do more testing and a biopsy tomorrow. We'll keep you posted as we hear more. In the meantime, please keep Linda and the family in your prayers! It is hard for us to be so far away at this time, but it's a comfort to know that Ray's brother Jeff and his family are there.

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Family Update:

We are keeping busy lately with academic work. Laura's MA classes last month went really well, and she was so thankful that Ray was willing to stay with Elani and Isla while she was in school. Eden is adjusting to "real" school--she's been there about a month now. She likes many things about it, but is finding it hard to adjust to other things. Overall it is a good experience for her and we've seen growth in her in several areas. Please keep her in your prayers.

Ray has been working each day on his final project (thesis) for his MA degree. He has about a month left in which to complete it, so he's working hard! His topic is the Christian response to poverty. Please pray for him to have the diligence and stamina to put in the time he needs on this on top of his other ministry responsibilities. He is expecting to graduate with his MA in Biblical Studies in November.

Isla is crawling, standing, talking and teething! She sure keeps us busy. She's such a joy to have around. We are so blessed with our family and thank God for our beautiful girls every day.

July Update

2010-07-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's been another busy month since we last wrote! We're just now catching our breath after saying goodbye to the last team of the summer. It was a great summer and God has really worked in and through the short-term teams. From now until Christmas we enter into a phase that is focused more on long-term ministry and development. The first two weeks of August Laura will attend seminary classes for two weeks. Read on for more news!

Summer Teams

The last month of teams has been busy, but great. We just said goodbye to the last team. Logistically it was challenging as we had close to 50 people staying at Momi some nights. What a blessing to have so many helping! They got a lot done at Momi and Homes of Hope both.

We also just said goodbye to our SPU engineering interns (working on appropriate technology projects), and our 3 summer staff (thanks so much, girls!). This past month we were able to host several professors and other school representatives on "vision trips" (a shorter outreach to enable them to catch the vision for SI Fiji). We are several steps closer to starting up our study-abroad program in Fiji as the result of SI's academic coordinator and his family coming out as well.

It's all been overwhelming but amazing. The Thompson family, summer staff and our Fijian staff were a tremendous help and blessing. Please pray with us for God to bring the right people to join our long-term staff team here in Fiji. We really need team leaders as well as a study-abroad program coordinator (once that gets going), along with more ministry-site leaders. We have a couple of people who have expressed interest in coming out, so please pray that God would guide the right people to join us!

Family News

Elani turned 5 years old on July 12! She had a very fun party and is a very sweet five year old. Nine-month-old Isla keeps us busy chasing her as she crawls all over the house and pulls herself up to explore shelves, cupboards and anything in sight. Eden (7) is attending a Christian school down the street for a few weeks to see how it goes, with the possibility of her staying there full-time. So far Eden isn't so sure about school, please pray for her adjustment and that we'd make the right decision about enrolling her full-time or not.

Laura will attend seminary (45 min. drive from our house) during the first two weeks of August. This is year three out of four for a MA in Biblical Studies. She's been working hard on her assignments from last year and has finally completed them. Please pray for the seminary classes to go well and please pray for Ray as he will be Mr. Mom while Laura is in school each day! We have some friends in Fiji who have volunteered to help out where they can with the home-school, watching baby, etc. so that is a blessing.

June Update

2010-07-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of people coming and going lately! First our 3 summer staff arrived. Then we welcomed a team from CA led by Dave Hansen (SI President). The president of the SI board and his family also arrived. Halfway through Dave's outreach, a "Vision Trip" team came from New Zealand and the US (a vision trip is a shorter outreach for people interested in catching the vision for SI and getting involved in some capacity). We're looking forward to several future potential partnerships that have been born out of this recent vision trip.

Currently we have a small outreach team, plus two engineering interns from Seattle Pacific University who are researching and designing an appropriate technology project for Momi (probably a methane digester--obtaining cooking gas from pig manure!).

This week and next we are hosting SI's academic co-ordinator and another vision team from colleges in the states that are interested in SI Fiji's future study-abroad program. We'll have several meetings next week regarding setting up this program; please pray for God's guidance and timing. We'd love to see it up and running by next fall.

The Pre-school Begins:

We are excited to announce that we've started the pre-school at the Momi base.

There are about 10 kids that regularly come and more are interested. Please pray that these little ones would come to know the Lord! We also are in need of tables, chairs, books, etc. (As you can see we have started out with short tables so the kids can sit on the floor!).

Agape Farms:

It's been great to have the help of the outreach teams as we continue to plant and grow things at Momi. Here they are planting pineapples!

The liners for the fish ponds are in and we expect to lay them next month. The sales of the fish and produce will go to run the farm and the ministries at Momi.

Home Visitations:

Pastor Joji (SI farm manager who lives at Momi) has been taking a few students around to visit the neighboring community each day after work. These home visits have become a highlight for the teams. They are always so blessed by the hospitality of the local people, and the students in turn share their testimonies with the families. Pastor Joji has started a small church gathering at Momi on Sunday mornings, and it's been neat to see the new believers coming each week to find out of more about how to grow in their faith.

"Z'" and Family

Remember "Z" (the single mom from our last update)? She is doing so well at Homes of Hope. There have been challenges, but she is growing in her new faith. She sent us a letter last week that says, ""Sometimes I feel rejected from everywhere, but then God says 'You are my child and I'm always here for you.' I have realized that the more I pray and believe in God the more He helps me and talks to me." What amazing words from one so new in her faith!

Last week we went to visit her mom and cousin back at home, and these two Muslim women gave their lives to Jesus as well! Please join with us in prayer for Z and her son, as well as her family back home. She has five little brothers/sisters (pictured here at home), one of which has Down's Syndrome. They live in dire poverty. We go to visit the family twice a month to check on them, pray with them and help out as we can.

Our Family

Our family is doing great! We are keeping busy with the outreach teams. Ray and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this month (even though we haven't actually had a chance to celebrate yet, since he went to Suva with the team that day!).

Isla is now officially crawling so that changes life a bit! She is pulling dishes out of cupboards, going through the trash and eating anything she finds on the floor (this week gecko poop and a dead cockroach. . .gross!).

Laura's mom Janet flew in for a month-long visit, so that has been a huge blessing! She is helping home-school the girls which frees Laura up to work on her MA paper for a couple of weeks. We've also been enjoying family times with the teams as we can.

Kids Club, Teams & Family

2010-05-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of a Kid's Club we recently hosted at the Agape Outreach Center (SI Base) at Momi. As our first "official" outreach to the community, it was a great success! With the help of Shoma from Child Evangelism Fellowship and our SI teams, the kids heard the Good News of Christ and had a great time as well!

We are currently hosting a combined team from Indiana Wesleyan University and Grace College in Indiana. They spent the last week working at Momi--building, planting, cooking, teaching and creating pumps for the well. They're working at Homes of Hope in Suva this week. This has been our biggest team yet, and it's been a stretch with our limited staff, but it's been awesome. We're so thankful to have the Thompsons here helping us out for the summer--they've been amazing.

A GLIMPSE INTO A LIFE . . .

We'd like to introduce you to a young Indo-Fijian girl we will call "Z" to protect her privacy. Z comes from a very poor Muslim family. When we met her she was 9 mo. pregnant, abandoned by her boyfriend, and dealing with some big issues (abusive step-father, severe asthma and anemia, and a pregnant mother with 4 other little ones at home, all trying to live on the $5/day that the step-father sometimes brought home for food).

We took Z to the hospital when she went into labor. Z needed a blood transfusion due to her anemia, but the hospital said they had no blood to give her--so we arranged for her to be transferred to the hospital in the next town. It was great to see our friends rally around her and shower this girl we'd just met with the love of Christ. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy (he is pictured above during the ceremony in which his birth hair is shaved off and then thrown into the river).

From the first we have been praying that Z would go to Homes of Hope. However, Z was reluctant to leave her mother and siblings in such a bad home situation. Last week, the step-father kicked her out of the house. Z came to Momi to stay with the team a few days before going to Homes of Hope. While there, she saw Christ's love lived-out and heard the gospel message of salvation.

Last week Z gave her life to the Lord and was baptized. She tells us she has never experienced such peace, and she is literally glowing with happiness. Please keep Z in your prayers as she begins a new life for herself and her baby at Homes of Hope.

OUR FAMILY

God has blessed us so much with our three beautiful girls--they bring us so much joy every day. We are continuing with home-school throughout the summer as time (and teams) permit, hoping to take a longer break at Christmas.

Sometimes it can be challenging to balance ministry and family time as the demands of the ministry are so great, especially when teams are here. We try to do as much as a family with the teams as we can, but it is definitely more challenging this year with an infant! Isla is sitting up on her own now, has grown two teeth, and her little personality is coming out. She is a very happy, social baby and we all enjoy her so much.

Laura is trying to finish up her homework before seminary classes begin this year (first two weeks of August). We're praying for someone to come out to help with the baby and the girls' home-school during the two weeks that Laura is in class (let us know if you're interested)!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

NEW FIJI STAFF!

We are so pleased to welcome the Raratabu family onto SI staff. Joji is the farm manager, and his wife Aliti will help to cook for the teams and will be working towards starting up a kindergarten at the Momi base. We love this family (pictured at left: Joji, Aliti, Lavenia, Loata, Maria, Tukana and Mereane) and are so happy that they are on our "team"! Please pray for them as they continue to settled into life in the Momi community, and pray for good outreach opportunities for them.

ROOFING TEAM WORKING AT MOMI

We have been so blessed to have a roofing team consisting of five hard-working men who are laboring to put the roof on the building at Momi! We have had some set-backs (the ordered supplies have not been delivered as quickly as promised, although they had a month's notice!). The guys have used up all the wood we had for them. The rest is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Please pray it comes in on time so these guys can get the roof on before they leave in one week!

FISH PONDS ARE IN!

It's been such a blessing to have Myron Mullett and his family here for the past couple of weeks. They have been digging fish ponds at Momi as well as at Homes of Hope! Eventually we will raise tilapia fish in the ponds, and will sell them to generate funds for the ministries. We are amazed at all they accomplished in the last two weeks! We're praying that the liner for the ponds arrives in Fiji soon so we can finish up this project and begin the fish farm!

LIFE & MINISTRY

We have been extremely busy lately with life and ministry! We have the fish-ponds going in, the roof going on, and a new team from Capenwray New Zealand Bible school just arrived this afternoon! Life is not dull in Fiji, and we thank the Lord for all He's doing. Please pray for strength for our team, especially Ray & Jonathan, as they work hard each day to bring supplies, see to the needs of the team, minister in the community, etc. It's exciting to be a part of all this!

Family life is going great! The girls are doing well in school. Eden just turned 7 on March 26! Isla Grace is 6 months old today--time just flies! She is such a joy. Thanks for praying for our family, we appreciate you!

Prayer Card

2010-03-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Email us (ray.laura.pittman@gmail.com) if you want a prayer card for your fridge!

March Update

2010-03-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

Last month we hosted a team from Bethel University, and it went great! God worked in and through them. Ray traveled with them and really enjoyed the fellowship of the students and the leaders.

The work at Momi (Agape Farms) continues along at a fast pace. Ray spends a large percentage of his time overseeing the work there. The roof should be going on soon! We have several teams coming out this month. They will help with the roof and dig fish ponds for the tilapia project! It's exciting to see things happening in Momi. The Raratabu family is doing well and continuing on with ministry to the local community.

The Thompson family arrives later this week and will join us in Fiji for 5 months! (Jonathan is our boss). We're excited to have their help with the ministry out here and look forward to what God is going to do. Please pray for them as they adjust to life in Fiji, home-schooling their 3 boys, etc.

Laura has been keeping very busy with home-school over the last month! Home-schooling two girls instead of one, as well as taking care of baby Isla keeps Laura hopping!

Ray & Laura are both working on our MA papers--please pray for time for us to dedicate to this. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

The girls are doing great. Isla is five months now and growing fast! She is such a happy baby and a huge blessing to all of us. Eden and Elani love smothering her with attention.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T00:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We are thankful for each of you and the way you've been a part of our lives in some way. It is our prayer that God's amazing love would comfort, heal, challenge, renew and inspire you today!

We had such a great time visiting family and friends last month. Ray's brothers and their families were all with us in Orlando for a week and we had a GREAT time together. Several of the little Pittman cousins were able to meet each other for the first time!

Ray, Laura and baby Isla used some frequent flier miles to travel to MN for a reunion with some former Fiji students (while Nana and Papa watched Eden and Elani in FL). We had a great time with everyone, and Ray even got to ice-skate for the first time in his life!

While in MN, we were also able to meet with our SI study-abroad coordinator and talk about getting the Fiji study-abroad program going. . .we are so excited to see that happen (pray that it will be soon!).

We finished off the month in CA at Laura's mom's in Coarsegold. Her sister Melinda and her family flew out to spend that time with us as well. We also made it to Visalia for a short time to meet up with SI family and friends there.

Our time in the states was a blessing indeed, but we sure were glad to get back home to Fiji. We hit the ground running--lots going on here!

Momi Bay (Agape Farms):

We were so excited to visit the Momi site (now registered as a charitable trust called Agape Farms) to meet Joji Raratabu and his family, who moved into the (half-finished) building while we were in the states. Joji and Aliti just graduated from Bible school and have now come to farm and do ministry at Momi. They are a wonderful Fijian couple with a vision for the community. We'll see where God takes it. . .Joji leads devotions at the school next door and they have been visiting the neighbors and getting to know the needs in the area. There is talk of a kindergarten (since there is not one in the area), agricultural ministry, papaya & fish farm, vocational training for young men, etc. Pray for the Raratabu family--for their 4 kids to adjust to a new community, and for God's strength and wisdom as they reach out to the Hindu neighbors. (Aliti is pictured here with 3 of their 5 children).

Please also pray for ongoing construction at the site. . .Ray spends a lot of time overseeing this. We're looking forward to a couple of construction teams coming out soon to assist.

SIGATOKA PRE-SCHOOL:

We've appreciated your prayers and support of the Sigatoka pre-school over the years. We are happy to report that the pre-school is going really well, and fully under local leadership. As of 2010, SI has released them to carry on this ministry on their own, and they're doing great. To us, this is a great success--to help local ministries get started and then to release them to carry on with local leadership when they are able. Please remember them in their prayers as they continue on training up these kids in the Lord!

Our Family:

Laura has begun home-school again, adding Elani as a kindergarten student! It's been a lot more work to teach two, but she's really enjoying it. Baby Isla Grace is 4 months old now and growing fast! She has such a sweet, happy personality and brings us all so much joy.

Ray has been busy with meetings in Suva, overseeing the work at Momi, and preparing for the teams coming this year. Please pray for our first team, arriving this week (from Bethel College). Ray will be traveling with them as they help out at our ministry sites and learn about Fijian culture.

Please pray for: a leadership team for SI Fiji, our boss Jonathan Thompson and his wife and 3 boys traveling out to spend time in Fiji this year (we're so excited!), summer teams, and a vehicle purchase for us (we're hoping to buy a truck for Ray sometime soon, we've found a good one and are praying we can work out the finances out this month!). Please pray for God's continued provision.

We love you! Happy Valentine's Day!!

P.S. If any of you would like to join our mailing list, please email us and let us know! ray.laura.pittman@gmail.com

December Update

2009-12-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a year of tremendous blessing amongst the challenges of life and ministry in Fiji. We are thankful for you, our friends and supporters. We are thankful for the opportunities we've had for ministry and growth this year. And we are looking forward to what God has for us in 2010!

This update is sent to you from the USA! We're spending time with family over the Christmas season and are enjoying it so much. Read on for more news . . .

Finishing up the Year in Fiji:

Before we left Fiji, Ray was keeping very busy with ongoing construction and development at Momi Bay. The project has officially been registered as "Agape Farms," a partnership between SI and the owner of the property. We've been rushing to finish the electricity, plumbing, etc. at Momi so that a Fijian pastor and his family can move in and begin outreach to the community. They have just graduated from Bible school and will be moving in this month!

Last month we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some other missionaries. We really enjoyed the fellowship. We also were able to attend a missionary retreat /conference earlier in November.

The first week of December, we were happy to attend the wedding of Evelyn Mani. The Manis have been friends of ours for the past 9 years in Fiji. Eden was a beautiful flower girl!

Our Travels:

We flew to LA on Dec. 6 and spent a week in CA, splitting our time between SI, friends, and family. It was a fun and busy time!

Currently we're enjoying time with Ray's family in Florida. His parents just moved here a couple of weeks ago, so they're still settling in. It's been nice to just be with them. We also were able to go to Disney World one day! The girls just loved it--they're at the perfect age to experience that wide-eyed wonder.

(We'll be back in CA again at the end of January. If any of you are in the Visalia area, we're planning a get-together the evening of the 27th before we fly back to Fiji. Email us for details if you can come!)

Family Corner:

We are so enjoying baby Isla Grace! She is very contented and peaceful! Even in the midst of all this travel and transition, she's only had a couple of fussy nights. She brings us all so much joy with her sweet smiles and snuggles.

Eden and Elani are enjoying time with grandparents (and all the "spoiling" that goes along with that)! Elani has had a hard time with the transition (she's been very fussy), but she is gradually doing better.

We're all enjoying this time in the USA but are also missing Fiji! We have a house-sitter at our house in Fiji and are thankful that he's caring for the place and the pets (this week he's been picking up the debris after the recent cyclone). Please pray for Zachary as he volunteers his time at the local orphanage and "holds down the fort" in our absence!

October News

2009-11-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

It's been an eventful month since little Isla Grace was born! 3-day old baby Isla went on her first motorcycle ride during a tsunami evacuation, Ray has been marveling at God working in the Momi community, Laura got stuck in the middle of the road with a broken gear box, Eden & Elani are figuring out how to be good big sisters, and our visitors this month have been helping us work towards setting up aquaculture systems at Momi and Homes of Hope. Read on for the details!

The Tsunami Evacuation!
Laura's Story

When Baby Isla Grace was only 3 days old, and we'd been home from Suva just one day, we received a call from Ray's father in Texas asking us if we knew that Fiji was under a Tsunami warning. We didn't! We turned on "Fiji One" (the one TV station we get here in Fiji), and there was nothing about it. So we checked the radio, and sure enough. . .we found out there had been a big earthquake off of Vanuatu. Fiji was in the projected wake of the wave caused by the earthquake. And the estimated time of impact was only 15 minutes away!

Seeing as how we live right on the coast (just a small island between us and open ocean), we decided we'd better take this seriously. Fresh in our minds were the hundreds who died in neighboring Samoa and Tonga just weeks before in a massive tsunami. We grabbed our passports, the diaper bag, and we were out the door. Apparently everyone else in the neighborhood had already heard about the warning because there were no neighbors or taxis around.

The other bad news? We had no working vehicle. Our personal vehicle has been in the shop for over a month now, getting its second engine overhaul. The SI van was also in the shop getting a new transmission. So. . .Ray got his motorcycle started and told me to hop on the back--he'd take me up the road out of immediate danger and then come back for Grammy and the girls. I gulped. I wasn't sure if it would be worse to ride a motorcycle 3 days after giving birth or to be struck by a giant wave. But when I thought of tiny Isla Grace in my arms I bit back the pain and got on the motorcycle sidesaddle, holding tightly with one arm to the bike and one arm around the baby. I prayed the whole way that I wouldn't fall off or drop the baby--it was quite precarious!

Ray drove inland a bit, dropped me and baby off under the shade of a tree and went back for the girls and Grammy (who thankfully were picked up by a nice man driving around looking for people to rescue, and thus avoided the motorcycle ride!). When we were all together again, we waited until our friend Chen Young came by in his car and took us up to his house (on higher ground). We waited out the tsunami warning there and ended up having a good visit considering the wave never hit Fiji! But what an adventure. . .

