WELCOME!

Kasalehlia! We are the Kihleng family and we are missionaries to the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This blog is to keep friends and family (and whoever else is interested!) updated on what we are doing in the islands. So check back here often to see updates on our ministry as well as our ever growing family!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

We're Home!

Photo Credit Nathan Fry

We're Home! (Update by Susan)

It's so exciting to be able to update you from Pohnpei finally!  We had a long but fairly uneventful trip back and we're happy to say that everyone is adjusting well.  Many of you have already read our updates on Facebook but going to repost here for those of you that missed it.  I could literally write a book on the last couple of weeks, but I'll spare you all the details (that you most likely wouldn't find as interesting anyway) and summarize our coming home:

  • Two full days of flying. With 5 kids. Not much else to say there. You can imagine how "fun" that was.
  • Jet lag. Need I say more? It's starting to fade now but still lingering a bit.
  • Heat and humidity.  Wow! It's easy to forget about that aspect of island life after being away for awhile.
  • Lack of supplies.  Shopping is quite the adventure here.  Yeah, I kinda miss Walmart.
  • Missing Starbucks as well.
  • Mildew. Our house is full of it after not being air conditioned for 10 months.  Going to take awhile to get things back to normal but we're getting there.  It's a long process of taking everything out of drawers, cupboards, and closets, washing them down, washing everything inside, and putting things away.
  • Crazy pool schedule.  Our oldest son will be competing in the Micronesian Games next month.  Kaleo jumped right into the heavy swim schedule the day after we arrived as well as rushing to get all the paperwork/physical/blood work done to enable him to compete.  He started back to working at the pool too so more hours there. He's pretty tired and sleeping whenever he's not at the pool.
  • A car wreck. Yeah, after driving in city traffic for 10 months without incident, I was in a car accident a week after getting back on this tiny little island with no traffic lights and only a 2 lane road.  A car hit me from behind when his breaks failed; thankfully no one was hurt. Unfortunately, we are required to go to court over it.
  • Catching up with ministry.  We are jumping head first into summer ministries such as Vacation Bible School and youth camp.  We can always use your prayer! (And please take a look at the Special Ministry Needs section of our blog as we have some specific ways you can help out!  We are still adding some VBS and camp needs but for now, the ink toner is a BIG need with all the printing for summer ministries that we have ahead of us!)
  • Enjoying catching up with friends and family. A given, of course. We've missed everyone SO much!
  • A new puppy. Yeah, our kids were given a new puppy as a welcome home gift.  So in the midst of unpacking and cleaning, I am also cleaning up puppy messes! Yay! (yes, that is sarcasm).
  • Beach day. Everyone needs some time out for fun.  So we took off from the crazy the other day and spent the day at the beach with the Boylston family. 
  • Enjoying the beauty of the place we love more than anywhere.  Maybe I am a little biased but this island is without a doubt to me the most beautiful and amazing place in the entire world.  I wouldn't choose any place else to live!
So yes, we are thrilled to be home!  Thank you for your prayers! We wouldn't be back here without them!  

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

June Prayer Letter ~ Heading Home!

Heading Home!

Kasalehlie!

It’s hard to believe that our furlough is coming to an end and we are finally returning to our beloved island! We thank you for your many prayers and notes of encouragement as we’ve traveled to so many different states and churches. Sadly, we were unable to visit all of our supporting churches as it’s just not possible in such a limited time. We will be sending a copy of our presentation DVD and some of our new prayer cards to each of the churches we were unable to visit for an update. 

Our family will fly out of Charleston, SC on Tuesday, June 10th to return to Pohnpei. We are counting down the days of course, but it is also bittersweet as we once again have to go through the difficulty of goodbyes. Please keep our family in prayer as we make this long trip as well as through the time of readjustment once we are back in Micronesia. 

Summer

We have quite a summer ahead of us! In addition to readjusting to island life, we have Vacation Bible School, summer youth camp, and the Micronesians Games this summer so we will literally be hitting the grounds running once the plane lands! We are hoping to hold our VBS the first week of July and youth camp the first week of August. The Micronesian Games are being hosted on our island this summer and we are looking forward to it being a huge outreach opportunity. We are making plans to distribute tracts and literature to the 1500 plus athletes, coaches, trainers, and officials that will be on the island for the Games as well as the thousands of spectators expected. Please pray that this will be an effective outreach for the Lord.

Home on Pohnpei

We are especially thankful for the Boylston family and their ministry on Pohnpei. Without them to oversee the church and Bible Institute, we would have been under a great deal more stress while in the States. God has really used them to keep things running smoothly and we look forward to getting back to work with them and pursue the original goal of Bible translation. 

College Students

Continue praying with us for our college students who are attending Ambassador Baptist College. Many of you have helped aid them financially with their school bill this past year and we are truly thankful for this. Both Brandy and Okalani were able to finish out their first year at Ambassador without an outstanding balance. Brandy is working at the college through the summer and Okalani will be staying with Susan’s parents in Charleston until school begins and is currently looking for a job there. Please pray the Lord will provide just the right job opportunity for her. If you are interested in assisting these two young people with their college tuition for the upcoming year, donations can be made to their school bill at https://www.ambassadors.edu/Students/Payments.php. Their full names are Brandy Hadley and Lillyuokalani Yamada. 


Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. We are truly thankful for those of you that have partnered in the ministry in Pohnpei. 


Because of Calvary,
Rickson & Susan, Kaleo, Kestra, Kyler, Katrianne, & Kaylinn