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“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” Philippians 1:12

Here's the latest from our neck of the woods … if you just want the prayer requests, scroll down to the bottom.

We have a few days off from school this week, and it is good to catch our breath. Life has been … crazy.

Adjusting to life in the U.S. and post-missionary has been a lot easier than I anticipated. One reason for that is probably because we have not had a lot of time to think about things. The pace and momentum have just kept us moving forward.

Our first trimester as public school teachers was definitely a challenge. We had our days (and nights and mornings) of thinking “what did we get ourselves into?” The youth of America are different than when we were in school. Erin is the freshmen English teacher and left work many days tired and frustrated. She would have writing assignments due on certain days, and only 4 students out of 27 would turn them in, even though they had weeks to work on them. Frustrating. The transition from the middle school to the high school in our district is a huge jump, and Erin basically serves as the linebacker who “greets” them to the “real world” of high school responsibilities and deadlines. The classes I teach used to be known as the “blow off” classes, so students were surprised when I made them work. Every day. For the entire class hour. We quickly got reputations for being “real teachers.” But holding our kids to a higher standard certainly wore us down.

It's now 2 weeks into the second trimester at school. And it is already A LOT easier. During the first trimester we worked about 80 – 90 hours a week. This trimester, we already notice a significant change.

We are both involved as advisers in the Christian organization at school. Young girls often hang out in Erin's room at lunch and come to her saying they hear she “gives good advice.” I have a group of 6 – 10 students who come to my room each morning to pray before the school day. We are thankful for the little green shoots of ministry the Lord is budding in our new surroundings.

We haven't been able to fully plug into any church yet because of our geographical challenges living and caring for Erin's grandma far from the city. I get to go to the men's prayer meeting and Bible Study at Calvary OKC sometimes and am always blessed. We get to one of any number of churches most weekends, and get to enjoy teaching, devotions, and worship (thanks Neil Livingston!) in the car during our countless hours driving across the Oklahoma countryside dodging deer and other wildlife/roadkill.

Erin's grandma returned home from the retirement home about 6 weeks ago. She will have her 5^th round of chemo next week. She's doing well, some days better than others. We care for her overnight at her home in the country (a town called Macomb, population 32 before Erin and I arrived). We leave for work at 5 a.m. when one of two caregivers arrives. They stay until we get home from work in the evenings between 5 and 6 p.m. We usually get two nights off a week when other family members come down and take the overnight shift.

We're looking forward to Thanksgiving. It will be Erin's first Thanksgiving home in Oklahoma in over a decade, and the first for the whole family since Erin's grandfather died in the Spring.

Thanks for your prayers and support during this new season in our lives. We have truly been blessed. We have a blog we update monthly www.okgerry.blogspot.com if you want to check it out and read what we are up to and see pictures. Until now it is in Slovene, but I plan to add an English link soon.

PRAISE

• For the strength God has given during this time of transition and for sustaining us.
• For the blessing of being able to serve family and the young generation in America during “such a time as this.”
• For the relationships we have been building with students, parents, and other teachers.
• For God's continued blessing upon the church in Slovenia. For His faithfulness during the transition.

PRAY

• Pray for God's continued blessing and strength in this new season.
• Pray for the filling of God's Spirit to be effective servants, teachers, and witnesses at school and in our other relationships.
• Pray for our marriage to remain strong and be used for His glory. Pray that He continues to give us time together in the midst of the whirlwinds of activity.
• Pray for good friends and edifying fellowship, and that He would lead us to where He wants us to serve and grow in the Body of Christ.
• Pray for a church near our school that a handful of our students which we are close to attend.
• Pray for the church and ministry in Slovenia, that God would bless them, unify them, and lead them through this first year of transition.