God is Moving in Momi
Ray's Story

The other day, Chen, Dan and I went down to Momi to have a church service and fellowship with Mr. Sharma and Shem (his son). Mr. Sharma and Shem gave their lives to the Lord when the last few SI teams were here and now do construction work at Momi. Our SI staff baptized the Sharma's at their own request. The Sharma's also insisted on burning their idols.

The sight of Mr. Sharma dressed neatly with his hair combed and a big, beaming smile on his face is something I am not used to seeing. His eyes are no longer yellow with bitterness, dark with idol worship or red with anger; now they are bright and alert.

Shem was there too and had brought a friend, Surea. When we inquired more about Surea, Shem told us that while I was in Suva for the baby's birth, he had found Surea walking over to a nearby tree with a piece of rope. Shem ran after him and confronted him. Surea was about to hang himself. Unfortunately this is very common here when people don't know what to do about their problems. Shem was able to talk him into coming home with him to their tin house, where he and his dad shared with him that there was hope.

I'm sure it was not the first Sunday such a group of misfits and
rejects (especially us!) had gathered together to thank God for his
inexplicable interest, his undeserved mercy, his endless love, divine
grace in pursuing us and giving us hope and meaning in life. When
Chen heard Surea's story, he looked him straight in the eyes and said
with great authority, "Listen to me, your life is not your own. It is
a gift from God and it has great value to him. It has so much value
in fact, that he sent his son to die for you, to pay the price for
your sins, so that you might live! Don't believe the lie that your
life has no value, or that it's yours to take." Surea began to cry.
Dan patted him on the shoulder, I nodded in agreement and thought to
myself, "How great is this God, who has not forgotten these people all
these years, and is moving and working in their hearts."

I really feel like a spectator in what God is doing at Momi. Chen and
Dan have been waiting for an open door there for over a decade. As we
move forward in faith, trust God with what we don't have, don't know
and can't afford, God is faithful to do more than we could ask or
imagine. Just as Dan shared in the message from Samuel, God
desires obedience from us, not just in some areas, but in all areas of
our life, regardless of what logical excuses there might be.

I was really blessed that day, blessed to see the Holy Spirit moving in
Mr. Sharma and Shem's hearts. Blessed to see seeds taking root and
growing in such a spiritually dark, poverty stricken and hopeless
area. Blessed to see God bringing hope and transforming lives.
Blessed to see a church being born. Sometimes I lose perspective of
why we're here in the busyness of doing and living, and I forget that
it's not my doing that really does anything, but in everything and all
things GOD.

I ask you to pray for Mr. Sharma, Shem and Surea, as they have a long
road ahead of them and all the odds stacked against them. We
desperately need a Hindi speaker who can disciple them in their own
language, as their English is not very good. Surea is 27 and can't write his own name. There are many challenges ahead as we follow where God leads but we're excited to see what He has for this place.

Aquaculture for Ministry

This month we had the pleasure of a visit by some friends who are looking into the possibility of helping us set up two aquaculture (fish farming) systems here in Fiji. One would help to fund the ministry in Momi, and the other would be to feed the moms and kids at Homes of Hope. We're super excited at the possibilities, and we'll keep you posted! Please pray with us for this.

Family News
Eden, Elani and Isla Grace

We are doing well as we adjust to life as a family of five! Isla Grace is such a contented, peaceful baby. . .what a blessing! The girls are great big sisters. Laura struggled with some pain/infections after childbirth but is now doing really well and feeling good. We are all looking forward to our trip to the states over Christmas. Ray's parents just sold their house in TX and are moving near Orlando, so we'll be joining them in FL for Christmas. We'll spend some time in CA the week before and after our time in FL. Please pray for all the logistics and finances to come together for this trip! Laura is working hard to finish up Eden's year of home-schooling before we go.

Thanks for your prayers!

Isla Grace Pittman is here!

2009-10-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

She's Here!

After 12 hours of labor, Isla Grace Pittman entered the world at 6 am on October 5, 2009 in Suva, Fiji. The midwife greeted her with a warm Fijian welcome, "BULA!" (Bula is how we say hello here, and it also means "life").

She weighed in at 8.8 pounds and measured 20.5 inches. Mom and baby are both healthy and thankful for a natural, complication-free delivery.

Isla (pronounced eye-lah) means island or river. We do pray that she brings rivers of grace into the lives she touches. She has already been such a gift of God's grace to us here on our island home.

Eden & Elani love their little sister, and Grammy Ott is here from CA to help us all with the transition.

We spent the last two weeks living in the guest house at Homes of Hope in Suva (4 hours from our home) in order to be near the hospital. We discovered our personal vehicle needed a new engine (again) while we were there, so it went into the shop and we drove the clunky, dusty SI van to the hospital, and then again yesterday for the 5 hour drive back home. (We are just so thankful it made it as the transmission is going out). We're all happy to be home!!

In Other News

Please pray for our ongoing vehicle problems, both SI vehicles as well as our personal vehicle are broken and in the shop being repaired.

We are so thankful God has provided someone to stay in our house this Christmas, and has been providing the funds for our tickets as well (so far we have half)! We are moving forward with plans to fly to CA on Dec. 6th. We'll return to Fiji near the end of January. Please pray for all the necessary planning to come together for this trip, and for God to continue to provide. We can't wait to show off our new baby!

August Update

2009-08-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

We finished up our summer outreach teams this month. It's been a great summer--very busy, but very good. From Momi to Homes of Hope, we've seen God working in the lives of Fijians and team members, and in our lives as well!

Elani is completely recovered from her sickness and our family is looking forward to the birth of baby girl #3. . .next month! Read on for more:

Looking Back on the Summer Teams

As we look back over the summer, we are so thankful to see the different ways that God has worked. We saw one of our workers from the Momi community, Mr. Sharma, as well as his son Shem, come to the Lord and be baptized! We've seen personal breakthroughs in the lives of team members; people sharing things they've never told anyone before. We've seen several of the young people on the teams realize that God is calling them to full-time ministry or overseas missions. And we've seen the incredible impact of relationship-centered ministry. . .life on life. . .and how God uses this to change both the Fijians and the North Americans. Overall, it's been a great privilege to be involved in what the Lord is doing here through SI Fiji!

We really enjoyed our last summer outreach team from Neighborhood Church in CA. They brought many suitcases of donations for the ministries that we work with in Fiji. . .what a blessing. We were impressed with their good attitudes and hard work. Momi is looking great and so are the gardens at Homes of Hope. Thanks, Neighborhood team!

Master's Degree Classes

The day after the final team left, Laura was able to attend two weeks of intensive lectures for the MA degree program that she and Ray have been doing here in Fiji through Ambassadors for Christ. (Ray is done with his classes--he just needs to do his final thesis--so he was able to watch the children so Laura could go).

This year the subjects were Biblical Counseling and Eschatology (study of the end-times). Classes were wonderful and it was great to be with other Christian workers from Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, Australia and Korea (see class photo above). Our professors were Americans who come to Fiji once a year to teach for this degree program--they were excellent and a great source of encouragement to us. Now that class is over, please pray that Laura would find the time to complete her projects for the year, and that Ray would have the time to finish his final project so he can graduate!

What's Next

We are enjoying a change of pace now that the busy summer is finished. While the work at Momi is continuing, we are able to focus more on local ministry and big-picture planning for next year and what SI Fiji is growing into. This summer our boss as well as the SI president were able to come out to experience first-hand what we're doing here, and they loved it! They are encouraging us to continue on at both Momi and Homes of Hope. We're also praying that the study-abroad semester program we've developed for SI Fiji will be approved by universities. We're hoping to have students here sometime in 2010 for our first semester (it will include cross-cultural and spiritual formation classes with a focus on community development). Please pray for SI Fiji as all these dream for the future begin to take shape!

Our Family

Our family is doing well as we re-discover what "normal" life is like after a very crazy and busy summer! The girls have started home-school again, and we are looking forward to getting caught up on work, correspondence, etc. so we can focus on baby's arrival.

Laura is 34 weeks pregnant and starting to feel very large and uncomfortable. She tires easily but otherwise is doing great and baby girl Pittman is healthy and normal.

We plan to head to Suva (the capital city about 4 hours from here) for the birth. Laura's mom will be flying in next month for the big event. We are all looking forward to it!

One final thought. We are planning a trip back to the states in December (we already have a ticket there, but we'll need to buy our return to Fiji--about $5,000 for the family). Please pray for God to provide for this need. Also, we are looking for someone to stay in our house and take care of our pets while we're away (probably from mid-December to end of January). Know anyone who wants a free stay (and car to drive) over the holidays in Fiji?? Let us know!

Elani has been SO sick!

2009-07-13T19:43:00.001-07:00

On July 3 we took the outreach team to "Snorkel Island" for their excursion before they flew home. Dave Hansen, our fearless SI president, decided that after a hard week's work at Momi it would be a fun adventure for all of us to camp out under the stars on the island that night. We were all for it, and everyone had a great day! The girls fell asleep on the mat around the bonfire, listening to everyone singing praise songs under the stars. It seemed like a perfect night and a perfect ending to an amazing outreach for the team.

All that changed when Elani woke up soon after, with diarrhea and vomiting all through the night. Eden ran a high fever all night. I (Laura) did not sleep much that night, but I did do a lot of praying under the glowing moon. Time and sleep seemed irrelevant as I watched Eden and Elani's angel faces by the starlight--the love I have for my children is like nothing I've ever known and it hurts so badly to see them suffering.

The next day Eden was much better but Elani was much worse. She threw up on the boat ride back, in the van, at home, on the way to the hotel we were staying at with the team, and so on (you get the picture). She couldn't keep anything down and was becoming lethargic and obviously dehydrated. I took her to two different private doctors that week for treatments and IV fluids. . .both doctors provided poor care (one of them inserted an IV that fell out and leaked blood and saline all over Elani before anyone noticed). The other doctor administered an injection that I was later told was dangerous for children and causes a lot of side effects.

After 3 days of this we realized that we needed to take Elani to the hospital--she still couldn't keep anything down, she was still badly dehydrated, and she was not improving on her own. I took her to the government hospital nearby (no private hospitals near our home) and she was admitted, after hours of waiting (very hard on me as well, I was so exhausted from several sleepless nights in a row I felt like I would collapse).

Elani spent a night at the Lautoka hospital, one night at home (released too soon) and then was re-admitted to the CWM government hospital in the capital city. It's hard to describe the hospitals here--unsanitary (as in no running water and overflowing toilets) and uncomfortable are understatements, but most of the doctors we saw were knowledgeable. I (and my rather large pregnant belly) had to sleep with Elani each night on her tiny "crib" bed--in a room full of coughing, crying babies and little privacy (and the lights were kept on all night long).

Elani was diagnosed with severe gastroenteritis and dehydration. IV fluids and antibiotics helped her recover over time. Finally, after 8 days without being able to eat or drink much, Elani began to keep fluids and food down. On Friday she was discharged. Over the last couple of days she has made a full recovery, she has just lost a lot of weight.

Praise the Lord for bringing her through this, it was definitely a trial and a scary experience for all of us. Please pray for her continued recovery and for all of us to be able to rest as we prepare for the next team arriving July 20th. (We are so thankful we have a bit of a break right now!).

June Photos

2009-07-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

June Update

2009-07-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy month since we last wrote! We've had back-to-back outreach teams since the end of May. Although we're feeling tired, we have been so encouraged by the teams and are happy to report that God has been working in and through them. It's great to be a part of what He's doing here in Fiji. We've had our share of continued challenges (vehicle drama, sickness, etc.) so we've had a lot of opportunities to keep leaning into God's strength in the midst of it all!

OUTREACH TEAMS

Our three outreach teams have been terrific. Everyone has had a great attitude and a willing heart to serve wherever they can. So far we've hosted groups from Vanguard University, Hanford First Baptist Church, and currently we have a team of 18 led by Dave and Janice Hansen (SI President). We've also had Jonathan Thompson (SI Director of Operations) and his family working with us for several weeks. It's been wonderful to have our leaders here to experience first-hand what the SI Fiji partner ministries are like. We're looking forward to their guidance as we hone our focus for continued ministry in Fiji. Our final team arrives mid-July.

WORK IN THE WEST

Each outreach team spends one week working in the west (Sigatoka/Momi) and one week working at Homes of Hope in the capital city of Suva. During their week in the west, the education workers help at the pre-school in Sigatoka, and the agriculture and construction helpers work at Momi (the future SI base and outreach center). The pre-school has been going great; the teachers have really appreciated the teams' help and everyone falls in love with the children! The Momi base has been coming together slowly but surely. It wasn't ready in time for the first two teams to actually live there, but this most recent team was able to move in and are currently "camping out" inside this giant cement structure. It's been raining a lot so that's good motivation for them to get the windows installed and the leaks fixed! The teams have been a tremendous help to get the work finished. We're excited to see what God has in store for Momi as far as future ministry--there is a lot of vision and potential for this place.

HOMES OF HOPE

The second week of the outreach is focused on this wonderful ministry to single moms and their kids. Homes of Hope is nestled in 40 acres of rainforest and truly is a beacon of hope to those who have never experienced it. We have been helping them with various projects such as welding, building, setting up water tank systems, as well as clearing land for more gardens. The highlight for the teams has been building relationships with the moms and the children over meals, planting gardens, or a game of volleyball. It's always a sad goodbye when we leave! Ray and I have been bringing students to see this ministry for about 6 years now, and we are so pleased to see how God is blessing and expanding this work. One of the biggest rewards has been witnessing the transformation in those who have come to know Christ, and how it has completely changed their lives! One woman in particular stands out--a year ago the shame and fear covered her face . . . this year she is like a different person--literally shining joy, love and life. We truly do serve a God of miracles!

SUPER STAFF

Ray and I could not do this job without the amazing team God has assembled for us this summer. Tim & Sarah Johnson have been a tremendous blessing as they actually live with the teams and help with the driving, devotions, shopping, logistics, etc. Auntie Mila mothers and cooks and cleans with joy--as a widow with two children still at home, her life has been very hard, but she finds great joy in serving Christ through serving our teams. Maciu (Matthew) leads worship, helps everyone learn Fijian, and works alongside the teams, keeping everyone laughing! We're also happy to have some YWAM Fiji staff members help us out with the various teams: Jima, Osea, and others. Jonathan (our boss) and his family have been a huge help and encouragement to us personally as well--it was a big sacrifice for them to leave their busy life in CA for 6 weeks to come to Fiji and we really appreciate it--they are great missionaries! Ray is doing a wonderful job leading it all, and Laura keeps busy with the finances and logistics. Our family has been travelling a lot this month (to Homes of Hope three times) which has been challenging but fun.

CHALLENGES

Please pray for this team as we have all been fighting a really terrible bug that is going around (vomiting and diarrhea). . .our family, the Thompsons, and so far over half the team have gotten it. It is NOT fun, but spirits have been high despite the sickness. More than anything, vehicle and transportation problems have been challenging this past month. It seems there's always one vehicle in the shop, but thankfully we currently have the SI truck and van running. Read on for more about our personal vehicle saga. . .

THE VEHICLE SAGA

Well. . .it continues. We still don't have a personal vehicle. It appears as though we are not going to get our money back from the scam we suffered last month, and are just going to have to make the most of the situation--which is very hard to swallow. The old car we got from the deal has been at the mechanics this past month--the engine needed overhauled which will cost us several MORE thousand dollars. . . .but at least we'll have something drivable instead of having to keep on renting cars (logistically and financially, transportation has been so difficult this month). We hope to be able to sell it for at least something and pray that God still redeems this sad situation in some way. We'd appreciate your continued prayers.

OUR FAMILY

Ray and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this month! Well, actually we haven't had a chance to even go out to dinner to celebrate it, but hope to get that in sometime soon when things settle down! Eden and Elani have been enjoying this break from home school, and all the adventures that come along with accompanying the team. It's been great for us to travel with the teams, but it's been exhausting for them as well and we can see the effects in their behavior and sleep. We are looking forward to a two week break between teams coming up. We have several different things planned for this time, but at least we'll be able to really focus on family. Elani will turn four on July 12, we can hardly believe it!

On another note, we found out that baby #3 is a GIRL! We are still deciding on names. . .any ideas?? The girls are thrilled to have a little sister. The due date is still the end of September. We plan to have the baby here in Fiji, and Laura's mom will come out to help. We'll have to travel to Suva (4 hrs. away) so we're praying that God will provide a good place for us to stay while we're there.

May Photos

2009-05-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

May Update

2009-05-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

This month has been full--most days contain both difficulties and joys. The joys in a nutshell: we got a puppy and we welcomed our first summer outreach team. The difficulties have included: MAJOR vehicle problems (we were tricked by a con man and may have lost most of the $10,000 USD we paid for a personal vehicle). In addition, problems have been ongoing at the Momi construction site (workers getting sick, generators, drills, vehicles, etc. breaking down--a problem almost every day!). The SI van and truck (both very old) are also broken down and in the shop. Both our computers have been having problems. We are being stretched and challenged beyond what we can bear on our own--thankfully God's strength is perfected in our weakness! Because of this, we have faith that God has a plan through the midst of these ongoing struggles, even when they are difficult to bear. Please read on for more!

Sad News:
Our Vehicle Saga CONTINUES!

We were really hoping to have some good news to report on our vehicle situation this time, but unfortunately we do not. Last week we were told that we could put in an auction bid on a really nice almost-new, never-driven-in-Fiji, 4WD Mitsubishi. The only catch? We couldn't see it first. We prayed and agonized over the decision and finally decided to do it. We put in all the money from our savings and donations (around $10,000 USD), and bid on the vehicle. We were so happy when we found out we got it--what a great deal!

Little did we know that the man who was "arranging" the auction, seems to have been out to con us. We did NOT get the really nice, almost-new vehicle that was described in detail to us. Instead we got an old nasty one that isn't even worth half of what we paid. We are kicking ourselves for trusting this man (supposedly a Christian), and are praying about what to do now. The car broke down the moment we parked it in our driveway.

We are trying to get the auction to refund our money, but the problem is that apparently the vehicle wasn't even from the auction, but just an old one someone wanted to get rid of! In the meantime, we have nothing to drive, our teams are here, and we just don't know what to do. We have no money left to buy something else. We've been renting and borrowing to make do as we go back and forth to work with the teams, but can't sustain the price of that forever. SI's two vehicles are also broken right now, (they're both old and unreliable) so we are really in need of a miracle!

Please PRAY with us that God steps in and miraculously redeems this situation. . .we are kicking ourselves for falling for a con and would appreciate your prayers for everyone involved in this little drama. We are waiting to see what God will do (boy is he stretching our faith through all of this)! We'll keep you posted. . .

Summer Outreach Teams Begin!
Vanguard University Team

We are happy to welcome our first Students International outreach team of the summer this week, from Vanguard University. The Momi base isn't far enough along at this point to house them, so they are staying at the church in Sigatoka (where the preschool & kindergarten are located). They've been doing a great job working hard and building relationships with the people around them.

Tim Johnson, our summer staff, is leading the team on a daily basis. (His wife Sarah flies in next week!) We travel back and forth to oversee the team and the work. Auntie Mila is our Fijian cook, and Jima and Maciu are our Fijian staff for this outreach--they are all doing an amazing job.

The team is working construction at Momi as well as helping out at the kindergarten and pre-school. They're all having a great time. Next week we head to Homes of Hope for even more adventures. Please keep the team in your prayers as they work and minister in the various locations. God has already used them to encourage us and many others around them!

Family Corner
Laura' Birthday, Mother's Day & a new puppy!

This month we celebrated Laura's birthday and mother's day by spending a night at a hotel. It was so much fun to enjoy Fiji from the "tourist" perspective (something we don't usually see!). We also got a new puppy named Bear (for a total now of 2 dogs and 1 cat--we're done!). The pets all love each other and sometimes we catch them snuggling up together on the porch. The girls love playing with them.

