Prayer for June 12th

Dear Friends and Family,

I don’t know if it has seemed like a long silence since you last heard from the Pfenniger Family and what we are doing.
Honestly, it has seemed like a long period of silence to us as we have sought for God’s clear direction in what He would have us to do -returning to Togo long-term or staying in the US.  The silence for us over the past 2 years has not been easy, as at different times, we thought we would make a decision and then things unexpected happened – COVID, Lydia’s dad being diagnosed with cancer, Noll having a heart valve defect that will require surgery.
In this quietness we have wondered, why the silence and why we weren’t hearing a clear direction. I (Lydia) struggled with the ideas of “are we doing something wrong?” “are we not doing enough of ______?”
In all of this we have been very grateful for a Bible study through the book of Genesis that reminded us that God is faithful and even though He may be quiet for long periods of time, He is still working and will not leave us nor forsake us! (Abraham and Sarah waited 20 YEARS for the birth of Isaac and this is just one such example! Jacob working for Rachel, Joseph being sold and then being in prison -wrongly accused, etc.) In all of this as we look back over the past 2 years, we can see how God has worked and answered prayers -though at the time we did not always see it.

So all of this to say -we have started to feel that God may be starting to answer those prayers and maybe starting to make a path clear.
There is a Togo missions meeting June 12th in Indianapolis, IN to which we will be going and praying to have some good conversations with some of the long-term missionaries there again at HBB.  And family concerns seem to becoming more clear (Lydia’s dad passed in January, and her mom seems to be finding her “path” and Noll will not be requiring surgery at this time but yearly surveillance until surgery is deemed necessary).

Do we know what we are doing yet? NO, but we feel that the answers we were needing have come become more clear and allowing us to be able to have “clearer and better” discussions.  We do NOT know what exactly we are looking for when we go to this meeting on June 12th -but we are asking God that He would have both of us walking away from this meeting with a clear vision, passion, and direction that we can talk through with each other and with couples from the missions committee at our church.  We’re asking God for very clear direction, guidance and wisdom in helping us to make this decision -so that we will know by this fall what we are doing and can start taking steps forward.

And so for this reason I’m writing you –in the past you all have wonderfully supported us in prayers. And so we are asking you again if you would lift us and our family up in prayer for:
1. Protection over the travel and being involved in the conference on June 12th
2. God’s hand and blessing in conversations that occur on and around June 12th
3. Clear thoughts and conversations for Fred and Lydia with God’s guidance and wisdom in the conversations and thus ultimately the decision that needs to be made of whether we will be returning to Togo or staying in the US. (praying for the kids as well as they will start to also be apart of these conversations)

Thank you so much for your prayers! Thank you so much for the way that you have followed us over the past few years!
Please feel free to write with whatever questions and/or any prayers that you would have for us. And we will plan on updating you as we come to the end of this long-period of silence and the beginning to the next steps in our life.

Love in Christ and God bless,
Fred, Lydia,
Noah, Nathanael, Noe’mi, and Noll
Pfennigers