It's how we feel. Pooped. It's also the best word to describe how the most exotic coffee in the world is processed. More on that later. As you may or may not know, we are now on our year of U.S./Puerto Rico assignment. While we will be living at our home in Port Angeles, WA, we will be on the road for much of the year. Our most recent travels took us to Green Lake, WI for the World Mission Conference, and then to visit the good people of First Baptist Church of Fairbury (Get your atlas out!), Illinois.

So why are we pooped? As we met with our missionary brothers and sisters at Green Lake in late July most of us came having said goodbye to dear people and to places that had become home in the last four years. As an organization International Ministries faced leadership changes and funding challenges. But as we met together and prayed for one another, and heard testimonies of what God is doing around the world, we found ourselves "gaining new strength" as Isaiah 40 says it. As we heard about fresh water projects in Haiti, surgeries in Thailand, and women finding refuge from domestic violence in Tijuana, we were turned over inside and proud to be counted among such colleagues. Stories of prostitutes turning to Christ, rape victims finding comfort, and refugees finding a place to call home, found us crying tears of empathy and of hope.

At the World Mission Conference we were reminded yet again that we are carried along on the prayers and financial support of God's people, and that even in our most discouraging moments we are not alone. In Fairbury we enjoyed the hospitality of people who began giving to us long before meeting us. In sharing table and Illinois sweet corn we found our oneness in Christ and prayed together for our ministry partners in Costa Rica.

Saying goodbye to Costa Rica was emotional; it has become home for all four of us. Leaving our pastoral training work for a year was a difficult but a necessary act of faith. Packing, cleaning, and traveling kept us busy in the midst of these goodbyes. The gracious send off by our Tico (Costa Rican) brothers and sisters relieved the pain, though it did not remove it. The pain is evidence that we are rooted, and those roots make us want to return next year.

Pooped, in a good way. Mylinda and I were privileged to preach at the World Mission Conference. Sharing from John 15 about the vine and the branches we focused on staying connected to the vine, Jesus, and bearing fruit as it relates to our ministry of equipping leaders. Bringing a Central American flavor to the passage, Mylinda spoke of the coffee plant instead of the grapevine. She described an odd Indonesian marsupial that feeds on the ripest of berries, then processes them and deposits the treasure in the field. These treasures are then cleaned, roasted, and (you guessed it) ground, to make an earthy, musty exotic cup of coffee. Apparently something about this organic processing brings out the best of the bean.

Four years in Costa Rica has processed us, in a good way. The pain of leaving there and the busyness of life in the U.S. are processing us, in a good way. In the midst of all of these transitions, we are finding grace in the treasure and tasting God's goodness. We are pooped, in a good way.

Thanks again for your partnership with us and your faithful giving and prayers for our ministry. Please pray for:

" God's people in Costa Rica and their leadership needs
" Renewal for all of our ABC churches (including FBC Fairbury, IL)
" Jamie and Micah as they prepare for 9th and 5th grades

In Christ,

Gary Baits