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Happy New Year!!
For us, 2010 has started off with a bang, to put it mildly. On New Years Day, we found out that Blythe is pregnant! This HIGHLY unexpected, but very joyful, news has reminded us that life with God is always an adventure, and often full of surprises! Because of Blythe’s diabetes, there are extra risks and concerns involved with this pregnancy. She immediately stopped taking all medications and switched to a short-acting insulin that allows her to better regulate her blood sugar levels. And, after much prayer and discussion with our leaders, we have decided to start our home assignment year early, returning to the U.S. on March 7, rather than in June, as originally planned. This will allow Blythe to establish a relationship with some good doctors there who can monitor her and the baby through any complications that could arise during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.
Obviously, this new plan requires us to adjust our life and thinking dramatically. Things like packing, ministry turn-over, and relational closure that we thought we had 6 months for now need to be crammed into a month and a half! It’s gonna be crazy, but we really sense that God was preparing us for this all along, and that He wants to bless and teach us in amazing ways through this new life He’s adding to our family. A passage that’s been especially meaningful is Matthew 6:25-34, where God promises that He will take care of us above and beyond just helping us “survive”, and our job is to focus on Him and His kingdom and NOT WORRY.
We are so glad that many details for our move are already falling into place. It looks like we’ve found a good place to store our belongings in St. Pete (yes, we’re planning to return, hopefully in the summer of 2011!). Blythe’s parents have worked hard to find us a great place to live in Lancaster, PA, and the church we’ll be attending there has already been very supportive. We’ll be doing an “Antioch model” missionary tour in the C&MA Metropolitan District, which means that from Fall 2010 through Spring 2011, we’ll be spending our weekends speaking in tons of churches in the NY/ NJ area about what God’s doing here in Russia. We hope to get to see each and every one of you who have been praying for us! This time in the U.S. is not just a long vacation for us (although we hope to have time for that too!). Getting people in the U.S. excited about missions is an important part of our job, and we hope that you’re willing to keep praying for us during this time.
How can you pray for our family specifically this month? Here are a few ideas:
• Pray that we will be able to sell our car.
• Pray for good closure for our kids, and grace as they make one of the hugest transitions of their lives.
• Pray for health and protection for Blythe and the baby. She’s been struggling with nausea, a terribly irritating skin affliction, and tiredness that make it hard for her to keep up with life’s demands.
• Pray for our teammates as they take over our responsibilities, especially English Club.
• Pray that as we say goodbye to our life here, we would grasp God’s perspective on our 1st term as missionaries, and see clearly the ways He has worked in and through us.
WINTER ENGLISH CAMP
Our last big ministry effort before we leave will be Winter English Camp, which will take place THIS WEEKEND, Jan. 29-31. This will be a time of both formal and informal evangelistic opportunities. Please be praying that God will open hearts and bring fruit from this weekend. Our heart’s desire is to see some people from our English ministry begin a personal relationship with God before we leave for Home Assignment.
ROAD OF LIFE COMMUNITY CENTER
As we’ve mentioned before, our team of C&MA missionaries in St. Pete has a vision to start a community center that will meet felt needs in the community and build bridges for the gospel into people’s lives. The ministries we hope to offer include English ministries, preventative health care, fitness, groups for teens and single moms, counseling, and computer training. We have found a location where we can rent space, and this month we will probably begin holding English Club there, as well as our church services. Pray for a smooth transition to this new location and for wisdom as we begin creating the Community Center programs. Pray for “divine appointments” with key people who can help us navigate our way through the rules and red tape of starting an organization like this.
Love,
Donnie, Blythe, Isaiah, and Katya Mason
Finances
*** If you’d like to contribute financially to the Community Center we are developing, you can make a check out to the Christian & Missionary Alliance and write “St. Petersburg Church Plant (Community Center)” in the memo line and send it to: The C&MA, P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. Or, you can click here to give online: Donate to Community Center
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