DOUBLE PRAISE

Ruthie Wagner
July 30, 2014

DOUBLE PRAISE! We were told yesterday at the embassy that it would take weeks to get an emergency passport for Isaiah (3 wks old tomorrow). We heard, “I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do." We pleaded with them. I cried. We prayed. You prayed. Today... we walked out of the embassy with an emergency passport in hand. BAM! That's the way our God works. Praise #2 is that LBT was able to book tickets on a same flight Joshua's sis and bro-in-law (Brian) are taking on Tuesday, August 5th. “Thank you, Lord." And, my mom leaves this Sunday. So, we'll be busy arranging details for our time away from sweet Salone... hopefully short time. Leaving sure is the pits, but God is working everything out for us.

Thanks, praying Team. You are warriors.

WAGNER URGENT UPDATE: Ebola & Evacuation

ACTION: With great sadness we inform you that we have to leave Sierra Leone for a short time until the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is controlled.

WHY: The Ebola virus has begun infecting people in our city and civil unrest is a growing concern. Up until this week, we'd been planning to stay and were taking appropriate safety precautions. Unfortunately the outbreak has reached a point where our work and family activities are significantly restricted. It appears that things are likely to get worse before they improve.

WHERE & HOW LONG: We are initially going to LBT's home office in Aurora, IL for debriefing and discussion of plans while we wait to return to Sierra Leone. We are evacuating with essentials and valuables and saving everything else in Sierra Leone for our return.

HOW WE FEEL: Heartbroken. We write this with tears and deep disappointment. We were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of cultural stress and adjustment, a difficult pregnancy, and much sickness. We were seeing a way forward. Now we have to leave. While we know God’s ways are greater than ours, our emotions are raw. It’s especially difficult to leave our local partners, the work, our neighbors and friends. Most people don’t believe that Ebola is real or that it’s as bad as it is. We feel burdened to plead to God for their physical lives but also their spiritual lives. We plan to return. We plan to see the Word going forth and touching lives… in Themne.

FINANCIAL SITUATION: As evacuation plans continue to develop, we don’t know what our situation will be for the next several months. We know we have unexpected travel costs and living expenses as we keep our home in Sierra Leone and live in the USA for a short time.

URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS: Please pray…

- we can obtain an emergency passport for Isaiah (2.5 weeks old).

- we would be able to get tickets to travel with family visiting—Ruthie's mom and Josh’s sister and brother-in-law. (Praise God they’re here to help us!!!)

- for the epidemic to be controlled and that people would believe!
- for encouragement, strength, and protection for the Themne translation team.
Thanks, Team, for standing with us,
Josh, Ruthie, Elijah (2yo), & Isaiah (2.5wks)

News from the Coyles

As I (Monica) have been reviewing our photos from our time here so far, I echo the Psalmist's words from Psalm 23:5, "my cup overflows." Surely, His mercies to our family in these past two months have been more than seems possible. We are rejoicing in the safe arrival of our little Levi. We have been encouraged and strengthened during our time with our family. And we have been so humbled by the care of prayers of this amazing team God has built up for this ministry in Petrodolina, Ukraine.

Click here to read the whole newsletter

July Ecuador update

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  I Corinthians 1:9

I read this passage this morning in my devotions, and it reminded me of how faithful God has been and will continue to be.  A lot has happened in the last month.  The students graduated from the Bible school in June.  It was a special day, especially since it was the completion of the first year of the Bible school in Ecuador. 
Since then, the school has moved and we are looking for a new location before the beginning of the new school year in September.  We have 4 students enrolled so far, with more possibilities.  I will be teaching an English Bible class 4 days a week for the whole school year starting in September.  I'm excited for the opportunity, but a little nervous as well.  I have been working on preparing my lessons and curriculum. 

This week was the first week of our summer kids club. We still have 2 weeks left.   We have around 50 kids and the students that graduated from the Bible school are teachers.  I helped prepare the lessons and crafts for the different classes.  I am also teaching English and piano.  I think I'm learning more Spanish than they are English in preparing for my classes-ha. 

Right now I am living with the pastor and his family until we find a new location for the school.  Today we visited a place that has potential, but ultimately it's in God's hands.

I was sick for a little while, but am feeling much better now, praise the Lord. 

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and encouraging notes. 

Please pray:

For a new school location

For potential students

For my English class, preparing and teaching, that God would be glorified

For the Summer Kids' Club

Thank you again.  In Christ, Amanda Bellefy

WE'RE FOUR! INTRODUCING...

July 9th at 5:00 am, this precious bundle arrived. We are grateful to the Lord for a safe delivery in our home here in Sierra Leone. Ruthie's Mom (Margaret Lee) arrived evening of July 6th, in time for Isaiah's arrival--2 weeks early. Thank you for standing with us in prayer through this difficult pregnancy. Ruthie and Isaiah are doing very well!

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose,and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:10-11

Thanks, Team!

Josh & Ruthie (Elijah & Isaiah)

Missionaries with LBT to Sierra Leone

http://www.lbt.org/missionaries/jrwagner.php

July Newsletter from Jonni Sliver

And the Newbies Continue
Last month I introduced you to Nicolas and Amanda, and they were the only new arrivals for a good while! The Miriam Home population dipped a bit and even with our new arrivals we only had 13 children in the house. Down right quiet next to last year!
Well, you probably know, nothing stays the same for long! Just days after I wrote you, Raysa arrived. This sweet 9 year old came to us because of violence in her home (she lives with her mother and step-father). It is likely that she will be with us a short while, because her father has already gone to family court, requesting custody of his daughter, while Raysa’s mom hasn’t even called to make sure she is o.k. So we are packing all the love we can in the days we have with her.

