December 2008 letter

Dear Friends,

I’m sorry that this email comes incredibly late and behind schedule,

but I am pleased to say, we have made it to Canada. For the past three weeks we have been on the go 24/7 and so finally I have some time to email.

Our last two weeks in Lajas were very busy with the first week being taken up with a dental clinic. Jim Boyd the dentist flew in from Pennsylvania and along with John, they saw close to 90 Tepehuan patients in four days. It was great to see so many Tepehuan getting help for their dental needs.

Our last week with our Tepehuan friends in Lajas was a good time, but also sad having to say goodbye. One friend said that with us leaving, it was like we were dying and they would never see us again. We assured them that Lord willing we would be back in a year. It is hard leaving in that we are very close to being ready in the language to share the Gospel, but we also need a break from the constant travelling and all that is involved in the ministry in Lajas. We’re ready for a year away from Lajas! Our last days in the village were spent packing up and loading valuable items for storing in Durango. Amazingly we were able to achieve this along with having a constant stream of visitors and well-wishers. The Tepehuan are not being left alone as we are leaving them in the capable hands of our coworkers Barry and Candy Wingo. For the next year they will be in Lajas on their own. Pray for their safety especially with all the violence that is taking place across Mexico in these days. Pray that in these next twelve months that God would prepare the Tepehuan hearts to hear the Gospel. Pray that they would see the fear that dominates and permeates their lives. Pray that they would begin to see the sin and wickedness that is in their hearts and reveals itself in the ways they live and act. Pray that in the years to come, a great harvest would be reaped in Lajas. Not for our sakes nor to make us feel like it was worth it, but most of all because Jesus is worth it, and that He would begin to hear His praises in the language of the Tepehuan. We love the Tepehuan and know that many of you do as well. I’m thankful the God is not willing that any of them should perish, and so let’s continue to pray for their salvation.

Joseph and Madeline stayed in Durango and for the first week were looked after in our house by Linda (John’s wife). The second week they stayed with a Mexican family, our good friends Ruben and Adriana, and their two daughters Natalia and Salma. They had a great time and really enjoyed their stay. It was hard for them saying goodbye to all the new friends they had made at school. The Lord has really answered our prayers concerning our kid’s schooling. Not only did they quickly make friends and settle into a totally new environment, they really improved in their Spanish and actually did better than expected in their grades.

We arrived back in Durango from Lajas with less than a week to pack up our whole house and get ready for travelling to Canada, not to mention speak at a missions conference in our church, and say “goodbye” to all our friends. Thankfully the owner of our house is allowing us to store all our things in one room for the year without charging us rent. We managed to get packed and finally drove out of Durango on Monday the 24th of November. We spent a couple of days in Chihuahua and crossed the border into Texas on Wednesday. We rested a day in El Paso and then drove to Amarillo to spend a couple days with friends and former Durango missionaries Jim and Kristy Kendall. The next leg took us to Missouri where we presented the work in a supporting church, the Calvary Chapel of Osage Beach. From there it was a two-day drive up to Canada where Anne Marie’s family lives. We’re thankful for safe travels, good border crossings, a faithful truck, cheaper gas (half of what it was two months ago), and finally snow. There wasn’t much snow on the ground when we arrived, and Julian had his heart set on seeing a lot of it. Thankfully it has snowed and he can now play outside where it is currently -20. Big jump from Durango!

We’ll be spending an early Christmas with the Thiessen family here in Mitchell, Manitoba and then fly out to Sydney on the 15th of December. We’ll be flying Qantas and so Lord willing we should arrive in Tasmania on the 17th barring any technical hitches. It has been over five and a half years since we were in Australia. It has been six years since the Ferguson family was all together for Christmas. We’re looking forward to it. Our plan is to spend close to twelve months in Australia. Our kids will be able to attend school, I’m hoping to find work, and we will be spending time in our home church and also visiting others to present the Tepehuan work. We would like to continue studying Tepehuan, working on the dictionary and grammar and also beginning to map out lesson preparations for teaching the Gospel in Tepehuan on our return from furlough.

Wow, it’s hard to believe that we’re actually heading home. We look forwarding to seeing as many of you as we can in our travels. We’re so thankful to the Lord for each one of you who pray so faithfully for us and give so generously to see the gospel reach the once unreachable Tepehuan. May you have a very Merry Christmas where Jesus has an opportunity to speak and reveal more of Himself to you, and may you have a happy new year.

For Jesus and His glory,

Andrew, Anne Marie, Joseph, Madeline, Julian, and finally Sophia (who, by the way, is not a bad little ice skater)