Excerpt from our latest letter...long read, but we like to think it's worth it! ;)

Being a half-American, half-Canadian couple brings both joys and trials. It is a trial having to have a border between our families. It is a trial having to get citizenship to both countries just so we can live either place when needed. It is a trial moving our possessions not across state lines, but across country lines. However it is also a joy to have a few extra holidays. For instance, Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October while American Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. Who could complain over two turkey dinners? J So we write this letter with a spirit of thanksgiving: thankfulness to God for all He has done and for all He is.

On Canadian Thanksgiving Day Emily wanted to say “Happy Thanksgiving” to our neighbor, Mr. Bob. Mr. Bob has a special place in Emily’s heart for a few reasons: he has a dog and he gave the girls an amazing sled with a steering wheel. As Emily went to say Happy Thanksgiving she hadn’t quite worked out how to say “thanksgiving” and so instead of saying “Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Bob” she said, “Happy thank you to giving Mr. Bob the sled.” J As we thank God, we are thankful for what God has given us. We do not take for granted the food on our table or our warm beds. When we find ourselves feeling worried over money, food, or our future we have seen God provide abundantly. We publicly say “thank you God” for taking such good care of us. We also want to thank God for who He is, because it is His character in which we take great comfort.

We thank you for praying with us regarding our future. We firmly believe God is answering those prayers. In our last letter we asked you to pray with us about the possibility of helping a small community unite their churches: sharing resources and providing a unified outpouring of Christ’s love to the community. While we felt it would be a good ministry to be involved in, God did not give us peace about it and recently shut the doors to it. Thank you God for directing us. Since that time we also have had a few more doors close, all of which we are thankful to God for showing us a glimpse of where He wants us to be…or rather where He doesn’t want us to be!

We met with our missions organization today. Please pray with us about the possibility of being involved in a fairly new ministry. Henry would be utilizing his computer skills to benefit others in places and countries where technology is not as developed. He would be building relationships with locals through mentoring and training using technology as a medium. For those of you who are not computer savvy, you know how difficult it can be getting technical support. Imagine how much more difficult it is for missionaries or mission teams overseas. There are a few projects lined up that Henry would be able to assist in including: refurbishing computers to be used by the poor, helping missionaries deal with maintenance and computer problems so that they can continue serving effectively and keep in contact with their support team back home, and helping set up an internet café in another country. This particular internet café is in a location where solar panels would be needed and internet would have to be brought in by cells. It has been asked for by the local missions team in hopes of providing jobs for young people who have absolutely no where else to turn. The underlying mission of course will be a place for Christ to be presented to people, Christ’s love in action. Doing computer work for the sake of doing computer work is meaningless. On the other hand, doing computer work for the advancement of the Kingdom, for Christ’s glory – that is something entirely different! Please pray with us as we seek God’s will for us in this. We are anxious to get involved in ministry again. We will update our blog as soon as we have any more information. Our blog address is: http://theotherchungfamily.blogspot.com/

We ask that as you look towards a new year that you would consider pledging your financial support as we begin our new adventure. We plan on being in full-time ministry by May 2009, if not sooner. Please let us know if you would be willing to partner with us in faith as we pursue God’s direction.

Finally please continue to pray for Amy’s Dad. He has been fighting another round of pneumonia. This is the third time he has had pneumonia this year. His oxygen levels have also been very low at night so he is on oxygen at night and will be tested for sleep apnea soon. Health-wise this has been a discouraging year for them. We are praying for a healthy winter for Dad.

May you find many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving season!

In Christ’s Abundant Love,

Henry, Amy, Emily (3) & Katie (22 months)