Hafa Adai #7

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HAFA ADAI

from Brad and Cheryl Boydston
serving the church in the Western Pacific
and along the Asian Rim

"In His teaching the islands
will put their hope." Isaiah 42:4

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Saturday, 4 November 2006


Greetings from the coral and volcanic rock that sits out in the Pacific about 1,500 miles east of Manila and 1,500 miles south of Tokyo. Hopefully Saturday is as clear and beautiful where you are as it is on Guam.

Update:

• We've now finished 10 weeks of our first semester at Pacific Islands Bible College. Brad's classes continue to go well. He is surprised at just how many opportunities he's had to discuss personal issues with students. He is also pleased with how well the students in the preaching class have done. There are some very impressive leaders at PIBC and the exciting thing is that we get to have a role in their formation -- as they prepare to serve as missionaries, pastors, teachers, and community leaders.

• Cheryl continues to figure out the details of her job as the business manager for the PIBC central office. Mostly it involves keeping track of the financial aid money that students receive. On Monday and Tuesday of this coming week the business managers from the PIBC sites on Chuuk and Palau will be meeting at the Guam campus to coordinate procedures. Interestingly, Cheryl will be the only American in the group. Four are German Liebenzell missionaries, one is Palauan and one is Filipino.

• Cheryl is also the 15-hour per week secretary at a nearby Methodist Church. The income from the church job is a part of our 30% self-funding.

• We've reached 100% of our initial support goal! Thank you for your commitments and contributions. In order to sustain our ministry here for the term of our project (3-5 years), we need to raise about $2,000 more per month. Our goal is to have some of this support come from individuals who catch the vision for what is happening out here in the middle of the Pacific and to have some of it come from churches who will include us in their mission budget. If any of you are willing to serve as advocates for us within your own congregation, please let us know and we will be glad to provide you with information as you contact your mission committee.

• The California housing market is still flat and our house in Turlock has not yet sold. Yesterday we dropped the price another $10,000. Please continue to pray for that transaction.

• We've rented a unit in a duplex about 1/2 mile from campus. The landlords have hosted many missionaries over the years and are willing to let us rent on a month-by-month basis.

• Last Sunday Brad preached at the Lutheran Church of Guam, where we serve on the music team. On Sunday night we'll go with the Lutherans to lead worship in the prison. Next week Brad will be preaching in the PIBC chapel on Thursday and at the Guam United Methodist Church on Sunday. These are great opportunities to make a contribution to the life of the church here and raise the visibility of the school in the community.

• Eric (Covenant pastor from the San Francisco Bay Area) and Karyn (marriage and family counselor) Sorenson are in the process of raising support to join the PIBC staff in the summer of 2007. They will be the second Covenant missionaries serving on the Guam/Micronesia mission front. Keep them in your prayers. Since they are bringing children their financial needs and goals are significantly higher than ours. If you are interested in getting on their email list I'm sure they'd love to hear from you. Email Eric at ericsorenson@sbcglobal.net.

• Interestingly the Sorensons and ourselves both sensed a call to Guam and PIBC independently. That is, neither of us were aware of the others' interests. We're all curious to see what God has in mind -- why he is drawing Covenant missionaries to this place and ministry when there has been no Covenant work here in the past. We suspect that it all has something to do with the strategic crossroads nature of this place and the dynamic fusion of cultures that happens here. It might also have something to do with the tug that some of the Micronesian students are feeling toward unreached peoples in places where white Americans would stand out too much. If we can't go, perhaps we have been called to prepare others who are in the process of going. Whatever it is that God is doing we're excited to be a part of it!

• We are in need of a missionary with IT expertise. Even though Brad isn't a technician by training he is finding that he spends at least an hour everyday handling various Internet system crises on the Guam campus. The crises arise partly due to second-hand equipment that is starting to fail, partly due to the infrastructure on Guam itself being fragile, and partly due to the numerical growth of the student body that puts more demand on the system. If you know of someone who might fit the bill, have them contact us ASAP! :-)

• Missionary friends and colleagues Cindy Hoover, Jo Ellen Reeves, and Laura Rodriguez have all safely evacuated from Oaxaca, Mexico after the violent protests spilled over into their neighborhood. Cindy is a long-time friend from Covnet and Laura was in our Covenant missionary orientation group last summer. There is a story on the Covenant website . Also, check Laura's blog.

• Our children all seem to be doing well in their respective places. Kirk works as a linguist at H5 Technologies in San Francisco, Kent is studying abroad this term in Chile, and Betsy is at UC Berkeley. We talk often with them over various Internet systems. We have made flight arrangements so that they all can join us for Christmas on Guam. :-)

• Brad has been updating our ministry blog on a regular basis. Includes pictures!

• We love hearing from you all! It is a great encouragement when people tell us that they're praying for us. We’re praying for you too!

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SUPPORT INFORMATION

If you would like to support the ministry you can send a check or commitment response to:

PM Support for Boydstons
Department of World Mission
Evangelical Covenant Church
5101 N Francisco Ave
Chicago IL 60625-3676 USA

Checks should be made out to the "Evangelical Covenant Church" with the clear designation "for the support of Brad & Cheryl Boydston." If possible print and include this .pdf form.

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COMMUNICATION

• Call us! Brad -- 671-988-4252. Cheryl -- 671-988-4243.

• Skype us -- BradBoydston or seespleez

• Guam address & phone:
Pacific Islands Bible College
PO Box 22619
GMF, GU 96921-2619
Office phone -- 671-734-1812

• Email us -- Brad@Boydston.us or Cheryl@Boydston.us

• Covenant World Mission

• Pacific Islands Bible College

• Liebenzell USA

• Our ministry website updated at least weekly.

• We've started adding links to other missionary blogs and websites, as well as some student blogs -- bottom right-hand column of our blog

• Guam Visitor's Bureau

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ABOUT THIS EMAIL
Hafa Adai is Chamorro for hello. You are receiving this email because you are a friend or associate of Brad and Cheryl Boydston. If you would prefer to receive Hafa Adai at a different address, email Brad at Brad@Boydston.us.