Spetember 2, 2008

Warriors,

Just a few notes of praise in response to your intercessions over the past month. It's always great to see and recognize how God works for those who love Him and are called according to his purposes.

1. We just got word from Wycliffe that he finally got his passport and is on his way back to Sudan. There are still some hurdles that he will face (his visa is near to expiry and his funds to return are quite low) but getting his passport was huge. This will make things much easier for him to travel in the future.

2. We also just got word from the young couple, with two children, who were looking at our Youth Director position in Rumbek, that they are back on track with the board and are looking at the possibility of being out on the field by March of next year. What an incredible answer to prayer that is. They, and we, are excited to the heavens. They will be a great addition to the journeymen we now have out here that are working with the youth. Continue to pray for them (Travis and Christine) as they continue in the process of appointment in the months ahead.

3. Most of the journeymen seem to be much better physically - especially since they passed the bug on to me! That is a great praise. Just yesterday they had a mid-course exam in their language class and all did well. The girls have also found a language tutor who fits perfectly into their needs. You can read about it by going to Whitney's blog. Great story.

4. Yesterday we had a meeting with the leader of the Youth Center in Rumbek. Just last Friday we got permission from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to go ahead with plans to work in partnership with the youth to get the center up and running again. This is a big challenge and an even greater opportunity for our work with the youth in Rumbek. We are all excited and looking forward to what God has planned for us. Continue to pray that our every step will be guided by the Holy Spirit and that we will glorify God is all that we do and say at the center.

Thank you all for your faithful intercession on our team's behalf. We are proud that you are in integral part of this team and just wanted you to know of some of the results of your faithfulness.

To God be the glory,

mk

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August 27, 2008

Warriors,

Satan is definitely on the attack again. It must be that we are engaged in Kingdom activities that he fears and he is trying to thwart us yet again. We desperately need your intercession at this time. I wish I was adequately able to explain to you the oppression of these attacks. Emotionally they are draining for us. Please see the following events and pray as the Master leads you.

1. Wycliffe is in Kenya trying to get his passport so he can return to work with us. There have been numerous unexplained delays in giving it to him although he has turned in all of his documentation and paid all his fees. With him being gone at this time of year (planting season in our garden) it will be hard to get our new seeds in the ground. Even bigger is the fact that Wycliffe is Andres' accountability partner! Ask that he would be granted his passport immediately and be able to return to us. Pray for his travels here as it is many days overland - especially during this time of year.

2. Wycliffe's woes won't end there. Last night thieves came in and stole his motorcycle from our compound (made a big hole in our fencing). This is the second motorcycle we have had stolen in the past month. One of our neighbors saw the thieves and said they had AK-47s, which leads us to believe that it was soldiers (they are the only ones who are supposed to have guns now). This will be a big loss for Wycliffe as far as transport goes. Ask for a miracle to happen and have his bike recovered by the police.

3. Some of our j-men have been experiencing health difficulties these days. That has made studying language and simple daily living really strenuous. Pray for healing of internal organs and swelling issues. The j-men are doing great job in school and we want them to be the best they can be in their service here. They could use some intercession from you. Pray that they will /finish strong/ in language school.

4. The new family that is due to be appointed to come and serve alongside of us (Shannon and Carrie Lewis) must have their house sold prior to being appointed in November. They are now in their fourth week of having the house on the market and not one single person has come to look at it. They only have about five weeks left before the deadline. This is of great concern to us (though probably not much to God) and we are pleading with you to be united in your petitions to the Master in getting this burden out from under the Lewis'.

We know that our thoughts are not the same as God's and our ways differ from His, but we are His children and he wants us to have the desires of our hearts when they are in accordance with His will. We know that we have been called to this corner of the globe to serve Him and to fight battles alongside of Him. We don't expect an easy, trouble-free life. But being out here with so little "touchable" help around we rely very much on your intercession to help us endure and persevere. We ask you to join us in the above cries for His help and for Him to show us his sovereignty in action. May we be faithful in rejoicing and telling all people about that love.

To God be the glory

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August 8, 2008

Warriors,

I want to update you on some of the recent requests we sent out.

