Words of the Year

In North Carolina for two weeks in November we enjoyed the Chinese Lantern Festival in Cary NC. We also took Nancy Washington, Lisa’s mom, to see the Atlantic Coast and seashore for the first time since she’s lived in North Carolina.

Dear Friends,

​We wish you all a Happy New Year! Tomorrow, we return to Malaysia, with hearts that are grateful for good times connecting with family and friends and hopeful for fruitful ministry in the months to come.
Word of the Year: The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2022 was goblin mode, which I’d never heard of, and Merriam Webster’s was gaslighting, which I hope we all hear less of. I was intrigued while on a personal retreat last week by a prompt in the retreat guide to ask God for a word that summed up the previous year and one that expressed my hopes for the coming year. (This retreat guide was excellent and can be found here, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a quick download.) My word of the year for 2022 was journey--if you’ve been reading these letters at all, that should seem a good fit! The word that emerged for me for 2023 was treasure. I hope to do better at treasuring the people in my life, listening better while I’m with them and expressing my care well from a distance. I hope to be like Mary and treasure the words I read in Scripture (Luke 2:19), and like the Magi who generously shared their treasures as an act of worship (Mt. 2:11). I hope to live in the deep knowledge of how much God treasures us (Ex. 19:5) and that Christ is the one in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3). As you look ahead to the new year, I wonder if a word or phrase emerges for you?
Prayer Requests

• Safety as we travel: in part due to the airline snafus in the US and in part to save money, we have quite a lengthy route back to Malaysia—we leave LAX for San Francisco, have a 22-hour layover there, then a 9-hour layover in Japan, and then on to Malaysia. With the time changes, we leave on December 31st (tomorrow as we write and send this) and land the morning of the January 3rd! We teach a class that evening, so please pray for smooth flights and minimal jet lag.
• Our visas: we know we’ve mentioned this many times, but this time we have real reason to hope for them to come while we’re on the 90-day tourist visa with which we’re entering the country this week. The agency processing our long-term visa has indicated that this is a realistic timetable. This would dramatically increase our ability to make long-range plans, as well as help us set down roots in Malaysia pragmatically (e.g., we could get a bank account) and emotionally.
• Lisa’s mom: Nancy’s heart went into atrial fibrillation the day after Thanksgiving. A cardioversion procedure worked well, and she is doing fine currently. We enjoy her still-sharp mind and wit, and Lisa has a video chat about every other day with her. But we do keep her health in our prayers and hold our plans somewhat lightly in case of a need for Lisa or both of us to return to North Carolina.

A Book to Celebrate! (And to Rate!)
If you are a donor or a Facebook friend, you already know that the book, Resonate, How to Preach for Deep Connection, came into print mid-December. If you haven’t had a chance, check it out here and consider buying a copy for yourself or as a gift for a pastor, campus minister, or seminarian friend. I stated elsewhere that you can only review a book on Amazon that you have purchased there. This is not true! I would greatly appreciate if you would rate and review it on Amazon. It’s quicker than you’d think—don’t feel a need to compose an essay. Two sentences would be great.
We’re so grateful to you all for your prayers and care!

PS: Below see images of our precious children during our visit with them in North Carolina: Becca and Avery with their dog Sierra. Mark and Leslie enjoying fall tree colors that they rarely see at home in Dubai!