God, please make me beautiful at the core of my being. I want to be a woman at peace. I want people to feel at home when they’re with me. I want my life to comfort and inspire, to nourish and invite, and to display Your character. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

* Gary enjoyed his few days with the missionary kids at “The Orlando Connection” in early August. We trust that their time with him was helpful as they settle back into life in the US.

* The missions’ conference in Callahan seemed to go well, and Gary had a number of opportunities to talk about the work. This church gave us money to rebuild our fence last year, and this year they gave us a new laser printer. We have wanted one for some time due to the cost of ink cartridges, so are thrilled with this gift!

* I have made good progress catching up with e-mail and still have hopes of emptying the inbox very soon. I’m down to 460 now! We are truly blessed by the many wonderful friends God has brought into our lives, and I’ve been reminded of how rich we are with these friendships as I’ve read their letters.

* Our small group has begun meeting again, (currently 12 people). We are delighted that 3 people who had been saying they wanted to join us have actually done so. Pray that we’ll be a blessing in each others’ lives and allow God to do His transforming work in us as we grow together.

* I am planning to work on my US citizenship application this month. As far as we know, I can keep my Australian citizenship too. Right now we are restricted with how long we can be out of the US because I only have a permanent residence visa. Having citizenship would free us up to be able to take an overseas assignment again without this restriction. Pray that I’ll be able to complete the paperwork accurately and that the processing will go smoothly. It can take over a year in this area.

* Esther had a positive time on the first outreach with her DTS. It was a sample of what they’ll be doing for the 2 months at the end of the course: clowning, drama, talking to folk about the Lord. Pray that she’ll stay healthy. She’s was sick with a stomach bug after the outreach probably from something she ate “on the road”.

* Josiah has made a good start on his new school year. He finally finished the on line Algebra II class he started in the summer and is most relieved to no longer have that to do on top of an already heavy study load. He joined the school swim team, but dropped out after 2 days when he found out how demanding it was, both physically and time wise. He would have had a difficult time keeping up with his study load had he continued, and no time for anything else. He has joined the debate club at school, the Christian group again (FCA), and is continuing as an AWANA leader at church again.

* God has provided ANOTHER vehicle for us, an unexpected blessing! Wycliffe colleagues were upgrading their vehicle, and offered us their current one. It has a lot fewer miles than the van, and that has been looking like it may need some major work soon. So even though we hadn’t planned to replace it just yet, we decided it would be wise to take their offer. It’s a ’92 Oldsmobile station wagon that can carry 8 people.

Thank you for praying for Gary in his new role. He is really enjoying some aspects of it, and is rather unsure with others. Please pray that he’ll have some positive encounters as he goes out into the community, and that God will empower him and use him in ways that ultimately result in more people in the Kingdom. (Churches and Christian schools are not a problem, but the business community is a new audience for him.)

Here’s his schedule for September:
1st Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting - meeting the movers and shakers in one of the biggest tourist areas in Florida. This will be my first time there, and I don't think I'll know anyone.
6th Attend "Vision Orlando" - a Christian networking get together. My first time there, trying to get to know who is doing what in Orlando in Christian circles, hoping to make contacts that will benefit Bible Translation.
8th & 14th Give a "Mission Encounter" presentation to our visitors here at the WordSpring Discovery Center.
14th Give a special presentation and tour to a large group of 5th graders from Masters Academy here in Orlando. Pray that God will touch these young hearts to consider serving in missions and Bible translation.
15th Give a tour of Wycliffe US to visitors to WordSpring.
18th Special tour and orientation meeting with Wycliffe's new recruiters.
20th, 23rd, 24th Speak to the youth group at Deltona Lakes Baptist Church (just north of Orlando) at their missions’ conference. This is a first for this church. Pray that I will connect not only with the youth, but the church leaders.
27th - 29th Man a display at the Florida/Georgia Lutheran educators’ conference - promoting WordSpring/Wycliffe as a place for field trips.

We’re grateful for the sacrifices you make as you partner with us through your prayers. God bless you for your obedience and love.

Robyn, for the Petersons