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Saturday, October 2, 2010

September Prayer Letter

SEPTEMBER 2010

Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors and Co-Laborers,

What a whirlwind these last two months have been for us! There have been many life altering changes for our family, besides the fact that we are leaving for the field in January, and God has been gracious and kind in all matters.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 115:16

The morning of August 5th we received a phone call from Nisha’s step-father that her mother, Denise Taylor, had passed away in her sleep and woke up in the arm’s of her Savior. She was 55 years old. The unexpected death has been difficult for the family because she was not ill and had no known ailments. There is still no “resolution” as to the cause of death other than natural causes, but the family accepts the fact that God decided it was time for her to go Home. We rejoice in her testimony, which was clearly evident at her workplace, as we heard story after story of her mother’s faithful witness to her co-workers. Although we miss her, we are confident in God’s timing and purpose. Please pray for Nisha’s step-father as he adjusts to life with out his beloved wife, and for Nisha and her siblings as they adjust to life without their mother.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” I Timothy 6:6-7
We had begun the process of packing up our home in Michigan when we received the call of Nisha’s mother. We returned three weeks later, to complete the process, only this time, we were adjusting our packing around the meetings we had scheduled in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Finally, we have completed the moving sale and are finishing getting the house ready to turn back over to the church. It was difficult to see most of our earthly possessions being sold, but know that it is a step closer to Peru. Please pray as we still have our vehicle and a couple of other items to sell to complete this process of moving.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8

It was our intention to begin language training in January in Costa Rica. However, in the last month, another option has been made available to us through a ministry directly in Lima, Peru. They have a Spanish language professor on staff willing to teach us for a year. This would give us an opportunity to learn the Peruvian Spanish dialect from a Baptist ministry, build ministry relationships, help us begin the process of acquiring our ministry visas, as well as getting used to some Peruvian culture before heading to the mountains and jungle.
We are heading west for our fall meetings. A new addition to our ministry has become a full size van to complete our deputation. Our current car was in need of repair and we didn’t feel it would last through all the travelling we are doing this fall. Baptist Missionary Transportation Ministry, BMTM, came through for us with a seven passenger van and we are in awe of all the room it has! After spending the last three and a half years in a Taurus station wagon, you can imagine how we feel traveling with this! This will give us enough room to do school while we travel and eliminate the need for a car top carrier. We are blessed to have this van to complete our deputation ministry. Please pray as we present our ministry to churches in Texas, Nevada, California, and Vancouver, BC this fall and for continued safety as we travel.

Here are some remaining things you can keep in mind as you pray for us:
1. Completion of our deputation ministry.
2. Paperwork for visas: We need to certify the kids’ birth certificates this fall at a Peruvian embassy in the states. Please pray that we will be able to find one as we travel this fall and there would be no complications in the visa process.
3. We will be purchasing our airline tickets for Peru this month.

Thank you all who faithfully pray and support our ministry. We know many of you pray daily for us and we want you to know that they are felt and appreciated!

For His Glory,

Jon, Nisha, and the kids

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