Merle and Judy Flory’s update and transition back to the USA
Greetings to each of you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
“Pastor:
- Would you please come back next year?
- Do you know the things you have taught us are totally new to us?
- What will happen to our forefathers who never heard these truths?
- Can we have copies of these messages to take to the next village?
- Can you please bring a mission’s conference to our area?
- Can you teach us on the Godly home and child training?
- Would you be able to bring English Bibles when you come for our students?
- Would you come and conduct a whole church conference?
These are just a few of the questions that make it difficult for us to say “farewell” after 7 years of following the Lord Jesus through South East (SE) Asia on the Macedonian Teaching Ministry trail. Judy and I thank God for His abundant grace to us through SO MANY of you during our time with MTM. We always knew that since the call was clear to go, we had nothing to fear about going. By God’s grace and your prayerful support, we always found that to be true. HALLELUJAH!!
Brother Raymond Burkholder told me when I came on as an assistant in 2013, “at MTM, we never know what is happening when it is happening, or if it is happening”! We not only found that to be true on the MTM trail, but we have also found it to be true here in the USA after Covid-19 appeared.
What started as a guest teacher invitation to a MTM conference in June of 2012 in the country of Nepal, extended into relocating to Thailand, and conducting numerous Pastoral Leadership Conferences in 9 different countries in SE Asia. October 2020 marked our 7th year of serving God among the Nations with the Macedonian Teaching Ministry, located in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
After diligently seeking God for direction about His will concerning our future in SE Asia, it came very clear to us in January of this year that we were being called to return to the USA. Our plan was to finish up all our scheduled 2020 MTM conferences, and then return to ministering at our supporting home church in Ellensburg, Washington, sometime in January 2021. In March of this year we returned to the USA for what we thought was going to be the summer, and due to the Covid-19 situation, were not able to get a return visa to Thailand. That meant our remaining MTM conferences were cancelled, and our house would need to be emptied out by someone else. Currently, Rod and Janelle Musser from IGo are faithfully packing for us, room by room. Judy and I are eternally grateful to God, MTM, IGo, our supporting church, guest teachers, faithful donors, encouragers, and prayer warriors…who have made possible this blessed, glorious gospel experience! We are especially grateful to Brother Raymond and Sister Naomi Burkholder for this opportunity with MTM. Only eternity will reveal how their investment in us has impacted our lives and the lives of those we had the opportunity to serve. Our testimony is this: God is faithful, Christ is worthy, and we learned more than we taught! To God be the glory, great things He hath done! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Eternally grateful,
Merle & Judy Flory
Please continue to pray for the Burkholder’s as they provide leadership to MTM, along with MTM’s new Facilitator, Richard Moore. Rich and his family have served with MTM in SE Asia as a Guest Teacher. We thank God for His provision in raising up younger pastors & leaders to take our place. The work is not finished…therefore said Jesus unto them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”
A big welcome to Rich & Nicole Moore to fill the new role of Stateside Facilitator!
(L-R) Rich, Nicole, Hayden, Trevin, Landon and Shanae
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus from Rich and Nicole Moore. We live in the beautiful Willamette Valley near Dallas, Oregon and are the parents of three wonderful children; daughter, Shanae (married to Landon Kelley) and sons, Hayden and Trevin. Operating a construction business using tools like this form 1098 t generator, tending a small hazelnut orchard, and ministering to our local German Baptist Brethren church congregation are all a blessing for our family. Rich also serves on the board of the Rock of Ages Mennonite Home. Serving as a guest teacher for an MTM conference in SE Asia a couple years ago blessed us…inspired us and revealed to us how our amazing God is at work among the nations and among us. We look forward to allowing God to use us to help facilitate future MTM conferences when He allows it to be.
