Pray for Friday... and Saturday

Many of you know that Jennifer has been suffering from right side abdominal pain. 'Till now the doctors have not been able to determine the cause of the pain, and this has been a very frustrating thing for us. Friday, Jennifer is scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy and endoscopy. We hope this test will help the doctors better understand what is causing the pain. The pain is not easy for Jennifer to deal with, but not knowing what is causing it is even more difficult. Please pray for us, the doctors, and the procedures. We hope that God will bring Jennifer healing and that these procedures will help us move towards getting her better. After these procedures, we are leaving Saturday morning to go to Marietta, GA. One of our dear friends is hosting a cookout as an opportunity for us to share about our calling to Mexico and to invite others to partner with us in ministry. You could also be in prayer for this event. Know that we really appreciate your prayers and be assured that God is answering them.

We Need You!

"What I do you cannot do, but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us...ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful."- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

This quote captures the heart of ministry and touches us deeply. If we have learned anything in our preparations for ministry in Mexico, we have learned that we are not capable of great things. This truth can be discouraging or it can be liberating. We must admit it's been a little of both. We are nothing on our own even if God has called and empowered us. Without the power of being united with our brothers and sisters in ministry our greatest dreams and plans will fail. When we began the process of fundraising, we took for granted the partnerships we were forging with our friends, but now that we have come to realize the importance and power of "together" we are extremely grateful for all of you who make great things possible.

Although we have come a long way on our journey towards Mexico, we still have room for more people, more "together." As Mother Teresa said, "...together we can do something wonderful." We want to invite you to join us as we do what you cannot do and rely on you doing what we cannot do, so that together we can do great things. This is an invitation to a relationship not just with us, but with the many others who form this "together." Please consider partnering with us and we will reach Mexico for Christ.

You may want to partner with us through our 10/$10/10 campaign (see 5/13/2008) or you may feel led to join us differently. Just email us at jandjmexico@gmail.com and tell us how you want to participate in ministry with us.

Hermanos

Tonight we did something we haven't done before: we spoke at a hispanic church service here in Kentucky. We have lots of experience speaking to hispanic congregations in Latin America, but have never had the privilege of doing so in our own country. What a great time we had with these kind people! We must admit we were a little anxious about sharing because we had never spoken at a service like this before, but our anxiety was quickly gone. The people of the Nicholasville United Methodist hispanic congregation are so welcoming and supportive of our calling, and we are truly blessed to have shared with these men and women. Being with them and receiving their encouragement has made us even more eager to be able to go and serve in Mexico, and we hope that they will be filled with the same passion to serve the community here.

10 people a day, 10 days, $10/month

We are very close to being able to go to Mexico with all the funding required. We are so close that by May 22nd we might be ready to go. We are happy to announce that you can be part of the group to put us to the mark we need to reach in order to go and stay in Mexico! Today we are beginning an event called 10/$10/10. During the next 10 days we are looking for 10 people a day to join our team at $10 a month. If we are able to achieve this goal we will be able to leave very soon. Please pray with us as we ask God to give graciously to our ministry through this event. Also, you could pray about us. Would God desire you to be one of the 10 people for today?

We are at an exciting stage in our ministry and we want you to be a part of the great things God is doing in Mexico. If you want to join us in this way, all you have to do is email us at jandjmexico@gmail.com with your name, address, phone #, when you want your giving to begin, and tell us if you want automatic withdrawal information.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9.15

Doctor's appointment

Hey ya'll,

Jennifer had a good doctor's appointment today with a helpful doctor who took time with her. She didn't come to a specific idea of what is going on and instead ordered lots of tests. Please pray that they go well and we can get to the bottom of the problem quickly because it is getting worse daily! In addition to other tests, she has a colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled, but we are hoping there is a cancelation so she can have them sooner rather than later. Thanks for your prayers and support during this rough situation.

We appreciate you all and hope you are well. Keep in touch!

J and J

Yeah Em!

When we traveled to Michigan this past weekend we were able to make a special stop to see our friend Em who survived the car crash in Colorado. We took a walk on Lake Huron with her and she walked with us farther than she ever has on the beach since the accident. It was amazing to see her moving her left arm better and without her halo. The healing that has taken place in her body is incredible, but we still need to pray for more because there is the possibility she might need neck surgery if her neck hasn't healed properly in her brace. Also, she continues to have quite a bit of pain and her physical therapy proves to be challenging. What a joy it was to see her and talk with her for a few short hours! She has many wonderful testimonies to share. Our hearts our thankful for the friendships we made with those in Colorado who are spread all over the world!

Watrousville UMC

We spent the weekend up in Michigan near at the Seitz family farm and spent Sunday sharing at Watrousville UMC. Watrousville UMC is a special place to Jennifer because it is the last congregation her grandpa Seitz pastored and the last church in which she heard him preach. The time we spent on the farm and with the people of Watrousville UMC was very enjoyable, but there was one thing that stood out above all. We were speaking in the morning service and, like most congregations, there was a children's sermon before we spoke. The children's minister called the children up front for children's time and they all scurried up front with enthusiasm to hear the lesson she had prepared. The lesson was on how Christians are stronger in community than when they are alone. The illustration was popsicle sticks. She had the two "strongest" kids (a boy and girl) volunteer to break a single popsicle stick which was very easy. Then she had the same kids try to break a bundle of 5 or 6 sticks. They tried hard, but had to give up. The children's minister concluded that just like popsicle sticks are stronger when they are together so are believers. The little boy volunteer was not so convinced. He said in his small but confident voice, "My papaw could break it. I know he could," and he took the bundle and walked all the way to the back corner where his grandpa was sitting to see if he could break it. He couldn't. Still not satisfied he took it to another man near the center aisle. Still it would not break. Thinking surely someone must be able to break this bundle he stopped near the front and tried another person. No luck.
Sometimes we feel like that little boy. We are so focused on the bundle of sticks and finding someone to break them that we miss the lesson we're being taught. The lesson wasn't about breaking sticks; it was about being strong together. We hope that as we have the opportunity to learn many important lessons about God, life and ourselves that we will not be distracted by the sticks.