"PUSHING" April-June 2017: 3 Measures Newsletter

April-June 2017

PUSHING Wow, what a quarter! We are currently sitting in South Africa after a whirlwind of a final push in Namibia. At last we have some time to reflect on the past months and write this update.

One Last Push On July 31st our permit to live & work in Namibia expired. As that date approached our family made a concerted effort, giving it all we had to finish this term in Namibia strong. In addition to receiving volunteers, Jake and Sharon, there were projects we started that needed finishing and it was time to pass the baton to our Namibian brothers and sisters who will be taking the lead in our absence.

Thrive It's been a busy time for our Thrive communities as we prepared them for this new season. Three more of our "Thrivers" (Leeroy, Ronoldo & Jeff) were baptized into Christ, we learned a new Bible study method, we trained leaders and goodbyes were said. In the end, we've left two Thrive communities running in Namibia. Both are now self-sustaining, with each member sharing the responsibilities and taking turns leading the Bible studies.

Being a part of these communities and sharing in the lives of each of their members has been such a blessing. They have become our family & while it is difficult leaving them to carry on by themselves, we trust that God is in control. We are incredibly excited to see what the future holds! Please pray for God to lead them and continue the work that He has started.

Hope Cafe Grand Opening We finished renovating the new Hope Cafe and had a grand opening on June 5th. We had a great turn out from the community and things are going well.

The cafe is now completely locally run by members of our Thrive communities. Please pray for the positive impact on the community to continue and pray for Jason who has taken the lead in managing the cafe. Also, pray as they continue to look for local companies to supply internet and coffee.

David & Sandy Echols – 3940 Oberding Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80911 –david@3measur.es

Prayer Needs  Transition of family to the States  God's guidance for the two Thrive communities  Success of Hope Cafe  Sandy's Green Card application

Special Dates August 24 - Sandy's immigration interview Sept 6 - Fly to Colorado Late Sept - Move to Moberly, MO Sundays & Wednesdays each week in Namibia - Thrive Bible Studies Mon, Thurs, Sat each week in Namibia - Hope Cafe

Keep up with us between these newsletters! Like us on facebook or visit our website and blog:

www.3measur.es

Restoration Seminar in Otjimuhaka In May, we ran our first Restoration Seminar in the northernmost part of the country. The seminar was attended by pastors and lay ministers in the region and focused on teaching the basics of reading, understanding and applying the Bible.

Sessions included "The Importance of the Bible," "The Bible as a Story," "The Bible as a Book" and "Properly Handling Scripture." As the seminar ended, a woman who had come to the village for prayer and stayed for the seminar decided that she wanted to come to Christ. She was baptized in the Kunene River that hour.

It was a success and there is a strong desire for us to do more there in the future.

We were hosted in the village of Otjimuhaka by the church we planted in 2002. We enjoyed being back, seeing old friends and meeting new people. It was especially fulfilling to introduce our boys to this part of the country that means so much to us.

The Move Getting ready to leave Namibia was no easy task. On top of all the work that went into the ministry these months, we had to prepare to move our family as well. That meant selling half our possessions and packing the rest away into storage, working on Sandy's US green card, closing accounts, etc. It was starting to feel like we would never get it all done... but we made it!

A New Push Now we are in South Africa looking ahead to a year in the USA and are about to push off into something new. We have a new ministry opportunity as resident missionaries at Central Christian College of the Bible (CCCB) for the 2017-2018 school year. We also have a new role within 3 Measures, serving now from a distance and in more of a support capacity.

The Plan We are waiting here for Sandy's visa, but have our tickets and are set to land in the United States on September 7th. Our plan, God willing, is to spend the year in the US serving with CCCB, recruiting, spending time with our churches, getting Sandy's US citizenship & raising support. At the end of that year we'll apply for a new work permit to return to Namibia and continue our work.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, support and encouragement during this time of transition!

For the Kingdom, David, Sandy, Reese & Avi Echols

Support Although we will be located in the States for an extended "home assignment," we will continue to rely on support & will do our best to operate on the same budget while we are away from Namibia.

We will however, need to raise that support level before the start of our next term in Namibia. Upon our return we will need to be prepared to pay more for rent and to pay school fees for both kids.

If you would like to join the work of Three Measures through a monthly commitment or one-time gift, simply go to www.3measur.es/donate OR return the included response card OR contact us at support@3measur.es.

Contributions are solicited with the understanding that YWAM-SF has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.

Please make checks payable to Youth With A Mission-Strategic Frontiers, or YWAM-SF. All gifts are tax deductable and are requested and/or received with the understanding that YWAM-SF has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds