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This weekend our family was able to participate in a rewarding activity. We collected items from  church members to give to the surrounding community. Flyers were sent home with kids from an area school and we had a good response as several hundred people came through our doors and took home clothing, furniture, and other goods.

People thanked us saying how timely it was to be receiving these things. There were many baby items that new mothers were able to take and use. Several items also went to some families affected by an apartment fire.

It was a good day when “my stuff” became “God’s stuff.” I hope that can happen more often.

First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer and support. Unfortunately we have not raised enough funds to meet our target date for departure for language school. This is disappointing to us, but we just see it as a bump in the road.

We plan to continue to move forward with fundraising over the next few months with a goal of starting language school in September.  Please let us know if you think your church might be interested in hearing about the current and future work planned in Togo!

We had a great Thanksgiving week with Beth’s family near St. Louis. It’s a full house, but we really enjoy our time with everyone.

The week was topped off by coming back to Memphis to see my extended family. My sister’s youngest, Sophie, was baptized by my Dad Sunday morning at Holmes Road. We had a “birthday” celebration afterward at my parent’s house. My foster sister Valeria was also present, so it was a great day all around!

Mark and Nicole Kennell, our teammates, have made a new video about their work in Togo. You can see it here: http://gallery.me.com/mkennell#100244

See the Richardson newsletter here:

http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=172370-bbab60

I just received an email saying we have been accepted to French language school  in Sherbrooke, Quebec. It feels good to be wanted.:)

Now we just need to raise the rest of our funds so we can move there in January. Please pray for the money to come in!

Our plan is to move to Parole de Vie in Sherbrooke, Quebec in January to immerse ourselves in French language learning before moving to Togo. Once we are in Togo, we will be able to use our French to get settled and also to have a French tutor who will teach us Kabiye, the language spoken by the people there.

Learning language is not just a verbal exercise. Having someone speak your own language says something even more powerful to that person. You are valued. You are important enough that I would take time to understand your words so I can speak and listen to you. Not learning the language well would make conversations more one-sided and open even more opportunities for misunderstanding.

Language learning also provides an opportunity to teach the incarnation of Christ, who became like us so we could become like Him.

I’m taking a break from our fundraising updates to ask a question.  What makes a church sustainable? Sustainability has to do with endurance, and passing the torch to future generations. Sustainability is an important word in missions, because missionaries know that they won’t, and shouldn’t, stay around a new place forever. Doing so would stunt the growth of local leaders.

But aren’t the same principles at work in America? How important is it for a church to be passing the torch to the next generation, or even to new people? Churches spend some much energy in just maintaining. It takes a lot of time to get worship and classes planned each week, clean and repair the facilities, and meet members needs. Who has time and energy left over for leadership development? Do we even know how to develop the next generation?

I’m thinking specifically about our teens and college students. I worry about their faith. We have programs for them, but I’m not sure how much they are growing into leaders. They may be too immature to handle responsibility we say. What are the other options, watching them disappear into a faith wilderness? These are tough questions. As I raise my own children, I will not be content with easy answers.

We spend a lot of time as a church discussing the best ways to reach others. Maybe we should put just as much time, thought, and prayer into how we’re developing our kids to have a lasting faith. The answers, and questions, may not be the ones we currently have.

Our family enjoyed our visit with Beth’s extended family in Illinois. We also had the opportunity to share our Togo plans with Fairview Heights Church of Christ.  Several of them seemed very excited about the work there.  Many of the people at the church have known Beth for a long time. We know they will be supportive of us through prayer even if nothing works out financially. Of course we’re hoping that a financial partnership can happen as well.

We submitted our applications for language school in Quebec last week. Our friends the Heads have already been accepted for January, which is when we also hope to go.

Finally, we had a wonderful weekend back in Memphis when our daughter Katie decided to be baptized. We are so proud of her!

We will be travelling this month to Fairview Heights, Illinois to speak about our move to Togo. Beth will be presenting to the children’s classes and Ryan will be speaking to a combined adult Sunday school. Please pray for us that our trip will be safe and mutually encouraging.

Our planned leave date for Quebec is January 2011 to learn French. The school there is encouraging us to stay for a year to get our French to a proficient level for work in Togo. Those currently working and who have worked in Togo have also encouraged us to stay at language school as long as possible to help us have a smoother and quicker adjustment once we reach Togo. This is longer than we had planned, so please pray as we think about this timeline.