Liam and Ellen Cox, with Cora and Florrie are happy to now be fully settled into their new place. They are grateful for how quickly it has become home for them, and that they can relax and enjoy not moving!
Liam’s first class went really well on the whole, and since then he has also taught Anthropology and Colossians. He is really enjoying it and is getting more confident now that he has a good few teaching hours under his belt! They are thankful for a more restful Easter break since Liam only starts teaching his next course in June (Philippians).
This year is a time of evaluating life at North Cotes, of slowing down and seeing what the Lord wants from them, and figuring out how they function in their new roles, and in light of Liam’s illness. At the moment he isn’t doing so well, fighting off an infection. However, they are so thankful that the medication seems to be working! Although a tiring regime of drugs there is noticeable improvement – the specialist nurse at a recent appointment told him, 18 months ago after diagnosis, there were 17 joints that were obviously inflamed and painful – now there are only three! This is a great encouragement. Liam still shows signs of the fatigue and there is some pain, but it is so much better than those early days. Pray that this improvement is long-lived, and that his body doesn’t adjust to the medication too quickly, and cause it to lose effectiveness.
Praise the Lord, Liam is able to manage well a teaching role. However, most likely next year his workload will increase, and they will also look to take on a fellowship group (a weekly small group of students that they disciple and have fellowship with through their biblical studies year.) A fellowship group is very much something that Ellen will be a part of as well, and she is looking forward to getting to know the ladies in the group better through that year. In order for Ellen to be of more support to Liam and take care of the family she will need to step down from the nursery administrator job in September. Please pray with them over the future for her college ministry, and how she can best balance the needs of her family, and the opportunities to serve at the college.
The girls are really enjoying life on campus – living downstairs now with their own front door, and the approach of summer means playing outside with friends is more and more possible! They love riding their bikes and running around the wide open spaces and in the trees that are by their house. Liam and Ellen are grateful for the many opportunities this all provides to preach the Gospel to them, and to help them in their walks with the Lord, through hard times and happy times.
On the last weekend of March it was the first of the annual conferences – REACH – it is aimed at young adults and there were 250 people in attendance! It was so exciting to have it in person again for the first time in four years! Liam and Ellen were both involved – Liam spoke on the Sunday morning, and Ellen did a live link interview with missionaries in PNG. It was a really blessed time, and they clearly saw the Lord at work – Praise Him. Continue to pray for more workers for the harvest! Find details here for the MAKE A DIfFFERENCE conference next month.
Thank you for your prayers!