It's hard to believe that residency has come and almost gone. In just one month Joe will be graduating from the Family Practice Residency Program at St. Vincent Health Center in Erie, PA, where we've spent the last 3 years.
How well we remember the day we learned of The Match results in March 1992. We were in the Congo on a special senior medical school elective, and had gotten up early to borrow the Catholic Mission's short-wave radio. We were 5 days journey from the nearest telephone to call home. By prior written permission, Joe's brother in New York was able to obtain the results from the Tulane Medical School Dean's Office in New Orleans by phone, which he then faxed to the Wycliffe Bible Translator's office in Brazzaville, Congo's capital city. This fax was then hand-carried to the Catholic Mission in Brazzaville and read to us over the radio by a missionary friend. We listened intently, trying to calm seven-month old Olivia in our arms as she wiggled to the beat of the African drums in the distance. As the radio crackled and hummed, so did we with excitement as we realized we had gotten our first choice.
God has a Match Day for everyone of us. He's chosen a plan for our lives that is tailored to our talents, needs, and desires, by His supreme wisdom. Becky & Joe both accepted this plan many years ago. Although it's a struggle to keep from writing substitute plans, one thing we haven't given up on is going back to the Congo to serve as career medical missionaries.
For all of you who've been following this saga, another match day has finally come. This spring, again in mid-March, but this time with 3 1/2 year old Olivia safely restrained on Joe's lap, and 19 month old Claire reaching to grab the mail on our kitchen table in Erie, PA, an envelope from Buffalo, NY, was opened. We have been officially accepted as "Missionary Candidates" with Global Outreach Mission, and are now humbly accepting pledges of prayer and financial support. We will be working as volunteers, and so need to raise $3,660 per month to cover living and ministry expenses, in addition to one-time costs to get us and some ministry tools to the Congo. Currently we are at 10% of the monthly goal, which we hope to reach by the end of this Fall.
We are so thankful for the friends from our Sunday School Class at Grace Baptist Church in Erie who have formed a team to assist us in preparing our presentation, arranging for child care, writing letters, and making travel plans. We'd love to share our ministry vision with you, and are open to speaking in Churches, Sunday School classes, Small Groups, dinners, other meetings, and with any individual who is interested.
Once residency is completed June 30th, Joe will be studying for and taking the exam to be Board Certified in Family Practice on July 14th. Our deputation will then begin in earnest. We are planning to visit as many of you as we possibly can. Please call or write to let us know when would be a good time for us to see you. Or if we could offer you our hospitality in Erie, please let us know, as this may be our last chance to do so.
This is an exciting time of anticipation and transition. We need your prayers as we readjust our lives for maximum usefulness in service & ministry in the Congo. We've enclosed our first prayer card. Please keep it as a reminder to pray for us often.
Our current prayer concerns are:
We praise God for:
Thanks for being a part of our lives.
In His Service,
THE HARVEYS
Joseph & Rebecca, Olivia & Claire
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