Preparing to Leave

Welcome:

Hello everyone and thank you for reading! As our imminent departure draws near at a rapid pace, we are doing everything we can to hold on and enjoy the ride. Rachel and I have had two speaking engagements this past month where we asked for more supporters. We are so grateful for the opportunity to speak at our home church (New Hope International Christian Center) and then at the GDA (Global Dental Alliance) monthly meeting. The Lord has provided new monthly supporters and several one-time donations! Praise Jesus!

Encouragement We Have Received:

Our current church home has been amazing and so encouraging, for letting us speak on a Sunday, and offering to be our sending church! We have met many believers there who seem genuinely interested in what the Lord is doing in our lives.

When we spoke at GDA, there was a man there who was an MK. He was so encouraging to my kids. I was grateful to hear his perspective. He mentioned that he learned to play the guitar while he was an MK. This really struck me because I was asked to teach elementary music for grades K-6th. I haven’t taught music in many years, but I am grateful for the opportunity to do it for Jesus!

We have had friends and family members shake our hands and leave cash in them, a former pastor reach out at a time when we really needed encouragement, friends reach out and tell us they are proud of us, etc. I am so grateful to my mentor, Chuck, who disciples me. He, and a handful of others have reached out and are praying for our family regularly. He has been a constant source of encouragement for our family for several years and I am grateful to Jesus for him in our lives. I pray that everyone has the chance to be discipled, disciple someone else, and have someone who pushes you to be a better disciple of Jesus.

Our Current Preparations:

We have been visiting every thrift store in our area to prepare for years without access to conveniences easily accessible here in the U.S. We received a list from the local missionaries in Papua New Guinea of things to bring. We have so many shoes for the kids for the next couple years. We have been purchasing clothes for the children to wear now and grow into as well. We have been clearing out the tiny home we live in, and donating back to the same thrift stores we’ve been frequenting. With timelines moving along we are hoping to have all we need before we go in mid-August.

When Are We Leaving?

We have all the paperwork approved for Rachel and myself. We are only waiting for our three kids’ visas to be approved. Once they have been approved and their passports are stamped, we will be able to book our flights. So for now, the timeline is a little uncertain, but we are hoping to be there in mid-August. That will allow us a little time to adjust before school starts for the kids. It will also allow me to be somewhat familiar with the classroom where I will be teaching the high school and middle school MKs (missionary kids).

Family Time:

We try to read together every night at 7pm. I read to the family and it is a wonderful time of discussion and engagement. We recently finished a year-long read of all the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. What a joyous time and what wonderful memories we made. C.S. Lewis weaves Christian themes through the beautiful stories he wrote. I try and make voices for many of the characters to make them memorable:

"My favorite character was Reepicheep, because it’s like a King’s voice and he seems like a tiny king. Also he is very brave and he sees people swinging swords at him and jumps after them" -Opalina
"My favorite character was also Reepicheep, because his voice was cool and he was really brave and funny too!" -Bella
"My favorite character was either Puddleglum or Reepicheep. Puddleglum is so pessimistic, but he still gets things done. And Reepicheep is just a brave valiant warrior!" -Gideon

The next series we are reading is the Wingfeather Saga. We just finished Book 1 and have started Book 2. In addition to reading, we have been packing lunches and spending time at the San Gabriel River, hiking and splashing around with the dogs. We spent a day at Golf N’ Stuff, and have been savoring a few last meals at some favorite restaurants. We are blessed to have such fun and exciting places to visit while we are here in California.

Prayer Request:

We have been praying fervently for our dogs to find a new home. Since there has been little interest in anyone taking them in, we are searching every avenue available to us. We are seeking the Lord’s will: if He wants us to take them to Kudjip, rehome them, or return them to the shelter in Show Low, Arizona, where we rescued them. We have all had tears while processing the possibility of losing them, but we want the Lord’s will. We have so many memories with them and fond times: from Copper (our foxhound) alerting me that our gas stove was left on, to Dakota (our blue heeler) spending so much time laying next to Copper and licking his ears. I have hiked with them, and biked with them, and they have shown us all so much love over the seven years we have had them.

Please also pray for our kids’ visas to get approved on the Lord’s timeline. We trust that He knows when it is best for us to arrive.

Lastly, please pray for us to finish funding our first year. We would be thrilled to add more monthly supporters, but would also be very grateful to receive more one-time donations. If you are interested, please pray about how much the Lord would desire you to give. You can give through our website (fees charged, and not tax-deductible) at equihuafaithdental.org, or directly to our missions account (no fees, and are tax-deductible) at give.nazarene.org/pledge/prequihua. You can also contact us through our website, or through email at pequihua@apnaz.org.

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and encouragement. Feel free to share our update with your online community!

Your brother in Christ,

Paul Equihua

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