S t e v e & Ka t u s k a D a v i e s

ONE MISSION SOCIETY UK HOME ASSIGNMENT

Dear friends,
Warm Christmas greetings from the Davies family as we earnestly hope for an equally warm winter! Of course, the boys want to roll in some snow, but really a crisp white day or two, followed by a miraculous thaw, would be just fine. Our wardrobes are still kind of tropical, and our blood a bit thin. Or whats left of our blood after a series of medical checkups which, along with dentists visits and eye tests, leave us feeling dazed, but officially approved. Were preparing on numerous fronts for Mozambique. The Portuguese language study is well under way, with classes at Glasgow University backed up with some online resources. How great to find a website that will conjugate any verb you ask it to Weve been busy investigating the world of the Amazon Kindle: if the right resources are available, this must be the answer to the 120kg of books that we shipped back last time. As missionaries we ought to be among the first to put new tools to good use! Meanwhile Steve has been back into ICC and begun the initial reading for his PhD. The plan is that the primary research, in the field of church planting, will take place in Maputo and tie in with our ministry there. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21 The biggest question as we prepare to go to Mozambique is financial. Although its a poor country, the costs of living and working there are quite high, and it appears that we will need considerably more support than we have at present. To you who have given so generously already, we want to express our warmest thanks, and in these times we can ask no more. But were trusting that God is faithful and will provide in full where he has called so clearly. So if you are in a position to increase the level of your support, would you consider doing so? And if you could help us by passing our details to others, or arranging a visit to a church or prayer group, we would be so grateful. As ever, the financial needs are various and any form of gift is valuable: regular donations allow us to plan confidently and cover monthly expenses, while one-off gifts are good for meeting the up-front costs such as air tickets and a vehicle on arrival in the field. If you have any questions at all, please dont hesitate to contact either us or the team in Manchester. Wishing you every blessing, OMS UK Office
1 Sandileigh Avenue Manchester M20 3LN 0161 283 7992
info@omsinternational.co.uk www.omsinternational.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 245124

December 2011

Home Address
2 Lenzie Road Stepps North Lanarkshire G33 6DX 0141 779 3445
davies-oms@hotmail.com kbavd@hotmail.com maputobay.blogspot.com

PLEASE PRAY WITH US:

For safety on the roads as we make our deputation visits. For Katuskas parents in Ecuador, with thousands of miles dividing their family. Pray too for protection in the high crime levels of Guayaquil. For our funding challenge: that the Lord will bring us into contact with many new partners and touch their hearts to join us in this mission venture. For our future ministry in Mozambique, that we will identify clear goals and fit in well with the existing team and the needs of local churches. For Steves PhD research, and especially all the reading he must do now to prepare the ground for it.

Steve & Katuska

Its a pleasure to return to churches we know and love. This is Rodger Memorial in Glasgow (Church of Scotland).

And this is Chinley Independent Chapel in Derbyshires High Peak.

It must be a long time since we last included any kind of Story So Far in our prayer letter, to fill in historical gaps, and this may be the moment to do it again. Stories are made for the telling, and we have no way of knowing which detail of ours will chime with you or encourage you in some way. 1960s: OMS missionaries in Guayaquil plant a church called Filadelfia, named after the missionary church of Revelation 3. Katuskas parents soon join that church, and their four daughters will grow up immersed in all its activities and teaching. Steve, meanwhile, is nurtured in a Christian home in Coventry, with Crusaders a strong influence in his young faith. 1970s: Katuska, aged nine, hears a mission speaker and decisively commits herself to make the same calling her lifes focus. 1980s: Steve, in his final year at university, hears Elisabeth Elliot speak stirringly of mission: the sense that it is his calling, too, wont go away. 1990s: in Katuskas studies, computer engineering gives way to theology, and doors open for study in Britain, first Northumbria and then Glasgow. Steve is by now a schoolteacher in the Middle East and southern Africa; gradually finding that hes also a tentmaker missionary, he returns to Britain to test the call once and for all. 2000s: we meet, marry and remain in frozen Scotland while Sam, Ben and Joe are born in quick succession. We join OMS and for our first term serve in Ecuador, teaching in a Bible college in the Andean city of Cuenca. 2010s: back now on furlough, and the call is shifting geographically once more. We are asked to go to Mozambique, to work with a rural church planting programme and a fast-growing Bible college.

A Shor t History

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING:

The boys are happy and

settled. They attend Stepps primary school where theyre making friends, and enjoy some after-school clubs, Boys Brigade and now trumpet lessons for Sam. Joe has made good progress with his reading.

Castle Campbell

Health & strength Weve

enjoyed some genuine rest and recuperation, and overall our health seems better than it was in Ecuador. Among the many things that friends have generously given or lent to us is a set of bikes, which has encouraged us to get out into the fresh air. Weve joined Historic Scotland and are aiming to explore somewhere new almost every weekend. Were determined to make the most of these amazing opportunities: in the mission field there is nothing that remotely compares with them.

Exploring Scotland by bike Katuska in Stirling, and the tower known as the Wallace and Gromit Monument. Museums of today (1) Stirling Castle

Museums of today (2) Riverside, Glasgow

Deputation We can confirm

that visiting churches to report back is a hugely enjoyable and meaningful part of missionary life! Whenever possible all five of us do this; sometimes only Steve makes the longer journeys. The calendar for the New Year is taking shape: well be based in Glasgow in January and Northern Ireland in February.

Doune Castle, courtesy of Historic Scotland

In the last few weeks weve tried to be in touch personally with every one of our supporters. If weve missed someone out, we do apologise! We find that communication is one of the most important and difficult aspects of our job as career missionaries. Please do go ahead and contact us too! You could email, phone or write: encourage us, ask us questions, hold us to account, it doesnt matter which. All our contact details are overleaf.