Dear Prayer Warriors & Friends,
Well, here I sit in Wesley Chapel Florida out on the porch the last day of the year. The weather is 76 degrees and it is very beautiful here. Don and I just wanted to take this opportunity to write to you and let you know how very much we appreciate each one of you and to let you know that we are so glad we are a part of the family of God and on the same team as we reach out to others who need Jesus. May each of you have a blessed New Year as we serve together another!
As we look over the past year we see how the hand of God has moved and answered so many prayers. How he has led, stretched, grown, and molded us in many ways. Don and I are entering into our last few months as missionaries with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
We are seeking God's will for our lives and where we can serve Him best. We are still adjusting to the idea of such a life change. We know that God has a plan for us and we are leaning on him to guide us.
We retire officially July 31 and at that time we can no longer life in the apartment we are renting and will have to make a move so we do covet the prayers of each of you on our behalf.
We start our last tours January 25. We will be in Chicago area, and then Joan will go to Washington DC, Wilmington Delaware, Toledo Ohio, and Cleveland Ohio. Now this will be the dead of winter and Joan has not been in cold weather like this for many years so please pray for that. Pray that God will be glorified and many people will catch the vision that Jesus has for them when it comes to serving Jesus and Missions.
We, along with Pastor Ron and Judy Higey, Judy Natke, JC Pratt, Mary Marshall and others are working on starting a new corporation this year. It will be named "S.O.U. L. Light Foundation" (Shine on us Lord
foundation) and will be established to help young women trapped in foreign prisons, those nearing their release for parole, and those getting ready to enter back into their countries. Our goal is to help young woman who have found Jesus in jail be able to fit back into society without going back into the same situations they had found themselves before ending up in prison. To help them find an evangelical church in their countries and the family of God come along side of them and help them in their adjustment. We were well received in Quito in Nov. when we met with the Director of the Confidence House where the women on parole live. She is working with us on starting a card making ministry there so women can work and earn money when they are out on parole. So please pray about all of this with us.
I have respect for people who climb rugged mountain peaks. Those people who reach out to the lost trapped on cliffs and in the mountains. One safety feature is a line that is always connected to a person below, who is called the "belayer." If the climber loses his balance or falls, the belayer holds him until he can regain his footing and continue to reach others. Thus to "belay" is to anchor, to hold securely, to keep safe. I read about this in Daily Bread and I contemplate it I realize how important it is to have belayers in our lives to hold us accountable and helping one another in our daily walk with Christ. To uphold one another in prayer. To provide assistance to one another when needed. We need to encourage one another and come alongside each other in times of spiritual danger. We need to hold the ropes for each other. Don and I want to thank all of you for being "belayers" for us and the caring and encouraging you have done this year on our behalf. II Thes. 1:11-12 We also pray always for you... that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you.. A word of encouragement can make a difference between giving up or going on and you have always helped us go on.
God has led as Laura did get her diploma, Lindi is out on parole, Annie was able to go home, Andrea is waiting to hear about her parole which could start in January, Tammy is back in the states, God is reaching women for Jesus in jail and now many of them are reaching
women in their own countries. Chalene is growing and Zania her
daughter is now 18 and living for Jesus.
Angelika is doing well and we are praying that Melanie from NJ will be able to leave Ecuador soon. We are praying that this will be the year that Laura will be able to leave. We are asking God for a miracle in that Laura will get a visa to visit the states and then to be able to study in the states. So there are many requests that we need to continue to pray for but God has demonstrated his power and his answers to prayer so let's continue to work together to see Jesus glorified in 2008.
Thank you to all of you and may God bless you and give you a Blessed New Year.
Love, Don and Joan