October, 2021 Prayer Letter

Youth Camp, 2021

 Kaselehlie! Greetings from Pohnpei!   

As we head into the fall months, I’m sure many of you are experiencing cooler weather. Here on Pohnpei, of course, it’s hot and muggy as always. Along with fall here, though comes a flurry of preparations for upcoming events such as our annual Missions Month and then the many Christmas activities we have at our church.  

Ministry Update

Our summer ministries were a blessing as always, though in many ways, very different from past years. Though Micronesia is still Covid free, we’ve seen a lot of changes on the island. We were extremely thankful to be able to hold youth camp this summer. It was a great time for the youth that were able to attend. We had a much smaller group than usual, but it was a still a blessed week with many decisions made, including salvation decisions and more. Vacation Bible School was another exciting week, though again, with a much smaller attendance than usual. Despite having no current Covid threat here, many people are still hesitant to gather in groups like before. God still worked greatly through that week though, and we saw some salvation decisions among the children there. One of the highlights of VBS for me, as a father, is seeing my own children get involved in this ministry.  Kestra helped out with arts and crafts as well as served as our VBS photographer. Kyler headed up games and skits and did an outstanding job with the skits along with his cousin Deshawn. Katrianne took on the project of “set design” and decorating as well as overseeing the arts and crafts. She outdid herself with the decorating by turning our church platform into an underground bunker. The kids also loved her craft projects that doubled as object lessons correlating with each day’s lesson. 

We have finally been able to start the jail ministry once again. It’s been quite awhile waiting for the government to give us the okay for that so it was exciting to be able to start that again. The church is also doing well. We continue to have a larger attendance since moving outside. Eventually we want to enclose the outdoor structure and put in air conditioning but for now, what we have is working fine.  We’re back to full children’s ministry classes. We have seen quite a few salvation decisions and been able to hold several baptismal services in recent months. Recently I was asked to come witness to a man named Robert who had been sick for some time. When I arrived at his home, I was surprised to find a fairly large group of family members had gathered to hear what I had to say. Robert made a profession of faith that night and passed away just about a week later. I’m thankful I was able to meet with him before he passed. 

Though the church continues to celebrate growth, we have had some unexpected sadness as well. Recently we said our earthly farewells to one of our founding members, Edmond Samuel. Not only was Edmond a next door neighbor and good friend, but he was vital in the starting of Ambassador Baptist Church. He is truly missed here, but we are rejoicing he is with our Savior.  

Family Life

A big highlight of our summer was Kaleo coming home!  After two years away, it was so good to finally see him again. We had nearly given up hope for him returning any time soon when suddenly God just worked out all the details practically overnight.  Though the borders here continue to be closed, the government began allowing approved FSM citizens back into the country if they could prove they were residents or returning college students and had a previously purchased ticket. It included a considerable amount of quarantine at government facilities as well, both in Guam and then again on Pohnpei. After not hearing anything back after he submitted his paperwork long ago, we suddenly got a phone call here on Pohnpei from the health department saying they were trying to get in contact with Kaleo and needed him to be in Guam within four days to begin quarantine there. At the time, Kaleo was living in New York City and working at a YMCA in Manhattan. It was a bit panicky with the time frame given, but he was able to pack up, get his Covid testing done and make it on a flight to Guam just in time to enter quarantine there. We are extremely grateful to my sister and brother-in-law who let him stay with them in NY until he was able to come home. We are enjoying having him home again. He’s currently working at a restaurant here on island and hopes to finish his schooling online.

Another homeschool year is underway for the Kihleng kids. Kestra is a senior this year. She has a tremendous interest in the Korean language and God has gifted her with a talent for picking up languages. Kestra has befriended an elderly Korean couple here on the island that will be helping her with the language. They even gifted her with a very nice Korean Bible and were impressed that she could already read some of it to them. She hopes to study Korean in college. Kyler is a junior and continues to have a passion for ocean diving and all things ocean-related. God has also given him a gift for working with children and in the area of music and those have been a huge asset to the ministry. We are thankful that he is willing to use his talents for Him. Katrianne is a freshman and spends much of her time at the piano. She also has been able to expand her artistic talents a good deal this summer and school year and we are amazed at her creativity. We’re also thankful for her use of her talents with the ministry. Kaylinn is in 6th grade and is dying to be old enough to join the youth group, but mom would like to keep her a little girl just a bit longer. She loves playing the ukulele and is starting to pick up piano as well. She’s pretty sure she would do just fine without school but mom and dad have a different idea on that.

