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Prayer Letter ArchiveJuly 2005Where In The World Are The...Ryders?
Our return from Papua New Guinea via Hawaii was a wonderfully good time as we gradually reunited as a family. We all arrived in Chicago June 6th. From that time it has been a whirlwind! We are approaching 9000 miles of travel that has included jaunts to Jackson MI, Waukesha WI, Calabash NC and Pittsburgh PA. Though it has been busy it has been great to be back Stateside as we connect with relatives and friends both old and new. Jordan (19) and Grant (16) are eager to get their driving licenses whenever we get to that stage of remaining in one place long enough to accomplish that task. Lindsay is enjoying all the shopping opportunities! Grant's health continues to improve. Thank you for praying. He has gained some weight but still has quite a few pounds to put back on. Thankfully his energy level has increased. He has even been able to begin playing some basketball. We ask for your continued prayers as we settle back into life (housing, furniture, car etc.) on this side of the ocean. It's great to be back. Prayer Needs
Earlier in July...Hello! As expected we have hit the road running and have been on a whirlwind ever since. The special surprises of my arrival in PNG and Grant's arrival in Hawaii as we traveled back to the USA went well. After catching our breath in Schererville, IN and two quick jaunts to Wisconsin and Michigan, we traveled to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. As of this writing we have not yet determined for sure where we will be locating while here in the USA. Several months ago we decided that it may be best to stay in the USA for two years rather than just our furlough year. Our thinking is that Grant has had such a difficult two years that, if in our power, we need to provide some stability in his life. If we decided to return as planned, Grant would be Stateside for our furlough year and would return to PNG for his senior year. After which we would return to the USA again to assure he settled into his young adult life. All in all, a lot of transition. Because of the decision to stay Stateside for two years, we ran into a complication regarding where we could locate. Our initial plan was to work out of a location in the Pittsburgh area for the furlough year. With the two year plan, we felt it would be defeating the purpose of creating a stable environment for Grant if we would have to move to relocate after the first year. Hence, we desire to stay in one place for that two year period. In working through some of these details with NTM headquarters' office we became aware of government regulations regarding non-profit mission organizations and home assignment issues. We are permitted a furlough year after having been abroad for 4+ years. However, we need to have some role within the home structure of NTM to retain active status for that second year. It does not appear that we can do that in the Pittsburgh area. So we are considering some options at our training centers. Please pray with us (especially in the next few days) as we need to make a decision soon. We are all doing well. Grant's health has improved gradually to where he is functioning (eating & energy) at a more normal level. He still needs to gain some weight but has put on 10 pounds or more in the last few weeks. We rejoice in his improvement and he is well on his way to being ready for normal activity by the start of school. Jordan is enjoying being back but is eager to get on with life. Because we have not been in any one area and have not settled where we will be staying, some of the areas like getting a driver's license and learning to drive have been delayed. He's itching to drive, get his own car and get a cell phone! Lindsay has been enjoying the opportunity of seeing new things and doing some shopping. Joy and I have been enjoying the time with friends and relatives. It has been tiresome but the fun kind of tiresome. Thanks so much for the continued prayers and interest on our behalf. With love from our family, Jeff |