Laura is now 5 months pregnant and growing fast. She's happy to report that she is past the nausea and is doing really well--just in time for our busy summer as we host the outreach teams! We're hoping to find out sometime in June if the baby is a boy or a girl. We've all felt baby's kicks and Eden and Elani like to talk to baby every day--so he/she is already feeling like a part of the family.

The girls are enjoying life, and have settled well into the swing of things here in Fiji. We've found a small group of other families that home school, and we do field trips every other week, so that has been wonderful. We're taking a break from home school over the summer so we can do more things with the teams. Next week we'll all go to Suva with them and spend the week at Homes of Hope.

Ray is still having a hard time sleeping (all the stress of the Bearvehicle problems don't help with that!) He's doing an amazing job overseeing the teams and juggling all of the responsibilities that come with overseeing the construction work at Momi, running around to mechanics, hardware stores and repair shops, and being a dad and a husband at the same time. Please pray for Ray; the weight of responsibility is heavy on his shoulders right now and he would appreciate your prayers for God's strength and peace in the midst of it.

PRAYER REQUESTS

* It is clear there is a spiritual battle going on (especially considering how the Momi area is steeped in and surrounded by a very dark Hinduism). Please pray for Christ's light to shine in this area, and please pray specifically against the obvious attacks of the enemy (sickness, mechanical problems, etc.)
* For the team to be blessed and be a blessing during their time in Fiji
* For us to get our money back from the vehicle con, and for God to provide transportation for our family!
* For the computers, generators, SI vehicles, etc. that keep breaking down. . .getting things fixed is such an effort here and is eating up our time. Please pray for things to work!!
* For a safe and healthy pregnancy for Laura, and for us to know how to balance "team time" with "family time"
* For upcoming teams
* For the direction of SI Fiji (our boss as well as the SI president and their families will be coming out this summer to help us solidify our focus for the future--we are very excited about this!)

April Slideshow

2009-05-01T01:28:00.001-07:00

April 30, 2009 Update

2009-05-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

The Vehicle Saga:

Earlier this year, we began our search for a reliable vehicle. . . several auctions and four months later, we are still looking for something reasonable. We appreciate your prayers over this time--we were hoping for a "quick" answer to prayer but it looks like God's timing is not what we were hoping for (and yet it will surely be better than ours!).

Good news; yesterday we sold our old car (Toyota Surf). We were so happy to see it go! We sold it under what it was worth, so even though we lost money on it, we feel better that at least the new owner got a good deal!

Now we REALLY need prayer for a new car (new to us that is). We have put a bid in on another auction. . this time an SUV that was foreclosed on by the bank. They will make their decision this week. If we get it, it will be an amazing deal. Please pray that we will! We really need transportation, esp. with the summer teams arriving in just three weeks!

Changes in Fiji

Things have changed in Fiji since we last wrote. On April 10th the constitution was abrogated. It's best if we let the internet tell you about it: Click here. Another big change is the devaluation of the Fiji dollar by 20%.

How does all of this affect us? The political situation has not affected us. As far as the Fiji economy goes, imported goods (already expensive here) have increased by 20%. Our US dollar is worth 20% more, so the changes are not so hard on those of us who receive our money from overseas. But this is very bad news for the local people, many who are still struggling after the flood, or from the many job losses due to the worldwide economy (which means less tourism in Fiji--the main source of income). Please pray for the people of Fiji! Outreaches to the poor through Students International and our partner ministries are needed now more than ever.

Summer Teams

Our first summer outreach team arrives on May 25 from Vanguard University. This week, Tim Johnson, our summer staff, arrives. (His wife Sarah will follow next month when the school semester ends). They still need about 1/3 of their support. Praise the Lord for providing what he already has and please pray for God's continued provision for them. They will be a big help to us!

The work is progressing rapidly at the Momi base, where the cement walls are going up block by block. The owner of the land is sponsoring all of the building, which is an amazing partnership for SI. Praise the Lord for this opportunity and pray that the work on the base will be finished in time to house the teams at the end of May! There is still a lot to do. A work crew is camping out at Momi and working every day for the next month in order to complete the job.

Family News

We are doing well overall. Laura's sickness and headaches have improved in the past couple of weeks, praise the Lord! We have been fighting flu/fever one by one, and Ray has been battling insomnia at night--please pray for our health and for Ray's sleep (the girls also continue to need prayer for their sleep).

We had a great Easter. While it was impossible to find Easter baskets or plastic eggs here, we were able to celebrate Christ's resurrection at church, which was wonderful. The girls also had fun dying eggs.

The girls' visas were approved by Immigrations, and we paid the fees (thousands of dollars) last week, only to find out the very next day that as of April 10 the Immigration laws had changed (which we were unaware of at that point). Now we can most likely get Fiji passports for the girls instead (dual citizenship). We are praying that Immigrations will grant the passports and refund at least part of the fees we paid last week. There will also be a fee for the passports--all of these immigration expenses were unexpected and we would appreciate your prayers for God's provision.

Home-school is going well and we are meeting more people here in Nadi, which is good. We both finished our MA papers and sent them in, hooray! Now we are busy getting everything taken care of as we prepare for the summer teams--life is about to get pretty busy! We are looking forward to seeing what God does in and through the teams and Students International Fiji this summer.

April Update

2009-04-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's starting to warm up in America but since we're on the other side of the equator down here in Fiji, it's starting to get a bit cooler most days, which has been great.

PREPARING FOR THE SUMMER TEAMS

Things are beginning to move more quickly at Momi as we get the facility ready for teams coming next month! This week we will hire a contractor to finish up the cement block-laying in order to enclose the bottom portion so we can house our summer outreach teams there. Ray has been working to get the grounds trimmed and mowed (it is incredible how quickly grass grows here in the rainy season!). Please pray during this next month as we prepare the Momi base--it is quite rough at this point and will require a lot of work! Even once it is enclosed, our teams will feel like they are "camping out" during their week stay there. It will be an adventure!

Outreach team participants will be able to choose from three different vocational ministries this summer: construction, agriculture and education. Our first week will be at Momi. The teams will work on developing the building and the gardens there, and the education workers will help out at the Sigatoka pre-school. Our second week will be at Homes of Hope (the home for single moms and their children that SI has been parterning with). At Homes of Hope the teams will help with projects, gardening and will work with the children, help out at the school, etc.

Please continue to pray for our summer interns, Tim and Sarah Johnson, as they raise the necessary funds to come help us out here. Tim arrives in a little over a month, and Sarah will follow once her teaching job finishes up for the semester.

MA HOMEWORK

Ray and I have been working hard almost every day for the past couple of weeks to finish up our MA homework. It's been nice to finally have a chunk of time to dedicate to these projects. What a blessing it is to spend time daily in God's Word, and to learn more about themes such as leadership, poverty, and the Old Testament. Our assignments are due April 15 (nothing like a deadline to motivate!). After this, Ray will have to complete his thesis/final project and then he'll be finished with his MA in Biblical Studies. I'm just beginning. . .three more years to go!

FAMILY NEWS

Eden turned six last week, and yesterday she lost her second tooth. She's growing up so quickly! She had a super special birthday week, including a party with her four little friends, a picnic at an eco-park, and a night at a resort some friends of ours in Fiji own. Check out Eden's birthday photos in our photo gallery (link in the top right column), and check out the March photos as well--we have some of our house and other new pictures posted.

Elani is doing great, she is such a shining light (as her name means). One prayer request is for the girls' sleep. They still haven't been sleeping well at night, esp. Elani. We're praying that this settles down before the baby comes.

Speaking of baby, I (Laura) am beginning to feel a bit better as the all-day sickness tapers off a bit now that I am in my second trimester. It's great to feel like myself again, at least sometimes! I've been struggling a lot with headaches, though, and that's been rough. For a while I had one every day. Please pray that these taper off as well!

Praise the Lord that the girl's residential visas were granted last week! We are thankful there was no delay. We now need to pay fees that come out to a bit less than $2,000--an unexpected expense. Please pray that God would provide for this unexpected need!

THE VEHICLE SAGA CONTINUES

Yes, please keep those prayers coming for our transportation issues! Our old car is still running, but we really need to sell and replace it. The vehicle auction we mentioned in our last updates is an ongoing saga. . .we had to withdraw our first bid and put a second bid on just one truck this time (since they never did find the paperwork on the second truck). We are still waiting to find out about the results (the second auction was two weeks ago). Please pray that we hear the results soon and know whether we should proceed with the auction truck or start looking around elsewhere. This three-month wait has been a big frustration and we're praying that God shows us what to do (how long is too long to wait for a great deal???) With Ray's frequent trips to Momi these days (a one-hour drive each way), we are concerned about how much longer our old car can hold up with all this driving, as well as rough dirt roads. We'll keep you posted!

Eden's 6th Birthday Party!

2009-04-03T00:48:00.000-07:00

Eden had her four little friends over for her birthday party. They had a great time!

Kula Eco Park

2009-04-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

For Eden's 6th Birthday we had a picnic at Kula Eco Park, a small park in Sigatoka that showcases Fijian flora and fauna. She had a great time! The lizard is a Banded Iguana, unique to Fiji.

March Update

2009-03-17T01:15:00.000-07:00

The Pittman Vehicle Saga

The story continues, but this time things are looking up!

Last week we were very thankful to be able to borrow a friend's truck who had traveled overseas. By the time he returned, our old car had been released from the shop. So, since last week, we have had transportation. We are so thankful for that answer to prayer. God also led several you to contribute to our vehicle fund/expenses. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has helped us out by prayer, contributions, emails, etc. You have encouraged us tremendously in this struggle with transportation.

We do need continued prayer for the auction vehicles. We are still waiting for customs to find the paperwork. We really need to get the new trucks so we can work towards selling our old car and the SI van.

Students International Fiji

We've had some encouraging meetings lately with partner ministries and possibilities for the future. Please pray for God's guidance in these things.

We have two summer interns, Tim and Sarah Johnson, coming to join us this summer, praise the Lord!!! Tim was one of our first Fiji study-abroad students in 2003, and was a natural in Fiji. His wife Sarah is also extremely gifted with a heart for the Lord. We are so thrilled that they have committed to serve the Lord with SI Fiji by helping us with the summer teams this year. Please pray for God's provision as they begin to raise their financial support. Tim will arrive in May, and once Sarah finishes up the semester teaching, she'll join him in June.

Our Family Keeps Growing!

Last week we traveled 4 hours to the capital city of Suva to visit with Homes of Hope, a partner ministry, visit our Fijian family (the Coverts), do some shopping, etc. Laura was worried how she'd do with her sickness on this trip, but thankfully she held up really well.

The highlight of the trip for Eden was our visit to the SPCA animal shelter. There she found a tiny puppy whose mother had abandoned her on the streets. Seeing as how Eden longs to rescue animals when she grows up, she was thrilled to rescue this little pup. We've been enjoying the latest addition to our family, whom Eden has named Rosebud. Rosebud and Diamond (Elani's kitten) are just about the same size right now and they enjoy playing together. The girls are so happy to each finally have their own pet!

In Other News

Speaking of family additions, Laura continues to feel quite sick with this pregnancy. She finally made it to the doctor last week, who confirmed a due date of Sept. 29, which puts Laura at about 3 months. All is healthy and normal. We got an ultrasound done, but they don't have those fancy digital images here in Fiji so I can't include it in the update, sorry.

Besides chronic headaches, one of the worst symptoms of the all-day sickness has been Laura's aversion to preparing food! The smell of food really makes me feel sick. The whole family has been suffering. Poor Ray has to prepare himself a bowl of ramen noodles late at night because he's so hungry at the end of the day. I muster up the strength to cook at least a couple of times a week, but I know everyone's looking forward to mom being able to cook dinner on a nightly basis again!

Eden lost her first tooth last week! She is very proud of her "gap" and both the girls are very thankful that the tooth fairy comes to Fiji (after all their worrying that she wouldn't be able to find them here).

Thank you also for praying for the Immigration issues regarding the girl's residential visas. It's been a frustrating journey--we went to the Immigrations office three times and heard a different story each time, and were given different requirements. However, the forms have finally been submitted as of last week. We now need prayer that Immigrations will process the forms quickly so we don't need to leave the country (we have until early May before their current visas expire). We also ask for your prayers for God's provision for "bond fees" for the girls. After being told we weren't required to pay them, Immigrations changed their policy, and we are now required to pay them upon issue of the permits. This is an unexpected expense of several thousand dollars (on top of the "regular" fees which are several hundred). Even though the fee will be refundable whenever we permanently leave the country, it's a big amount for us to come up with right now. And, guess what? We'll have to do this all over again, and pay all the fees again (including the bond) for the new baby once he/she is born. Fiji can be a difficult place to live at times. . . .but we know that God will continue to provide, as He always does. Thanks for praying.

P.S. Some of you have asked about Ray's carpal tunnel surgery and how it's healing. He is doing great! His hand has stopped hurting him and he seems to have regained full use of the hand! Praise the Lord.

We've Moved!

2009-02-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we're writing from our new house! Forgive the weeks of silence. . .we have been without phone and internet. We were finally connected yesterday so we're very pleased to be able to send out an update again.

The past couple of weeks have been quite difficult. Morning (actually all-day) sickness hit right before we moved for Laura, so packing up and moving the house was a real struggle for her. Also, around the same time, Ray's back went out, so packing and moving was a real struggle for him as well. Somehow, we made it! Over the course of a week, we hauled all our things down the street to the new house. Many things in the new house were broken and run-down since it had been sitting vacant for almost a year before we moved in. We've been cleaning, painting and working hard to get everything fixed up.

Life in Fiji

We are so happy to be back in Fiji, but life here has been a bit hard lately, to be honest. Besides the lack of internet (and the feeling of loneliness and being "cut off" from the world that comes along with that), we've had a few other issues come up over the past couple of weeks. We continue to have vehicle problems, Laura is sick (throwing-up, fatigue, headaches) every day, and things are going more slowly than we'd like as we work to get things going for SI Fiji. (mostly due to transportation problems). The other day Ray went out to Momi by himself to cut the grass back down again. On his way out, the car got stuck in a hole in the road. He was there for hours before our good friend Pastor Mani was able to come with a rented truck to pull him out! (Momi is in a pretty isolated location). Ray had no water left for those last hours and was suffering from heat exhaustion which was nearly an emergency situation (The heat is overwhelming right now, with high humidity). This week we also found out that our girls (who were both born in Fiji) are now required to apply for visas to reside here. This has never been the case before--they just changed the rule. Immigrations procedures for Eden and Elani will require multiple fees, paper work, medical check-ups, application forms, etc. Please pray that they will be granted their visas quickly, so that we don't have to leave the country to renew their paperwork. Sometimes living in Fiji is a full time job on its own! Please pray for us during this discouraging time. We know that it won't be like this forever, and daily remind ourselves of God's faithfulness which is so evident in our lives. We need perseverance to keep our eyes on the promises and calling of Christ, instead of focusing on our daily circumstances.

Vehicle Need

Our vehicle situation continues to be a big prayer request. Our old car is broken, AGAIN, and in the shop for more repairs, leaving us without transportation. (I'm beginning to wonder what could possibly be left to fix--two engines and thousands of dollars of parts later!) We have been facing delays on the vehicle auction we mentioned in the last email--we put a bid on two trucks (one for us and one for SI), but the 3-day waiting period stretched to one week, then to one month. . .we are still waiting to hear if we got one or both cars. If we do, it will be an amazing deal. We're praying it will go through quickly so we can have reliable transportation--it's hard to explain how much of our time is wasted on vehicle problems here--absolutely unbelievable (out of 2 months here, we've probably had transportation for 3 weeks). We are also still in need of funds for a vehicle, so please keep that in your prayers as well. We'll let you know as soon as we hear something! Right now we wait. . .

Pre-School

It's great to be able to report that things are going wonderfully with the new group of students at the Sigatoka pre-school (which we partner with). Here's some photos of the class. Ray spoke at the chapel the other day, and we were so impressed with the teachers (Camari and Zereen) and what the children have already learned since their first day of school last month. This is indeed a wonderful outreach into the community. The pre-school has received funding and an extension to complete the necessary work on the toilet facilities the government requires, so that is a big praise as well.

Eden & Elani

Eden and Elani are doing well. Eden's attitude has improved drastically, and she is really applying herself to her home-schooling. (I think it's because she can tell Mommy really needs her cooperation these days to make it through the morning!) She is reading and learning well. We are pollinating flowers and growing beans for science class, which she adores. Eden wants to be an animal scientist when she grows up (and sell make-up on her days off!). Elani loves her new house, her kitten, and her family. She is full of joy and adorable antics. Elani wants to be a ballerina when she grows up (which may be hard since she's only had one lesson, and no one teaches ballet here--but she doesn't mind!). The girls are best friends, which is such a blessing. They'll be great big sisters come September, and have vowed to change all the baby's dirty diapers!

Great News From Fiji!

2009-02-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

You must have been praying for us last week, because God answered our prayers in some really great ways. He brought us from feeling very discouraged and overwhelmed to remembering (yet again) how faithful He is.

It's easy to follow Him when things are going well, but when the uncertainties and the faith-stretching times come, it can be hard. I'm sure you all can relate.

And yet, when He moves and acts on our behalf, reminding us that He has indeed called us to this place and this ministry, the doubts are washed away and we are filled again with hope. This has been such a week. Read on for our good news (and don't just stop at the first one!)

A New House!

First of all, we are happy to report that we have a rental house to move into! We asked you to pray in our last update that the landlord would drop his price to match what we could afford. . .and he did! He cut his original asking price nearly in half, which is pretty incredible and a huge confirmation that God answers prayer!

Today is our first day to begin moving our possessions just a few houses down the street to our new rental home. We have the rest of the week to move everything over (we have to be out of this house by the 8th). The "new" house is old and a bit run down--it needs a lot of work, but we really, really like it. The yard backs up to a passage that leads to the ocean, so we like that we'll be close to the sea again.

We are really looking forward to settling down! We plan to be in the new house for at LEAST a year, which may not sound like much to you, but for us this is a very big deal! Since we resigned from our last position in Fiji in the summer of 2006, our life has been quite nomadic. . .we haven't been anywhere for more than several months at a time. We lived with Ray's parents in Dallas while his dad underwent cancer treatment. . .we received training in Florida. . .we joined Students International and then spent some time in CA learning more about our job and the organization. . .they sent us to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to observe their ministry in action. . .we received training in Colorado. . . we spent time in Arkansas at Laura's mom's cabin while Ray recovered from some health problems. . .we traveled from coast two coast and up to Canada visiting supporters, friends, family and former students. . . we returned to Fiji over the summer to run the first summer teams for SI . . . then we returned to CA for four months to work and travel for SI from there. . .and NOW, finally. . . .we get to settle down! (In the meantime our girls have been in 4 countries and 37 states!) Doesn't it make you tired just READING that?!

We are thanking the Lord for a place to finally settle. . . get pets. . . plant flowers. . . etc. And we're hoping our girls finally start sleeping through the night. All the transition over the past years has really affected them, primarily in the area of sleep. They still don't sleep through the night without waking up scared (probably wondering where they are) and coming to find us.

Settling down will be very good for our family--it's hard to express how happy this makes us feel!

A New Baby On the Way!

Last week we also found out that we are expecting baby #3! We are thrilled. With the prospect of settling down ahead of us, we had hoped that now would be a great time to add to our family. God answered that prayer as well!

I am feeling very tired with this pregnancy but other than that am doing pretty well. Please do pray for me this week, though, as the move is a big job and just thinking about it makes me feel more tired!

We still need to confirm a due date, but by our best guess it is Sept. 29. Eden and Elani are very excited to have a new brother or sister, and are having fun thinking up names. Elani's latest creation is "Princess Rose Petal Angelina Diamond." (They are both rooting for a girl!)

