Dear friends,

Home again, home again, jiggety jig
This week I returned home to Colorado after spending the spring months on the road, primarily in Kansas. I have experienced the goodness of God through the kindness of His people. After so many weeks of their generous supply of food, shelter, and other good gifts I began to feel more like a “moochinary” than a missionary! J Of course spring travel in Kansas included several spine-tingling thunderstorms; thankfully I was not near Greensburg when it was leveled by that colossal tornado.

Narrowly averting disaster (of a different sort)
Last Sunday the Lord delivered me from my own foolishness. That morning as I finished setting up my display, the young man in charge of the church’s sound system asked me for my DVD. I looked in the pocket of my tote bag and gasped. It was missing. I always keep a few copies of the DVD in the bag, too, but they were also nowhere to be found. I realized that I had forgotten to put them back after showing the presentation the Wednesday before. The DVDs were at the pastor’s home, 40 minutes away. I was mortified! “The only copy I have with me of my presentation is on a VCR tape,” I told the young man. “But you probably can’t use that, can you?” “Sure we can. No problem!” he said. The church “just happened” to have the capability of showing VCR tapes with their projector. I breathed a sigh of relief and praised the Lord for sparing me from total embarrassment!

Why worry when you can pray?
The Lord continually challenges my faith in Him. I like to think that I really trust Him, but He has a way of bringing my unbelief to the surface. In preparing to apply for a French visa, I have run into perplexing logistical problems. One morning as I agonized over the situation, I received an email from a deacon at one of my supporting churches in New Hampshire, saying the Lord had prompted him to send me a chart he had developed on worry. He said, “I sensed that this resource might bless you in turning potential worries into prayer.” God’s Word was an enormous encouragement to me that morning. A week later the Lord brought to mind a solution to the problems (changing my state residency from SC to NH). “In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul” (Ps. 94:19).

“What exactly do you DO?”
I am often asked how I fill my time between weekend meetings. Does my preparation for France consist of eating lots of French bonbons? Mais non! J My summer schedule involves keeping up with current deputation work (scheduling and follow-up of meetings, keeping tabs on financial reports, putting together visa paperwork, writing and revising Bible lessons, choosing a language school, and doing correspondence), preparing for future ministry (further study of French language and culture, music, missions, and counseling), and spending time with my family.

Prayer requests:
1) Increase in support, in God’s time (current level: 56%)
2) More fall meetings, particularly missions conferences (target departure date: Jan. 2008)
3) French legislative elections June 10th & 17th: The outcome will likely mean changes in French immigration policy, affecting me and other missionaries

Thank you for your prayers!

Declaring His glory,

Kristi Colas

PS:
- Summer itinerary attached.
- Photo: Chef Soufflé met his match last week in “Pops,” who kept making fun of his French accent and vocabulary. J Adam and Kari Godshall introduced Pops to the Chef.