I’ve developed a good friendship with a guy named Jim, a Christian brother. This is such a blessing since there are so few Christians here. Later on that morning, Jim and I were walking to lunch with our new boss, Mark. I had talked with Mark a few times, and from his language and a few other things, his being in spiritual darkness seemed evident; I was hoping to have an opportunity, sometime, to share the gospel with him. Mark was asking Jim what he did at lunch, since he always took a salad back to his room, and Jim said, “Well, I do a study.” Mark said, “What kind of study?” And Jim said, “A Bible study.” Well much to my surprise Mark came back with, “That sounds like something I’d like to be involved with.” Amazing.

It looks like now we’re going to start a Bible study, once a week for now, and I’m going to lead it with R. C. Sproul’s book, The Holiness of God. There are a couple of other Christian men here and I believe that we can have at least five guys to begin with. As I said, what a blessing. I’ve been praying for opportunities to witness ever since I’ve been here, and this might be a great format to witness and disciple at the same time. I’m so grateful to God for this opportunity. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I do pray for you and Nathan and the church. I pray for FTF, knowing that all good God-glorifying things are attacked by Satan. However, I know God has a purpose for our church, and participation in FTF is part of it.
When people ask me what psychiatric counselling is like, I say it is like having your skin pulled off layer by layer without any pain killer. Like an onion I had to have all the veneer and outer layers scraped away to get to the center where I had managed to squelch so much. (I am still having to do that.)
I guess I want you and the FTF team to know that whenever anything is seriously investigated/analysed/explored with the intent to change and “get better,” it really, really hurts. And in fact, if it didn’t, I would question the depth and honestly of the search/counselling.
So, I want to encourage you and every person on the FTF team. Hurting or being hurt is part of the process. Honestly sometimes causes pain, but if dealt with openly and properly, there will be healing and improvement.

Sometimes we try to put a bandage on something, which disguises the hurt, but it can get infected and putrify (like I am now finding in my heart/life). I don’t want to go where I know God is pushing me. I don’t want to hurt and accept responsibility for this place I am in or for contributing so much to being here, but I want to change and I have to choose. And I am afraid, too. No one likes to be examined and picked apart to find the things that need to be “fixed” or looked at properly.

God is working and He is using YOU, Carter, is a powerful to touch the lives of many. You have become a wonderful preacher. God gave us you, “for such a time as thins.” But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. But it will be right(eous).

Actually, I just wanted ask who is on the FTF team and suggest that information be written on the bottom of the bulletin. It is hard to talk to FTF team members if you don’t know who they are. If you have done this alredy and I haven’t been there to read it, I’m sorry.

Blessings abound! Pat White

One afternoon at Canyon Lake, Brooke and I spent time making lists, storyboarding, dreaming, and she drew pictures of all of these things and we came up with a common thread that seems to run through our family. We love story. Story in theatre, story in song, story in TV dramas and films, in novels, we love listening to the stories of others, and we love sharing our story. Most importantly, we see ourselves in God’s story. This drama in which God is redeeming the world through the death and resurrection of his Son and His already/not yet kingdom that is unfolding as we speak. After hours of prayer and meditation on this we came up with this mission for our family. For the next 11 years…”the Caricos exist to know, share, and live out the story of God’s kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Knowing the Story — We will continue to tell one another this story through various means, but we will point back all education and all knowing to this drama.
Sharing the Story — What ways can we as Carico’s share the story of God’s kingdom come in our family? Through relationships and conversation? through music? Through the arts?
Live Out the Story — What ways can we as Carico’s live out the story? Strengthening our family and our extended families…self sacrificial love to one another and to our neighbors who are deeply broken. Also, we decided that some day we want a big garden…subdue and have dominion…this is living out kingdom come on Earth.

There are other things that we dreamed that come under these three headings but I just wanted to share some ways that God is leading us at this time as a family.

I am hoping this mission will give our lives more significance/direction and less chaos. As our kids get older and busier we hope to filter everything we do through this mission. We tried to make it broad enough not to limit God in what he can do through us, but also we wanted to make it defined enough to give our lives focus. If nothing else, it united Brooke and I together. Thanks be to God for his work in our lives!