Missionary Connections

Waiting... The consulate told us there would be a three- to seven-week delay on our visas. So we wait…and it isn’t something we’re always very good at, or something we typically like to do very much of.  As I was perusing some of the Psalms that talk about waiting, I noticed each one gave the object of who we are waiting on -- God, not man.  So, while we wait for our visas to be approved, it is not about men and their processes, but about God and His perfect timing.  Those Psalms also talked about the reward of those who wait on the Lord -- strength, courage, hope, rest, and exaltation. We are waiting on the Lord, not on man, and trust for His strength, courage, hope, and rest for the next season. But, this change in plans has afforded us some new and different opportunities.  Last week, I helped a friend in Dayton, Wash., put in a sprinkler system in his yard.  This week, Christina is with some missionary friends at a waterski camp on Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho, and Melanie is at a retreat for missionary wives in Colorado Springs.  So God is not wasting our waiting time. He doesn’t waste anything!  And we look for what He has in store over the next few weeks. We have rebooked our tickets for Aug. 8, seven weeks from when we were told there would be a delay.  We are grateful to God that it only cost $200 to change our four tickets, and that we get to keep our original checked luggage allowance, even though Air New Zealand recently changed their baggage policy. New Format We're trying to update the look for our email updates and will seek to include photos in coming editions so you can see the family.  You'll notice prayer requests and our upcoming schedule in the side bar and we will add in Culture Cues again soon. Let us know if you have any feedback on our new format. Prayer Requests Visas to be approved -- sooner rather than later Remaining support -- our current need is $395 in monthly support and $1,500 in one-time gifts That we would be open and sensitive for how God wants to use our extra time in the States Financial Partnership If you'd like to partner financially either on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift, you can do that by clicking here. Upcoming Schedule July 3-10 - Everett, Wash. July 11-12 - Ocean Park, Wash.    Preaching at Peninsula Baptist July 13-21 - Vancouver, Wash. Contact Details Brian - +1-360-609-7797 brians@deltaministries.com Melanie - +1-360-609-5945 stark.mel@gmail.com Our mailing address is: DELTA Ministries International DELTA Ministries International 1400 NE 136th Avenue, Suite 201 Vancouver, Washington 98684 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2010 DELTA Ministries International All rights reserved.

From The Woods in Azerbaijan,

At the end of August we moved to Baku, Azerbaijan. Brad right away began preparing to teach at Baku International School. Among other things, the school provided us with a very nice house, health insurance, and free tuition for the girls. The girls have fit right in at the school. Joy and Hope were elected to the student council. Joy was on the cross country team, and they are both on the girls’ soccer team. Joy is involved in the high school youth group of a local church. The younger girls have joined girl scouts and are involved in the Russian club. Hope and Grace are both studying Azeri as a foreign language. Somehow, they find time to do homework. Testing showed that the younger two girls were behind in their English language skills, which isn’t too surprising since they spent their last two years in Czech, Russian and Hebrew language schools, but they have been working hard and now seem to be catching up quickly. We are very thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity for our family.

The school is a very interesting place. There are kids from about twenty different nationalities. Most of their parents are either business people or diplomats. The classes at the school are in English, but many of the kids are bilingual or trilingual. Our kids fit right in. There are about 200 kids in the whole school, but only about 25 in the high school. Brad is teaching middle school and high school math, physics and world geography.

Gali is taking Azeri language classes at a local university, and has been warmly accepted by a translation team working with some of the minority languages in the Caucasus Mountains. She is hoping to work with researchers from the Azeri Academy of Science to gather language data in some of the minority villages. This should help her as she ascertains the translation needs in those communities. One interesting thing is that some of the mountain people are Jewish. As the Azeri language is related to Altai, she is able to communicate fairly freely already. Pray that she will have good relationships with the officials she meets with, and that the right doors will be open for future opportunities.

Next summer we hope to return to the States for a couple of months, and we are hoping that Brad will be able to get the hip replacement he needs. It seems the school’s health insurance should cover this. We are planning to return to Baku again next fall.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We have been feeling overwhelmed by how well the Lord has taken care of us as we have transitioned to a new country and culture. Pray that others will see Him through us.

Personal Mail: Darnagul Qasabasi, Ajami Nakhchivani Str., Block 3097, Baku, Azerbaijan 1108 Email: woodsinaltai@yahoo.com
US Business: Good Seed, PO Box 2890, Hayden, ID 83835
Canadian Business: Good Seed, PO Box 3704, Olds Alberta T4H 1P5