In Other News

We are still waiting to find out if we will get a car from the vehicle auction or not. We should know sometime this week--please pray for that. Our old car is finally back from the shop and is running in the meantime (and hopefully will continue to do so until we find something else!).

Home-schooling has been going well. Eden has more good days than not. She is still struggling with a lot of emotions. . .missing her friends and family in America. . .feeeling scared at night. . .longing for more time with friends here in Fiji. . . .really wanting a puppy (which we hope to get at some point) . . not wanting to move away from this house or pack her bags up again, etc. If you could please keep her in your prayers we'd sure appreciate it. Elani seems to be doing great--she is at such a fun age and plays happily all day long (esp. now that she has gotten over her fear of her kitten!). The girls made some friends close to their age just down the street, which is such a blessing. Here they are having a dress-up party!

We're looking forward to meeting more people in this town (Nadi). Even though we were here for four months over the summer, we were so busy with the SI teams we didn't really have a chance to build any relationships outside of that. We have friends in other places in Fiji where we used to live, but don't know many people here in Nadi. We went to a potluck last weekend and met some new people, so that was great.

We are also both working hard to finish up our homework from our MA seminary program (papers and assignments are due next month!). Please pray that we'd find the time and discipline to push through and get this work done in the midst of everything else going on!

Vinaka Vaka Levu

In Fijian, this means "Thank you very big". Thanks for caring about our family and for praying for us! Please continue to pray for:

--The vehicle auction and God's provision for a vehicle fund
--Healthy pregnancy for Laura and baby
--Eden and Elani's adjustment
--Our move this week
--Fijian staff for SI
--Teams coming to Fiji this summer with SI
--For the work at the Momi base (we need to get it ready for teams to live in by May)
--For the Sigatoka pre-school
--For the flood victims in Fiji and the country overall as it recovers from this disaster

Aftermath of the Floods

2009-01-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who prayed for the flooding in Fiji. The rain was relentless--the water kept on rising. These past couple of weeks have seen the worst flooding in 100 years. Thousands of people have lost their homes, their crops, and even their loved ones (final count was 11 dead). The damage has been estimated somewhere around $100 million.

The rain has finally stopped, the puddles are mostly dried up, and people are picking up the pieces of their lives. Some are trapped in their villages due to bridges being washed out with no food--their gardens and root crops were destroyed. The food shortage in Fiji is one of the biggest prayer requests. Another concern is lack of water (much of Fiji has been without running water for weeks) and contaminated water (when we do have water it comes out muddy brown).

Another prayer request would be for the families of school children. School starts in Fiji tomorrow, and many families don't know how they can afford to send their children. School is not free here in Fiji, and although the fees are minimal (about $100/yr. or so), this amount has proven prohibitive for many families.

Please keep this country in your prayers as the people pick through the rubble and try to make a fresh start. The needs are great--sometimes it's hard to know where to start.

Our Family

We are still in the SI house we used for teams last summer, but have spent the last weeks searching for smaller, more affordable housing for our family. Just today we finally found the perfect house, but it is about $300 above our price limit. We are praying the landlord will bring his price down and/or our monthly support would increase so we can rent this house. Please pray for this! Compared to the other houses we have looked at around here, it would be a blessing. (Most houses we've looked at are shared with other families, in bad areas, or just really trashy). This one is just down the street from where we live now.

We have been without a car since we arrived while our old one is being repaired. We are getting it fixed up so we can sell it. There is a used vehicle auction coming up this week--we are told we may be able to find an amazing deal on a good vehicle there, so please pray for that! We are still in real need of finances towards a vehicle--but in order to take advantage of the opportunity to save money at the auction, we are planning to borrow the money from our investment fund until we can sell our old car and raise enough money to cover the difference.

Eden is in her third week of home-school. She is very bright and a joy to teach--WHEN she apples herself! However, she has been very emotional off and on over the last week, and needs prayer for her attitude. We know it is due to the transition, and us being unsettled (she knows we'll be moving as soon as we find a house). It's hard on us, too--we don't really blame her! Please pray for her little heart to be at peace.

Elani is doing well. She picked out a kitten at the pound this week, and named her Diamond. This is the first time we've been in one place long enough to have a "real" pet, so the girls are so excited! Eden gives the cat more attention than Elani at this point, though, because Elani is a little scared of Diamond! We're looking forward to her warming up to the kitten, and all of us are looking forward to finally settling down into a more "permanent" rental house soon!

Fiji Pre-School:

You may recall news of the pre-school that opened last year, a partner ministry of Students International and Glory Gate Church. Tomorrow marks the start of a new academic year for Fiji schools (which means new students in the pre-school).

The pre-school has been granted an extenstion on their building project, and are set to open up with their maximum capacity of 40 children tomorrow!

The school has been a real blessing to some of the poor families in the area (some lost everything in the flood). The school doesn't charge any school fees but rather asks for families to contribute in any other way that they can.

Pastor Mani met with us this week and was expressing what an effective outreach and ministry the pre-school has been for the church, reaching out to Hindu and Muslim families in the area. The community is really taking ownership.

Please pray for the ongoing financial needs of the pre-school. If you would like to contribute, please contact us.

We're Back in Fiji--And It's Flooded

2009-01-26T00:18:00.000-08:00

We've been back in Fiji for exactly one week now. The flight went well, thanks for praying. We really appreciated your prayers as the plane had to attempt two landings before they were finally able to bring us down in the midst of a tropical storm that hit Fiji before we arrived!! The pilot tried to comfort us by telling us that we had enough fuel to circle for three hours if necessary. . .somehow that didn't make anyone feel better! We were thankful to finally be on dry land (or should I say wet!)

Since then, Fiji has been experiencing emergency conditions due to extreme flooding because of the storm. It has been raining and storming almost constantly this past week. Please keep the people of this nation in your prayers! There is flooding throughout the islands, our town included. So far 11 people have died. Please pray for all of those here who have lost their homes. Most do not have running water, electricity or phone service. Usually after flooding like this many get sick from contaminated water, so that is a big concern as well. Entire neighborhoods and towns have flooded (see photos). Several of these photos were taken in our town.

For several days after we arrived we were trapped in our subdivision because the road was flooded over. (Not that it mattered--our vehicle didn't work anyhow!). Our house has been fine, other than rapidly expanding puddles on the floor where the water finds a way in. We have been able to keep up with it. Our water supply goes on and off but at least we can collect rain water!

We are currently looking for smaller, less expensive housing, and have been told that this will be quite difficult due to all the displaced families looking for housing. Please pray for this need for us, and many others.

Ray's birthday is today. . .this isn't the first time it's been storming in Fiji on his birthday! It's the rainy time of year, but this year is far worse than before. The winds and rain combined can be downright frightening--the girls wake up scared each night. (Other than that they are enjoying being back, however, and home-school has begun!) We'll keep you updated on the flood situation. Thanks for praying.

We're off to Fiji Today!

2009-01-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

Well, our time in California has come to a close and we are getting on the airplane to Fiji today! Our Christmas and New Year was wonderful, spending time with family and friends. (Laura's sister and her family came to Laura's mom's house along with us). We spent one night at the coast as a family and had a good time of fellowship. For Christmas photos, click http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman/Christmas08#

The day after Christmas Laura flew up to Canada to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of our friends from Fiji, Susie and Parish. It was so special to see how God has brought them together (and to Canada) from Fiji. It was a privilege to stand with them. For photos, click http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman/ChaudharyWedding#

Last night our Students International family got together and had a sweet "send off" for us--it was encouraging and exciting to think of the team of quality people we have behind us here in CA.

Please pray for us as we travel, as well as after we land. We have several things we need to deal with when we return:
1. Our car doesn't start and needs major work OR we need to buy a new car, but don't yet having the funding. Please pray for this need!
2. We need to relocate to a new house (smaller, just for our family instead of a SI house) within a month after we return. Please pray for a good location and price. We are ready to settle down! All this transition and moving is hard on our family.
3. Please pray for the girls--Eden is really going to miss her teacher and friends from school, as will Elani (but Eden is having a harder time leaving them). Please also pray for me as I begin to home-school sometime this month.

Hope you all are doing great, we wish you a wonderful year in 2009! We'll write again from Fiji!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

We have been keeping very busy the past month with visitors, family, SI, and preparations for Fiji. We were able to spend a couple of days at the coast with our visitors (Leigh and Jon Haley--Leigh was a former student of ours in Fiji). It was a fun little vacation for our family and a great time with the Haleys. We were also able to travel to see our nephew Cole in Sacramento, and visit some friends in San Francisco.

We have a return date for Fiji! We'll be headed back on January 6. This date is quickly approaching! Please pray for us as we prepare for yet another big transition.

We are spending Christmas with Laura's family in Coarsegold, CA (1.5 hr. from our house in Visalia). We just met another new nephew, Ethan, for the first time this weekend! After Christmas, Laura is flying up to Edmonton, Alberta to be in the wedding of some Indo-Fijian friends of ours that have migrated to Canada, Parish and Susie Chaudhary. It will be such a privilege to share in their special day.

Ray's hand continues to heal from his surgery. It's still too soon to determine how effective the surgery was--it is painful to use it at this point. Please pray for Ray to regain full use of his right hand.

Eden and Elani are doing well, they have really enjoyed this semester of being in school and making friends. They both did great in their schools' Christmas programs--so cute. They had their last day of school last week, which was sad. They'll really miss their friends. Please pray for them (and mom!) as they transition to home-school next month in Fiji, and begin to make new friends there.

We have several couples/families interested in helping us out with summer teams in Fiji for 2009. Praise the Lord! Please pray for us as we return to Fiji, find local staff, establish ministry sites, and determine the best location for our family to live.

Please also pray for the Lord to provide financially for the purchase of a new vehicle in Fiji! As our return date approaches, this need is weighing heavily on us--we still need to raise eight thousand dollars (cars are so expensive in Fiji--and they charge an extremely high import tax).

We pray that your Christmas is wonderful and that God's blessing, grace and truth are with you in this new year. Praise the Lord for His indescribable gift to us--His son. May we all live in the light of this gift and remember what this season is all about! We love and appreciate you!

Carpal Tunnel Surgery & Dominican Republic Trip

2008-11-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings once again from California. We're actually both home, it looks like our travels are over at least for the moment.

Early tomorrow morning Ray will have surgery for his carpal tunnel syndrome. He first started having pain about ten years ago, but it would go away if he didn't do any kind of heavy manual labor with his hands.

However, this past year it began to really hurt, so he went to the doctor in April. The testing showed progressive nerve damage. It is causing pain and numbness, to the extent of waking him up at night, and sometimes he'll even drop his fork at dinner! Don't ask about the time he was working this summer in Fiji when his machete went flying out of his hands. . .

Needless to say, we are thankful to be in the states right now so this can be taken care of. We had to wait a few months to get an appointment, so we're happy we're here for a chunk of time. We are also thankful that our insurance company decided to cover the $9,000 procedure (they went back and forth. . .). We still need prayer and provision for the deductible we are required to pay. Please also pray for the surgery to go well tomorrow (apparently he will be "put under"). We'll let you know how it goes!!

Ray's Dominican Republic Trip

SI asked Ray to teach a community development class to the Bethel College study-abroad students currently with SI in the Dominican Republic (DR). He also met with ministry site leaders and spent some time researching the way community development is done by SI in the DR. He did the same in Guatemala, and this spring he'll be working on putting his research together for his MA degree project on Biblical Community Development.

It was a great trip, and Ray really enjoyed the fellowship with the SI staff in the DR as well as the students. He'll continue his relationships with the students through email as he grades their papers and assignments over the course of the semester.

Thanks to those of you who prayed for his health and back pain. His back is doing much better, and while he still has a lingering cough and low energy levels, he is finally feeling a bit better after a month or so of being sick.

Eden and Elani continue to do well here in Visalia. We are really enjoying being together again as a family after so many weeks of travel. The girls got dressed up this weekend so Mommy could take photos of them. They are so sweet, and bring us so much joy.

Guatemala Trip!

2008-11-02T20:40:00.001-08:00

Guatemala, CA and Dominican Republic!

Ray and I had a great outreach to Guatemala, it was an incredible experience. We arrived back in Visalia last week.

We also ask for your prayers for Ray who arrived in the Dominican Republic yesterday. He is teaching a Community Development class there and is currently sick. We'd appreciate your prayers for his health!

Students International sent Ray and I on a couple's outreach to Guatemala in mid-October. We were thrilled to have the chance to go on this outreach SI staffalong with our SI leadership team (Dave Hansen, president, and his wife Janice, our boss Jonathan and his wife Tricia, along with board members Lee and Lisa Prichard). We were also joined by another couple from the Hansen's church, Matt & Marie.

Ray's parents flew in from TX to live in our house and watch Eden and Elani while we were away. They sacrificed so much to do this, and it was a really special time. After a few rough nights of sleep, the girls settled into their new routine with Nana and Papa (who they adore) and did just great for the entire time. It was really special for Ray and I to have some time to ourselves, this was our first trip away from the girls EVER. We missed them, but we did great, too. :)

GUATEMALA TRIP:

Our first few days in Guatemala we spent with Nico and Lia Kattenberg, missionary friends of ours (Ray went to high school with Lia in Indonesia). They are missionaries in a small village a few hours away from Guatemala City. Nico regularly treks out to remote Indian villages in the mountains to preach and work with the churches there, and we were privileged to go with him one day. We enjoyed that as well as our times of fellowship with the whole family.

STUDENTS INTERNATIONAL GUATEMALA

After our time in Cubulco, the Kattenbergs drove us five hours back down the windy mountain roads to the beautiful historic city of Antigua, where SI is headquartered. We joined up with our team from CA and jumped right into a week of ministry, meetings, fellowship, food and adventure. We spent part of the time in Antigua, and part of the time in a home-stay in Magdalena, a poor community in the mountains nearby. Guatemala is a place of ancient beauty juxtaposed with poverty. . .Antigua is a tourist destination with real human needs just on the outskirts.

We were able to visit several of the SI ministry sites (a different one each day) and help out with their ongoing work among the poor of Guatemala. We worked at the art site (teaching art lessons to children to give them career skills and discipleship), agriculture/vet ministry (helping farmers keep their crops and animals healthy), appropriate technology (working in a squatter settlement to provide clean water, etc.) We poured a cement floor for one of the many families living in the dirt. We also visited one of the schools SI works alongside, teaching music and Bible lessons.

The most impactful day for me (Laura) was volunteering at the social work site (a ministry partnership with SI), helping to feed and just love on the handicapped kids and adults that live at Hermano Pedro (a hokidsme for those with extreme needs). The children and adults there are twisted, shriveled, twitching, drooling. . .row upon row of humanity in wheelchairs and in steel cribs. And yet, their smiles when you hug them, talk to them, or just touch their hands are pure beauty. We helped the workers there feed them lunch (pureed food or formula from a baby bottle--even for some of the adults). I have seen poverty and needs around the world, but nothing like this. I will never forget these people and Christ's love for them.

SI has a wonderful staff in Guatemala, and it was great to meet them all. Ray had been twice before, but it was my first time to experience this amazing place in the world and the awesome ministry going on there. It was so encouraging to be a part of, and we are excited to get similar ministries going in Fiji when we return after Christmas!

BACK IN CALIFORNIA

After our return from Guatemala, we spent two days in San Diego before Nana and Papa flew back to TX. It was so wonderful to be reunited with Eden and Elani--we'd missed them so much! After a great time in San Diego, we had two days back at home in Visalia as a family before Ray left again for the Dominican Republic! The girls and I are on our own right now, but my mom is coming to stay with us for most of the week. I am hoping to get caught up on correspondence, finances, etc. I also hope to finish up the syllabi and schedules, etc. for the Fiji study-abroad proposal.

Pray for Ray in the Dominican Republic!!

Ray is currently in the Dominican Republic teaching a Community Development class for Bethel College students on a study-abroad program with Students International. He is also consulting with them on their community development projects and doing some research for his MA project on. . .(you guessed it). . community development. Please pray for him as he was sick the ENTIRE time we were in Guatemala and is STILL sick! It is strange that he's been down so long (and with a bad back on top of the sickness). It's hard for him to function with the back pain and sickness, please lift these things up in prayer with us.

Ray is scheduled for carpal tunnel surgery soon after he returns from the DR. (Nov. 20). The surgery was recommended to him 10 years ago, and apparently the nerve damage is extensive. Please pray for the procedure and for God to provide the funding for this.

We'll keep you updated, thanks for praying for us!

Off to Guatemala and Other News

2008-10-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

GUATEMALA:

Tomorrow night, Ray and I will drive down to LA and fly to Guatemala for almost two weeks. Students International has been working among the poor in the area around Antigua for many years.

This will be Ray's third trip and my first--I am excited! SI has asked us to be a part of a couple's outreach along with our boss and his wife, the president and his wife, board members and others from here in Visalia. We will spend part of the time in home-stays in the squatter community and will visit the various ministry sites during the days.

Before the SI trip, we're headed to visit some friends working in the village of Cubulco, Lia and Nico Kattenberg.

We'll be gone 13 days! Ray's folks are flying in today to come stay in our house and watch the girls in our absence. The longest we've been away from the girls before has been overnight, so 13 days will be a stretch for all of us! Please pray for us, the girls, and Nana and Papa during this time. It's sure to be a wonderful experience all around, but the separation will be hard.

FIJI CORNER

What's going on with SI Fiji while we're away? Myron Mullett and his family are living in our home and making a huge impact. Myron has an excavating company and has used his expertise in heavy equipment and land-moving skills to finish the septic, leveling and road to the
Momi Bay structure, as well as improving the road to Homes of Hope. Any of you who have been to these place know what what a BLESSING and huge accomplishment this is. Thank-you, Mulletts!

GLORY GATE CHURCH PRE-SCHOOL:

The pre-school is going strong! They are in real needs of funds right now in order to build bathrooms to meet government requirements for a school, so they can stay open. If you're interested in helping out with this need, please do let us know!
Join Our Mailing List
WHAT WE'RE UP TO

We are still working at the SI office, we are developing a curriculum for a study abroad program in Fiji, visiting churches to share about Fiji, reading and writing for our MA classes, and keeping very busy! We had all the SI staff over to our house last week for a "Fiji curry night". Very fun--it made us miss home!

WEEKENDS

What do you do if you're only in the USA for a couple more months? You take advantage of where you are! We have been enjoying our weekends as we travel to nearby sights and events.

We are only about an hour away from Sequoia National Park, so we drove out there the other day to see the big trees. . .including the biggest tree in the world! The girls loved it!

The following weekend Laura participated in a Sprint Triathlon in Oakdale: 500 yard swim, 15 mile bike and 5K run. This is something she's wanted to do for a long time so she was really happy about the chance to be in the USA and compete. Very fun! We stayed with friends at a dairy farm in nearby Turlock, and had a wonderful time. Photos of Turlock, the big trees and the triathlon are here. http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman/CASept08#

Last weekend we spent the day in San Francisco with Lindsay and Ian Kanski (who had flown in from Fiji that week). We picked up Nora (another former Fiji student) in Sacramento and drove to the city. We had a great time visiting with these students. We got to see the aquarium and Pier 39, ride a cable car, walk through Chinatown and attend a concert in Golden Gate Park. For photos, click here.

In these tough times economically, it is good to remember that our security is not found in money or possessions--it is in Christ alone. We are finding this to be a good reminder to focus on what truly matters--loving God and loving others. It is a challenge to us all to keep our eyes on this truth!

San Francisco Trip Oct 08

2008-10-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

We spent a day in SF with 3 former students! Ian & Lindsay Kanski and Nora Montanye. We visited the aquarium and most of the sights. Very fun!

Laura's Sprint Triathlon!

2008-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to do a triathlon, and this fall I had the opportunity! We went to Turlock and stayed with friends who have a dairy farm there. The triathlon was about an hour away at Woodward Reservoir. I had been training about a month and felt fairly ready for the 500 yard swim, 15 mile bike and 5K run.

