Visit to NTBI and Albion

  Last week we had a wonderful time reconnecting with some old friends as well as meeting some new ones during our visit to Albion and Jackson, Michigan.

NTBI Volunteer Week:
  A few months ago, Malachi was in contact with the PPD (maintenance department) at New Tribes Bible Institute (NTBI) in Jackson, MI.Several of the guys working on PPD are being transferred elsewhere or retiring, which means there is a huge need for maintenance guys there. They wanted Malachi to come down and volunteer for a week to see if his skill set was what they needed to fill in some of the gaps. So we prayed about it and decided that we needed to be open to the possibility of going there to work for several years before going  to Missions Training Center (MTC) in the fall if that was where the Lord wanted us. We won't hear anything for a few weeks as some of the staff are on vacation right now, but we are praying that when we do hear back from the staff that God will make it clear whether we are to continue to try to go to MTC this fall or whether we should apply as associate missionaries with New Tribes Mission so that Malachi can help out at NTBI for a few years first. Please pray!!!

Asher with our good friends Wooh-ah and Enoch

  While we were there, we had some great opportunities to get to know some of the new students at NTBI as well as see some old and very dear friends. We loved being able to spend some time with TJ (Kara's brother, who is a senior at NTBI right now) and hear how he is doing and what God is teaching him.

Malachi and "Uncle TJ" Playing "catch" with Shiloh, her favorite game

 We also had the opportunity to go to church, at First Baptist in Albion MI and to catch up with our friends there! We enjoyed going to a date night hosted by our church on Valentines and the opportunity to spend time with friends!

Our Kiddos:
  Shiloh is 19 months old, and a little stinker!She loves to make people laugh, to visit people and to get into mischief. She is cutting her 4 canines right now and also fighting an ear infection, but even though she is miserable, she was chasing Malachi around the house yesterday yelling like a little banshee. She wants to help us with everything we are doing and doesn't miss anything that goes on.

Shiloh "reading" books to Asher

  Asher is 4 months old on Wednesday and is a very chunky, happy baby. He smiles as soon as Malachi or Shiloh comes into sight and whenever he's laying on the ground he's constantly kicking and squirming. He has just started to take an interest in grabbing things, he loves to pull my hair and grab at toys.

We will keep you posted! Thanks for praying!
Malachi, Karalise, Shiloh, and Asher Pratt