1. Language study is coming along well. Cathy and I decided that getting to the early morning sessions over our horrendous road and then going back again in the evening just wasn't a good plan. We are both attending the evening sessions and are learning plenty. Our journeymen are in both sessions and doing great. We are so proud of them as they have put a nice balance in their lives. They study, interact with the people, and still manage to have *lots* of fun (which they occasionally include us in). They have been nothing but a joy and delight for us - and everyone else they have met.

2. The spiritual warfare has definitely felt your intercession. We are still diligently seeking another young man to replace the one we lost, still dealing with stolen items, and still dealing with some health issues. But, we have seen some of those silver linings appearing - my health is much better these days (despite our roads), I have had some good meetings with our church leaders in Akot (we are starting some new leadership training next month), our two new church plants here in Rumbek seem to be doing quite well (though the leaders really need some more training), our team focuses are become more clear each new day, and we have one project proposal handed in and another soon to be finished. Ask that God will turn those linings of silver into gold - that will not burn up when eternity rolls around.

3. A *huge* praise in that we now have a young couple who are near to appointment for the Taposa people. They have gone through candidate conference and are looking at November for their appointment service. Please be praying that Shannon and Carrie (and their three boys) will be able to sell their house prior to the service as this is a new requirement from our board. You all know the housing market in the States is not the best these days but thankfully we serve a God who delights in making things happen for those who love Him.

4. After some weeks of prayer God seems to have given us some good direction in what we are planning to do in Akot alongside of Dawson BC. In the days ahead we will be communicating more with each other and finalizing our plans. When that is done we'll write you with the details. In the meantime, please be asking God to give us a unified mind and focus and we seek to serve Him effectively here in Sudan.

5. My time with the Master has been much better over the past weeks. I have been reading through Joshua, Judges, Ruth and both Samuels. They are packed with great stories that are so culturally appropriate to this area of the world. I've even had the opportunity to share a couple of them in one of our new churches over the past month. God has revealed to me new nuggets of truth that I hope to pass along to the leadership of this area in the near future. It has refreshed my soul as I have immersed myself in the Word and listened to that still small voice...

6. Pray for Jamie these days as she is having an unpleasant reaction to some medications she is having to take for the next six months. The drugs she must take are causing some swelling around her ankles and lower legs, and while it is* not *a life-threatening problem, it does cause /unneeded/ emotional stress - and no one living here in SS needs any of that. There is plenty of other stress that we have to deal with on a daily basis to keep that bucket full.

Thank you all so much for your faithfulness once again. As we plod along in this very "dark" land we take joy in knowing you walk along side of us,

To God be the glory,

mk

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July 24, 2008

Warriors,

Yes, I just sent you an update a few days ago. But I really need some intercession right now.

1. I'm really finding it difficult to go to language study now that I'm back in Rumbek. As it is I feel like I'm already far behind in the work I should be doing. There never seems to be enough time to "finally get caught up". Adding four hours a day onto that has been a weighty burden I've been trying to balance.

2. The spiritual oppression and warfare has been turned up several notches since our return. Today it overwhelmed me to the point that I literally collapsed in bed for two hours this afternoon. The attacks are coming from many different fronts - health, losing of teammates, sickness of workers, theft of property, confusion within national leaders, loss of focus, etc. - and it's becoming hard to get out from underneath the clouds. This is a *huge* request right now. Please ask for some "silver linings" to appear soon. Pray for a host of angels to help hold back the attacks or for God to give us the renewed strength to withstand the challenges we are encountering.

3. A member of Dawson Church was here for the past few days helping us look at all the options for some opportunities that we might have to assist the Dinka in Akot and beyond. Bobby was a great help in assisting us to see things from a different angle. We still have some key decisions to make that will affect Kingdom growth in the coming years here in SS. Be asking that God give us unified minds as we seek to be effective soldiers and servants to him.

5. On a personal note, ask God to provide me with some good quiet, quality time with Him this coming week. I need to hear is still small voice to refresh my soul. I am feeling very dry and need His Spirit to flood me with his holiness.

To Him be the glory,

mk