Robert and Cirena Smith
ETHNOS 360 – PHILIPPINES
International travel restrictions have wreaked havoc on missionaries who had planned to return to their home countries on home assignment this summer, or return to their field of service after a year-long home assignment. After some delays, Robert, Cirena and Sheila were able to depart the Philippines and return to the States, and have completed their two-week quarantine in New Mexico.
We are grateful for how the Lord has provided and, for now, we have most of what we need which includes a mostly-furnished home, transportation, new cell SIM cards for both my wife and daughter, and other essentials as we settle back into the USA. Thanks for praying for these, and we still have a few needs that you can be praying about.
- Eventually we will need a new vehicle as the one we are using now is only available until the middle of October.
- I’ll need a new cell phone for myself as apparently the one I brought from the Philippines is too old for SIM cards here in the US.
- With our daughter starting college soon, she will need a laptop of her own.
- With myself still working from home on behalf of the E360 Church Planters in the Philippines, I’ll need a desk to work from.
- Likewise with Sheila doing at least part of her college from home, she too will need a desk to work from.
In addition to those material needs, please be praying for Sheila as she was disappointed that her start date for Grand Canyon University has been postponed until after Labor Day, meaning she won’t be allowed to move onto the campus until later in September. This is due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Arizona.
Facing obstacles to get back home is only the first step for missionaries who live in one world for several years, then need to set up for life for one year here in the USA. Beyond gathering items for their short period here, pray for the cultural adjustments that need to be made. Missionaries often find themselves ‘parachuting’ into a much different environment than the one they left four or five years ago. This is especially true this year. And pray for Sheila and other children of foreign workers who are taking a huge step into university life after growing up in a foreign country. In the end, pray the Smiths can return to their field of service refreshed by their family and church friends, knowing their daughter is settled in school, and prepared for whatever God has in store for them in their new term.