Apr 22 2011
Update on illnesses, Passion week, end of the semester stress, national training in Dallas
As we celebrate the incredible time of our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection. I just wanted to thank you for helping us to take that gift the the Father gave us in Jesus to the world by means of international students through your prayers. As I share later, even as we pray, (and do other things) we need your prayers so that all that we do are energized and made significant through God’s grace. Nothing we do is of any use without the Father… On the other hand, every thing we do, from the most innocuous-seeming to the most direct, is a Spiritual event if God is in it and through your prayers… that becomes even more ensured. We love and appreciate you all! Some big prayer things this week and more details on some illnesses and fairly immediate prayer needs.
- We met a really cool couple this week who volunteered with ISI in Colorado and just moved nearby to join the Seed company in Arlington. They wanted to volunteer to help. We are very happy to talk with them with the possibility of helping us out there.
- We had the ICF Easter Party at TCU. C-8 and I were able to celebrate with TCU student our Savior’s resurrection day(See pictures). The students enjoyed playing and taking pictures in the wildflowers (blue bonnets), painting egg, decorating cookies but most important hearing the story of Jesus death and resurrection and the effects of that had on our hosts, the Dodges. God was there and touched us in our relationships.
- This week we hosted the ISI National Basic training and most of our team had the opportunity to be a big part of the one week training of our new staff from around the country. This year we had a fairly experienced crew, mostly former missionaries who will be serving in places like Phoenix, Kansas City, New Jersey and Dallas. It was a real blessing to be a part of it. Our own Derrah Jackson led the whole time and each of our team had some role in the actual training process. The students seemed very open to what we were sharing.
- More information on the illness. Ron Bunyard, our staff partner at UTA and a very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer. The biopsy revealed that it is a fast growing 8 graded form. The plan right now is to perform surgery in early June (He need to heal from the biopsy before they can go in). Of course we are all concerned and in prayer. God has been working through this in Ron and his family but it has been hard. His daughter, Sarah is also in the process of graduating from UTA. Pray for God’s grace in the medical, emotional/faith and family area of their lives.
- Roy has oral surgery today. No big deal. Just implants for a lost tooth but pray as he goes under for this.
- Pray for our students as it is the end of the semester and the stress of classes starts to get to them. Pray for God’s peace and grace during this time.
- The saga in Japan continues especially in the area where Roy’s relatives are. Pray for a quick resolution to the nuclear crisis. Pray for wisdom on going to the quake/tsunami/nuclear stricken part of the country to visit family and student friends this summer on our Asia mission trip.
- Pray for the student from the Ivory Coast who have been struggling for a while now as their country is in civil war. The banks have been closed and many of them have had to withdraw from school in the middle of the semester because they don’t have any money to pay tuition and more importantly to live. Pray for patience and mercy on the part of the schools and the Immigration service (ICE). Pray for provision of basic needs. Pray for them as many of their families are leaders in their war and could be affected by what is happening there.
Yesterday we had the special honor of having some friends over for easter dinner. Our dear friends Sara and Aydin from Persian joined us for our special celebration. Before dinner we were able to share a bit about the history of Easter and what it was represented to us Christians and they shared their impression of it from the perspective of their culture. It was really cool.
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