For Auld Lang Syne

Happy new year, from the Pendergrasses!

A Trip to West Africa: (essentials for the skimmers)

• Our interview conference in VA went great. Our new deployment date for West Africa is December 2010! Whoopee!
• Racheal graduated from the Baptist College of Florida. She is officially educated.
  
• New photos! Albums: Racheal Graduates, Petersburg and Richmond, Snowplay, and Presents.
  
• Racheal's handmade jewelry business has really taken off. Check her new products out at Instead of Ashes.
• PrayeRequests below.

A Trip to Peru: (extras for the readers)

Dear loved ones,

Congratulations to Racheal! She is a college grad! On a comical note, her degree was not given to her in Biblical Studies as we all expected. However, when they called "Racheal Pendergast" it was for the Bachelor of Arts in Ministry Studies. I didn't mind. It cost $40K, whatever it is.

In other news, the following week Racheal and i went to Rockville, VA (near Richmond) for our Candidate Interview Conference. We and about 50 missionaries were there finalizing our application process to the IMB. Though it's a little later than we had originally hoped, we are ecstatic to announce that we'll be appointed to the IMB in September 2010 and deployed to West Africa the following December! This is what we've been waiting a year and a half to hear. Praise the Lord. Seriously, take a minute and praise Him.

Like i said, December 2010 is a little later than the date we'd hoped for earlier (June 2010), but don't think for a second the Pendergrasses are going to suck their thumbs for another year waiting for December to roll around. We're planning a volunteer trip to Peru this summer to the Xtreme Team Training. The purpose of this trip will not be an evangelistic "crusade" (I despise that word.), but rather a time for us both to brush up and develop our oral storying skills for when we go to West Africa. Plus, we'd like to encourage the Body in Peru. Furthermore, i'll also be assisting in training Latino missionaries though teaching classes. Granted we'll have to raise our own support (since it's not through the IMB), so we'll check between our couch cushions to see if we miss placed about $3500 or so.

PrayeRequests:

• Praise God for an eventful and positive time in Richmond with the interview process.
• Pray for the "S" people. They need Jesus whether we'll be the vessel that brings the Gospel or not.
• Pray for the Peru trip. There's a lot to plan for. Praise God for the $250 flights we got!
  
• Thanks for praying for my wrestlers. It's working. Keep it up.
  

†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass