Missions Corner-Schmidt’s Prayer Letter

                 Countdown

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and we are off to our 9-month Home Assignment!

We are approaching blast off: the need to get all the to-do lists checked off, to get the Guest Home and ESF in

order for others to take over, to prepare for meetings in Switzerland and USA, to start saying our good-byes…

10- enumerable lists of things to get done. Pray that we will be efficient, prioritize well and not get

overwhelmed too often.

9- or more months until the new pastor for SIC comes. Praise the Lord the pastor from Tokyo and his

family has answered the call to come minister at our church. Because of his children’s schooling they are

not able to come right away.

8 plus pages in the Guest Home Manual that are getting revised by our Serve Asia short-term worker to

leave things organized. And as usual, the Guest Home continues to be busy.

7- There are many Dr.’s/Dentist/Eye Dr. appointments to go to before we leave. We want to use the

Japanese Health Insurance while we can. Please pray for us to stay in good health.

6- weeks until we leave on March 22, to Switzerland! We will be there 4 months before heading to

America.

5- Represents a random number of friends we still want to have over for dinner before we go.

4- Pray for our children as Rebekah and Kevin settle in Vegas. Kevin is applying for his Green Card, and his

visa will run out in April. Dieter’s re-entry visa to the US will also run out and needs to be renewed.

Hannah and Andrea need prayer for decisions concerning their future.

3- We really need a leadership team for ESF in place to work with the Internationals. Please pray for

some to be willing to commit to the extra time and organization it needs. We are thankful that a missionary

from SIC, Estelle, will take over organizing the monthly English Worship Service while we are gone! We are

so glad that Hannah is part of it as the worship leader.

2- Family reunions: In Switzerland the Schmidt Family meets May 15, Dieter’s Dad’s 88th Birthday. The

Soules Family meets July 14-18 in Atlanta (after 10 years). We are hoping all family members can be

there, although our Hannah probably cannot make it. Dieter’s parents moved just into a nursing home.

1- Thank the Lord for the couple from Canada, Reg and Mary Shum, who will come fill-in for us for 9

months! Praise the Lord their visas came through! Pray we have a significant handover time with them.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Ps. 90:12

Thankful for you being part of our “launch crew”!

Dieter and Shelley