So that you know who has written what, each post will be categorized as either “John” or “Jenny”.  Happy Reading!

Also, for all you google reader users, the new blog will work just fine.  Just go over to the new blog and click “subscribe” in your bookmarks.

By the way, I still don’t know how to send a text message in faster than…hmmm…15 minutes.

Over the past few years, I’ve read Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis a couple of times.  Inspired by this book, a few years ago I drew out a sketch and gave it to my sister (thanks Mary Stewart!) who did an excellent job of painting it.  I will, in a future post(s), explain the symbolism of each of the elements.

I just ordered 50 of these prints so that we can pass them out to folks while we’re on stateside.

My friends and missionary teammates, Arnold Austin and family, will be coming today to the study with us.  I’m hopeful they can continue the weekly study if the Lord so desires.  Our translator friend, Santiago, is also hoping to go with us- he just is working out some scheduling stuff with his own church.

As this study is in connection with Union Grove Baptist Church’s partnership, we are all very excited about how God will continue to work among those who have been meeting with us.

UPDATE:  We are thanking God for today’s Bible Study!  A lady, Leo, trusted Christ as Savior and Lord today!

Now, Lord willing, we will get the privilege of learning another, far more challenging language- one of the indian dialects.

Oh, and for the record, I’m still a level BELOW the level Jenny was when we left Costa Rica over 2 years ago!  Ugh! – Helps keep me humble .

God is continuing his refining work in my life and the life of my family.  As ridiculous and arrogant as it sounds, I really believed that when we left the States three years ago for the field that I was leaving some sinful attitudes behind as well.  I thought I was, at least for the most part, moving beyond materialism… I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Here I sit, three years later, and God is challenging me to the core of my being in areas that I didn’t even realize required change.

Here is a question I have been pondering lately- What are you really doing for the Glory of God?  Am I giving Him my all?

If your answer starts the way mine usually does (Well, I do this and this and that…), stop and ponder the question for a couple of days.

I’m a Christian and a missionary, of course I’m serving God… but to what extent? With what percentage of my life and energy?

I don’t have the answers.  I simply know that I must look more and more like Jesus and less and less like myself.

All of this is just another sign of a chapter of our life that is closing.  And with it, new opportunities arise.  New ways to glorify the Father become possible.

Truly, I see this as an opportunity for us to ‘right’ a ‘wrong’ from when we first moved to Lima.  You see, we purchased items to fit our house (which is a nice house) instead of what we needed.  My prayer is that I will never again purchase something because I can, but rather, because I should.

Please join us in praying for Mountainview Baptist Church in Utah.  I met with some of their leadership last night (via Skype) about the possibility of their coming and partnering with REAPSouth here in Lima.  Also, join us in celebrating new REAPSouth partners, Eastland Baptist Church (Eastland, TX).  They are working in Santa Rosa- a rapidly growing, impoverished community in the Northern Cone of Lima.  You may remember the video of their pastor performing a baptism in the Pacific Ocean from a couple of months ago.  You can view the baptism video by clicking the photos and videos page.

8.24.10 update

We are beginning to finish up our work here in Lima and beginning the process of getting ready for Stateside assignment as well as our transfer to the next place where we will serve (this is still not completely determined) though we are in the matching process for a job among an indian group in Southern Mexico.  We are eager and excited but continue to look for God’s final confirmation that will come from IMB leaders (and medical personnel).  Here are a few things you can pray for us this week:

• Pray for Hope’s continued good health and development.  She has not had a seizure since June 20 (when she began medication).  We have an appointment with a pediatric neurologist in Cary, NC the week after we get to the States.
• Pray for the Bible study at Flor’s house.  We have been teaching with them for a couple of months and their background knowledge is now to the point where they can see some of the distinctives between biblical Christianity and their current belief system (a very mixed set of beliefs).  Pray for the final weeks of our study with them and the continued work that Union Grove (the REAP partner area in their community) will do with them.  It is our hope that each person studying with us will confess Christ as Lord and Savior… and that they will be properly discipled and a church will begin!
• Pray for our packing, selling, and crating.  There is MUCH to do to get ready.
• Pray for the transition our family will experience over the next few months.  Our children will leave Lima, live the whirlwind of 4 months in the States (including LOTS of fun with G-parents, visiting lots of churches, traveling), and then to a new country (IF it is Mexico, we have been told we cannot move into our new community until we have gotten permission to live with them from community leaders- a distinctive of some indigenous communities).  All this means, lots of transition.  Pray that the kids, as well as Mama and Daddy, will be led by God through the transition.

Pray that Stateside will be a great time of ministry amongst churches and LOTS of wonderful memories are made with family and friends!