After Raysa’s arrival we had a big surprise. Five brothers and sisters arrived! Samuel (8) and Jonas (5) arrived first. They came with a member of social services and two school teachers. That is because the teachers had been very concerned that the boys had been coming to school every day hungry, dirty - it was pretty obvious they were getting themselves ready for school every day, so when winter vacation started they decided to visit the boys at home and see what was happening. They found the two brothers alone in the house. There was no food, the boys were dirty, Jonas was wearing just a pair of shorts (it was a cold morning) the he reeked of urine. The teachers called social services and it took a while for them to arrive, still the children’s mom had not arrived, and the boys came to us. Pretty soon the social assistant arrived with the younger brother Miguel (2) and sister Vitoria (4) who had been at a free day care center, and finally, in the afternoon Nadia (11) arrived to fill out the picture.

Click here to read the entire letter.

July update–Nate & Rhoda Jore

Thanks for all of your messages, asking what has happened to us. Forgive us for not covering all of our bases in our communication with you all. We have found it to be easiest to give updates on our Facebook page, which we have primarily done these past several months. So, for all of you non-Facebookers, that has left you out of the loop. We are truly sorry about that. We value your prayer support, and are grateful for the interest that you have shown in what is going on here. For those of you who are on Facebook and are not currently connected with us that way, but would like to be, just request Nate or me as a friend and we will link you to our Facebook page where we post updates. We also periodically post on our blog (www.thejorefamily.wordpress.com).
On our blog, there is information on the police case that was brought against Nate back in December. In May, we received word that the case was dropped! We are so grateful to be finished with that season of wondering and waiting what was going to come of it. God's hand of protection on us through it was so evident. We are currently still waiting to hear back from the Immigration Department regarding the status of Nate's work permit. Back in December, we found out that the renewal of his work permit had been rejected and we were given 30 days to leave the country. He was told that he had one chance to appeal that rejection, which he did (in the form of a letter). And we are still waiting on the answer to his appeal. We're not quite sure why it is taking so long. Each time Nate has traveled to Kampala to check on it or has called in to the office, he has been told that no progress has been made on it and to check back later. So, we continue to wait. Our plans to build our home in the village are still on hold as our future here is still uncertain.
Life goes on and is quite "normal" for us, despite the fact that we could receive word any day that would determine whether or not we'd pack our bags and head back to the U.S. or dive into our plans to build our home in the village. I think we have gotten used to that tension and that feeling of being in limbo. God's peace that passes understanding and the confidence He has given us in His sovereignty has sustained us.
Nate has been loving teaching a new 3rd year Ambassador Institute course on Romans. He is teaching the core group of AI leaders/teachers and they are eating it up along with him. Studying Romans and figuring out how to teach it well has definitely been stretching for Nate, but it has been a challenge which he has eagerly taken on.
We continue to move in the direction of Nate handing over his leader/director position of the Ambassador Institute program here by the time we head back to the States on furlough next May. We are excited to watch it become more and more propelled by the vision and energy of the local leaders and teachers, as it becomes their own and not simply a program which was introduced to them.
Currently we have 6 interns from the States working alongside us here. They are each pretty amazing. They are involved in a variety of ministries in the community... working with street kids, leading a lunchtime Bible program for elementary kids, one-on-one mentoring, serving disabled kids, helping out at an orphanage, teaching Bible studies at a pregnancy center and at a nearby high school, teaching a music class, leading a Sunday school program, and more that I'm sure I don't even know about. Oh, of course, and ministering to our family hugely by helping out with teaching our kids and babysitting so Nate and I can have a weekly date night. We feel incredibly blessed and spoiled by them. We'll miss them when they all take off within the next month.
Our kids seem to all be growing at a rapid rate recently. Elijah, our oldest, is turning 10 on Wednesday. It hardly seems possible that he could be that old. He has shot up in height this past year and is gearing up to pass me before too long. He has proven to be just as intense of a soccer lover as Nate as they've watched the World Cup games together this past month. One of the things we love best about him is his inability to re-tell a funny story or joke without erupting in giggles. Judah is 8 and continues to be our dreamer and our lover of beauty and nature. He has started to try to play the piano by ear, which he told me last night he's going to do for his own enjoyment and not for a profession when he grows up. Hannah is 6 and currently thinks it's hilarious to tickle everyone in her proximity. She loves shoes and dressing up and ballet and nail polish, but she also loves to be right in the thick of it with the boys when they race and wrestle. She has taken off in her reading this year and begs to read books to me throughout the day. Jeremiah is 4 and is high-speed and intense in all things, all day long. He got a Nerf gun for his birthday last month, and he sleeps with it and talks about it and shoots people with it all day long as well. When professing his love to me recently he said, 'I love you so much, Mom. I won't ever push you off a cliff." Julia makes everyone laugh. She is a really happy kid and makes everyone else happy too. Her favorite things in life are sitting in a bucket of water outside, dumping water out of buckets, playing in the shower and the bathtub, leaving faucets running, flushing the toilet, and washing her babies. She also likes to talk about rats and dead animals, and she takes on a very grown-up tone when she begins to share her information about them.
As always, thanks for remembering us and praying for us and loving us. We feel so grateful to have such a strong support system of friends and family, as well as those of you we've never met. May God increase in each of you a hunger for His glory to be known and seen in your own lives and in all the nations.
Rhoda (for Nate and family too)

Anna Franz and Anja Fekingohoff Leave for Uganda

Anna and Anja have departed Minneapolis for Uganda as of 6:00am this morning. They are being prayerfully sent out and are ready to serve the Lord. It was great being able to send them off and seeing their passion for ministry and their desires to serve the Lord in this way! Please be in prayer for them; for safe travels, ministry opportunities, and for their time in Uganda. We serve a great God and He’s raising workers to serve.

Serving Him,

Jon Nelson

Department Head of AFLC World Mission Trips