Times of waiting & need, when things
are completely out of our control, bring us to the Lord & keep us looking
to Him, building our faith like nothing else. That has
been the story of our lives this past year or more.
I would have despaired had I not believed
that I would see
the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong & let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for & confidently expect the Lord.
Be strong & let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for & confidently expect the Lord.
Ps 27:13-14
Things have not yet stabilized in So Sudan, but the longing to return to their homes is strong & we pray earnestly with those of Borongole, that God would build their faith in the waiting & ready them to return when He opens the door.
Jon & Joyce are also longing
& have done a great deal of waiting to finally make it to the US.
These times of delay & waiting force us to consider
our God & ask ourselves … Does He see? Is He able? Does He have a plan? YES,
YES, YES!!!! He is more than able & cares more than we can imagine, but He
also knows so much that we do not know & cares so much for us that He
desires to do MORE than we are asking. So he calls us to “walk by “faith” & trust His timing & to
wait on Him!!
As Jon’s friend and fellow radio presenter, Andama, said
to encourage Jon when he was very down:
“If
God was not there, there would be reason to be discouraged… God will delay for
a specific purpose.”
As they always say,“Rubanga a a” = God is there!
Waiting is a blessing b/c of Whom we wait upon. Our Father by
his Spirit builds our “faith in Christ Jesus [that leaning of your entire human personality on Him in
absolute trust &
confidence in His power, wisdom & goodness.]”
Col 1:4 AMP Col 1:4 AMP.
confidence in His power, wisdom & goodness.]”
Col 1:4 AMP Col 1:4 AMP.
When we consider what He has already done for us,
[by becoming one of us & giving His life for us; that “He Who knew no sin
became sin for us” & gave us His righteousness] we can rest assured that He
hears our cry & is more than able to intervene in all that concerns us. We
are finding that times of waiting on Him, though hard, are precious times that
we come to know Him more, as we believe for His purposes to be accomplished in
our hearts as we wait on Him!!
Behold, the Lord’s eye
is upon those who fear Him,
who wait for Him & hope in His mercy & loving-kindness Psalm 33:18
Jon & Joyce have spent a lot of time praying & waiting on the Lord with so much out of their control. They've been in training to run to Him. This has drawn them closer to God & each other.
I waited patiently & expectantly for the Lord; & He inclined to me & heard my cry. Ps 40:1
Finally, on Jan. 20th Joyce's "corrected" passport was hand delivered to them.
It was scanned and sent to William to get the VISA PROCESS underway...
BUT Feb. 1 receiving the copy of her passport, we realized there is still a major error as her name was not correctly changed to Gune (Goonay) Joyce Lueken, so
THEY MUST TRAVEL TO JUBA ONCE AGAIN
& b/c of court involvement to change the name it will COST $1000 for a new passport.
Feb. 6, Jon had to go 8 hrs. to the Embassy in Kampala in southern Uganda while he is fighting malaria, in order to get himself a new passport b/c when he goes into So Sudan he pays $100 for a visa & each time they cover a page w/ the visa, so all pages of his passport are used up.
But the Embassy turned him
away and he had to wait for an appointment, in order to travel back to South Sudan.
Finally, He got an emergency passport on 2/17 & the day he got back, he had
to take Joyce to the nearest hospital 2 hrs. away b/c of serious abdominal pain
that returned. An ultrasound showed the
baby is fine, but her kidney is inflamed & she is being treated for
kidney infection.
So as they face yet MORE delays,
WE ASK YOU TO JOIN IN PRAYER for MORE
than we could hope or imagine
as we WAIT ON HIM!!
”Now to Him Who, by
His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose & do
superabundantly MORE,
far over & above
all that we [dare] ask or think
[infinitely beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— TO
HIM BE THE GLORY in the church & in Christ Jesus throughout all generations
forever and ever. Amen”
Eph. 3:20-21
Join us as we pray for the MORE...
provision of an extended
visa
(a year or more, not just the usual 3 months)
that allows them to stay as
long as God knows they need to be here to get:
desperately needed medical training for Jon,
for
rest & restoration of health
provision to travel
to meet many of you
who have been praying for them
& to have their baby here in June/July
who have been praying for them
& to have their baby here in June/July
& any other WONDERFUL PLANS HE HAS
in store!!
Christmas 2016 [married for 6 months]
PRAY for the hearts of the people of South Sudan who have waited for years to have a normal, stable life that they have never known.
Also God seems to be opening
an unprecedented door of opportunity
to make a huge difference in the country...
beyond belief! [stay tuned]
an unprecedented door of opportunity
to make a huge difference in the country...
beyond belief! [stay tuned]
PRAISE OUR MIGHTY & WONDROUS GOD!!
"For a wide door of opportunity for effectual service has opened to me there, [a great and promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.
1 Corinthians 16:9Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
Meanwhile, we are soaking in the wonder of the blessing & privilege of
living here at Maplewood Lodging & 1850 B&B! We so enjoy meeting &
serving the B&B guests and have been delighted to have friends come to stay
with us as our personal guests!! We love it out here & can’t wait to
share it with you!!
Many of you know, Roger had a pacemaker heart implant in mid-November. He
definitely has more energy & does not sleep as long, but we find he still
needs naps. When he thinks he’s the bionic man and neglects that fact, we still
deal with some of the same issues as before though not as frequently. Prayerfully,
thankful!
I expectantly
wait for the Lord, & in His word
do I hope. Psalm
130:5
And I, too, am starting to have a few of the same issues as Roger, so we
are earnestly praying and asking God to direct & provide so that we can see
a local Osteopath, who has helped some friends here, to get to the root of the
cause of various physical, mental & emotional symptoms. Meanwhile, God is
working in me personally, some needed compassion that I was lacking for Roger
through the years. He uses all things for good.
We
have been w/o a 2nd vehicle that Emma can drive since Oct, so we’ve prayed & waited & recently we were offered a car, a gift from the Lord, through
friends. This is very timely, as Emma just last week started 2 more part time
jobs, one as a nanny & the other at an afterschool program. She needs wheels to get to her multiple jobs
each week & we need more than a 3-seater truck for when Jon & Joyce come.
God knew.
Josh & Mary have a new puppy that is
growing very quickly & the new love of their lives. Josh’s love of the quiet, peacefulness of
fishing, has him traveling to find ice fishing spots as he is able & the
weather cooperates & he is enjoying creating videos of his adventures on
his Youtube channel “Fin Slayer”… takes after Papa Flynn & Uncle Dan L.
Your love, support & prayers
have been
such a great source of encouragement.
We appreciate so much you praying with us
as we look to the One Who works in our hearts & the hearts of others as we all
look to Him for what ONLY HE CAN DO.
There is much to look to Him for in own our
personal lives, concerning South Sudan & here in this Nation. Believing
that His Kingdom has come & His will is being done in so many ways that we
cannot see!!
And therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
& He lifts Himself up [on the cross],
that He may have mercy on you & show loving-kindness to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him
[for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy,
Waiting on the Lord for this grand reunion with much Grace and
Gratitude,
Roger & Patty, & Emma
Roger & Patty, & Emma
Operation Nehemiah Missions website www.operationsnehemiah.org Choose "option #2
" PayPal onlighthouse@gmail.com
Mail checks to Operation Nehemiah PO Box 502, Otis, MA 01253
Mail checks to Operation Nehemiah PO Box 502, Otis, MA 01253
VISIT us at: Maplewood B&B 266 North Main Rd Otis MA 01253
MAILING address: PO BOX 502 OTIS, MA 01253
