A bit of back ground. :) I have known Kari since before I can remember! We both grew up in Indonesia as Missionary kids. Her parents were my dorm parents in high school even! Cliff, I met when our two missionary schools merged into one. I was 12? I think? Cliff's dad was a missionary pilot in Indonesia. So, I have known these two for a long time! :)Currently, Cliff and Kari are in missions training. They have already spent 10 years in training. Between the 3 years in Mission training and the 7 that Cliff has taken learning to fly, these two have given a big chunk of there lives away to our Lord! Cliff and Kari have had many obstacles to over come! Both in getting support from there church and through the many times that they didn't have enough money to get food on the table much less pay of the thousands of dollars in student loans! Pilot training is seriously expensive! These past 10 years Kari and Cliff have spent in training they have not been able to be employed for a majority of the time. Both because of there constant moving and because, during certain phases of training the mission actually forbids the to be employed so that they can focus on there studies. New Tribes Mission, the mission that Kari and Cliff are in, is a faith based mission. This means that Kari and Cliff are not employed to do there job. No one pays them. All the support that Kari and Cliff get is from PEOPLE. The church that sent out Kari and Cliff has only helped them out partially with there finances. This is a big struggle for this couple because for all the work they have put into becoming missionaries, they might not be able to actually GO over seas because they do not currently have enough support for a family of there size to live on. I wounder how most people would deal with it if they had given God EVERYTHING they have and then, after 10 years they still have the obstacle of finances to over come.
Things to think about:
* please pray on what God would have you to do for this family
* please pray that Kari and Cliff will get the support that they need to be able to go over seas.
* please pray for Kari and Cliff as they still have 3 more years of missions training
* please pray that Kari and Cliff will have peace as to what location God is sending them.
* please pray for all pilots that serve as missionaries. They often fly to remote areas of the jungle to provide services (ie bring them groceries and mail) to the missionaries that live there.