I was pleased with how it went--I loved swimming in the lake (but I did not love all the feet and hands kicking me--all the swimmers wer like a swarming school of fish all squished together). I did well on the swim (my favorite of the three). The bike ride was over rolling hills and beautiful vistas. My bike was poor quality and I hadn't had much of a chance to practice on it, so a lot of people passed me on the bike ride. I made up some lost time on the run and was surprised to still have energy left at the end! It took me 2 hours and 1 minute. I'd do it again if I had a chance!

September 25--Settling into life in CA

2008-09-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

We've been in California just over a month now. Our time here has been good, and surprisingly busy! We've had visits from Fiji friends, SI staff, Laura's mom, and we are blessed to have Lindsay Kanski here with us at home for a couple of weeks. (SI summer intern--her husband Ian will arrive next week from Fiji). It's been great to have our "own place" in America, and we are feeling at home here. . .not putting down any roots since we know we'll be leaving in 3 months to return to Fiji. . .but we are enjoying our time here regardless.

SI Fundraising Banquet

This month SI had their annual fund-raising banquet. It was encouraging to hear reports from staff and team members in most of the SI countries. The banquet was held outdoors at the Alipaz ranch. We were happy to be there to see the interest and impact of this organization--God is working!

Eden & Elani had a great time playing in the yard, swimming and riding horses during all the set-up and clean-up process.

What we're doing

This month Laura was the speaker at the women's luncheon at Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church. It was a great opportunity to share about our ministry in Fiji, and was a fun experience overall (on the theme "Jesus is the Lighthouse").

Since we arrived in CA, we have been meeting with the home office/service center staff, working on projects with them and helping out where we can, setting up a study abroad program for Fiji, continuing our MA homework, getting caught up on correspondence and computer work that we put off during the busyness of the summer, and settling into life in general here in Visalia.

The girls are both enjoying school and life here, it's so fun to see them learn and grow from this new experience. Their sleep has been the most difficult part of the transition to life in CA. Elani especially has been having a hard time at night. Please pray for peaceful sleep for the girls (and, as a result, for us!).

Fiji Preschool Opens!

We are happy to announce that the pre-school at Glory Gate Church in Sigatoka, Fiji has recently opened! This is a partner ministry with SI, and most of the summer teams worked to get it ready in one way or the other. The pre-school had an opening ceremony, which turned out to be a great outreach to community families. Please keep the teachers, Zereen and Camari, in your prayers, as well as those precious children--that they would come to know Christ and shine His light at home to their families who don't yet know Him!

Laura is signed up to do a Sprint Triathlon in two days! We'll let you know how it goes.

End of August Update

2008-08-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Eden & Elani on the first day of school in CA

Hi everyone,

Greetings from California's hot and sunny central valley! We've been here just over a week now and are settling in. We are living in Visalia, near the Students International home office/service center.

SICK SURF: Our last week in Fiji was very busy with packing and getting the house ready for other people to live in. We had car problems with the Toyota Surf up until the last moment (including over $1,000 worth of unnecessary/defective parts that the Fiji parts shops would not refund our money for as promised!). From what we hear from Ian and Lindsay back in Fiji, the problems didn't stop after we left. We are thankful for their help in getting all the loose ends tied up for us. (Please pray our money will be refunded by the two parts shops!) Also, praise the Lord for a very generous and wonderful family who covered the cost of the engine repairs for us before we left, that was such an answer to prayer! Although it shouldn't surprise us, we are always amazed at how wonderfully and completely God provides. Please join with us in prayer for the funds to purchase a new vehicle when we return to Fiji--this Toyota Surf very obviously needs replaced. Having a new car will free up endless hours of Ray's time that are currently spent on weekly vehicle hassles and breakdowns.

AT HOME IN VISALIA: After an overnight flight (Eden only slept half the night but at least she slept!), we arrived in CA and drove the 3 1/2 hours north to the central valley, to the city of Visalia and our new house. Just the night before, another SI family, the Janzens, had moved from Visalia down to Costa Rica to join the SI pioneering team there. We moved into their house the very next day. The SI families had decorated it with photos of our family (along with supplying the furnishings we'd need), so we felt right at home.

EDEN IN KINDERGARTEN: We arrived Wed. night, and early Thursday morning Eden reported for her first day of kindergarten at Grace Christian School. It was 3:00 am to her little body, and it is full-day, but she did great! She is really enjoying kindergarten and thriving there. She can't get over how "everybody looks like me!" She was getting tired of the kids in Fiji touching and pulling her blond hair because it was different than theirs.

ELANI IN PRESCHOOL: Elani is going to pre-school twice a week for a half day, for the social interaction and for her to learn things like lining up, waiting to speak until called upon, etc. The girls haven't been in many organized group settings before, like a classroom, so it is good for them to have the opportunity to be in school for this semester.

FALL FOCUS: This fall we have several assignments from SI, Ray specifically. He will be working on CD assessments and recommendations for SI to provide a framework and principles for community development, refining leader's manuals, and working to finish his Master's degree. He'll be travelling to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic to teach a CD class and consult for CD. We'll also be here for all the SI meetings, retreats, etc. so it will be good to get to know our team even better. We will return to Fiji the week after Christmas and gear up for 2009 teams (beginning in January).

FAMILY: It's not easy for our family (logistically, emotionally and financially) to make one more huge transition to a totally new place.. . .but we are looking for the best and the blessings in this time, and there are plenty. It's been great for the girls to be in school, Laura's mom is just 1.5 hrs away, and Laura's sister is going to have a baby next month, so it will be great to meet little Ethan when he's born!

UNCLE DEAN: Speaking of family events, Ray's uncle Dean passed away this week due to a brain tumor. Ray is flying out on our frequent flier miles to Pennsylvania for the memorial service and to be there to support the family. He leaves tomorrow and will be gone for about a week. Please pray for the family during this time.

PRE-SCHOOL IN FIJI: The pre-school at Glory Gate Church in Sigatoka, Fiji will be opening this week! This is one of SI's partner ministries in Fiji, and our staff and teams have been working on the building, etc. to prepare for this big day. Please pray for the teachers, Camari (The-mahree) and Zereen, and for the school children--that they will come to a saving knowledge of Christ. The church is in need of classroom supplies as well as additional funds to finish off the building (tile, bathrooms, etc.). Please let us know if you are interested in being a part of this ministry in some way.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support! We pray that you have a wonderful fall and that God blesses you and your family in wonderful ways. He is good!

August 11 Update: Rabi & More

2008-08-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

We're back from our adventure up to the northern islands of Fiji (where we used to live), and have completed week one of our seminary classes for this year. Both wonderful experiences, in very different ways. The days have been full and good, God is working and we are privileged to be here right now. Our car is broken down AGAIN, giving us another chance to trust God's provision. Keep reading for more on all this.

Our trip to Rabi (pronounced Ram-bee) was absolutely amazing. As we've been telling friends and family, it reminded us of all that we love and miss about remote island life (like the slower pace, importance of relationships, natural beauty, and cultural richness) but it also reminded us of all that we don't miss (seasickness, stormy seas, incredibly complicated logistics to get anything done, cancelled flights and ferries, getting wet carrying your groceries ashore, etc.). Overall, it was a good re-living of our "old life" in Fiji as we saw the islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu, as well as a new experience, as we visited Rabi island for the very first time.

For those that haven't been following our story for the past few years, our family used to live on the island of Vanua Levu where we started and ran a study-abroad program for college students from America. We were there for 3 1/2 years on a remote bay with no roads, so we did all our grocery shopping and emailing on the closest island of Taveuni. We lived on the bay with only two other families: "Pa" Bob, our Fijian host and his family (the Coverts) and Apa ("father") John and his family (the Tius). Apa's wife is originally from the island of Rabi. These two families became our second families and the bonds between us are very strong. You can imagine how close we are to them, as we shared life together as very close neighbors (and the only neighbors!) on an isolated island for 3 years. We have been missing our Fijian families very much (as we live on the main island now), so we were excited to get the chance to travel to see them.

The Covert family was all on the main island when we traveled north, so instead of visiting them on Vanua Levu we saw them in the capital city (SO great to see them). It was like we never left. The other family, the Tiu family, now lives in Rabi (they left Vanua Levu shortly after we did). So we travelled to Rabi to visit them. Our summer interns, Ian, Lindsay and Tim came along for the adventure (also to get some footage for their SI Fiji video project). Ian and Lindsay were excited to see the north as well, as that was their home for four months in 2004 (as former students in the study-abroad program we were running) and this was their first time to visit since then.

After our flight to Taveuni, we got on Apa John's fishing boat and travelled 3 more hours to the island of Rabi. Elani got sea-sick on the way, but thankfully fell asleep after that. The island is amazingly gorgeous, the kind of place that makes it well worth the journey. The best part was seeing the Tiu family. Apa John, his wife Matanuea, and their children Byron, Charlie. Lisa and Katerina were all there. . .and boy did they go all out for us! The second day we were there they threw a big celebration for us and invited the village's dance troupe to come and perform for us. The singers of the village were there to provide the music for the dancing. It was amazing. The dances and songs told the story of their people and the party lasted through the night.

Since you couldn't be there for the dances, we'll have to tell you the story in words. In a nutshell, the people of Rabi (pop. 5,000) are "Banaban people", they came from an island called Banaba, or "Ocean Island", in Kiribati. They are not Melanesian (like the Fijians), they are Micronesian, which means they have a totally different look, language and culture than the rest of Fiji. The British were mining phosphate from Ocean Island, so they relocated the population to an island in Fiji (Rabi), promising them beautiful homes (showing them photos of Australia!). Instead, the Banaban people had to live in military tents on Rabi when they first came, and many of them died (this was in 1945). They have made a home for themselves here in Fiji since then and have managed to preserve their rich culture (displayed so beautifully in their song and dance). It is a matriarchal culture (the women are the leaders of the families, not the men, VERY opposite from the rest of Fiji!). They have their own government system that operates alongside the Fijian government. There is a lot of poverty on Rabi (the houses are almost all falling apart and very poor) and the people live almost exclusively off the land and the sea.

Check out our Rabi photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman/RabiTripJuly08 It's easiest to view them and read the captions if you click on the "slideshow" option on the webpage.

Some highlights: we took the boat out for a picnic with the youth group on a remote beach where the teenage girls (who can do pretty much everything) cooked lunch over a fire; we had rice and some fish the boys had caught. They served it on palm fronds woven into disposable "plates". Ray and the others hiked up to a cave to see human skeletons in the interior of the island. Laura and the girls traveled by bus to 3 of the 4 villages on the island. We talked to a lot of people, slept on the floor, bucket-showered under the stars, ate island food, got sunburned, and enjoyed a pig feast our last day there. Quite the adventure!

One morning, Eden sat down on the edge of Uncle Tebaiah's bed--he is the "crazy uncle" as everyone calls him. . .he constantly talks out loud all through the day (and night as we discovered!), as if he were speaking to another person, or a spirit. Matanuea cares for him and he lives with the Tiu family (he used to live with them at Sau Bay with us as well). One morning, Eden was telling him all about God. She told him about how God is "3 in 1". "So am I!" the uncle answered. Pray for Uncle Tebaiah, he needs to know the Lord.

The seas were really rough the day we headed back to Taveuni, and after 4 hours on the waves we were all soaked with salt water (and other things--Eden got seasick). We staggered to the airport and handed them our tickets (we'd been up since 4:30 am and sick on the sea since then, rushing to catch the plane) . .only to discover our flight had been cancelled! (a very common occurrence that we've experienced many times, but still frustrating!). Five and half hours later, our plane finally left for the capital city of Suva.

In Suva we were able to visit with several old friends, and went to see our friends at Homes of Hope. It was great to see the progress of the projects that our SI teams had worked on. Everyone at Homes of Hope was glad to see us and thankful for the input of Students International there. We love that place (well, actually the people)!

Now we're back home in Nadi. Last week Ray got a pretty serious infection up his leg (possibly blood poisoning) from a tiny coral cut on his heel that he got while walking out to the boat in Rabi. He was in bed for several days, and is just now recovering from that (over 1 1/2 weeks later). Beginning last week Ray and I were in seminary classes, taught by an American professor. Last week was Old Testament Introduction and Exegesis, and this week is Christian Leadership. We have both been enjoying the classes and are thankful for the opportunity to participate in such a great program right here in Fiji.

Lindsay and Ian have been watching Elani in the days while we're gone, Eden is in kindergarten and still enjoying it. They have been doing well, sick here and there (Eden just got over a nasty flu bug) but overall they are doing great.

Yesterday BOTH the SI van and our personal vehicle broke down! We were on our way to the ordination service for Dilesh Prasad at Glory Gate Church in Sigatoka when our car started pouring out smoke and totally died. The van towed us the rest of the way, and then on the way home the van died. The van is now fixed, but our car is not. Apparently whoever sold it to us had "fixed" the temperature gauge so it wouldn't show when it was overheating. We had no idea the water pump wasn't working, so the engine overheated and most likely cracked the head. VERY bad news considering we JUST put a new engine in the car! We're praying for wisdom on what to do as we don't have any more cash reserves left to fix it, and aren't sure we should sink any more money into that junky car in the first place. However, our interns and the family staying in our house while we're gone will need transportation. . .so we are praying for wisdom in what to do, and God's provision.

Speaking of that, we have a family coming for two months to stay in our house while we're away and continue developing the SI base at Momi (praise the Lord for bringing them!). November and December are still available for anyone who wants a free place to stay in Fiji! Let us know. . . .

We fly to CA on the 21st, which is quickly approaching in just 10 days. This will probably be our last update from Fiji. Please pray for safe travel, and esp. for the girls' adjustment to life in CA--yet another transition just as they're starting to feel settled here. Eden starts kindergarten in CA the day after we arrive, so that is going to be a jet-lagged week for her. . we're praying she does okay. We're planning on working for SI based in Visalia, CA for the entire fall, Ray will take trips to most of the SI countries and work on community development consulting/teaching/framework, and then we'll return to Fiji the week after Christmas.

We'll be in touch! Please pray for the Lord to continue to provide for our needs and give us strength to make it through all the transitions ahead. He is good, and we pray for His provision and working in your lives as well.

July 19 Update

2008-08-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since we last wrote and lots has been happening! We had our third and final SI summer team of the year come and go. . .we were able to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. . .our bond fee was released and visas were granted. . . our car got a new engine. . .Elani turned 3. . .and Eden started kindergarten! That's it in a nutshell, keep reading for more details!

When we last wrote, we were in a real bind financially. Our "new" car needed the engine and transmission replaced. . .our bond fee (several thousand dollars) from 2001 was stuck with Immigrations (as were our actual work visas), and we were hoping to celebrate our 10th anniversary somehow but didn't know how that would be possible given our situation. Within a matter of days our visas arrived and our bond fee was released. We were able to use that money to pay for the new car engine. We found a local rate discount on a two night trip up to the Yasawa Islands in the north of Fiji, and booked it for our anniversary (we had a great time). Thanks to all of you who prayed for these things, God answered! It's great to live a life where we constantly experience His faithfulness (not to say it isn't "stretching!") He is good.

Our third team arrived the last day of June from a church near Visalia, CA. One of the SI board members was along on the team, as well as his daughter, two moms with their sons, and an assortment of some great young people from the church. It was a wonderful group and we enjoyed their diversity of experience as well as their good attitudes and flexibility (both a must in Fiji where plans can change like the weather. . .) It was our largest group yet, 11 team members, 3 interns plus Fijian staff and our family came to a grand total of 19 people some nights in our house. (we loved it!)

The team spent their first week at Homes of Hope in Suva, the home for single moms and their kids our teams have been helping out with ( www.hopefiji.org ). It was a life-changing experience for several on our team and we received some positive reports from moms at HoH. Several team members were able to live with some of the moms. Overall, the team was able to build relationships with many of the moms and kids and people had a real positive impact on people, not to mention the "projects" that were accomplished.

After Suva, the team moved on to Sigatoka. SI is co-sponsoring a new pre-school there, along with Glory Gate Baptist Church / Pastor Mani. Pastor Akuila's wife will be the teacher. It was exciting for the last two teams to be able to assist in the completion of the pre-school building (cement work, louver windows, screens, etc.). Laura and this last group also started four large wooden murals to paint and hang on the pre-school walls to decorate them once it's all finished. The pre-school should be opening at the end of August! While in Sigatoka, the team members stayed with church families in home stays. This is always a very powerful time for them, to experience first hand the love and generosity of the people of Fiji, most who have so little compared to what we have in the states (and yet cheerfully give of their best to us). We had a lovo (underground oven) feast again, we never get tired of that good food!

The team spent their last week living here in Nadi with us and working out at Momi Bay (the future SI base). This group's task was to put up a fence around the building and they made amazing progress on that! The fence is nearly completed, which is a great accomplishment and represents a lot of hard work. Our interns (Ian, Lindsay and Tim) did a great job helping out with logistics and leadership of the team, the video project, and the workload at Momi.

The team's last day in Fiji was also Elani's third birthday (July 12). We went to the beach, and then had a pool party and BBQ with a cake for Elani before we took the group to the airport. Elani had a good time, we can hardly believe she's 3 already! Shortly after the team left, Eden (5) started Kindergarten, so that was another milestone. She jumped into the middle of a term at a Christian school here in our neighborhood. It's been really good for her and we are praying she makes some good friends there, something that has been an obvious need for her. So far she is loving school and all that goes with it (her blue uniform, her lunch, and her reading book). Check out photos of the girls and the last team at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman

This week is a catch-up week for us as we get organized again now that the teams are finished for the year. Our car has been in the shop yet again. . .it keeps having problems. We really need to trade it in for a more trustworthy one, but finances keep us back at this point. We are still under our monthly support needs, and as we've been here we have realized the expenses are even greater than what we budgeted for--unfortunately, Fiji is an expensive place to live. Please pray that God would continue to provide, as He has been doing, and that He would bring some new supporters to this ministry.

We have only one more month in Fiji before we fly back to the states for the fall, as previously planned. (We'll be staying in Visalia by the SI home office/service center and helping them with a framework for community development, etc.). We will be back in Fiji right after Christmas, so we'll continue to rent our house in Fiji while we're gone. We are currently praying for someone to stay in our house while we are away. We have someone interested in Sept/Oct. (although it's not set yet), and still need someone to come for Nov./Dec. Anyone interested??

This upcoming week we'll be headed up to Taveuni & Vanua Levu (the islands in the north of Fiji where we used to live), as well as Rabi (an island where "Apa" (father) John Tiu and his wife Matanuea are now living--they are our good friends and lived at Sau on Vanua Levu with us for years--they are like family). We will be staying in their home with their family and are really looking forward to this visit. It's really different up there in the north, and we miss that simple island life. . .a bit different here in town! We're hoping for some freshly caught fish and some great cultural experiences and times of fellowship and encouragement.

After we return from our trip up north, Ray and I will have two weeks of seminary classes. This will be Ray's last year (of four) and my first year. After Ray finishes his thesis, he will have a MA in Biblical Studies. I am also working towards that degree, but I'll be 3 years behind Ray. (The classes are two weeks every year and then papers and homework during the year). Ray is still working to finish up his homework from last year! We are both looking forward to the seminary classes and I am especially excited to be "in school" again after over a decade out.

Shortly after seminary finishes, we will be flying back to the states. We are looking forward to our time with SI in Visalia and know that before we realize it we'll be back again in Fiji and getting the ball rolling again for 2009 teams and ministry opportunities. Please pray for us that we'd have God's guidance in knowing which ministry opportunities to focus on in Fiji. There are so many options and so many needs. We don't want to just pick ministries just to "do" something, but want to follow God's calling in this.

Thanks so much for your interest in our lives and ministry!

