Spring 2017 Newsletter
Our dearest ministry partners,
The final few days of our furlough are coming to a close. These times out of our normal routine seldom turn out as expected, but God always has a better plan. It’s always safe to trust the Lord!
Our first stop was Arizona, where we had a wonderful few days with my 91 year old mom, as well as with my siblings and their families in Tempe and Mesa. We also spent part of the week with Laurie’s brother, Gary, and his wife, Linda. Since I had three broken fillings when we arrived in Arizona, Gary (our favorite dentist) did his usual bang up job, and I’m once again as good as new!
After leaving Arizona, we spent an awesome week in Dallas with Trinity and Eric. They treated us like royalty, and on my birthday they took us to Billy Bob’s Honky Tonk in Ft. Worth. Now THAT was quite the experience … (and we have a framed picture of the four of us on a bull to prove it)! A quick trip to Waco to see more of my special relatives was an added bonus.
From Texas we went to Florida, where we had a great visit with Trey’s family, and visited their church on Easter Sunday … Orlando Grace. The timing of our family reunion was planned around Summer’s sister’s wedding which took place the previous week, since it’s difficult for Jason, Summer, Liam (6) and Rowan (4) to fly to the U.S. from Ireland “without due cause.” During our fabulous week together, we hosted a baby shower for Trinity and Eric, who are expecting their first baby in September! This family picture shows our entire precious family, minus Karis. She just got a new job in Atlanta and couldn’t make it down to Orlando, but her daughters, Karissa and Grace, were with us.
We’re finishing up our time in the U.S. with Josh, Jenni, Noah (5), Charlee (3), and Ethan (21 mo.) in their beautiful new home here in Lake Linganore, Maryland. Josh is a leader in an exciting new church plant called “The Collective” in nearby Frederick. They have a Bible study group here in their home on Wednesday evenings, preceded by a potluck meal. It’s such a wonderful group of young couples with a bevy of young children! We’ve been blessed to visit their group twice during this visit, as well as take part in one of their pre-launch events last Sunday. (The official launch will take place in September.)
Since Maryland is usually our last stop before returning home, it’s where Laurie books a dermatology appointment. You may remember that 18 mo. ago she had MOHS surgery to remove a Squamous Cell Carcinoma from her left hand. A week ago she had a biopsy done on a suspicious spot on her right interior ankle that came back positive for Melanoma. Surgery is scheduled for Friday afternoon. We’re very sensitive to this issue, since her precious dad died of melanoma in December ’07. Needless to say, we would greatly appreciate your prayers. (We plan to fly back to Ireland on Saturday, Lord willing.)
Please keep praying for us as we continue to develop a new ministry at Shelton Abbey prison near our home in Co. Wicklow. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your invaluable gifts of love, prayer, and financial support for us and our ministry. There’s a donation link on our website, www.masterlife.org, for those who may want to give online. We also continue to have our snail mail address in Virginia for other giving … Masterlife, Int’l, P.O. Box 4784, Lynchburg, VA 24502.
With incredibly grateful hearts,
Tip and Laurie