Three Weeks Left!

Well...if any of you have been watching the news today...you may have noticed that a tornado breezed through Southeastern VA this afternoon! Praise the Lord we are all doing fine and Franklin was not touched. However, in Suffolk, the city where our church is located...homes have been destroyed, many people have been injured (although they don't have the official counts yet). So far there have not been any deaths. The tornado passed very close to the church, but we haven't heard yet whether or not there was any structural damage. A friend of mine from Sunday School lives in that same area and we are thankful to know that he is okay as well. One of his cars is totalled and there is a little damage on his house, but nothing compared to other homes in his neighborhood. Of course we have many other friends in Suffolk from church and Dad's school, I know they would appreciate your prayers.

Mom, Emily, Wesley, and I returned last night from a trip to Pennsylvania. We were able to visit with a childhood friend of Emily's, Julie Wade Bakker, and her family. She has a baby girl only a few months younger than Wesley so it was fun to watch them interact with one another. We also spent a few days in Newtown Square with several cousins on my mom's side of the family (it would be her brother's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren). Emily and I have not seen them for many years! We had a wonderful time visiting together! We returned home in awe and yet again encouraged by the amazing family God has blessed us with! Not very many people can talk about the incredible desire even their extended family has to see the spreading of the gospel! I feel so truly blessed!



As for the current status of my funding...
God has provided all but $250 of my monthly support. I am extremely encouraged by how close I am to being ready to return. However, when I begin to think of how my flight takes off in 3 weeks and I need $250 more per month...then I get a little nervous. I know God is in control and He will provide it all in His timing...or else He'll have a reason for me to stay. In reality, all that is needed are...5 people giving $50...10 people giving $25...about 13 people giving $20...I think you get the idea. If you are currently providing financial support, thank you so much for being a part of this team. However, if you are not , yet now feel led to contribute to the work God is doing in Bolivia in this way, please email me at lboyce@southamericamission.org or send a letter stating your monthly intent to the home office (1021 Maxwell Mill Rd, Suite B, Fort Mill, SC 29708-7852)

Over the next week I will be taking my final trip to North Carolina to say good-bye to friends there. I am also still trying to finish up my classwork. There is of course many other things to do as well...getting my visa taken care of, stocking up on those things I want to take, packing, etc. It will be a crazy 3 weeks!!!! There are also...the "last" things...that are now beginning. My mom asked not long ago if counting my final activities ever gets old or makes things more difficult. My response to her was that in some ways it does, but most of the time it just helps me prepare for leaving. Join me in the transition of these last 3 weeks!

Bound for Bolivia...

Greetings once again...although I am a couple of weeks late. Thank you for continuing to pray for me, even when things get a little hectic!

I am pleased to report that I now own a return ticket to Bolivia. My departure date will be May 19. I will be leaving from the Norfolk airport at 5:00 in the evening and arriving in Santa Cruz at 7:50 on the morning of May 20. I am currently working on writing and mailing my final prayer letter from the U.S. We are also in the process of taking care of things such as my visa and immunizations. I am still about $350 short of being fully supported. I would appreciate your continued prayers for the Lord to meet this need.

This past weekend I celebrated my 32nd birthday. Even though I had to go to Charlotte for class, my friends and family worked to make it an extra special occasion. It all started Thursday night over dinner with Emily, Christopher, and Wesley. I then spent the night with them and in the morning Emily had balloons and a special breakfast prepared. I also had lunch with her and Wesley and then went on down to Charlotte. When I arrived in class a couple of my friends had balloons and flowers waiting on my desk. Then at night, Linda and Bruce Dial ordered pizza and we watched a movie together. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, my mom and dad invited my friends from church over to the house so that we could celebrate together. All in all, it was a very special occasion.

I have now finished my trips to Charlotte. My classes are over with the exception of a few unfinished assignments. All I have left is a research paper, a take-home final exam, and some reading. It sounds like a lot, but compared to how far I've come...it seems like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. The challenge will be that I would like to finish all of these things within the next couple of weeks so that during the last two weeks I can focus on packing and preparing to leave. That is typically doable, but I also have some travelling to do over the next couple of weeks, so that is where the challenge comes in.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thank you so much for your faithful support through financial giving, prayers, letters, phone calls, etc. It means so much to have family and friends such as you.

April 7, 2008

Greetings from chilly Franklin, Va! I do not have a lot to report this week so I'll make this a short entry.

I am hoping to buy my plane ticket sometime in the next week, I'll be sure to let you know when I have a set date of departure! I have also finished one of my classes from this semester!!! Yeah! That's exciting! I turned in the remainder of the coursework for that class and took the final exam last weekend. It is nice to feel like I am on the downward slope. I still have two more weekends of classes and the remainding coursework for those two classes, but I it at least feels like I'm getting somewhere! That is quite a blessing for me!

Also, today is my mom's birthday! She and my dad went to the beach for the weekend and got back this afternoon. It was the first time they have had the freedom to travel without worrying about making plans to have people care for Grandpa. Although they never minded doing that, I know they appreciated the chance to truly relax together this weekend. When they returned I cooked mom's birthday dinner and we had a great time with all of the typical festivities...good food, flowers/balloon, cards, presents, dessert! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother and hopefully she realizes how much we all love her...not just today but everyday!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers! I guess that's it...until next week!

Mixture of Emotions...

I have two major praise items to share with you this week...both of which have brought a mixture of emotions which I will explain as well!

1. God has provided slightly over 80% of my financial support, meaning that I can now purchase my returning flight to Bolivia.