Eden & Elani

2008-07-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

Eden & Elani have had a good month, interacting with the team, and just enjoying living in Fiji. Two big milestones: Eden started kindergarten (in Fiji this is similar to pre-school, check out her cute uniform!), and Elani turned three (photos in previous post).

The girls enjoyed having a bath with their little friend Talei the other night!

July SI Team

2008-07-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed this team from Hanford, CA. Our last team of 2008!

Elani's Third Birthday

2008-07-19T04:12:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe our little girl is 3 years old now! She is still small and adorable and likes to pretend she's a "tiny baby." And yet she's talking so well, is learning quickly how to do more things on her own, uses the potty every time now, and is obviously growing up as much as we may like to keep her a baby!

Elani's birthday was the team's last day with us in Fiji, so we were able to plan some fun things to celebrate both occassions. We played at the beach in the morning and had a pool party in the afternoon. Elani had requested a "little girl" cake, so that's what I made! It was a great day and she enjoyed being with family as well as all the other people around.

Fourth of July

2008-07-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

We were invited to Joy and Chen Young's house for a 4th of July celebration. It was a great evening with lots of good food--they had several American guests so that was fun. Here's the girls with Daniel Young.

Our 10th Anniversary

2008-07-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

It was so much fun to go on a "cruise" for our anniversary. . with the kids! There were 2 little Indo-Fijian girls on the boat as well, same age as Eden and Elani so that was really fun. We stopped at some gorgeous beaches, ate some wonderful food and had some nice family times relaxing together. It was a wonderful way for Ray and I to celebrate a decade together! Here's to many more to come. . .

Finally Settling In

2008-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that we are writing this update from our home computer! We finally have internet at home, and couldn't be happier about that. We are excited to reconnect with everyone after a month and a half. The first thing we did was upload our Fiji photos. Check them out on our picasa website.

We also have new contact info (email is the same, just postal address and phone numbers have changed):

Ray & Laura Pittman
PO Box 10976
Nadi Airport, Fiji Islands

Home: 011-679-672-7499
Laura's cell: 011-679-944-1897
Ray's cell: 011-679-926-0308

Our first team has come and gone. It was wonderful seeing God work through them and in them during their time in Fiji. They were a great group, hard workers, and set a good first impression in Fiji of what Students International is all about. Here's a brief report of what their outreach looked like (the other summer teams will follow the same basic format):

Week One: Arrive, settle into the SI base in Nadi ("our" house, we live here along with the team members when they come). Orientation, and introduction to our Fijian staff Nawaqa, Litia (young people working alongside the team) and Auntie Mila (cook). Each day after devotions and worship time, the team heads out to Momi to clear grass, and begin working at this site that has been given for SI to use as a base and outreach center for the rural Indian farming community around it (it has a half-finished building on it that has been deserted for a decade). You can imagine the work to be done (if you can't, look at the photos)! After two hours (round trip) of driving on bumpy roads, and a hard day's work in the sun, various missionaries and team members share testimonies, etc. in the evenings before everyone crashes into bed.

Weekend: Down to Sigatoka for a weekend at Glory Gate Church with Pastor Mani. The students do home stays with church members, and gather together for various church and SI events over the weekend. The church and students enjoy a lovo together (a traditional Fijian way of cooking--bury food wrapped in leaves with hot rocks underground). SI and Glory Gate are partnering together for future ministry. Our first project together will be to start a pre-school, which should be up in the next couple of months.

Week Two: Drive 3 more hours along the edge of the island to the capital city of Suva, and down into the Wailoku valley rainforest to Homes of Hope ( www.hopefiji.org ). HoH is a ministry to single moms and their kids--it's a shining light of Christ's love and a ministry that SI plans to continue a partnership with this summer and in the future. The last team's assignment was to design and build a much-needed playground for the kids. (A very rewarding project as we got to see the kids enjoy it!) Our Homes of Hope photos are separate from the others, check them out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman/HomesOfHopeFijiMay08 Homes of Hope has asked SI to help them become sustainable in agriculture and micro business. Laura has been enjoying using her permaculture ("permanent agriculture") training to help them design gardens and a chicken "tractor" system. Our current team is working on the chicken coops and future teams will continue to help with beginning gardens, etc. Overall, the time at Homes of hope is a great time of hard work, as well as being impacted by the stories of what God has done and is doing in the lives of these moms. . .restoring hope and a future to those who had none. We eat with the moms and kids and enjoy building relationships with them, and especially playing with those adorable kids. The team finishes up with a pizza dinner, a day at the beach and then a sad "moce" (goodbye). . .

Our second group arrived on the 9th along with our summer interns/staff, Ian and Lindsay Kanski and Tim Erickson. Ian and Lindsay were former students of ours in Fiji, and we have enjoyed our continued friendship with them over the past few years. We are absolutely thrilled to see them return to Fiji to help us out this summer. Ian's friend Tim has also come to help out, which is great. Ian and Tim plan to work together to create a documentary film of the needs and ministry opportunities in Fiji, and the work of Students International. We will let you know when it's finished!

The team is at Homes of Hope right now, and everything is going smoothly. While Laura and the girls accompanied the first team to each location, they are enjoying being home now that we have some other staff to help out.

On a personal level, our family is doing well. Last month was an extremely stressful time with all of the moving, unpacking, buying, cleaning and preparing for the team. Just this week we feel like we are able to relax a bit and find out what a "normal" day in Fiji will be like for us! The girls are adjusting better now that we've been home a bit. They love having the teams live with us, so that is good! We haven't met a lot of children in this area yet, so we're trying to find out what is going on in this community that we could get involved in. (we have a lot of friends in Fiji but we've never lived in this town before and don't know many people here).

Our "new" car needs a new engine this week, after just one month of use! What a bummer and an unexpected expense (it will be at least $2,000). It's in the shop right now. Please pray that God provides for this unexpected need--we are still under our financial support goal and ask for your prayers for provision in this area.

Ray and I will celebrate our ten year anniversary tomorrow! We aren't sure what we'll do to celebrate yet, but hope to get away for a weekend after the current team leaves.

Finally, please continue to pray for our visas! Yes, the approval was granted before we came to Fiji. . .but we don't have them in hand yet. We are waiting on Immigrations to give them to us. Also, please pray that Immigrations will release our previous bond fee (we had to re-pay it this time--several thousand dollars). The bank cannot release the old bond until Immigrations provides the paperwork and they have not been able to do so yet.

Praises: Pastor Mani and Pastor Akuila helped us in the purchase of an SI van! This has helped us keep expenses down. The teams have been going well. God is working here in Fiji and it's a privilege to be a part of it!
Prayer Requests: For past team's re-entry to the states, for current team in Fiji and upcoming team at the end of the month. Pray for our US staff's adjustment to Fiji, and for God to provide more local staff for SI. We've had two Fijians working with us and will be taking on a few more in coming months. Please also pray for our direction for future ministry opportunities and teams. Please pray also for our finances. We are in need of an additional $575 a month and $3,500 in one-time expenses.

We'll post again soon!

21 Days in Fiji

2008-05-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

We'll we're here! BULA (hello) from Fiji!! We left LA on May 1, arrived in Fiji May 3. The girls did great on the trip, we were so thankful. We stayed at a hotel for about a week while we looked for a rental house. Laura celebrated her birthday while we were at the hotel, which was fun. The girls enjoyed swimming and the sun (when it was out--this month has been unusually rainy for this time of year in Fiji).

Pastor Mani, our good friend and pastor from our first 3 years in Fiji, helped us out a lot during this time, by helping us to find a realtor, as well as a vehicle to purchase. On May 9 we moved into our new house/SI base!! We ended up finding a huge 6 bedroom house that will house our family, the SI staff, and all the students over the summer. We will also be able to continue to rent it during the fall when we're in the states, so that will be nice. It is in a safe, good neighborhood and is about 5 minutes away from the airport in the town of Nadi. Thanks for praying for this for us, God answered your prayers. While the house is huge, it was cheaper rent than some of the flats we looked at (a flat is the top or bottom of a two story building)!

The following week was non-stop with unpacking, settling in, buying appliances, supplies, mattresses, etc. and preparing for the team arriving May 20. As we mentioned earlier in the year, one of our former staff had moved all our things out from our old house over to this island before we got to Fiji and a friend on this island had been storing it in their bottom flat since Christmas. We moved it all to our new house and began unpacking. Some boxes and items the rats had destroyed. Other things had gotten wet with salt water and were destroyed. . .all the electronic things and even our photos were in that box! However, after a good washing/cleaning, much of our "stuff" is fine and we are enjoying using it again. It took us a week to get everything cleaned and unpacked. . .we were pretty worn out after that--not to mention all the work we were doing to get ready for the team coming!

On May 19th, Ray went to the airport to greet the first team. . .he waited 2 hours before we figured out that they were actually arriving on the 20th! It was nice to have an unexpected day of rest--we really needed it. On the 20th, the team arrived--a group of seven from Nebraska. They've been great. . .the first week they did a lot of work out at Momi Bay (the property that SI will be using as a ministry base in the future), they cut grass and shoveled a decade's worth of goat poop out of the abandoned, half-finished cement structure there. We had three Fijians working for us on staff last week, which was wonderful. . .two youth to help out the team and a lady to cook Fijian food for us. It was neat to see the bonding and interactions between the nationals and the team members.

Now we are in the town of Sigatoka at Pastor Mani's church for the weekend. The students are doing Indian homestays. Last night we had youth group at the church and tomorrow we will have church and a potluck with the church family before we head off to the capital city of Suva for a few days of ministry at a wonderful place called Homes of Hope, a home for single moms and their kids.

The team will finish up with a couple more days at Momi, then church to meet up with our Nadi friends and staff again. They fly out on the first.

Our family will have a week to recover (and Ray and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary!), then we'll welcome the next team, as well as 3 staff from America. We'll keep you posted! We don't have Internet at the house yet, but we're working on getting that set up. . hopefully by our next update. We apologize to those of you who have written us and have not heard back since we've been in Fiji. . .we only have time in the pay-per-minute kiosks in town to check ministry-related emails and haven't had a chance to do much personal emailing.

The girls are doing well...sometimes they say they want to go "home", but can't really tell us where that is! For the most part they are enjoying life in Fiji again. It has been and will continue to be an adjustment with food, living with groups, travel, etc. but they are doing well. Elani got about 100 mosquito bites on her face and arms the first night in our new house, poor thing! I will have to post a photo on our website later, it was pretty bad. The next night we found the mosquito net and put it up so they've been fine since then.

Thanks so much for praying and please continue to do so! We appreciate you all.

April Slideshow

2008-04-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

We have our visas!

2008-04-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much to those who have been praying for our visas. We have been waiting ten months, and as you know, recently went ahead and bought 4 month tickets so we could come into Fiji on a temporary 4 month visa. We were happy that we'd be able to go to Fiji, but were still concerned about all the implications of not having a long-term visa. Ray and I were praying that God would still provide our visas before we left the states. In a way, that would really confirm to us that this is for SURE where God wants us. We didn't want to rush ahead of Him. . .but we did want to step out in faith and wait for Him to provide. (Sometimes it's hard to figure out which is which!)

Well, He did provide! Last night at 10:00 pm, Ray received an email from our sponsor in Fiji letting us know that our long-term visas/work permit had been granted by Fiji Immigrations. We leave tomorrow, so it was "just in the nick of time" to answer our prayers. (Why is it that God always seems to wait 'till the last minute. . .He loves to keep us dependant upon Him. . .and it works!) After all these months of waiting and praying it sure is a good feeling to know those visas are waiting for us there.

Ray's Grandpa Dick, who worked a lifetime with Wycliffe Bible Translators and left a great legacy in missions, had this verse up in his office. Grandpa Dick's nephew sent it to us earlier this week to encourage us:

"Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee
and show thee great
and mighty things,
which thou knowest not."
Jeremiah 33:3

We are so thankful for this answer! We leave tomorrow. Today's devotional opened up with this verse:

"But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!"
2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)

So we leave tomorrow with full assurance that we are in the middle of God's will. . .we leave with friends behind us in the US and friends in Fiji waiting to welcome us when we arrive. We appreciate you all!

P.S. We will still be coming back to Visalia in the fall as planned (to help SI as requested in various areas). We will be able to return to Fiji after Christmas with the assurance we'll be there long-term!! :)

Fiji Bound

2008-04-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

We leave this Thursday! Things are getting crazy with packing and all the last minute things that need to be done, so we thought we'd send out our last update from CA for a while.

When we get to Fiji we will begin to look for a place to live. We will check into our visas and pray that they will be granted, or at least that Immigrations will give us a letter or some assurance that they will be processed and granted soon. We would like to have that as soon as possible so we can continue with setting up ministry and housing for ourselves and the teams that will be coming this summer. Housing and visas are our two biggest prayer requests at this point. We are also still require monthly financial support. . .please pray that God continues to provide for our needs, esp. as we head back to Fiji with a lot of expenses there.

We have heard from several of our friends in Fiji that prices in Fiji are rising every week. . .and they are already high. Please pray for the people of Fiji. . .it is hard for the people to make ends meet right now. Here's an excerpt from an update letter we received today from our good friend Pastor Mani, the Indo-Fijian pastor we worked with during our first years in Fiji: "Please pray for our country. With the rate of inflation people are suffering. Recently on the news we heard about a mother throwing her baby into the river, children going to school without any lunch, parents cannot afford the every day rising bus fares, even the basic food items has increased with shortage of dairy products. Right now the price of gas is $2.11 a liter. Pray that in these times people will hear the gospel message and learn to trust in the living Saviour."

Pastor Mani also sent out an update a while ago that included a great summary/description of Fiji:

The International Dateline slices through the Fiji Islands, an archipelago of 332 islands in the South Pacific, (110 inhabited), where each day begins. Fiji is located north of New Zealand and east of Australia. We gained our independence in 1970 after 100 years of British rule. Four coups d'état have marred her history since 1987, but Fiji remains one of the most developed of the island countries. First evangelized in the 1800’s by Wesleyan Methodist missionaries, the chiefs and then whole villages came to Christ, leaving cannibalism behind. The Methodist church has the largest following among the Indigenous Fijians, (51% of the population), but mainly preaches a social gospel. Although still claiming to be “Christian”, many Fijians are prevented from truly following Christ because they are bound by religious and cultural traditions. Indo-Fijians, (44% of the population), were brought to Fiji by the British from India in the 19th century to work as indentured laborers. These Indians cling to the traditions and religions of their forefathers, being devout Hindus or Moslems. "I am the one that is born here as fifth generation. The Lord call me to preach the Gospel to these people." -Pastor Michael Mani.

For those of you who are new to our update list, let us sum up our own ministry and vision. Ray and I have been missionaries in Fiji since January 2001. Both our daughters, Eden and Elani, were born in Fiji. We have worked with two different organizations in the past (doing community development among the poor as well as working with university students running a semester study-abroad program). Our new job with Students International will be to return to Fiji as the Field Directors and pioneer their work--focused on both the poor and students! We will be looking for local staff to join us and help us to set up occupational ministries to the poor--education, medical, construction, agriculture, etc. Then we will bring student teams from America to work alongside the local leaders in these ministries. Please pray for us, that God would direct us and open doors as we step out in faith into a multitude of unknowns! Pray that He will bring everything together according to His perfect plan.

We will write again from Fiji!

We have tickets!

2008-04-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Well, Ray is back from Guatemala and we have plane tickets to Fiji! We are leaving on May 1, so we're busy packing and getting everything in order before we go. We will get off the plane in the airport town of Nadi (pronounced Nandi), and basically from there will try to find a place to live nearby. We'd love to just rent a house and settle in. . .but it's a little tricky since we will be coming in on tourist visas. Before we rent a house we'd really like to have some kind of assurance from the Fiji government that, even though they are still in process, our work permits will be granted at some point and we'll have permission to live in Fiji. Please pray for this! Otherwise it will be difficult to know what to do as far as a living situation, etc. for the four months we are there.

Over the summer we will host 3 summer short-term teams coming with Students International. We have been in communication with several of the team leaders and are looking forward to meeting these students and seeing what God will do in their lives during their time in Fiji. Once we get to Fiji we will need to set up logistics for these teams as far as where they will stay, exactly what they will be doing, etc. We know a lot of contacts and ministry needs in Fiji, we just need to touch base with people and set it all up once we get there.

In the beginning of August, Ray will take the last two classes he needs for his MA degree. (still a lot of work to be done after that in writing a thesis, etc. but at least classes will be finished). I am hoping to take the classes, too, if we can find someone to watch our girls. When seminary is over, we will head back to the states (Aug. 20).

Students International has asked us to stay for the fall in Visalia, CA, where the home office/service center is located. There is a need for someone to develop some framework for SI in the area of community development, so they have asked Ray to help out in this area. It works out great since Ray is planning on doing his thesis in the area of biblical community development, so the two will fit together perfectly. We will most likely be in CA through Christmas, and then head back to Fiji on a work visa in January, providing God has opened up all the doors by then for us to live and work in Fiji.

We are looking forward to being back in Fiji, and to working more closely with the SI team in Visalia. However, the thought of eight more months of not being settled somewhere (after two years now of transition and not having a home!) is a bit daunting, in all honesty. Please pray that God would sustain us during this time and provide stability for our family, especially the kids, in the midst of all the transitions ahead.

Ray is home from Guatemala, and we are so glad to be reunited as a family again! Eden and Elani really miss their Daddy when he's gone. They are doing great, by the way, and have been enjoying this time in CA with Grammy and SI friends.

Well, thanks for reading our updates, thanks for praying! We are excited to be heading out. Our support is at 92%, so we are almost there--we still need some monthly support and outgoing support, but we are so encouraged to see how God continues to provide for us and are confident He will continue to do so.

Ray's Guatemala Update

2008-04-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

I just returned from vision trip with SI to Guatemala. The purpose of the trip was for deans/representatives of different universities to see the SI study abroad program in action in the city of Antigua, and surrounding towns of Magdalena and El Gorrion. SI has study abroad options in Guatemala as well as the Dominican Republic, and hopefully soon in Costa Rica and Fiji. These programs focus on Spanish as well as provide students the opportunity to work with the poor in their vocations (i.e. nursing, art, appropriate technology, education, etc...) It was a great trip all around and some good contacts were made with the universities. There were two schools in particular interested in a Fiji program. The partnerships SI makes with these universities is very intentional and the universities have a lot of hands on involvement the programs which is really beneficial to having a high quality program.

One of the highlights was visiting some good friends who are missionaries in Cabulco. It was great to spend some time with them, seeing their ministry and getting to be a part of their lives in Guatemala. It's so important to visit missionaries on the field whenever you get the chance. It was an encouraging time for me, and I hope for them as well. It was a glimpse of life in Guatemala that I had not seen before and was a wonderful visit and time with their family for me. I certainly have a better idea how to pray for them!

If anyone is interesting in visiting Guatemala and seeing SI's work, there are yearly "Vision trips" available as well as group trips. In October there will be a couple's trip going to Antigua. If you're interested in going, let us know or sign up on the website, www.stint.com

Ray's Guatemala Photos

2008-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

April 4, 2008

2008-04-04T21:32:00.001-07:00

Happy April! Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the warmer weather (well, at least it's getting warmer here in CA!).

Ray flew to Guatemala yesterday. . .I just heard from him and he had a safe trip. Right now he is visiting some friends that are missionaries there, next week he will meet up with the Students International group in Antigua for a study-abroad vision trip. Various representatives from different schools that are interested in SI's study abroad programs will be on the vision trip--to get an idea of what SI is all about and see it in action in Guatemala. Please pray that Ray makes some good contacts on this trip and that we have added insight into how to get SI Fiji's study-abroad program up and running. Pray also for some neat ministry opportunities among the poor there in Antigua.

