Oh, what a year, as we look back at 2022 we see a year that was no longer completely controlled by Covid. In the January quarter we had 49 outreach teams going into 24 different countries. We also had 480 students come to study with us to be trained up and sent out. What a strong start to the year!
Our summer took off in a great way. We started out with time with family and friends, seeing 2 of our nephews graduate from high school, then we headed off to Norway. In Norway we connected with dear friends that were also in the country, which was so good for our hearts. We attended and served an event aimed at strengthening European believers and empowering them to engage with local missions as well as international. Everyone we talked to was so encouraged from this time. Later we had an incredible opportunity to serve at a Family Camp with Youth with a Mission. Maybe you are asking yourself, “What is a family camp?” Basically we wondered the same thing so we went to find out. It was incredible! Families gathered (about 200 people) for a week to dive in the Word, worship together, and receive teaching and ministry. We talked to a 14 year old boy who said his family had been going to family camps since he was 6 years old and that was the highlight of his summer each year. During our very full week there, we saw youth ministers working into late nights connecting and challenging youth with issues of today. There were marriage talks with parents and teaching on parenting where small groups could later meet and hash out the details of application in each household. Then there were groups ready to minister to the children while parents were meeting. (This is where we served as a family.) The childrens’ group taught about foundations in the faith, sang songs, and played games to add to what was being taught. Though the week was primarily in Norwegian we had opportunities to bless and share with others about our own lives and how God has led us as a family. Even through the language barriers, we certainly connected our hearts to people we served and our own kids saw what it meant to be a living testimony.
As we landed back in Hawaii there was a huge momentum coming with the September quarter. The campus had a tremendous amount of students wanting to come and did not have beds for them all. So we as a campus sought the Lord. After much planning, logistics, and prayer our arrival day welcomed nearly 800 students! It was stressful for a few days but eventually all were able to find a place to sleep and to meet together. God is truly on the move! Now we are about to send out 50 teams to more than 30 different nations all over the world. We have also commissioned 10 long-term teams that will be joining existing teams in the Middle East and West Africa, & some starting new works in places like Kenya & Mongolia.
This year Cory was invited to be a part of the Campus Leadership Team. With this commitment he has been able to spend a lot of time with our founders of Youth With A Mission, Loren and Darlene Cunningham. This is a sweet season and they are working hard to pass on all that the Lord has taught them over the 62 years in the Mission. This has also brought with it a lot of responsibility and hard work but it is also such a privilege to to learn from heroes of the faith.
Also this year we felt led to have Maria, Norah, and Hannah in school on our campus. This has been a huge change for us and honestly we are still adjusting. Brooke is still homeschooling Judah and he goes between loving the 1on1 time with Momma and missing his girls during the week. Along with going to school on campus this year the girls have been a part of our course called, “Word by Heart,” where they are internalizing many stories of the Bible to memory. When they complete the course in the middle of December they will be able to share about 90 minutes of stories from the Bible by heart. Not only have they spent hours of homework each week to learn to share these stories but they have learned the background of the stories which has been remarkable. We look forward to the girls telling these stories as we go to the nations or at home in church. What a gift this time has been!
As we wrap up this year and look to the future we continue to serve here in Kona, and we are looking for opportunities for us to serve- strengthening families and sending missionaries to the unreached (places where there very few Christians, churches, or missionaries.) We are so thankful for all that God is doing and we look forward to the New Year! What else do we say? We are looking forward to a Christmas Break where we will be spending that time here in Hawaii.