Symanzik Family Update

James and Kirsten enjoyed playing on the veranda the other day in a down pour!

A message from Kurt.....

What I learned years ago while contemplating the call to missionary service is still true today - missions
desperately needs computer programmers. Computers and the
software that we write helps Bible translation get done faster.

I am currently involved in developing a suite of
web applications that allow missionaries throughout Asia to
collaborate in teams on special projects.
Missionaries are using our software for saving
documentation on best practices, storing meeting notes, doing project planning, uploading and downloading important
documents, collaboratively writing documentation on all sorts of topics in their field of interest, making decisions with other team members, and many other things.

I get geeked about software development. Ok, I realize that you just rolled your eyes and yawned ... my kids do the same thing. Just yesterday Ben asked me what I like about writing
computer programs. Apparently to him programming computers is only slightly more exciting than watching snails sleep.

"Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in
whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work." -- Exodus 36:2

I consider myself a craftsman for the Lord.
In my craft I do not work with silver or gold
or cloth - I work with computer languages,
network security protocols, and the ever
growing list of needs of the missionaries we
serve. Just like the craftsmen whom God called through
Moses, I believe that the Lord has given
me both the skill for the work and the
heart to "come to do the work".

Beth and I would like to thank all of you who are supporting us, both financially and prayerfully. You are partners with
us in building for God's kingdom. Thank you for helping to bring God's Word to the thousands of communities of people
who still do not yet have it.

"The inner child is capable of a spontaneous breakthrough of
emotions, but the Pharisee within represses them.
This is not a question of being an emotional person or a subdued one.

The issue is, Do I express or repress my authentic feelings?

To open yourself to another person, to stop lying about your
loneliness, to stop lying about your fears and hurts,
to be open about your affection,
and to tell others how much they mean to you - this is the
triumph of the child over the Pharisee and the dynamic presence
of the Holy Spirit at work.

Brennan Manning

My Grandma Annie would be around 127 years old today if she was still alive!
She lived with my family when I was growing up from the time I was 5 until I was 16 when she died at the age of 94.
She was wheel-chair-bound all those years due to a fractured thigh bone that never did heal right.
But she didn't let that dampen her spirits. She ironed clothes, helped make dinner, taught me to make pie crusts and how to bake bread. She also taught me to crochet.
She loved to listen to Paul Harvey "and now, the rest of the story."
She was a firm believer in the benefits of gargling with listerine daily.
She was a prayer warrior and knew her Bible well. If you wondered where something was in the Bible, she usually knew.
She used to tell me stories about her growing up years; life in Chicago and her time in an orphanage. She'd talk about her dad and sister. My Grandma had a wonderful laugh and she liked fun. She was a special lady and a person who meant a lot to me in my growing up years. I'm thankful for her and her example.

Psalm 71: 17 - 19
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,

and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Kurt and Mark have been working hard on some really cool computer software. Kurt could tell you much more about it than I can! They are traveling to Singapore and Bangkok in a couple weeks for some meetings! Pray for their safety and that the meetings go well.