House Project

I know many of you are wondering where we are with the house project. The house itself is pretty much finished at this point other that some small details here and there. We had wanted to finish the wall by now but between ministry commitments and rainy weather, we haven’t been able to do the last of it. We have what we need to complete it; it’s just a matter of finding the time to actually do it. However, with what is finished, we feel pretty safe as it is. We just want to add that last bit of protection by extending the height and length of the current wall. 

Furlough plans are once again postponed. Not by choice but out of necessity. The government here has once again extended the border closure, this time carrying it into 2022.  The plane tickets that we did have purchased are good until March. By January or February we are hoping to have more of an idea of if/when the borders will open in 2022 at all and whether we should re-book the tickets or get them refunded. We are working on a ministry video to give a more visual update on life and ministry here, but I know that is not the same as our family updating you all in person. We hope and pray that God will allow us to come see each of our supporting churches in 2022, but at this point, we just cannot make any definite plans. We also tremendously miss having guests from the States come and visit us here on the field. As I mentioned in our last letter, if any pastor would like to talk with me and just hear firsthand about how things are going here, I am always available to schedule a call. We have a US number through Skype so there are no international fees. Feel free to email me at rkihleng@hotmail.com and we can schedule a time to call. I’ve enjoyed the chats I’ve had with those of you that have scheduled a call with me. 

We are truly thankful for each of you who pray for us and support our ministry here. It’s difficult to put into words what you all mean to us.  And being away from you all for so long now makes us miss you all even more. We thank you for your faithful support and prayers. 

  

Because of Calvary,

Rickson & Susan, Kaleo, Kestra, Kyler, Katrianne, & Kaylinn

Printable version of this letter

May, 2021 Prayer Letter

Moon over Pohnpei harbor, taken April 27th.

Kaselehlie! Greetings from Pohnpei!  

Lots happening on our side of the world! It’s hard to know where to begin. So I’ll start with the predictable Covid-19 update. Our borders here in Micronesia have remained closed from February of last year until this month. On May 13 and 14, however, the US Coast Guard provided two humanitarian flights to repatriate 43 FSM citizens, along with US and Australian diplomats and a CDC doctor. This has been an extremely long process to get to this point and as you can imagine, emotions and differing opinions run high. As of the writing of this letter though, the operation has been successful!  Those that arrived have all gone through quarantine and tested negative for Covid-19 upon their release. We’re excited that this is one step closer to borders reopening. A flight from the Marshall Islands is planned for May 31 and from there, the government will determine when the borders can actually be open again for commercial flights. The US Ambassador, along with her husband and daughter, arrived on the first of these flights, and we were able to enjoy a nice evening of food and fellowship with them and several other families once they were released from quarantine. As you can imagine, transitioning from a busy city life in the US to this little island is a huge transition for their daughter and it was a fun-filled evening for her to get to know some of the young people here on the island. Our kids have now had the unique opportunity of developing friendships with the Chinese Ambassador’s daughter and now the US Ambassador’s daughter. 

Ministry life continues as usual. We’re continuing to meet in the outdoor structure for church services and as I mentioned in my last letter, we most likely will not return to our indoor building due to the size of the congregation. Over the next year we will need to look more into converting the outdoor structure into an enclosed church building as the humidity and heat is not good for our sound system, electronics, and church supplies. We are having Sunday school classes meet in the former church building and have plans to divide it into classrooms soon. We have not yet restarted our Wednesday Bible Club but plan to over the summer. Both the Bible Institute and the Jail ministries still remain on hold. The jail though has let us know that we may be able to begin services there again soon but will only be allowed three people to come at a time from the church. 

Summer Ministries

Our youth group is now back to our previous schedule and we are proceeding with plans for summer Youth Camp.  We understand that plans could change at any time but for now we are planning for camp the week of June 14.  The young people are excited and looking forward to a great week, especially since last year's camp was cancelled. We are praying the camp can go forward as planned and that we will see many lives impacted for the Lord during that week.  Our young people are suffering as I'm sure many are around the world. The isolation and changes due to Covid has affected them in so many ways and we are praying God will truly use this week of camp in their lives. 

