The last couple of months have been marked by extraordinary answers to prayer and blessings beyond what we had asked or thought. My wife and I were in the United States briefly for our oldest daughter’s wedding near the end of March. The wedding was beautiful, and we were happy to add another son-in-law to our family. While Stateside we were also thrilled to see our other grown children and our four granddaughters.
Even though my total time in America was limited to just under two weeks, I was able to be in one church in Kentucky, three in Indiana, and my alma mater. Two of the churches were having conferences, and both of them were incredibly generous. We received two of our largest offerings ever. A friend also gave our ministry a new computer, which we have been needing. Many positive comments were made in response to the messages as well.
The family that stayed with our children while we were away is currently on deputation with plans to work with us in the future. We so appreciated them filling in for us and taking such good care of our younger offspring. Please pray for all of those presently preparing to come join us in this strategic part of the harvest.
God has blessed us with many new contacts in recent weeks. The language-service center is generating a lot of interest and keeping me plenty busy. A young man who has been attending our Sunday services for only a couple of months believes that God is calling him to preach. Another man started attending just a couple of weeks ago. He has been a believer for many years but has never been grounded and has many questions.
My wife and I took a ferryboat ride to a distant city where we met with some believers who want to start a church. Pray that we can find someone to help with this need. In the meantime, we have offered to travel there on a monthly basis to hold Bible studies. Another believer contacted us recently from even farther away and wants to meet with us. Yet another believer has contacted us from a different country and is trying to arrange a visit. Keep in mind that some of these people live in areas where being a disciple of Jesus can be very dangerous.
Since our arrival in the country five years ago, we have had constant battles trying to meet the ever-changing requirements to maintain residency visas. For a long time, we were having to renew visas every five months, and renewal is about a three-month process. No sooner would we receive our new residency cards in the mail, and it would be time to apply for the next ones. We are thrilled to report that, as of yesterday, we have received new residency visas that are valid for two years. To get these in our particular city is nothing short of miraculous!
Please pray for preparations we are making for a special camp this fall. We anticipate hosting many campers, including both nationals and guests from America. The purpose of the camp will be to help train people in the area of working in “closed” countries. After the days of camp, we plan to break up into several smaller groups. Each group will go to a different city to minister. If this idea is successful, we may repeat the endeavor once every two years or so. Also, please contact us if you know of anyone who might be interested in participating.
Thanks so much for all your prayers and support. We are seeing God affect the lives of several people as a result.
Missionary #6501 and Family