Preparing to provide transformational theological education to Latin American pastors and scholars
United World Mission
Dear Friends and Family,
I keep hoping for things in our lives to slow down so that I can make these monthly updates more succinct, but this month has been just as hectic as the last two!
I'm thrilled to say that I've booked tickets for my November trip to the Americas, where I will meet with the rector of ISEDET (an Argentinian seminary) in Atlanta, before flying to visit seminaries in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Medellin, Columbia. I've been corresponding with the leaders of these three seminaries, and am excited to see things coming together, and to figure out which of these schools is the one to which God has been guiding us all these years. We've been blessed to receive tremendous support and wisdom from the president and the board of UWM, and are grateful that the president will be joining me on this trip.
Here in Oxford, things are going swimmingly. We just attended the Open House at Judah's school, and were told by his teacher that he's been settling in wonderfully and that he's a model student. This is a huge relief and encouragement to us, and we are grateful to all of you who have been praying for Judah's transition to school in Oxford. He is adjusting far better than we had even hoped.
We have also decided to rejoin our previous Oxford church, St Aldates. We are excited about the growth and development the church is undergoing, and we are in the process of discerning where we might best serve there. Please pray for prudence for Michelle and I as we decide with which ministries we should volunteer, that out of many good and worthy ministries we would know which ones are best for us.
Please pray for us as we try to find a balance between work, ministry, and family life, in particular that I would have wisdom with how to divide my time and invest more intentionally in my family than I was able to do during my doctoral studies. We'd also be grateful for your prayers for our finances; in particular, we're praying that God would provide people to help us in repaying our student loans (which are currently rather beyond our grasp). We're grateful to have known God's provision for the past four years, even in financially precarious situations, and we are confident that God will give us wisdom and grace to confront these new challenges. Thank you to all of our friends in Germany who have recently committed to supporting us financially; you have been a huge encouragement to us as we undertake the long job of fund-raising.
Peace be with you all,
Christopher, Michelle, Judah, and Asher Hays
From Michelle:
Now that the boys are settling in and feeling at home in our new house and their daily routines, it's easier for me to think about the advantages of being in Oxford. Most mornings, after dropping Judah off at school, I put Asher in the sling and walk into town along the River Thames. This morning ritual of watching the boats, feeding the ducks, and soaking up the scenery adds a bit of peace to my day. We are thrilled to suddenly have access to a library of English books for the boys, so that is usually one of our first stops in town. I am finding that there are so many resources available here (playgroups, family centres, Bible studies and other courses, etc.) that the problem is fitting all of the things we want to do into our schedule. I have just joined a parenting course at church that has been really encouraging and I hope it will be a great way to learn from and connect with other moms. While I do miss our friends from Bonn and certain things about our time in Germany, I am feeling overwhelming thankful and at peace about being here in Oxford.
