Yet Another Significant Transition

As dear friends and faithful partners in our ministry with FH Peru we want to communicate to you about some major changes the Lord is leading us through.

An Opportunity
A few months back FH asked Ryan to consider serving in a position in their Washington DC office as director of Food Security and Livelihoods programs.  This position helps to raise resources and provide technical and administrative assistance for FH fields in the areas of food security (agriculture, livestock, natural resource management, water and sanitation) and livelihoods (microfinance, economic development).  It also entails a significant portion of travel, mostly to FH projects in Ethiopia, DR Congo, Mozambique and Burundi.

Ryan went to DC and interviewed for the position a few weeks back and last week accepted the position.

The Decision Making Process
This opportunity, although unexpected, felt somewhat right from the beginning.  There were some doubts in the way of it being a simple decision; including things like our family's ability to make another significant international move, the timing for FH Peru, the pace and cost of life in greater DC, and the travel required of the position.  During this decision making process God was clear at making straight our path allowing us to accept this change with much peace and enthusiasm.  Our children have been amazingly open and excited, as well our extended family.  Ryan's supervisor and other FH leaders have been highly supportive, and Ryan's visit to Washington DC helped ease concerns about maintaining a work-life balance and life in DC.  Though we anticipate challenges during the transition from Lima to DC, we have felt God's confirmation that this is the path He has us to walk in.  We are accepting this challenge with joy.  

Transition Timeline
Ryan will be transitioning out of his responsibilities with FH Peru in mid June and help to facilitate a hiring process for his successor as Country Director.  We will depart from Peru in late June to Seattle for a few weeks of connecting with family and preparing for our DC move which will be in early August.  Ryan and Angela will head to northern Virginia in early July to look for a place to live.

Support Implications

We feel that following this opportunity allows us to continue to follow God's call on our lives and our passion to help advance the kingdom of God through serving the poor.  In doing so we remain convinced of the need to be supported through prayer and connectedness.  We will continue to communicate through a blog (and who knows, maybe even get more consistent with it!) and seek your prayer support.

Financially, this position is already funded for the next few years through a series of already received grants.  Thus we are not required to raise personal financial support.  The support we continue to raise will be assigned directly to the budget Ryan manages to fund FH's food security and livelihood projects.
Therefore we are coming to a place where we ask you to discuss with God about your gifts and offerings to us.  The nature of this change releases you from your commitment to our personal financial support.  However, if FH's mission and practice has inspired you the same way it has us, we encourage you to consider continuing your support to food security and livelihoods programs, or in other areas such as to FH Peru, child sponsorship, or to support other staff.

We will remain on support with FH Peru through the end of July and ask our monthly supporters to continue until then.  Would you please also let us know if and how you would like to continue to support FH's ministry?

On a very personal note it is deeply important to us that you know how your financial partnership has been used to form and transform us as individuals.  Your support has sent us to serve in Bolivia, the DR, Indonesia, Peru, as well as to study in Seattle.  These  experiences have changed the way we look at and interact with the world, understand God and our citizenship in his kingdom, and has formed us into the people we are today - which we think is an improvement from 12 years ago when we started!  Thank you.  God has used your generosity to bless our lives tremendously, and in the process, we believe we have been able to make some important contributions to the kingdom of God where we have been called.  Praise God for uniting us together in this ministry.


Please Join with us in Prayer:

• FH Peru director hiring process 
• FH Peru staff adjusting to the transition
• Kids' (and parents') emotional adjustment during this transition
• Finding a school and home in northern Virigina
• Adjustment in Virginia
• Maintain our eyes on Jesus Christ during this process and not on ourselves