Christmas Letter

Take one:

Take two:

Take Three:

Got it!  Merry Christmas!

This is the Christmas letter we sent out to a small number of close friends and family.  We wanted to list it again here because there were a lot of people we couldn't send it to.  We're sorting and packing in the midst of the Holiday season, and we appreciate your prayers as we prepare for our 5 months in Kenya.  Read more below.

Dear friends and family,

Greetings to you and your family this Christmas!  We hope this holiday season finds you and your loved ones healthy, happy, and following hard after the purposes of the Lord.

For the Banks, 2009 has been a year of beginnings and endings.  Julie's pregnancy happily ended with the beginning of a new life!  Our son Liam was born in March and it is fascinating to watch him grow and learn something new every day.  Logan's residency ended in June when he graduated from the Cox Family Medicine program in Springfield, only to begin another phase of training at the International Family Medicine Fellowship based in Wichita, KS.  This program is the first of its kind in the nation.  The purpose is to take family physicians and extend their training in order to better prepare them for long-term medical mission service overseas.  The training began this summer at West Virginia University with a two month intensive course in Tropical Medicine.  Then the past five months have been in Wichita, getting further experience in several areas that FP's are not strongly trained.  Logan has learned dental extractions, spinal anesthesia, ultrasound, and he's gotten further surgical training in trauma, orthopedics, and burns while being a junior Faculty member at the Via Christi Residency.

Now our time in Wichita is coming to an end, as we prepare to begin the second half of the one year Fellowship.  Beginning in January, we will be traveling to Bomet, Kenya to serve for five months at the Tenwek Mission Hospital.  Their slogan represents the eternal hope offered to each patient, "We treat, Jesus heals".  Logan will be busy in the inpatient and outpatient department, as well as performing C-Sections, surgeries, dental work, and many other medical procedures.  He will also serve as guest faculty at the Kenyan Family Practice Residency based at Tenwek. Julie will keep busy chasing Liam around as he celebrates his first birthday overseas, and she will attempt to master cooking and laundry in the third world!  We are traveling with World Medical Mission, the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse.  There are many service opportunities, and Julie will also be able to serve at the Bible School and orphanages that are close by.  We're also looking forward to a visit from my brother Luke and his daughter Riley.

After the completion of this Fellowship, we plan on returning to Springfield where Logan will join the faculty at the Cox Family Medicine Residency where he graduated.  Liam will be more like a toddler and less like a baby!  We will continue to seek the Lord as we see the possibility of long-term missions at some point in our future.  For now, this semi-long term trip is our priority.  We've gotten our shots, have everything we will need for 5 months crammed into a few suitcases, and are ready to take off!  The only thing we lack are your prayers.

Please pray for

1. Our flight  (Mommy is worried how our 10 month old will do!)

2. Our health

3. Wisdom for Logan as he treats patients

4. Most importantly, the message of the Gospel to be evident in all that we say and do, and for God to receive all the glory.

Follow us on our blog at Banksoffshore.blogspot.com for updates and photos of our term in Kenya.  We would be honored if you would keep us in your prayers while we are overseas.  We hope the beginnings and endings in store for you in 2010 are full of blessing and draw you closer to the Lord!

Love,

Logan, Julie, and Liam