Home Assignment Updates

As I look back over my past updates, I realize with embarrassment and apologies that it has been almost 2 months since I last wrote. We thank all of you who prayed for us during this busy time of meetings. We’ve made lots of new friends and reconnected with many other friends. It’s been so rewarding to share what God is doing in West Africa; we hope always to be a reminder of His faithfulness, both here and there. We trust that God will use these special times together in directing us all as to who will become partners in our new ministry in Niger.

Causes for Praise: Some fun things are happening in our family:

1. Our daughter and her husband will present us with our first grandbaby in November;
2. Our son graduated from law school last week; and
3. We will close on our very own, very small, bank foreclosure, fix-me-up house this Friday. Finally, a place of our own even though we have lots of work to do to make it liveable for us for the next 6 months, and then for renters as we return to Niger.

Concerns for Prayer:

1. Support Needs – we want to return to Niger in January, but need about 40% more of our support. Remember that our previous school ministry subsidized our support; our new ministry will not.
2. Health of Lois’ mom – Mrs. Matheny underwent an emergency appendectomy this past Saturday. Lois and her sister are in West Virginia helping out as they can. They had hoped to bring ‘mommy’ home from the hospital today, but now doctors are saying ‘maybe tomorrow’.

We are sending you our April schedule so that you can be in prayer as we minister in so many places this month – our busiest so far!  Our prayer is that we would minister to others more than we are ministered to, and that something we might say or do would make an eternal difference in someone’s life. And of course, we would like to add to our team of faithful supporters as God leads

-Apr. 3 am – Faith Baptist, Bolivar, OH
-Apr. 3 pm – Youngs Corners Fellowship Baptist, Wadsworth, OH
-Apr. 6 pm – PHBC AWANAS
-Apr. 9-10 – Bible Baptist, Bedford, OH – 2 day missions conference
-Apr. 12 – Pastor’s Fellowship, Massillon, OH
-Apr. 13 pm – Elkview Baptist, Charleston, WV
-Apr. 15-16 – WV State Meeting, Parkersburg, WV 
-Apr. 17-20 – First Baptist, Wauseon, OH – 4-day missions conference
-Apr. 24 am – Cottageville Evans Baptist, Cottageville, WV
-Apr. 24 pm – Bible Baptist, Parkersburg, WV
-Apr. 30-May 1 – Open Door Baptist, New Woodstock, NY – 2 day meeting

Not much has changed since our last update, even though it?s been almost a month since we e-mailed. 

Bob is busy visiting with pastors, scheduling meetings, and studying while I handle the correspondence. Occasionally I have opportunity to use my computer skills to help friends and/or family out with their computer woes. I do miss being involved with technology on a regular basis, as Bob misses teaching. 

But this time of furlough has its blessings. We are enjoying the time we can spend with family and friends, catching up on your news and learning first hand how we can pray for you. We love worshiping together with many of you in familiar environments, and ministering to you when we can. This is also a time when we can ?hone? some of our skills and enjoy activities that aren?t available to us on the field. 

How can you pray for us?

First of all, we want to find a ?fix-me-up? house at an unbelievably low price, so that we can fix it up to live in while we?re home and then rent it out when we?re gone. Some of the places we?ve looked at are really bad, but affordable! The only thing that makes me willing to consider it is remembering how trashed our school was when we returned and how we got it all back together!

Secondly, we hope to return to the field by the first of the year. Before we can do that, we need to raise enough additional support to replace the subsidy we were receiving from ICA . Since we know that God can do this, we ask that you pray for us as we continue to build relationships with friends and churches, some who will partner with us in prayer and others who will also partner with us financially.