We’re also planning to go forward with Vacation Bible School this summer. Our current plans are to hold it in July, but of course, as with everything right now, we know that is subject to change due to the ever-changing Covid restrictions. Our kids though are already making plans for that week, selecting skits and planning decorations. Now that most of our children are older and can be involved with the planning and carrying out of these activities, VBS has become very much a family ministry project and something we look forward to every summer.  We ask that you please sincerely pray for these two summer ministries to be used greatly of God to reach the young people of Pohnpei.

Milestones and House Project

Over the past several months we have passed some interesting milestones in our ministry and family life. In February we celebrated 20 years now on Pohnpei. It really is hard to believe it’s been that long already since God brought me back here with Susan and little Kaleo. Another milestone was in March when our church celebrated it’s 18th anniversary. We held the first service of Ambassador Baptist Church in U, Pohnpei on March 16, 2003. Our church celebrated 18 years with a special service, a meal together, and then a praise and testimony service. We are so thankful for all God has done with this ministry these last 18 years. 

March 17th marked three years since the mudslide that damaged our home. It’s been a long and slow process to recover our home but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Right now we’re working on the kitchen. Our kitchen cabinets and supplies arrived in April, and we’ve been working to install the cabinets and create countertops. It’s been a challenge to work on a project like this while still having all our ministry responsibilities and continuing with homeschooling the kids and so things have moved slowly. We’re heading into week six of no usable kitchen - we’re back to an outdoor sink and the kids have commented that it reminds them of life after the mudslide again. But Lord willing, we will be able to finish this project up in the next week. We are truly thankful to all of you that have given financially to this project and prayed for us through all of this. Once we finish the inside projects we’re working on, then we will finish up the last portion of the wall. It has been a long process and at times a bit stressful, but God has shown Himself faithful through it all, and we have learned so much through these difficulties. 

Family Life

We are finishing up another year of homeschool. It has been a challenge to maintain a normal schedule with all the projects we’ve had going on with the house, but we are nearing the end of the year. Kestra will be finishing her junior year, Kyler his sophomore year, Katy is graduating from eighth grade, and Kaylinn will be heading into fifth grade. Kestra has been working to develop her photography skills and enjoys studying the Korean language and culture. She is hoping to major in East Asian Language studies in college and minor in Photography. Kyler enjoys all things ocean related and goes SCUBA diving every chance he gets. He’s considering staying on the island after finishing high school and studying Marine Science at the College of Micronesia. We’re praying God will direct these two young people as they finish up their high school years and seek His will for their future. Katy continues to develop her art and music skills. She is studying music via video calls with a teacher in Australia and also spends all her spare time drawing and painting. Kaylinn is all about having fun at this stage of her life, though sometimes Katy is able to convince her to play ukulele with her. Kaleo is still in New York City and is working at a YMCA there teaching swimming. He looks forward to when he can finally come back to Pohnpei, but for now is enjoying his job there. 

Of course furlough plans for us are still on hold with the border closure.  The plane tickets we had purchased before are still good through March of next year and we are praying the borders reopen by then and we can make furlough plans again. Meanwhile, if any pastor would like to talk with me and just hear firsthand about how things are going here, I am always available to schedule a call. We have a US number through Skype so there are no international fees. Feel free to email me at rkihleng@hotmail.com and we can schedule a time to call. 

We thank you all for your continued prayers and financial support.  We pray that someday soon we can see you all again in person. 

  

Because of Calvary,

Rickson & Susan, Kaleo, Kestra, Kyler, Katrianne, & Kaylinn

Printable PDF of this Prayer Letter

January, 2021 Prayer Letter

Kaselehlie oh Parakapw Mwuah! Greetings and Happy New Year!   

 As we enter this new year we see around the world sickness, political unrest, heartache, and so much more.  We are so thankful that our God is still in control and knows what tomorrow will hold. These difficult times only confirm to us that our mission to serve Him and spread the Gospel is more important now than ever before.  

