2003-08-07
August 2003
The Bell’s are back in Texas and we give thanks for:
· Smooth packing and customs clearance! We stored 9 tubs in Taipei & we arrived safely with all 10 bags intact in Dallas! We can’t help but wonder how the missionaries of old had one trunk for personal belongings to serve overseas, and often those were even stolen or destroyed.
· Our Resident Visas and ARC were placed in our anxious hands the day before we departed Taiwan (Friday July 18th). Yea!
· We endured the long flight and the 5-hour layover in Tokyo (20 hrs total.)
· We had a grand reunion with Paige and Travis & our families. They successfully pulled off a surprise Birthday Party for Fran!
· We are especially thankful for the mission house provided through Casa View Baptist Church and for transportation provided through family and friends.
On arrival, we received a “pounding” from friends & co-workers of family members, stocking our pantry with some basic needs. How creative and helpful!
We are just about over jet lag. The first 10 days, we fell in the bed between 8 & 9 each night & awoke at 4 am every morning. It’s nice to greet the coolest part of the day as we attempt to acclimate to the western world again.
Many of you may wonder, “What will they be doing for 5 months?”
Obviously spending time with loved ones and getting a little R&R. We helped Travis pack and clean up his leased house and then move to Ft. Worth last weekend. He will continue to come attend worship service at Lake Pointe, so we expect to see him often. We will visit Paige in OKC this weekend, hoping to see her as often as possible.
Jackie will continue to do administrative work on this side of the world through the Internet. Our former Adult Bible Fellowship class at LP church has already pressed him into service to teach again. We will attend Bible Study Fellowship Area Workshops here in Texas so that we can stay abreast of the Israel & Minor Prophets study. This will prepare us to resume our teaching rolls with BSF in Taiwan upon our return in January.
One of the major responsibilities we have is to gather our household furnishings and personal belongings that have been scattered & stored here in the Dallas area the past 3-years. Please pray that we will systematically be able to sort and make wise decisions to know what to sell and what to prepare for a crate to Taiwan. The mission provides a crate for us to ship furniture, etc to Taipei as Career Associates with the IMB. We will also need to purchase household items to replace those that were given away or sold 3 years ago. Again, we are reminded of the simple living of the missionaries of old, and truly seek to make wise purchases and to take with us only what is practical and necessary to set up an apartment when we return to Taipei.
After the dust settles, we will give our testimony and mission presentation to a few churches. Hopefully our sharing will raise interest and knowledge of mission involvement with the IMB in area churches. We also hope to establish new prayer partners for our work in Taiwan. We know experientially, that we cannot successfully serve without prayer!
We will take part in “Appointment Week” the 2nd week of September, designed specifically for those being appointed as career missionaries with the International Mission Board. We would like to invite each of you to attend the appointment service on September 9, in Austin, TX. We understand that most of you will be unable to attend, but please remember us in prayer during that time, for it will be a very meaningful time, marking our appointment as Career Associates with the IMB. We feel very honored and yet very humbled to be called by God and given the opportunity to serve with a Christ centered, great commission driven organization.
THE APPOINTMENT SERVICE will be held on Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at Great Hills Baptist Church, 10500 Jollyville Road, Austin, Texas 78759.
For those of you who plan to attend the appointment service we have directions and some hotel info, just email us!
Lastly, we want to share something very touching and to ask you to pray for the daughter of some dear friends from our home church. Wayne and Brenda Daily’s 34-year-old daughter, Buneva Richardson has been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Buneva and her husband Andrew are parents of 2 young children. Brenda & Wayne have gone to Colorado to be by their side during this very difficult time. Please join us in prayer as we ask for the Lord to be glorified through this young Christian family. Pray the chemo treatments can begin soon and that they will be effective (the doctors will not begin chemo until she has more fully recovered from gall blader surgery). Of course in our humanness, we ask for healing, but pray that God will use Buneva’s illness for His greater purpose, no matter the outcome. We know that this family will appreciate your prayers on their behalf.
We look forward to seeing each of you sometime during our stateside stay.
In His Hand with you,
Jackie & Fran
Our current contact info (until Jan 4, 2004):
Jackie & Fran Bell
2667 San Medina Ave.
Dallas, TX. 75228
214-320-1768
Both of us: jandf@thebellsite.com Fran: Fran@thebellsite.com Jackie: Jackie@thebellsite.com
We hope to update the web page soon:
http://www.thebellsite.com/