We spent the last week and a half near Visalia and the SI home office. We were able to attend board meetings and staff meetings, as well as some other meetings with the leadership. . .discussing what to do since we still don't have our visas for Fiji. Thanks for praying for this. Our tentative plan right now is to fly to Fiji in May on a 4 month visa (automatically granted when you enter the country). This way we'll be able to host the summer teams, and Ray will attend his seminary classes. At the end of August we would come back to CA and help out at the SI service center while we work on getting the permanent visa. We'll report more on this as our plans with SI firm up after further discussion. (please don't stop praying for our visas!)

Our time with SI was refreshing, and a wonderful reminder of God's faithfulness and love shown through others. We are so thankful He has led us to be a part of this group. We enjoyed meeting some of the staff and new staff we hadn't met before, and spending time as a family in the guest house of some new friends.

Now the girls and I are back in Coarsegold with my mom--we're enjoying frequent play visits to the children's museum and walks together every evening. It's neat to have this time together with "Grammy". Eden celebrated her fifth birthday at the zoo on March 26th with our family and a couple of friends. We got to feed the giraffes, see all the animals and had a fun party at the park afterwards. The girls seem to be doing well at this point. Elani went through an extremely fussy time when we first arrived in CA (complete with night terrors and screaming), but she is improving and seems to be adjusting better now. Please pray for the girls as we continue to transition (with no clear end in sight!).

Last weekend we were able to share at my mom's church, which was encouraging. They have already been sending teams with SI to Guatemala, so it was fun to have that connection. Our support is gradually going up, we are thankful to see the way God continues to provide. We still need both outgoing and monthly support. . .but we are getting closer. The Fiji adventure is about to begin. . .again!

We appreciate your prayers so much.

God bless, Laura, Ray, Eden and Elani

New Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman

Easter Slideshow

2008-03-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

We are safe and sound in CA, thanks so much for praying for our trip. Sorry we didn't write sooner to let you know how it went, things have been pretty busy since got here--in a good way! (Laura's sister was here for the first couple of days, which was fun).

As far as our drive across the country goes, after a horrible first day of travel (the one I mentioned in my last email), the girls seemed to really settle back down into travelling. There were a couple of fussy times over the next 5 days, but nothing like that first day! So thanks for praying--we noticed a huge change in the girls.

We had a great time visiting with people along the way. We saw friends from college, family, and former students and staff. Now we are here in Coarsegold, CA with Laura's mom. Eden's 5th birthday is Wednesday--she wants to be an animal scientist when she grows up--so her party will be at the zoo!

Next week we'll be in Visalia with the home office for board meetings, etc. Ray leaves for Guatemala with SI and returns on April 13. We are hoping to leave for Fiji soon after that. Our first missions team comes on May 13 and we will need to be there before the team.

PLEASE PRAY for our visas and support! We still do not have our visas, and also require monthly and outgoing support before we head out. We really need to purchase our plane tickets sometime in the next couple of weeks, so please pray that these things come together!

Thanks so much for your friendship. Hope you are all enjoying the beginnings of spring--it is absolutely beautiful here in CA! It reminds us of new life and new beginnings--like God soon has for us in Fiji!

March 14, 2008

2008-03-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

Well, we are on the road. . .Vonu the van is packed to the gills with all our stuff and we're off to CA.

Yesterday we drove from AR to TX and the girls did NOT do well! They were really fussy. . much more so than ever before. I guess they've forgotten how to travel after such a long time in one place! Please pray for the next few days (we arrive at Laura's mom's house on Wednesday) as we drive, that they would travel well and that we'd have safety on the trip. So far it's been pretty stressful, but starting tomorrow we'll begin staying with friends and visiting as we travel (we've done this trip several times so it's fun to stay with the same people and catch up). We'll let you know when we get to CA!

Another adventure begins!

Change in Plans

2008-02-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Make sure to check out our latest newsletter (see link on the right)! We are writing from Dallas, where we are visiting with Ray's family for the last time before we head back to Fiji. When we sent out our last update, we thought we'd be leaving from here for CA. However, since then Ray's SI Costa Rica trip was cancelled due to a large group backing out. So, we will now go back to Hot Springs until March 13, and then begin our travels to CA.

We'll be in Coarsegold with Laura's mom for Easter and Eden's birthday, in Visalia for the SI board meetings, and then Ray will go to Guatemala on an SI trip to plan study abroad programs. After that (in the second half of April), we'd be ready to go to Fiji as far as our schedule. We still need prayer for our visas and support!

We had a great "Fiji night" in Hot Springs last week, it was fun to be able to share about our work in Fiji with our friends from Hot Springs, as well as meet some new people.

We'll have an open house here in Dallas this Saturday, so please pray that goes well also.

The girls have been fussier than usual. . .I think they can tell the transition is underway and are reacting to that. Please pray they would adjust and enjoy the adventure!

February 19, 2008

2008-02-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well, our time here in Arkansas is soon drawing to a close! We plan to leave here next week, and make our way west (in faith that God will provide our visas and support by the time we need them). We'll stop in Texas and spend a few days with Ray's parents, and go to church in TX one last time. Then off to CA!

The day after we arrive in CA, Ray will leave for a ten day trip to Costa Rica with Students International. It is the only country SI is working in that Ray hasn't visited, so it will be a great time to be a part of the ministry there as well as have some good fellowship with other SI staff on the trip. I will stay with my mom and the girls in Coarsegold, CA.

When Ray gets back, we'll celebrate Easter together, Eden's 5th birthday (March 26--we can hardly believe she's growing so fast!), and then spend some time in Visalia at the SI home office for board meetings and connecting with the staff there again.

That will bring us to early April. Please pray with us that our support and visas will come together and that God will clearly open up all the doors for us to go to Fiji in His timing. (we are hoping for April--we have a short-term team coming in May so that would give us time to find a house to rent, settle in, and get ready for the summer teams) Last we heard our sponsor in Fiji was about to re-submit our visas to Immigrations, but we haven't heard anything from that point. We are praying they are re-submitted by now and are making their way to the top of the stack! Our support is up to about 78% for monthly and 65% for outgoing expenses. Thanks for praying for this!

Our time here in Arkansas has been such a tremendous blessing, and we are sad to say goodbye to the friends and church family we have grown to love here in Hot Springs. Our church home group is sponsoring an event for us on Saturday for us to share the vision for SI Fiji. Please pray this goes well and that the Spirit gives us his words--we love sharing about what God has done for us in the past and the calling He's given us as we return to Fiji. It's always exciting to meet people who are interested in that, and wonderful when they want to get on board in some way (prayer, communication, support, visits/teams, etc.).

We'll keep you posted!

February 2, 2009

2008-02-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's about time for another update! We have been doing well here in Hot Springs. God has brought some really great people into our lives through the church here and we've been enjoying some time with them. The girls even had their first sleep-over at a friend's house the other week! They loved it and did much better than we expected. . .it sounds like it was easier for them than us!

While the girls were at their sleep-over, we were in Little Rock at an awards banquet for Kingdom Missions Fund. It is a really cool fund that donors can give to for missions. . .and the money is invested. Each year, 20% of what is donated goes to missions, along with all the profits from the investments. . .which increases every year. They helped us buy a boat for staff and students a couple of years ago in Fiji. This year they awarded a nice amount towards the building fund for SI Fiji. We were able to present the ministry of Students International and meet some great people.

It's good to be reminded of why we are waiting. . .the vision that God has called us to and what He has for us back in Fiji. Our visa situation continues to need prayer! Fiji Immigrations has sent a couple of requests which we were able to meet with the help of our friends and contacts in Fiji. However, we still have no idea how much longer we will be waiting before approval is granted.

At first we felt a bit panicked about our visa situation. . . we have a timeline to follow in getting to Fiji, but the doors are not opening. . .so let's pray they open up quickly, right? After our last update, a handful of people wrote us back, urging us to remember that God's timing is perfect, and if that means more time in the states, then that's what's best for us. God can work out the details. Interestingly, they were all former missionaries that have walked in our shoes! That gave us a lot of peace and encouragement. Now we are content to wait as long as we need to. . .and even though we can't make any solid plans, it gives us peace to remember that YES, God is in control! (So let's pray together for HIS perfect timing in this).

We had a team signed up to come to Fiji in March. This obviously put a lot of pressure on us to get back quickly! This team has moved their dates to the summer, so that is a big praise, and takes off some stress. Now the first team we have lined up comes in May. Did we mention that God is in control? :)

Ray's health continues to improve. He is on the road to recovery! Thanks for praying for him. He has an opportunity to take a 10 day trip to Costa Rica in March with SI, which we're hoping will work out.

Our support is slowly going up. . .we are at about 77% now. Please continue to pray for God's provision in this area.

January slideshow

2008-02-06T14:53:00.001-08:00

January 2008

2008-02-06T14:41:00.001-08:00

We found out this week that our Fiji visas have run up against a problem, and they have returned the applications to our sponsor in Fiji. Short explanation: In Fiji they require a bond fee, which has been sitting in a Fijian bank account for the past 7 years. Someone in Immigrations said they want the bond in the form of a check now, and returned the papers, but others in Immigrations are saying the bank account is fine. Please pray that this confusion will be resolved. We are especially concerned that our applications will be put at the bottom of the stack again, after being there for four months. We need our visas before we can return to Fiji. So please pray! We are still hoping to leave for Fiji in February or March, so there is not much time.

A quick support update: We are up to 71%, so we are feeling encouraged (after being discouraged for a while). We ask for your continued prayers for this. Both the visa and the support need to be there for us to return. (or at least most of the support).

Eden and Elani are talking a lot about returning to Fiji (probably because we are!) these days. Eden likes to tell everyone that our family works for "Students InnerNatural". Tonight (by their own initiative) the girls packed their backpacks for Fiji. Ray and I thought it was pretty funny that all Eden packed was her underwear and toys! I guess that's all she's planning on needing. . .

Yesterday was Ray's 35th birthday. The highlight? Taking the girls to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Your idea of a good time changes when you have kids! The best part was watching their faces (they aren't used to going to movies!).

Yesterday was also special because Elani asked Jesus to come into her heart. Eden gave her life to Jesus at age 2, as well. It's hard to know how much Eden understood, but she has really "grown into" her faith more with each year, and we hope the same for Elani.

Ray's health is improving. He saw a really good doctor this week that has put him on a new medication that seems to be helping. He is also running some more tests. Thanks for praying for that. He is continuing to work on his MA projects/sermons and that is going well also.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

We are in Dallas with Ray's parents. My mom just flew in tonight, so it will be great to spend time with family over Christmas.

A few updated prayer requests:

--Our stuff in Fiji is being moved out of Sau sometime this week or next by Sean, former Fiji staff. This involves: carrying everything out of our house on the hill down to the beach, loading it into the boat, moving everything out by boat to the island of Taveuni, loading it on a truck, driving the truck onto a big ferry boat which takes it down to the main island of Viti Levu, and then driving another six hours or so to Lautoka, near the town of Nadi where we will be living when we return to Fiji. Our things will be stored for us by friends. Please pray that this whole process goes smoothly!

--Ray just had a root canal yesterday and is in a lot of pain (not just because it was so expensive, but that hurts, too!) His health has gone downhill with all of this (infection because of the tooth, not sleeping well again, etc.) Please continue to pray for his health.

--Eden & Elani are both pretty sick with colds and are having a hard time out of their "routine," which is ironic given they've only had a routine for two months out of the past 2 years!

--Our van "Vonu" just had some more work done which has been quite expensive. They are mostly things that should be covered under warranty from past repairs, but since we've been in so many places, some repairs were done in CO, some in CA, some in AR, etc. so we basically just have to pay for it all again. Sigh. Please pray Vonu stays healthy for a good long while now, and that God provides for our finances

--Fiji visas: Not much to update, keep praying!

--Support: Keep praying for that, too!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a GREAT 2008!

Arkansas Fall

2007-12-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

Greetings once again from Hot Springs, AR! Last time we wrote, we were just settling in here, and Ray's health was really poor. I am happy to write that Ray is feeling a lot better, and while he's still not 100%, he's on the mend and we are so thrilled about that. He is off all his medication and God is restoring his health through a combination of vitamins ("Juice Plus" is amazing!), exercise and rest. Thanks for praying for him! God has been good to us in many ways. We are enjoying getting to know people at the church better, and have been so blessed by Students International's support as we continue to communicate long-distance. God is preparing us to head back to Fiji to start up SI there. Right now we're looking at leaving here in late January or early February, and hope to be back in Fiji by February.

We were able to head up to Siloam Springs, AR to visit JBU (our alma mater) and present SI to the study-abroad committee there. We don't yet know if it will be through JBU, but we are working towards getting a study-abroad program started for SI Fiji. Please continue to pray that God's will be done in this.

Fall in Arkansas is a beautiful event! After so many years in Fiji (with the seasons being "hot" and "hotter"), it was fun to see the leaves change colors and feel the air grow crisp and cool. The girls enjoyed playing in piles of leaves and helping Daddy rake. Check out our photos to see the highlights of November.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our family enjoyed the day together, just the four of us. I (Laura) was happy to have the chance to cook my first turkey with all the traditional side dishes. In Fiji we can't get those things, so it was fun to have the chance to do that. We made lots and shared it over the weekend with good friends Anthony and Laura Scott and family who came out to visit. The weekend was a very encouraging and fun time for us. We truly have SO MUCH to be thankful for.

We also enjoyed visits from Ray's parents (they brought Ray's dog Kahuna--13 yrs. old or so, to live with us while we're here), a former student, Emily Reed, who flew out for a weekend, and are looking forward to visiting this weekend with Cindy Houser, a missionary friend from Fiji (who is now living in the states). Cindy and Laura will run a fun jingle bell 5K next weekend, so we're looking forward to that.

Eden and Elani continue to do well here. They are the proud owners of a tiny box turtle, who Eden named "Tuck Chipmunk". We plan to just let Tuck go in the woods again when we leave here. They also love taking care of old Kahuna, feeding him and petting him. They both enjoy our times of "home school" (coloring and learning) as well as lots of quality time with both Mommy and Daddy.

On the 18th, we'll drive down to Dallas to spend a couple of weeks there with Ray's family. My mom will fly out for Christmas, too, so it will be a wonderful time with family. It's hard to believe how fast time is flying by. . before we know it, it will be 2008 and we'll be on an airplane back to Fiji.

We will send out our Christmas letter soon. We hope that you are all enjoying the season and pray that each day Christ reminds you that this is all about HIM! May His amazing love overwhelm you.

"Home" in Hot Springs

2007-10-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Howdy from Arkansas!

We've been here for almost three weeks now, at the Ott family lake house (pictured here behind Elani).

We are really enjoying being here, and staying in one place for once! It's taken us a while to recover from our past several months of travelling and busyness, but we are finally starting to feel settled in. Here's some updates and prayer requests:
We have found a great church here, called Lake Valley Church. They have a heart for missionaries and ministry leaders who are recovering from burnout, so they have welcomed us with open arms and we have made an intentional effort to get involved at the church. Laura has been going to a women's Bible study at the church that is phenomenal and that's been a huge blessing as well.
Eden and Elani have finally started sleeping better at night and their behavior has improved greatly since we've been here and have had some stability. We would appreciate your continued prayers for them as we work to be consistent in discipline and training--even though things are improving, it takes a while to create a sense of security and consistency.
Eden has started pre-school homeschool, and Elani is happy to color or paint while Eden has school. Eden adores school and loves learning her Bible stories and letters, numbers, etc. She has an amazing memory and remembers more about the Bible stories than I do sometimes!
Ray's health has NOT been good these past weeks, and he needs your prayers! On top of a cold/flu and his back going out, he has been experiencing really horrible side effects to the medications the doctor put him on last month. He has no energy and feels extremely groggy and sick almost all the time. We finally got in to see a doctor here in AR, who is allowing him to gradually go off the medication, so we are hoping that will help. Ray is hoping that a combination of exercise, good diet and vitamin supplements, etc. will really improve his health. The rest of us have all gone through the cold/flu, and I've had my share of other physical problems, too, since we've been here, so the medical costs have been pretty big this month. We are praying we all improve from here on out.
Laura's mom came for a visit our first weekend here, so that was fun. We are expecting a few other visitors in November. We'll be here for Thanksgiving but plan to spend Christmas in Dallas.
We are in the process of working to get Students International Fiji approved as a study-abroad program (for college students). Please pray that God would open the right doors for this.
Please continue to pray for our work visas to be granted in Fiji (we haven't heard anything lately--hopefully that is a good sign!), and for our support. We are currently at about 63% of monthly and 61% of outgoing expenses. Praise the Lord for providing and continuing to provide. We do need to find some new supporters to get up to 100% before we leave. Would you please pray for this with us? (Let us know if you know of anyone who may be interested in partnering with us in this). We are still planning on returning to Fiji in January (possibly February) if our support and visas are ready to go by then. There is a SI team coming to Fiji in March, so for sure we'll need to be there by then!
It looks like the boxes of our things in our old house in Fiji (at Sau) may need to be moved out from Sau to the island of Viti Levu before we can return to Fiji. We have a couple of options and offers on how to go about this, please pray that God really paves the way and orchestrates this move even though we may not be in the country. This is an area that has been pretty stressful for us.
Thanks for praying for us--we appreciate you!

In Him, Laura, Ray, Eden and Elani

New Contact Info:

742 Arkridge
Hot Springs, AR 71913
(or you can still send mail to the Coarsegold address, my mom just forwards it to us)

Home Phone: 501-262-1399
Cell Phone: 972-693-0126

Our Travels

2007-10-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well, it's been a crazy but great 21 days of travelling! We are happy to announce that today our travels will end (for now). . .we drive four more hours to Hot Springs, AR and there we plan to stay put until Christmas. :) I think it's about time--while we were driving I looked at the atlas and counted that our family has been in 35 states and 4 countries this past year and a half!

If you'd like to see some of the photos of our trip, check out our web albums at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ray.Laura.Pittman.

We drove through CA, OR, WA, and BC (Canada), then back down to Seattle, and over to MT. We stayed with different people each night (2 days in Canada), and had some wonderful visits along the way. We got to see lots of great friends we hadn't seen for a while, Ray's classmates from Indonesia, former Fiji students, supporters, etc. We had many sweet times of fellowship. After our last stop in MT, we realized we were really close to Yellowstone Nat'l Park, and so we "darted" down there for a "quick" (7 hour) jaunt through the park. Breathtaking! Neither of us had been there before. The girls loved seeing the elk on the lawn of the post office, the herd of bison crossing the road, a coyote running through the forest, and a highlight was arriving at Old Faithful one minute before she erupted! The next morning we visited Mt. Rushmore, and then arrived in MN.

We stayed in MN for five nights. The highlights included a reunion with Fiji students, the wedding of two students from that semester (to each other!), visits with other students from different semesters, a "back-stage" visit to the zoo with a friend that works there, an exciting meeting with a SI colleague about setting up Fiji study abroad programs, and making some new friends (parents of some other SI staff).

After MN, we drove down to AR (Arkansas not Arizona!) and have been in Siloam Springs for a few days. Ray's brother Steven and his family live here, so it's been a great time to fellowship with them, and for the girls to play with their little cousin Leila. We were also able to meet with some friends from John Brown University (where we met each other!), and Ray was able to go to his 10 year reunion--it just happened to be homecoming weekend when we were there.

We are pretty exhausted from our travels, but are looking forward to the next couple of months in Hot Springs. There is a really great church there we are interested in getting involved with, and we hope to spend some time working on our books, Ray's MA degree, etc. Most importantly, we are looking forward to being a family, spending quality time with the girls, and in renewal. We really need that before we return to Fiji, and would appreciate your prayers for healing for Ray (he is still experiencing a lot of stress-related symptoms), as well as just a wonderful time of rest and togetherness for our family. The girls are starting to get quite fussy throughout the days lately, I think they've had enough travelling for a while! We are praying that establishing a routine for them will help their sleep patterns, and overall behavior. Thanks for praying for this.

