Here we come!

Howdy everyone! I hope and pray this note finds you all well. Things have been going non-stop for us! We finished our seminar we held May 22-24 on the subject of Tithing. As I mentioned in my last report, RJ taught this seminar for us. This was his first opportunity to teach a seminar for us and he really seemed to enjoy it. The topic of tithing is a big issue in the religious world. Many religious groups teach that even today we are meant to tithe. The first time we read of tithing being commanded is in Leviticus 27, in the Israelite law. The collection was meant to help provide for the Levites who did not receive an inheritance when they entered the Promised Land. The New Testament makes no mention of this command carrying forward to the New Agreement, but rather says that "...God loves a cheerful giver..." (2 Corinthians 9:7) and that giving is meant to be something we decide. Some religious groups implement tithing and go so far as visiting the houses of their members and getting their financial records to "help" them compute how much they "owe" to the church. This causes many people to be wary of religious groups. As such a controversial topic it really can illustrate how important proper Bible study is, which is what we are looking for to draw people in ,

We started classes for Session 5 on May 27 and things have been going very smoothly for us. We are currently in week 4 of our classes and things have been going well. We have several students who have asked for special schedules and have kept all our teachers very busy! Amy and I have had a difficult time because we can't teach this session due to our furlough schedule. Everyone has been enjoying and the office is quite the traffic hub :).

Saturday Children's classes are going well now, we've started teaching the New Testament stories. This week we talked about the birth of Jesus. Usually we divide the group into two, the younger (aged 4-7) and older children (aged 8 up). I usually teach the older group, which can be quite large! I taught for the last time this last Saturday and am passing my group to Gina who will handle it while I'm gone. Please keep that in your prayers.

Since the beginning of this session Amy and I have been making preparations for our trip tonight. We have been paying bills, buying things, cleaning, trying not to freak out, the usual . We leave in 6 hours!!! Aaaah! On the one hand I am dreading this trip because we will be apart from our immediate family and our usual routine, especially considering that Amy and I are going for the first time without our parents. It is going to be a struggle, I am certain, but I know that the Lord is on our side. On the other hand I think it is going to be something of an adventure. We have been lent a car and have made plans for traveling already, so we may see you before you know it! Amy and I leave Cebu City at 8 PM tonight (7 AM Central time) and should arrive in Houston, TX at 12 noon June 18. Please keep Amy and I in your prayers, as well as our family we are leaving behind. I've got to go and finish some last minute preparations and packing; you always forget SOMETHING while traveling. See you all soon!

In him,
Sara Murrell