What a week!

Hey guys,
We are sorry we haven't posted more pictures, but we promise we will after this next trip. This week has been a crazy week with lots of business and doctors appointments and tests for Jennifer. We still don't have any answers yet and the doctors are still guessing. She's in quite a bit of pain, but we are leaving tomorrow to speak at a church in Kansas. We are looking forward to the trip, but hope Jennifer will be able to function okay.

If your are on our newsletter list we hope you received it or will receive it soon without a problem. Look for it in your e-mail or mail box. Let us know if you don't find it soon. =) We wanted to put more pictures in the letter but were unable to. So...On our blog we will post quite a few in the near future. We appreciate your patience.

Thanks for your encouragement and prayers as you partner with us on this journey!
Abrazos,
Josh and Jennifer

Quick Update

Hey faithful friends!

Here's a quick update... Keep a lookout for our latest newsletter, pictures, and prayer updates all coming your way shortly.

Right now we want to ask you all to keep us in your prayers. Jennifer is dealing with a serious health issue, and we have not been able to get to the bottom of it yet. Tuesday of next week is the soonest she could get in to see the specialists she needs to see, and we are desperately praying for wisdom and answers. Meanwhile she is still very ill and is having difficulties. If you think of us please keep us both in your prayers as we weigh through this struggle and hopefully get past it quickly.

We love you guys and by the grace of God and with your help we will make it in the near future to Mexico, the country we love dearly! Thanks!

Josh and Jennifer

Sausage, Eggs, & Jesus

Today, Josh officially concluded the Nicholasville UMC missions conference when he spoke at the men's breakfast that was cancelled last week due to the winter weather. The time was well spent and Josh really enjoyed sharing one more time at this great community of believers.
In our preparations for going to Mexico we have discovered that although there are many useful, well conceived ideas and plans for showing others the love of God, the most critical and often overlooked means of reaching others with the good news of Christ is by loving each other. If we have all the talent and gifts we could muster but fail to love one another, then our ministry will fail. If people are to believe in Jesus and live for him, they must see that the family of God is different, and this is done by loving others as Jesus loved us. When we fail to love others we are not only treating people poorly, but we are also showing others that the ministry of Christ has achieved little if not nothing in our lives. Josh's challenge here and in Mexico and the challenge he gave to the men at the breakfast was to make love the center and source of evangelism. We don't want to be clanging gongs or clashing symbols.

Let the Little Children Come Unto Me

This week we spent time at the Nicholasville UMC and were part of their missions' conference.

Wednesday we spoke with the children about missions and what we are going to be doing in Mexico. The children ate up our presentation including a game and pictures. Their eagerness to hear about Mexico surprised both of us. These sweet children range in ages from kindergarten to 5th grade. After showing them pictures and sharing with them, we asked if they had any questions. Much to our joy they had all kinds of questions from "how do you get enough money to go to Mexico" to "what kind of church will you be working with?" They had so many valuable questions that we ran out of time to answer them all. These children encouraged us by their eagerness to learn about Mexico and missions. During our time with them we asked if they knew what they could do to help the children in Central Mexico that lack the resources they need. Once again we were blown away by their answers. They said they could give their things, pray, and they'd even consider supporting us. Being prayed for and supported by young children is incredibly humbling on our journey especially since we have such a love for them. We love kids and Jennifer has devoted much of her time to children over the past few years. In addition, during our first two years in Mexico we will be involved in children's outreaches through the church in Léon and therefore it was a privilege to share our hearts with the young kids at this church in our community.

The rest of the conference went well and we're immensely grateful for the chance to share with a church in our county. Unfortunately, Jennifer was unable to participate in the conference this past weekend due to a health problem. Please continue to pray for her as the doctors try to figure out where her right side pain is coming from. We're praying that we will be able to find an answer this week as she has been dealing with this pain for some time.

Thanks again for your prayers and support! We love you and are thankful for each one of you!

A New Chapter Begins...

A new phase in our lives began when we arrived home from Colorado. This new chapter of our lives is one where we are thoroughly devoted to raising our support. Our former jobs are no longer, and now we are officially devoted to ministry full-time.

This week we are participating in the mission's conference at Nicholasville UMC and are excited to be with that congregation. We will be updating you shortly with details from the conference.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers! So many of you have contacted us or have told us that you have been praying for us and those involved with the car accident at Mission Training International. We and others involved did and do sense God's presence. Please keep praying especially for Andrea who is still in the hospital and has a long road ahead of her and for her husband who is dealing with a lot of tough situations. Em is doing better but is still recovering in Michigan and will be for several months.

We would love to keep in touch with you all by phone or e-mail so feel free to drop us a line.

Much love,
Josh and Jennifer