Summer Prayer Update

Summertime has officially begun for me, and things are just starting to heat up in the Deep South! My first year of seminary is officially over, and I survived it! I even had the opportunity to show a piece of Birmingham to my sister who flew in town for a couple of days after my finals was done (see picture on the right taken at the Peanut Depot where they roast simply amazing peanuts). I just got back in town after a week-long vacation with my family in North Myrtle Beach, and my time with the family was a sweet one.

Turkey: Ministry and Missions in an Ancient Land

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I am almost finished with my first year at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, AL (only 4 weeks remain until my final exams begin), and this past year has been an amazing one for me! I thank God daily for your constant prayers and words of encouragement as I dedicate this portion of my life to studies for future ministry to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Bring Baby Hope Home!

I have been friends with Angie for a few years now, and she has interpreted for several of my seminary classes at Beeson Divinity School. She is one of the most awesome people I’ve known in my life, and God has implanted something wonderful in her family’s heart!

Angie shared with me last summer at a ministry conference in New Orleans sponsored by the Fund for Theological Education that her family is seriously contemplating and praying about adopting a child from China. To make a long story short, God has led Angie and her husband over the past few months to a particular girl named Qian Yi or “Baby Hope” (see the picture above). Her brown eyes is what captivated the hearts of Angie and her husband (admit it – she does looks adorable!), and she has a bilateral cleft lip and palate, a condition that can be easily resolved through a surgical procedure. Angie shared with me that there are several reasons why she has the cleft palate and lips condition: the Eustachian tubes was not properly formed in her ears and her lips and palate was not developed properly. After an evaluation, she might have an surgery to have the tubes inserted in her ears so she can hear again. Moreover, she might never be able to talk clearly (even after the procedure), so the family will be teaching Hope sign language once she arrives in America.

The Williamson family at this point is ready to bring Hope home, but they need to raise some funds to be able to do this. And they came up with a nifty idea that entails serving a widow for one entire day!