As I’m sure most of you are, we here in the islands continue to face restrictions and changes due to Covid-19.  Micronesia is still in complete lockdown with the borders having closed in March and remaining closed until now.  There were efforts to bring some citizens into the country last month but the plans were cancelled at the last minute.  As you can imagine, this has been difficult for the many separated families affect.  Our son Kaleo is still in the States as well and it doesn't look like he will be allowed to return any time soon.  Unfortunately, Micronesia is no longer on the “Covid-free list” as we have our first confirmed case, though the one and only case is currently isolated on a ship in the harbor.  We had just began to see a more relaxed approach here on island with things reopening and returning somewhat to normal and the FSM President has declared that we can continue without more restrictions as long as the case is contained on the ship.   Thankfully, we are now back to our regular service schedule, though we are still sharing our services online.  Our youth group is once again meeting for youth fellowships and we are starting back to our Sunday school classes, though location has been an issue since we are still holding all services/meetings outside.  Hopefully we will be able to resume Bible Institute classes in the near future as well.  One blessing that we have seen as a result of moving our services outdoors is a large increase in attendance.  The larger space has allowed for that and we now know that we will most likely not ever return to holding services in our former building.  We are actively making plans for a future, much larger building and Lord willing, we will see these plans become a reality at some point this year.  

As I mentioned in our last later and video update, in spite of restrictions and changes, however, we have seen a good deal of growth in the church.  We have seen several saved and baptized recently and we have seen such a sweet spirit among our church people as we have banded together through these unusual times.  The month of November was our annual Missions Month and what a blessing those services were!  It was exciting to hear what God is doing in the lives and ministries of each of the pastors/missionaries that our little island church supports.  Missionary Gabe Eiben was our speaker for our missions banquet and it was a blessing to have his family join us as well.  We will be sharing some photos of the banquet and services on our blog at kihlengfamily.blogspot.com.  In December we held a small Christmas program with our Sunday school children, some of the youth, and several of the adults in the church.  We were unable to do a large cantata as we have in the past, but we pray that the little program we were able to put together was a blessing to those who came.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time together working on it and presenting it to our community.

While we have seen some exciting things in the ministry in recent months, this year has also brought some extreme heartaches.  On the morning of November 6th, we awakened to the devastating news that our dear friend Pastor Don Eckert went home to be with the Lord after struggling for several weeks with Covid-19.  Pastor Eckert served many years in Guam and has been a tremendous godly influence on so many of the Micronesians that have attended school there.  The impact he has had on our own kids as well has been a great one and his passing really affected our family.  He is truly missed.  One of our family’s fondest memories of him was the time he spent with us after the mudslide.  He was a great encouragement to us during that time and we will never forget that time with him. Another great loss was the home going of Mrs. RuthAnn Arthurs.  The Arthurs were missionaries here on Pohnpei for many years, running the Christian radio station.  They were always Grandma and Grandpa to our kids.  RuthAnn was at the hospital for the birth of several of our kids and has been a tremendous mentor and friend for so many years.  On November 27th, RuthAnn entered the presence of our Savior and her suffering is no more.  We’ve also seen the passing of several of our loved ones both in the U.S. and here on island.   

Though it has been a time of sorrow, saying goodbye to loved ones, we are also celebrating some births as well.  Our assistant pastor and his wife recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world.  We are thankful for a safe delivery and a healthy mom and baby.    

As uncertain as things are right now, we have no idea when we will be able to reschedule our furlough.  For now we are unable to travel in or out of Micronesia at all.  This is a bit of a frustration of course, but we know God has a plan in all of this.  Thankfully the airlines has assured us that our tickets will be good for a full 2 years from our original travel date, which will be until March, 2022.  Lord willing, we can schedule a furlough by that time.  Meanwhile, we are working on a video presentation of our ministry and will send to each of our supporting churches since we cannot be there in person. We will also upload the video to YouTube.  If pastors would like a phone call with me for a personal update on things here, please feel free to email me and we can set up a time for that.  I know videos and phone calls are not the same as our family presenting an update in person, but unfortunately, until the travel ban in our part of the world is lifted, that is all we are able to do.  We look forward to the day when we can once again travel freely in and out of the islands.  We also have a private Facebook group, “Friends of the Kihleng Pohnpei Ministry” that you are welcome to join for more frequent, informal updates. 

Our family continues to do well.  The kids are a bit restless without our usual activities but we are also enjoying the extra family time.  Kaleo is currently in New York City with my sister’s family there.  He was able to find work there for a time, but Covid intervened once again and his department was shut down. He has continued to look for work but has been unable to find anything since.   Susan and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary a few days before Christmas.  I am thankful for the years God has given us together and look forward to many more to come. 

Know that we are earnestly praying for you all in the United States in these uncertain times and will continue to do so.    We also thank you all for your continued prayers and support of our family and ministry here.  

  

Because of Calvary,

Rickson & Susan, Kaleo, Kestra, Kyler, Katrianne, & Kaylinn

Printable PDF of this Letter