Dear friends and family,
Greetings from Spokane, Washington! We have arrived! On April 29th we
drove our car filled with everything we owned and deemed "move worthy'"
onto the I-90 interstate ramp near Bill's parents house and headed west.
During the 5 day trip (with a one day break to explore Custer State
Park) we said over and over to each other, "This is really happening!"
Sunday afternoon we drove up to the AirBnb where we are staying while
serving as JAARS reps at the Moody Aviation Missions Conference.We
arrived tired, but rejoicing for a safe journey. Thank you for all those
who prayed us through this trip.
The first praise was the opportunity to watch our son Cullen join in marriage to Katie Ito at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis on April 18. The ceremony was Christ centered and a true celebration of bringing two lives together. Our family, that came from Chicago and Omaha representing both the Carrera and Rast families, along with Katie's family from Indianapolis, and many additional friends joined the happy couple for this occasion. It was exciting to witness Cullen and Katie vow before God and guests their commitment to Him and to each other.
The second praise is that God raised up supporters and churches to supply the amount needed to begin our work here in Spokane. Only days before our trip, we received an email from Wycliffe saying we have met our 80% goal which allows us to begin our next assignment here at Moody Aviation. We saw His hand at work as slowly but steadily new partners joined out team and others recommitted at higher amounts. By the end of April it was all in place. For those who indicated that they will begin a new monthly gift with us, the easiest way is to give through our Wycliffe link. We have also seen God's hand directing the move and now have answers to the question "where will you live?" Moody Bible Institute is building apartments for the new students and have requested us to be Missionaries in Residence in that apartment building for our first year here. The apartments are nearing completion, and until they are finished, we will be renting a basement apartment at another Moody staff's home nearby.
These two big items were specific answers to your prayers! Please continue to pray for us during the next season. Here are things we are asking God for in this next season. (And can't wait to give you a report in our next letter.)
1. Pray for us this first week as we meet students and staff during the annual Moody Mission's conference. We are excited to be here encouraging young people to follow God's call on their lives. Joy will be flying with a few students and providing them with feedback during their flight training.
2. Pray for us as we have initial talks with our immediate supervisors regarding start date and expectations. There is still some paperwork and logistics to work out before we can start learning our new jobs. Speaking of "learning" please be in prayer for Joy as she studies the FAA regulations again and prepares for renewing her Certified Flight Instructor license this summer.
3. Lastly pray for us as we search for a local church, get to know the town of Spokane, change our address, find doctors and all the many tasks of moving to a new area.
We are so grateful for each and everyone who has reached out to us in the past few weeks, joined our support team, and encouraged us through this move.
In Christ,
Bill and Joy Carrera
