America! Home Assignment and Some Big News
The summer came and went in a flash! Our kids finished school and then headed off to Tennessee for a fun, adventure-filled summer with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Aaron and I stayed three more weeks on the island to finish preparing for our long absence.
Often when missionaries go on furlough (or what is now generally called "home assignment") they are asked about their "vacation". Honestly, it makes us cringe a bit. Home assignment is a chance to visit our home country, family, and friends. It is also our chance to follow the example laid out for us in the Bible. We come back to bring a report of what God is doing in the ministries we run in St Kitts.
Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. And they stayed there with the believers for a long time. Acts 14:26-28
So after doing all that we could to ensure that Celebrate Recovery and CCF would run smoothly, it was time for us to head back for our 6-week home assignment in the USA! We had the privilege to share at churches in Knoxville, Jefferson City, and Tazwell, TN. Also in Greenville, SC, Lafayette, IN, and Indianapolis, IN. Each service and church is so unique, with their own way of doing things, but all of them have one major thing in common - they have a love and passion for the Lord and for His Word. THANK YOU is not enough to express our gratitude to these churches, how the blessed us whole we visited, and for all they do for us all year long.
When we weren't speaking or traveling, we did get a chance to soak up time with our family and friends. We probably ate at Chick fil a at least 10 times! As well as all the Mexican food we could get a hold of (yum!). We purchased school clothes, toiletries, and 80 bags of lunch-box sized potato chips (thank you amazon pantry). We filled ourselves up in many ways so that we were ready to come back and pour out again.
My mom turned 60, and we were able to be in town for that celebration! We miss so many celebrations throughout the year, so it was a big deal to be able to be a part of this one. We usually miss the hard things too. God heard our prayers this summer though. He called Aaron's 92-year-old grandmother home to Him while we were still in TN! We were able to delay our return tickets and stay so that we could processed this loss with the entire family. Grandma was a character, so funny, so full of love, and a blessing to everyone around her. She lived a long and full life, knowing Christ as her savior, so we have hope and joy because we will see her again!
Just before returning to our island home, we got some unexpected news; the Gill family (the ones moving down to pastor our church) are no longer able to relocate to St Kitts. After over a year of eye surgeries and appointments to repair Sye's retina, cornea, lens, and iris, they were informed that it will require another 2-3 years of surgery and regular check ups to finish the process of restoring his eye. We are all mourning as the impact of this continues to become reality. However, we all know that God is not surprised! He has always know that this is where we would end up. And He loves CCF more than we could ever imagine!
So in the meantime Aaron, and the other assistant pastor Kistian, will be leading our church as interim pastors together. We are praying for, and seeking, the man that God would have to be the head of our church full time. We are working with our church's state-side organization and a ministry called Poimen Ministries to find a replacement. We would appreciate prayers in this season of extended transition and waiting! Prayers for unity as a leadership and as a body of Christ. Also against the enemies attempts to cause chaos in our church and in our homes. God is a good God. He will be faithful in this as He has been in everything we have ever faced before!
Ok, I know what you all are really here for; the pictures! Unfortunately, I'm having computer difficulties. If you would like a more visual representation of our time in the US, please feel free to follows on Instagram at @ComerMissionJourney or on Facebook (Aaron Comer and Katelyn Comer). All the photos are there :) Here are the few I managed to get to my computer:
Often when missionaries go on furlough (or what is now generally called "home assignment") they are asked about their "vacation". Honestly, it makes us cringe a bit. Home assignment is a chance to visit our home country, family, and friends. It is also our chance to follow the example laid out for us in the Bible. We come back to bring a report of what God is doing in the ministries we run in St Kitts.
Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. And they stayed there with the believers for a long time. Acts 14:26-28
So after doing all that we could to ensure that Celebrate Recovery and CCF would run smoothly, it was time for us to head back for our 6-week home assignment in the USA! We had the privilege to share at churches in Knoxville, Jefferson City, and Tazwell, TN. Also in Greenville, SC, Lafayette, IN, and Indianapolis, IN. Each service and church is so unique, with their own way of doing things, but all of them have one major thing in common - they have a love and passion for the Lord and for His Word. THANK YOU is not enough to express our gratitude to these churches, how the blessed us whole we visited, and for all they do for us all year long.
When we weren't speaking or traveling, we did get a chance to soak up time with our family and friends. We probably ate at Chick fil a at least 10 times! As well as all the Mexican food we could get a hold of (yum!). We purchased school clothes, toiletries, and 80 bags of lunch-box sized potato chips (thank you amazon pantry). We filled ourselves up in many ways so that we were ready to come back and pour out again.
My mom turned 60, and we were able to be in town for that celebration! We miss so many celebrations throughout the year, so it was a big deal to be able to be a part of this one. We usually miss the hard things too. God heard our prayers this summer though. He called Aaron's 92-year-old grandmother home to Him while we were still in TN! We were able to delay our return tickets and stay so that we could processed this loss with the entire family. Grandma was a character, so funny, so full of love, and a blessing to everyone around her. She lived a long and full life, knowing Christ as her savior, so we have hope and joy because we will see her again!
Just before returning to our island home, we got some unexpected news; the Gill family (the ones moving down to pastor our church) are no longer able to relocate to St Kitts. After over a year of eye surgeries and appointments to repair Sye's retina, cornea, lens, and iris, they were informed that it will require another 2-3 years of surgery and regular check ups to finish the process of restoring his eye. We are all mourning as the impact of this continues to become reality. However, we all know that God is not surprised! He has always know that this is where we would end up. And He loves CCF more than we could ever imagine!
So in the meantime Aaron, and the other assistant pastor Kistian, will be leading our church as interim pastors together. We are praying for, and seeking, the man that God would have to be the head of our church full time. We are working with our church's state-side organization and a ministry called Poimen Ministries to find a replacement. We would appreciate prayers in this season of extended transition and waiting! Prayers for unity as a leadership and as a body of Christ. Also against the enemies attempts to cause chaos in our church and in our homes. God is a good God. He will be faithful in this as He has been in everything we have ever faced before!
Ok, I know what you all are really here for; the pictures! Unfortunately, I'm having computer difficulties. If you would like a more visual representation of our time in the US, please feel free to follows on Instagram at @ComerMissionJourney or on Facebook (Aaron Comer and Katelyn Comer). All the photos are there :) Here are the few I managed to get to my computer:
Thanks for reading!
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