A CHANGE IN PLANS?

Recently I was in conversation with one of our deans here and he asked me how things were looking for our return. I told him that we are not quite sure as we know that there is no possible way for us to earn the remainder of the $2000 we now need to come back, and that we are just waiting on the Lord to supply our need. He replied that we couldn't wait too much longer, and that he needs some sort of a heads up by Monday (Jan 4, 2010) and if we aren't returning then we need to be out of our apartment before the single students begin returning on the 10th. This leaves us with 3 problems, one is coming up with tuition money, another is finding a trailer to move all of our stuff, and the third is finding work in the Grand Rapids area. Why Grand Rapids? Well because we are looking at a short term internship with Pine Ridge Bible Camp. This would provide us with housing, as well as a place to practice a little of what we have been learning. Also, we would be working in support roles similar to the roles we will be potentially filling with New Tribes Mission sometime in the not to distant future.
We are excited for either outcome and we are just waiting to see how the Lord provides for our needs. As for the next few days, well we will continue working and preparing for next semester. Thanks you again for all your prayers and support. You are a much needed part of our team.

christmas letter

Well, it’s Christmas time, and we have successfully completed our freshman courses at NTBI. So far the break hasn’t been much of a break for us, as we have been working as much as possible to make money for next semester. This is both praise and a prayer request; praise the Lord that we have both found seasonal employment, but also pray that we would have enough money to make our down payment of $2300 by Jan 10, 2010. The Lord is great and He has provided for us so much as we are here training for future ministry with New Tribes Mission. We are comforted in this and we are waiting for His provision for the coming semester.
The semester went well and we have learned a lot. The break has been a time of some rest and a lot of trying to process and apply that knowledge, as the semester has been compared to taking a drink from a fire hose. It takes some time to sort of re-think and mill over what was thrown at us. Also we have had so opportunity to get to know our community a little bit better, both here at NTBI and the surrounding community of Jackson. Kara is doing home care for an elderly woman with dementia, and enjoying the ministry she has there. Malachi is working in a seasonal sales position, as well as shoveling snow for an elderly woman in the neighborhood. During the semester he had the opportunity to do some work with and for others in the community, ranging anywhere from helping them move things around the house, to doing a remodel for a family in the area and turning an attic into a bedroom .
Karalise’s health has been a constant struggle this semester and doesn’t allow her to work outside of school for more than a few hours a week. We have seen a few doctors since we have been here and still don’t have any real idea what the problem is. Please pray for this as often as you think of us. It is a significant hindrance to our ability to minister to the body here as well as seriously impacting the amount of effort we can dedicate totally to our training. During our travels this break we have found that riding in the car makes her pain more intense. We are looking to find a solution to this as we plan to do a lot of traveling this summer to visit our friends, family, and co-laborers in Christ.
Please join us in prayer as we excitedly wait for this next semester of training. We look forward to hearing from each one of you and how God is working in your lives.
Sincerely,
Malachi and Karalise Pratt
1210 E Michigan Ave. #13
Jackson, MI 49201