GoWests!

Immediately at the end of the school year we packed up the family into our trusty Toyota, and headed out to visit California-family on a road trip of over 2600 miles.  Ten days later we headed back to Montana, where I spent a quick week preparing to go to Hawaii and pioneer our leadership training school “DTS Equip” at our Kona campus.  Eden joined me for the first week of preparations, until the rest of the family arrived.  We had a really fun time together traveling, playing, and setting up for the 6 week school.

After many years of conversation and planning, we have now planted our leadership and staff training school, DTS Equip, in Kona.  We call it “Pacific Equip” for the greater region it is intended to serve.  For strategic reasons we limited enrollment to school leaders, or those with 2-staffing experiences.  A small, but very fruitful school, with representatives from various Kona DTSs, Montana DTS, International Korean DTS, and the Discipleship Bible School.  It was run at a newer campus there, the YWAM Ships campus.  We are now planning on running number 2: same location, same time, 2018.

Some of the highlights for us was (yes) being back in Kona as a family, but also seeing other family and so many friends made many years ago. For me (Jeremy) it was very rewarding to see this school planted there, and to see so much other fruit remaining after all of these years.  We were able to reconnect with co-workers and dear friends from over 15 years ago, who are still out there in the world doing ministry and mission work (see 2 photos at end).  I was able to have some of them in my class, now teaching on missions, pioneering and cross-cultural ministry.

Another plus was a small-group leadership seminar I ran for a church there.

My brother Andrew is one of the pastors there and with his wife Jane, they organized a series of training events.  It was very fun, well-received and successful. It was such a privilege to be part of their growth (you can hear 2 of the 3 sessions at http://livingstones.us/howtodisciple).

In other Equip news, we also ran two other DTS Equips in 2017: Montana, and Ukraine.  That makes 22 Equips run over 11 years, training 368 participants from 31 nations, and working in even more.  Time flies!

 

Here in Montana all eyes are now fixed on the coming cold, and school year.  The kids are now back in school.  They are growing up so well and we are very proud of them.  Samuel is in 10th grade, is 15 years old, and driving!  Joel is 13 and in 8th grade.  Eden, almost 10 and loving the 4th grade! (Heaven help us – more science projects!).

Thank you for following, encouraging and supporting us.  I (Jeremy) am eager to see some of you in Australia in Oct/Nov as I head Down-Under for a much needed visit.  It has been 7+ years since I set foot on home-soil, and I have been feeling an urgency to re-visit.

Love to you all!