We do not have a phone line or internet at the cabin in Hot Springs, so if you email us (please do!), please give us a few days to reply. You can reach us on our new cell phone at 214-478-5958 if you need to get a hold of us. Our address (until Christmas) will be: 742 Arkridge, Hot Springs, AR 71913 (or you can continue to send mail to my mom's house in Coarsegold, she can just forward mail to us).

We are excited to report that God has provided several new financial partners over this past month, and our support level is slowing going up! We need to raise about $1,000 more per month, and several thousand in outgoing expenses before we can return to Fiji. Our visas should be with Fiji Immigrations now, being processed. Please pray for both our support and our visas. We will keep you updated!

God bless, Laura, Ray, Eden and Elani
P.S. Our van did GREAT on the trip, thanks for praying for Vonu!

Around the Country Again. . .

2007-09-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well, it's off on an another adventure for us! We are leaving today for a 21 day journey. . .up the west coast to Vancouver, Canada, then across the northern states to MN. We'll be there for the wedding of two Fiji alumni (marrying each other!), and a mini-reunion of students from their semester, as well as visiting some friends. Then we'll head down to AR (maybe to JBU homecoming?) and then to Hot Springs, AR.

As we reported, we had a great experience at the Missions Training International DAR program (Debriefing and Renewal). Our eyes were really opened to a lot of things, and we learned a lot. One thing the staff there encouraged was to find a place to settle down for a little while. The 16 months of traveling and living with other people have taken their toll, as well as the rough situation we went through the year before that in leaving our life in Fiji. We are still dealing with the hurt from that situation, and the things we've been through this past year as well. Ray took a stress test there (a 300 is severe and Ray was 1085!). Ray's been struggling all through this past year with physical symptoms such as fatigue,insomnia, dizziness, and some nervous-related problems. The staff at MTI strongly suggested he see a doctor!

We drove back to CA safely (after 2 more mechanic stops for the van in CO!), and were able to see a wonderful Christian doctor here who did a complete physical for Ray--for free! Ray hadn't been to a doctor for anything other than a bad flu in the past six years, and the doctor said he should have come in much sooner! He put Ray on some medicine that we're hoping will help him out. Please pray for Ray's health and recovery. MTI and the doctor advised us to find a place to live with low stress and to be a family again. We have decided to go live in Laura's mom's lake house in Hot Springs, AR from early October until December. There is a church there that we're looking forward to getting involved with. We'll also work on support-raising from there, as well as writing, Ray's MA papers, etc. We hope to return to Fiji in Jan. (please continue to pray for our support-raising and our visas--both need to come through before we can go).

The past couple of weeks in CA have been very focused on Students International. We were able to go help with their annual fundraising banquet on the 8th--it went really well! We shared at the banquet about Fiji and the needs there. The response was encouraging--we have many interested in bringing short term teams out next summer, and several people contributed to the start-up costs for SI Fiji. God is good!

After the banquet, Ray attended the SI board meetings and director's meetings. This was an encouraging time for him as well, to be reminded of what a great team we have joined. We can't say enough good about this group and are looking forward to working with them as we start up SI Fiji.

Please pray for us as we begin this next "adventure" (as we refer to our road trip to the girls!). Pray that Eden and Elani would do well on the drives, and that we'd have a great time connecting with friends, family, students and supporters.

Colorado Slideshow

2007-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

August Update

2007-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for praying for Ray’s trip to Fiji! He’ll be posting an update to our blog soon about his time there. Basically, he took Hermeneutics and Homiletics for his MA degree in Biblical Studies and learned a lot! He did well on his papers from last year, so that was a praise (he was working on them up to the last minute!).

Another big event from his time in Fiji concerns our visas. Ray was told while in Fiji that we would have to BOTH get SI Fiji approved as an organization AND get our work visas BEFORE we entered the country (a new requirement and a timeline we were most definitely NOT counting on!). We were hoping to be back “home” in Fiji by the end of this year, but this new information meant it may be late 2008 or even 2009 before we could return!

Ray was feeling discouraged and was praying about this situation one day while sitting under a tree during a break from classes. Suddenly, he felt a tremendous sense of God’s presence with him, and peace washed over him—the assurance that God was in control of even this. As he walked back up to the school, the president of the Fiji Bible College came walking towards him. “Ray, I was thinking that the Bible College would like to sponsor your visa as a missionary”. This means many months LESS of waiting for us! The Bible College would help us get into Fiji, and THEN we could establish the organization, etc. So this was a huge encouragement to us, and another clear sign that Fiji is where God wants us. Praise the Lord! We have applied for our work permits/visas and are waiting for Fiji immigrations to process them (they say it takes around 3-4 months). This puts our timeline for returning to Fiji sometime after Christmas, God-willing. We will also need to raise our full support by this time (we are currently at 60%).

While Ray was gone the girls and I had a nice time with my mom in CA. We had a fun daily routine of walks and book reading and such, and we also did a few really exciting things including a trip to our friend’s dairy farm, a circus (!), a day at a water park, and a boat ride on Bass Lake. We all really, really missed Daddy but it helped to be able to do such fun things. Check out our web photo albums for some pictures.

On Aug. 20 we greeted Ray at the airport with much rejoicing! Two and a half weeks is such a long time to be apart and I hope we don’t have to do that again for a long while. We had one day at my mom’s house with him before we all jumped into our green van, named Vonu (which means turtle in Fijian), and set off for Colorado.

Now, Vonu has been a tremendous blessing to us and a miracle from day one. (Vonu is a green Dodge Caravan that was GIVEN to us by a dear family when we first came back to America last summer). However, Vonu has been “getting sick” lately, as Eden and Elani like to say. During our trip from Dallas to CA, Vonu kept overheating on the mountains, as well as “missing” and “thunking” in the engine (only on the mountains). We were told it was the transmission (after all, we have put nearly 30,000 miles on the van since we got it!), so while we were in Visalia we got the transmission rebuilt.

One week and $1,600 later, we headed out for our Colorado trip, trusting that Vonu had been repaired. Imagine our surprise when, at the first mountain incline, the van began to do the exact same thing as before! Thankfully, we were able to slow down, keep an eye on the engine, and keep going. Three days of driving and many prayers brought us right to Denver (Laura’s sister’s house), where the van promptly died and would not start. Praise the Lord we made it here! Right now the van is in the shop at the dealer—please pray it will be repaired quickly and correctly!

After a fun weekend with family (including a visit to the local fair for the kids), our brother-in-law Jason dropped us off here at MTI (Missions Training Institute), near Colorado Springs for their week-long “Debriefing and Renewal” program. Our time here has been really good so far. The girls are in classes while we are--they have a great kids’ program here and Eden and Elani are loving it. We are enjoying being in one place for a while! We will update you more on this soon, but for now let me just say that this time is very eye-opening for us, and I don’t think we realized how badly we needed to be here. (Long-term effects of burn-out, being wounded, etc. that are still affecting us from leaving Fiji). More on this in the next update, I’m sure!

So for now, thanks for your interest in our lives and ministry. God bless you all!

California Slideshow

2007-08-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a slideshow of our adventures with the Students International team! We've been really enjoying all of them as well as our time here in CA.

Please pray for Ray as tomorrow he heads out to Fiji for 2 1/2 weeks. He'll be completing year 3 of his 4 year MA degree program in Biblical Studies. This week he's been working hard finishing his papers from last year's classes and he's done! The girls and I will be with my mom in Coarsegold while Ray is gone. We will miss him! When he returns we're driving out to Colorado to Missions Training International (MTI) for a one week training, debriefing and renewal program. SI requires MTI for their overseas staff. We're looking forward to that as well as spending some time with Laura's sister and brother-in-law as well as other friends in CO.

The transmission went out on our van so we are getting that fixed this week! We are thankful we never broke down on the road during our five day trip to CA! And thankful we found out about this before we head to CO. We have a lot of expenses this month with getting that repaired, as well as paying for MTI.

We'll let you know how Ray's classes went when he returns. Thanks for praying!

We're in California!

2007-07-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Laura here! We have made it safely from Dallas to California. This Monday we finally made it out to Visalia, California, where the Students International home office is located. We had a great time with the friends and family we saw along the way (a five day drive in our van), and we are very thankful to God for our safety! We actually blew a tire out in Texas, overheated going through the desert in New Mexico, heard a thumping sound going over the mountains in Arizona, got the thermostat replaced in Phoenix, and had to keep pulling over going through the desert on the way to San Diego because of overheating! But we made it with no major ordeals, so that is a huge praise. The van is in the shop right now, we are not really sure what the problem is at this point.

We are house sitting for a family that Ray knows from his days in Indonesia (they were missionary teachers there when he was in high school). It's been great to be a family again and to enjoy the pool in the back yard! It's been wonderful to see the Students International team/family and to touch base with them again. We are meeting with different people each day and learning more about the overall vision, as well as day-to-day operations of the ministry.

We are still discussing when we should go back to Fiji, but at this point we are still leaning towards October. Please pray with us that God would provide the monthly support we need to return, as well as the one-time expense budget we are trying to raise as well. We moved all our things from Dallas to CA in faith that we'd be leaving from here for Fiji this fall.

We'll post another update soon. Our computer crashed during our last week in Texas so we are trying to get everything transferred to our new computer and re-create our update lists, etc. You'll hear from us again soon!

Here's some photos of some highlights in July including a trip to the cabin in Hot Springs with Grammy, 4th of July, Camp Eagle visit, Elani's 2nd birthday and our drive to CA.

Our Computer Story

2007-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

We brought our laptop computer back with us from Fiji. It was about two years old and was in pretty decent shape (other than the external ports all being rusted and corroded out by the salt water in the air in Fiji!). The problem was, we were both wanting to be on it at the same time! With Ray working on papers for his MA degree, and with both of us writing books, trying to get some work done for SI, keep people updated, etc. the laptop was in high demand.

I had seen a prayer email go out to some of the people in our church asking for used computers, so I decided to ask if anyone had replied to the ad. No, I was told. That was fine with me, I replied. I just thought if anyone had an extra computer sitting around, that sure would be nice. Soon after I enquired about the computer, we left for our east coast trip.

Little did I know, our request for a computer had been published in the church bulletin. And little did I know, God had laid it on the heart of both the missions committee as well as a couple in the church (who we didn't even know), to buy us a new computer! When we got back to Dallas we felt overwhelmed by God's goodness to us. The missions committee decided to give the money to us for our one-time expense needs for returning to Fiji, and the couple told us to go buy whatever computer we needed, and gave us a very generous budget to do so!

We headed out that week and ordered a Dell laptop from the Dell store. While we were waiting for it to be delivered to our home, our current laptop crashed. It flickered on and off a couple of times and then that was it. Crashed.

Guess when the new computer came? That very day. Isn't God good?! He knew we needed a new computer and began to get things rolling for that before we even knew we'd need it. It's a great reminder, as we wait for our support to go up before we can return to Fiji, that God will supply ALL of our needs.

Ray's Guatemala Trip

2007-06-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hola! Ray just returned from a great trip to Guatemala with Students International. He spent a week in Antigua visiting SI sites in and out of town. At the Art site Carlos and his wife teach neighborhood kids how to draw and paint while hearing about the love of Jesus. The appropriate technology genius, Oscar, works in poor communities building water catchment cisterns underground, as well as pumps and water filters. We spoke to one of the women in the community and heard what a blessing Oscar's work has been to their family. Mario is a local pastor who also runs the agriculture site, as well as being the resident vet. We watched him give a large pig an injection, which helps the animals grow larger and stay healthy. Mario is a well respected man in his community and has many opportunities to share Christ with those he works with. We also visited two schools that SI works at, providing teachers and other resources. Marco and Seth are doing a great job working there. Ramon works at the local hospital in Antigua which is run by Franciscan Friars. He mainly works with mentally handicapped patients, both children and adults. Our group had the opportunity to feed the children a meal--they are unable to feed themselves and it was a humbling experience for all. As students, teams, and visitors come to various SI ministries, all are welcome to observe and participate in the wonderful work that is happening in those places. The SI Guatemala site is being run by local Guatemalans (Fernando and Mario)and they are doing a fantastic job! I learned a lot from spending time with the both of them, and they are anxious to visit us one day in Fiji. We thank God for the opportunity to see his work in Guatemala, and we pray that the Lord continues to meet the needs of the staff there. If you'd like information on joining a short term trip to Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, or Costa Rica, contact SI through their website www.stint.com or contact us and we can get you connected. There is a family trip to Guatemala in October, and a couples trip to the DR in Sept. Don't miss out on a great opportunity to play a part in the Great Commission and see what is happening with SI's work around the world.

East Coast Trip

2007-06-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here's some photo highlights of our recent east coast trip. We were able to attend two weddings of former students, and see a lot of Fiji alumni. We are very tired of being on the road, but our travels are over, at least for a while.

Laura and the girls will be in Dallas for a full month before we jump in the van again to drive to CA. Ray will be flying to Guatemala in a couple of weeks to check out Student International's ministry there.

In mid-July we will head to CA to spend some time at the SI headquarters in Visalia, as well as with Laura's mom in Coarsegold.

We'll keep you posted! Scroll down for lots of new photos!

Pennsylvania Trip

2007-06-10T19:29:00.001-07:00

Eden is an adorable flower girl in Leigh Kanski and Jonathan Haley's wedding in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. She did a great job, with very even flower distribution. :)

Some shots of the wedding. Ray had the honor of doing the greeting and prayer, along with the "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" part, since Leigh's dad was the pastor who performed the ceremony but he also had to walk her down the aisle!

Here's some shots of the reception. It was fun to see all but a few of the students from Leigh's semester in Fiji. So many of them are married now!

A few photos of us preparing for the wedding and enjoying the students, and the beauty of the river, etc. We all stayed in a cabin on the river together. Very fun for the girls!

East Coast Adventures

2007-06-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

We really loved being able to visit the wedding of former student Emily Liu to a wonderful man, Clayton Reed. The wedding was near New Haven, CT. We met some new friends and re-connected with old friends, several from Fiji! The LONG drive went really well, thanks for praying! The girls did great. We were really tired, having just returned from Fiji, but we made it! The wedding was great, Ray played a song he wrote for the couple and from what I hear it was wonderful (I was trying to keep the girls quiet!). Here's some photos of the rehearsal and the day of the wedding.

Our Trip to Fiji!

2007-05-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back from Fiji! We had a really great 1 1/2 weeks there. The flight was LONG but good (we even received complements on the kid's behavior). We arrived on my (Laura's) birthday. 31 years! It was a great gift to be back in Fiji to celebrate my birthday, as well as Mother's Day a couple days later. We spent the first four days relaxing, trying to recoup from our weeks of sickness in Texas and catching up on sleep. We also set up appointments and contacts for the week ahead. Eden and Elani enjoyed swimming every day. When we first arrived, Elani was scared of the water (having not been swimming all winter long), but by the end of our "vacation" she was swimming on her own with her arm floaties and jumping completely underwater with a smile! Eden was a little fish as usual.

On Saturday, the Students International leadership team arrived: Dave & Janice Hansen (president), Jonathan and Trisha Thompson (Director of Operations) and Wayne Crabtree (Board member that grew up in Fiji). We spent the next week showing them around Fiji and introducing them to our contacts. We really enjoyed getting to know the SI team better. We are extremely impressed with their hearts for the Lord and for missions (esp. to students and the poor) as well as with their professionalism, care for us and friendship. We also had a whole lot of fun with them!

Wayne (the SI Board member that had the initial vision to start up SI in Fiji) is an Australian man who lived in Fiji until age 14 as a missionary kid, but had not been back to visit for 30 years!! It was so fun to show him around Suva, where he used to live. He ran into several old friends and even was able to visit the Fijian woman who took care of him as a child. She was 83 years old, and both began to cry as he sat at her feet in a cultural display of respect and love. She told him he had been a "cheeky boy!" (naughty) :)

We also were able to meet up with a lot of our local friends in Fiji, including Pastor Mani and the congregation at Glory Gate church in Sigatoka, where we initially got involved in ministry when we first arrived in Fiji six years ago. We got to see many other friends as well. A lot of our missionary friends have left Fiji over the past couple of years, but at least the locals are still there, and after six years, our friendships with them are solid and refreshing.

God's hand was obviously upon this trip, as He opened up doors for ministry opportunities, potential local staff, land opportunities, etc. We visited many different locations and ministries and are still praying about where we should start out. We are excited to see where He takes us! Right now it looks like the earliest we'd be returning to Fiji would be October (if we can raise our support up by that time). Otherwise, we'd probably return in January 2008.

Please pray for us this week, as tomorrow we depart for our trip to the east coast. Yes, tomorrow! We just returned Saturday from Fiji, which gives us two full days to do laundry, pack and get over jet lag! Yikes! We are still feeling like we should drive on the left side of the road (esp. Ray--in fact he tried to drive on the left yesterday--thankfully no one was coming the other way!). We are also pretty tired and worn out from the trip. The kids are having a tough time adjusting to night time in America (they think they should be awake at that time). Last night Elani was awake from 11pm to 3 am! She said, "Eden sleeping. . .Mama sleeping. . .Dada sleeping. . .I awake!!" Hopefully tonight she will sleep better.

Saturday is the wedding of one of our former students from Fiji (in CT). Ray will be singing a song he wrote for the couple. The next weekend we'll be in PA for another student's wedding and Eden will be the flower girl. We'll also get to hang out with some of the other students during a little reunion before the PA wedding, as well as visit with Ray's family in the Lancaster area. It will be a fun trip, but we are dreading the 25 hour drive. Please pray the little girls do well on the drive. . .it's a long time for them each day.

Bluebonnets

2007-04-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here we are enjoying the Texas bluebonnets! April 12, 2007

Dominican Republic & Joining Students International!

2007-04-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed our week in the Dominican Republic! What a beautiful country. SI is located in the little mountain town of Jarabacoa. Each day, Lowell Troyer, the site director there, would take us around to visit the different ministry sites, and see the students interacting with the poor. They have a lot of ministries going on including medical, dental, social work, sports, art, physical therapy, education, agriculture and lots more! We were really impressed with all the local staff they have with SI in the Dominican Republic. They have a lot going on and a really wonderful team of people. It was a pleasure to meet and interact with them. The girls loved the DR, especially the warm weather!

After our time in the DR, we flew into CA to stay with Laura's mom. The SI headquarters are just a couple of hours away, so we were able to meet up with the home office team and have our interview with them. After we all prayed about it for a couple of days, they decided they wanted us to join SI and we decided we wanted to join them, too! We are really excited about what God has in store for us in the future. We will keep you posted!

Eden Turns Four!

2007-04-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Eden's Big Day: March 26, 2007

A Princess Party, of course!

Our Next Adventures

2007-03-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Our next adventure is to head to the Dominican Republic! We leave on the 18th, and will spend about a week there. Students International is a ministry that we are strongly considering joining. Their biggest ministry site is located in the DR, so we are going to go check it out!

After the DR, we will fly into California to attend a writer's conference at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center. This is where Laura's parents met (at a singles retreat in the 70's), so it will be a special time! We are looking forward to the conference, and are working on finishing our books (Laura's is for children: The Adventures of Tiny Princess, and Ray's is a collection of stories from his life: When the Sharks Come). Let us know if you want to read them!

2007-03-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

We just got back to Dallas after three weeks of traveling. We all hopped in Vonu (our green van), and drove three days to Florida. We got to see Ray's brother Jeff and his wife Rebekah, then we drove down to Ft. Myers and spent two weeks at ECHO (an agricultural demonstration and missions support organization). It was beautiful there, and we learned a lot about sustainable agriculture. Ray worked on the farm each day for four hours. We also met some really great like-minded people while we were there.

Beach Fun in Florida

2007-03-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Manasota Key, FL

Florida Fun

2007-03-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

This isn't Disneyland, but it's as close as we are going to get on this trip!

(Downtown Disney with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Beki)