Massengill Middle East Minute: April 2014
Not Enough Hours In A Day
Hello again from the Middle East. We are sorry our Mother's Day greeting is a day late but things have been rather hectic. It has now been 1 year since I arrived in the UAE to make preparations for our move here & it has been worth all our efforts. Although we have worked in the Middle East for the last 11 years, living here has made such a tremendous difference in what we have been able to accomplish. Opportunities are endless and relationships are much easier to establish & cultivate. Everyday we thank God that He finally opened the door for our family to be here at this time & season. He desires all the credit & glory for everything happening & we rejoice at the thoughts of what He will do in our next year here.
Old Friends 
In April, we were blessed to have longtime friends, Jerry, Stephanie & Abigail Jeter, come for a visit. We have known Jerry since we were both at school in Cleveland & attending East Cleveland COG together, and his church has supported our ministry for many years. Jerry was able to preach & teach at a couple of our local churches. As a special honor for Jerry, one of our new members waited for him to come so he could baptize her. Although they were only able to visit for a week, it was nice to have them & hard to see them go.
Heat, Sand & A Lot of Work
The temperatures here are already reaching the 100's & the sand is beginning to blow. While that means most people try to avoid going outside during daylight hours, it also means the summer schedule begins. We have several events planned & I will be teaching classes in several of the emirates. Our seminary has students from almost every Christian group located in the Middle East including Catholics & Eastern Orthodox. We see this as a tremendous opportunity to not only have influence in how our own churches approach their work here but also play a role in motivating other Christians in the region to play their part in the Great Commission. Although one of our primary efforts is to encourage our own diaspora/immigrant congregations in this area to fulfill their biblical responsibility of Acts 1:8, we rejoice at any chance to inspire any believer to do what God expects us all to do regardless of where we live, our ethnicity, or economic situation. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to provide all we need to fulfill the command of Christ... because without Him, we can never succeed no matter what we have planned.
 
As we look back over our first year here, we must thank everyone who has prayed for & supported us. There have been ups & downs but God has always been by us. Also please pray for our budget. We really want to be here as long as possible before returning to the US again. God has done so much but there is still so much to do. Together with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible.

In His Service,
Vance, Kari, Leandra & Kendra Massengill

rvmassengill@charter.net
vancecogwm@yahoo.com
 
COGWM Project#
065-0069

LEANDRA'S CORNER
Hello again! April was a great month. I got a visit from my friend, Abigail & we got a week off from school while they were here. It is nice to get visitors but I take it really hard when they leave. That is the one thing I really do not like about being a MK... we are always saying goodbye to people. We visit great churches & we say goodbye, we visit family & they say goodbye, and we make great friends here & eventually have to say goodbye. I am 8 years old & have lived in 4 countries. Please pray for God to help me understand this part of what we do... because it is really hard.

KENDRA'S CORNER
What's up? Things are going great with me. In about a week, I will finish the 1st grade. Daddy always does something special when we finish a grade so I cannot wait to see what he has planned. Last night we celebrated Mother's Day. Mommy has it good here because she has 2 mother's days. There was one in March & one this month. I wish I had 2 birthdays!!! Anyway,  pray for me!