For many reasons this is great and leaves me quite excited...
It's definitely confirmation of God's will for me
I miss Bolivia
I can't wait to be back with my friends there
I'm looking forward to making empanadas with Avelina again
I'm looking forward to walking on sandy streets and riding public transportation (strange I know)
Lately, I have been craving Bits and Cream Icecream like never before
That's enough just to give you an idea

However, this is also somewhat difficult...
I will miss my family and friends (both old and new)
I love being here with my parents...I love this house and my room
I enjoy the convenience that come from being in the states
I can easily get my fill of ALL my favorite candies
There are still so many things that I need to get in order before returning
My condo still hasn't sold...what do I do with the stuff still there?
Again...you get the idea

2. God has granted a smooth transition for Grandpa and those involved.

Again...wonderful....
My parents had an uneventful trip getting there and helping him move in
The women who work at the home are very kind and sympathetic
Grandpa's family is excited to have him so close and are planning outings with him
My parents are feeling a great deal of peace that they haven't felt for a while

Also difficult...
WE MISS HAVING HIM HERE!

As you can see...changes are good, but they can also be hard. God doesn't ever say following Him will be easy, but He does call us to be obedient. The funny thing is that in the journey of obedience there is often joy! Please continue to pray for all of us as we anticipate my departure which I am planning for May 19. God has been faithful in answering our prayers and He will be faithful in comforting us during the sad times too! Thank you so much for your part in this process!

Sorry for the delay...

I'm sorry that I have not updated my blog for a couple of weeks now...things have been a little crazy around here. I'll use this up-date to catch you up to speed!

I don't have much of an excuse for my lack of efficiency the first week, that was simply due to all of the studying that I needed to do.

However, since then there have been major happenings...the first big event was my nephew's first birthday on March 15. Although my older sister's husband was unable to attend, Janet flew to NC for the occasion, I was already in NC due to class so it was easy for me to be there, mom and dad also came down, not to mention most of Christopher's extended family were there! We had a wonderful time watching and laughing this delightful bundle of joy! There are a few pictures below of the happy occasion.

Janet and I stayed for a few days after the party to spend time with Emily, Christopher, and Wesley! That was so much fun! Janet has also started selling Premier Jewelry so Emily hosted Janet's first show and as a kickoff, the proceeds from that show were donated to my ministry! What a blessing that was!

About that same time, a decision was made concerning Grandpa given that he would not be able to stay by himself any longer. After exploring all of the options here in Franklin as well as looking to see what was available in North Canton, OH (which is where his biological son lives), Pick decided that the best decision was to move into an assisted living facility near his son, Dick. Given that he has lived with my family full-time for about 12 years and in the summers for several years before that...we are sad to see him go. God has provided many confirmations that this is the right decision, but he will be missed here. It will be especially strange for my parents as they have not truly been empty-nesters since before Janet was born...and even that was only for about 2 years. Please pray for this transition in my family!

Finally, I am happy to report that God has provided about 79% of my needed support! I am so close to the 80% and there are a few people from whom I'm awaiting a confirmation of their pledge. I feel confident that God will soon provide the full 80% that is needed for me to buy my ticket and then the remaining 20% needed for me to be fully funded! Praise the Lord for His continued faithfulness!

As you can see, we have had an emotional couple of weeks and this week won't be much better! Mom and Dad will be taking Grandpa to North Canton on Friday. If all goes well, they plan to return on Saturday since my Dad is flying to New Mexico early on Sunday morning from Norfolk! It could be difficult traveling with Grandpa as he still has a lot of weakness in his leg, not to mention emotionally draining for my parents. I'm sure they would appreciate your prayers! Thank you so much for your continued support!

Counting Blessings!

I decided that I wanted to do something a little different in this particular up-date. God has provided so many blessings for me over the past couple of weeks that in this up-date I just wanted to focus on that! Join me in praising the Lord for His goodness and provision...even in the little things!

Within the last couple of weeks, God has provided...
1. about $100 of new monthly support.
2. several hundred dollars of one-time gifts.
3. safety in travelling across the state of Virginia and then back through the state of North Carolina to get home.
4. opportunities for me to study while I was travelling so that I could at least finish the work that was due for last weekend's class.
5. SNOW, while I was in Abingdon...it was the first real snowfall that I've seen in almost 3 years!
6. beautiful weather at other times...today it is about 77 degrees here!
7. opportunities for me to visit many friends and relatives, including some that I haven't seen in quite some time.
8. the chance to not only share about Bolivia with many of these people, but also to be able to reconnect and hear about what's happening in their lives.
9. all of the materials that I needed for my speaking engagement in Abingdon, just in time for that presentation.
10. many lessons for me through a book I was reading for one of my classes, The Cross of Christ by John Stott; it definitely impacted my life in a powerful way.

Well, I'm sure I could keep coming up with many blessings that God has provided for me, but for some reason 10 just seems like a good number! Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me...in the good times and the struggles! I'm including a couple of photos below that I took over the last couple of weeks for your enjoyment!

My Uncle Ed and Aunt Gay in Bedford, VA

The VA Creeper Trail, in Abingdon, VA

Greetings from Abingdon, VA

Hello there! I'm afraid I need to make this up-date rather short! I am currently in Abingdon, VA. I had the pleasure of speaking at my home church yesterday for the last Sunday of their mission's conference! I am also staying in town for a few days so that I can visit with friends and "family" from when I was young! It is always good to be back!

However, due to this, I don't have much time and I'm also using a computer in the public library that has a broken space bar so I have to bang it pretty hard to get it to work (but all of the other computers are occupied so switching isn't an option)!!! Given that, I think I'll just let you all know that I am doing well and that God is blessing me greatly through many wonderful visits as well as opportunities to get some studying done!

Thank you so much for continuing to pray! I'll write a longer up-date next week and will hopefully have pictures to attach then! Blessings!