Jones Journal e-Mailer for 2006-06

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Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus! If you'd like to read past issues, click on Newsletters. This monthly e-Mailer includes updates on ministry, family, praise and prayer.

Last Saturday at the Children's Ministries leader's seminar here in Panama City our ministry Secretary Carolina Canto shared on "How to Organize Large Evangelistic Events." Treasurer Dallis Quiñones tag-teamed with Rep. Fanny de Quinzada on "How To Prepare a Lesson Plan."

We followed up last month's KidsQuest Crusade in David with a Children's Ministries Leader's Seminar there on Saturday 13 May. Our host pastor (and zone presbyter) Rev. Santiago Dixon opened up with a motivational seminar using Sampson's parents as an example. Our Rep. from that zone, Edilma de Villarreal, shared a PowerPoint presentation on puppets and I taught on adapting our teaching styles to how children best learn.

Our most recent KidsQuest Crusade was last weekend in Changuinola, the Atlantic coast border town with Costa Rica in the beautiful Bocas del Toro Province. It was held in Templo Misionero in Finca 13 (Farm # 13 formerly of Chiquita Banana plantations). Total attendance for the two crusades was 383 with 153 new visitors! Pastor Rafael Alvarez and his team did a great job inviting the community. It showed in the tremendous response at both altar calls. I trust you can see the sincerity on the faces of these precious children as they prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior.

As I've mentioned before, the visitor campaign winners get to pick their prizes. I was surprised that the soccer ball was first to go, not the remote control car, which went second. Maybe it's World Cup fever! Anyway, I knew the car was really cool because Anthony, Gracie and I had "road-tested" it just to be sure it worked. The wheels even lit up!

Since this trip was long -- 10 hours drive each way -- we included a leader's training seminar in place of one of the three Crusade services, instead of returning at a different date. While it took awhile for everyone to get there (a normal Bocatoreño trait, I'm told), we had a great turnout of about 40 leaders!

This e-Mailer is going out a little later than I had hoped, because I have been battling my PC the past several days while editing the video report for the Bocas Crusade. I know, get a Mac. Anyway, I invite you to see the fruit of my eventual triumph over my PC in the 14 minute video from the perspective "Behind the Curtain" on the Media page of our website.

Other upcoming events we request prayer for are the following:

* Final details are in place for the Leader's Seminar this Saturday 10 June followed by the KidsQuest Crusade 16-18 June in La Arena, in the Central zone of Panamá with Pastor Ricardo DeLeón. Great coordination is being done by our unstoppable Central zone Rep. Rigoberto Mitchell.

* Later in June we welcome to Panamá Pastor Randy Foster and 20-member team from Visalia First AG who will be building bathrooms both in the LACC school complex and the Pastor/Teachers house in Duíma 19-29 June.

On the family front, Daddy took Chloe out to a fancy dinner to celebrate her 16th birthday along with one of her good friends and dad. The girls got flowers and afterwards we went to a movie.

At Anthony's school, they held a spring banquet with a Hollywood theme. All the kids bought or rented suits and formals. Chloe asked Anthony to ask her to go, since she attends a different high school. They had a great time, seen here being interviewed on the red carpet by ... is that supposed to be Joan Rivers? They even won movie tickets playing the Disney version "Scene It" game.

Later Yvonne told Chloe, "You know, your first official date was with your dad. Your second was with your brother. They're all going to go downhill from there!"

Celina has spent much of the past school year reading 30 books for her team's second year of competition in the "Battle of the Books." They had a lot of fun with the practices and got to read a lot of great literature. In the final competition they lost by only one question. She also played a Narrator in the 5th-6th grade production of "Jack and His Amazing Multi-coloured Beanstalk" play, shown here taking the cast picture after the third and final performance.

Gracie had the final ministry performance (for this season) of the children's Fine Arts program, as seen here with Mom enjoying sweets afterwards.

Yvonne made sure we taped it to use as an example when she teaches next month's Children's Ministries Leaders seminar on Music and Worship in kids ministry. I'll be doing Drama and Mime. We'd appreciate your prayers.

Yvonne and I celebrated our 22nd year anniversary overlooking (what else?) the Panamá Canal!

Thanks to each one for your sacrificial support financially and in prayer. We wish we could just reach out and give you a big hug or handshake to say “Thank you!”

As part of our thanks I make it a practice to close with a Scripture that has been meaningful to me recently. This is one to get me pumped up spiritually and make me walk tall for Jesus!

11 May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! 12 And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. 13 May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.

1Thess. 3.11-13 The Message

Yours for Them,

Kirk for all