Crouse Update - January 2006

Hi there. A few days ago I celebrated my 43rd birthday...can you believe it? A birthday is always a good time to reflect on one's life. Since mine comes about a week after the beginning of a new year, I have twice the reminder to pause. The primary thing that has weighed on my heart is the fact that we now have no clear date for returning to Haiti. We had been hoping for March 1, but as the end of December came, it became apparent that it wasn't going to hold up. In fact, events are such that it is practically impossible to predict when the security in Port-au-Prince will improve and we will be given the OK to return. At first, this was very unsettling, but on New Year's Day we sang a song in church that Becky and I have taken as our theme song for this year: God Will Make a Way (by Don Moen). It goes like this:

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

That song is based on Proverbs 3:5,6. It's about trusting God completely; allowing him to lead our lives. We don't know what tomorrow will hold, but we know that when we let God take charge, the outcome will be the best one possible. So that's our hope. This isn't a period that is of no use. God has a purpose in it. We're going to learn and watch how God moves.

Alena just passed the 4 month mark of her precious life. Tonight she was introduced to a couple spoonfuls of some rice cereal (Makes you hungry, doesn't it?). She is in good health and we marvel at how she is developing so quickly.

Marissa had a good time with her cousins over Christmas. She really liked the tunnel with lights and music at the Detroit airport on the way to see family in North Carolina. She also liked riding the escalators, people-mover, and tram.

We are scheduling more speaking engagements for the coming weeks. Our schedule can be found at: http://www.geneseemissions.org/gccrouse.htm

We enjoyed Christmas cards and email greetings from so many people. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Thanks also for your prayers for Haiti and our friends and co-workers still there.

While we wait on God, we look forward to what He has in store for us.

J.R (Becky, Marissa, and Alena)

	Genesee Conference Missions Promotion Team A grassroots, layperson effort to partner with local churches and districts to encourage increased awareness of, involvement in and financial support of missions.