Duggins Family e-Update

Greetings in Jesus.
We are ever grateful for the Christian communities that have been so very good to us over these many years.  We have especially felt your love and prayers as we dealt with Eric's cancer diagnosis.   We are also grateful for the financial support of so many people and church families.   We are getting back to our normal work schedules and we are excited that we are permitted to continue to minister with New International and IMPACTO Latino.

Eric has his next CT Scan on August 9 and if all goes well and the results are "clean" it is very likely that he will have a 6 month schedule instead of every 3 months.  He is feeling good and is even starting to get back to his walking routine and is starting to loose weight that had moved a bit upwards.   We will do a small update after the August 9 scan.

​It looks like we are on our way to Florida.  After a lot of conversation and prayer we have decided to move our family base to Fort Myers, Florida.  In conversations with our up-line at N.I., there was an interest to have us involved in more projects with International Operations at New International and it was encouraged that we consider the move to be closer to the CGO.  We also were concerned at how inactive we tended to be during the Indiana winters and especially Dee would have more discomfort in her legs from the cold.  I guess 40+ years in Tropics and Sub-Tropics changes the "old body".   We are presently packing the house after making arrangements with a moving company and our house will be for sale starting on August 1.  We would ask that you pray for a smooth and timely process!   We also put money down on a house in north Fort Myers and that is being built presently.  It is amazing all the moving parts involved in this move but we feel the Lord is in it and we would be grateful if you could also keep this process in your prayers.

​In June we had to make an unscheduled trip to Mexico to deal with an emergency with one of our families there.  Though we thought we might be there a month, the situation became more stable and clear and we returned to Indiana after two weeks.  Be praying for the IMPACTO Latino ministry, Sergio and Holly Alvarado will be moving the ministry forward as the only full-time family presently on the field.  We continue to encourage and counsel with them and plan to be with them in December for the year end meetings and planing retreats for IMPACTO and the church plants.

Jeremy Beford, N.I. Affiliate with ministry in Romania

Eric will be in Romania for 8 days during the middle of July to accompany a New International missionary and to observe his ministry there with youth and young adults, many of which are graduates of State orphanages and others that are still residents in those institutions.  Jeremy Beford is also helping with refugee relief which is a growing problem in Romania because of war in Ukraine. 

​Though our responsibilities as the Americas Regional Directors takes a good portion of our ministry time, we continue to be part of the IMPACTO Team ministry.    We are focused presently on the formation and on-going functioning of the Management Teams for each of the New Church Plants.   These management teams function as Elders for each church until an Eldership can be chosen.  We are serving on the four teams, one of which we lead and two other are in the process for forming.  A lot is done by Zoom and other electronic methods, but we are always looking forward to the in-person meeting times.  A very important time will be December and January, when the Evaluation and Planning retreats are held for the church by their leadership, when we will be in Mexico.  We also continue to be involved in fundraising projects for the church plants.

Next year, Eric will be traveling to several locations related to our ministry as Regional Directors.  Though dates are not set, trips will be planned for Haiti and South Africa as well as Council Bluffs, Buffalo, Athens, GA,  Phoenix and Los Angeles.   All these locations in the United States are with NI Affiliates that are based in the US and have ministries in other international locations or are working with ethnic groups in their US location.  The variety of ministries are a challenge and often involve a learning curve which we really enjoy, but we have been blessed to be pastorally involved with these families and as their up-line at New International.

ON THE CALENDAR:
20-29 July / Trip to Romania.
1-8 August / House Showing. 19 August / Admin Meeting Expansion Merida, Yucatan.
1 or 2 September / Moving company packs and moves to storage the INDY house.
16-24 September / New International Reginal Directors meetings and Retreat in Lisbon, Portugal.
27 September / Admin Meeting La Viña Church.
29 September / Admin Meeting the Anchor Church.
26-30 September / Our move to Florida.  We will be staying on Campus of New International until our house is closed on in Mid-November.
25 October / Admin Meeting the Anchor Church.
27 October / Admin Meeting La Viña Church
5-10 November / Eric will be participating at the Tri-Annual Mission Week at Mountain Christian Church in Maryland. 
24 November / Admin Meeting the Anchor Church
29 November / Admin Meeting La Viña Church
13 December / We will return to Mexico for Christmas and for the year-end planning meetings for the new churches.
20-21 December / Planning meeting for the Anchor Christian Church, Queretaro.
3-4 January / Planning Meeting for the La Viña Christian Church, Queretaro.
​10-11 January (?) / Tentative dates for the Planning meetings for the new church in Merida, Yucatan.

Prayer Requests:
- Eric's Trip to Romania, Safety and a good introduction the the ministry.
- Smooth and timely sale of the INDY house.
- Be praying for Andrew, as he also going through transition, again.  He has been with us since returning from Minneapolis.  He is moving to an apartment in Martinsville, IN at the first of August.  
- We are grateful for you prayers.  Be praying for our Lord's good mercy as Eric has his next CT Scan.  We are praying for a "clean" scan.