Thanksgiving

Dear friends,

As we look back on several days of Thanksgiving, we are very thankful that we've had this time to celebrate with our families in Minnesota. God has been so good to us! We are thankful for times of worship in our home church, as well as other churches we've had the privilege of visiting, and for the different groups that have invited us to share with them about our work in West Africa.

We are thankful to be a part of SIM's Western Africa Area (WAFA), working in leadership, administration and member care. Our personal vision statement says "Dave and Mary Decker long to see joyful missionaries effectively spreading a passion for God's glory in West Africa. Our aim is to serve missionaries by offering quality leadership and administrative support."

The needs are significant, and the opportunities are many. As we look ahead to January, we note that the WAFA Council meetings are scheduled for January 14-16. Council is the once-each-year time when leaders from each of our four WAFA countries (Senegal, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea) come together to make decisions regarding ministry strategy, as well as to pray together and encourage one another-- with the goal of continually improving effectiveness in sharing the light of Christ in West Africa. The meetings were originally scheduled for November, but were re-scheduled to January for several reasons, one of which is the hope that Dave and I will be able to participate.

We need you to continue to pray that our support needs will be met. We have sent a letter to our "snail mail" list as well as email partners, letting our needs be known and asking for those who feel led to be part of our work to let us know their plans. We need to have concrete information by December 15 in order to keep the January 7 departure date. We still have a significant need for monthly support, as well as one-time gifts. We're very grateful to report that $2,200 has been sent (or promised) in one-time gifts. A few of our current financial partners have also said that they are able to increase their monthly giving.

We know that many of our prayer partners and even financial partners are in situations where they are not able to increase their financial support, and we definitely understand that. We are excited about the way that God is working in the lives of many of our partners, including some heading out to the mission field themselves! We also grieve with some who have suffered significant financial setbacks that will not allow them to continue our support, and pray that the Lord will meet their needs in His best way. Above all this, we know that it is GOD who called us to this work, and that HE will be faithful to provide all that we need. We ask you to join us in praying, and waiting to see how HE will work it out-- maybe through some who receive our letters, and maybe in other ways that we have not even dreamed about.

In the meantime we look forward to Joey's return to the States on December 13, and Danny's arrival on December 19. We think it will be great to be together as a family for ten days over the Christmas time! We continue to pray for the healing of Joey's wrist, as he works on painful rehabilitation exercises. And we thank you for your prayers and for your encouragement in our lives. Your partnership with us is one more thing for which we are very thankful in this season of Thanksgiving.

With hope firmly in HIM,
Mary
for the Dakar Deckers