Jones Journal e-Mailer for 2007-06

jonesjournal.org > newsletters > e-Mailer for 6/07

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.

Pastora Carmen Adames did a great job organizing and motivating the kids in her community for the KidsQuest Crusade we held in Arraijan last month. She even led some of the opening choruses, as you see here. About 300 children attended in total, roughly half being visitors to the church. The response at the altar call for salvation was wonderful to see.

I invite you to see more of these precious children in this issue's photo album.

We participated in a Children's Ministries seminar organized by FourSquare missionaries Bonita and Gino Sanchez. My topics were: Principles for Successful Leadership, and Teaching Materials available Online.

As part of the Executives annual tour I went with our National leaders to Bocas del Toro. I was privileged to be able to preach at Pastor Rafael Alvarez' church, where we held our KidsQuest Crusade in Bocas province last year. That's where we made the "Behind the Scenes" video report.

One of our faithful Children's Ministries leaders organized a Movie night in San Miguelito where they have had an outreach to this very rough part of town for the past few years. I was happy to provide projector and screen to watch the Prince of Egypt. They provided the popcorn. All the kids learned a simple five-finger gospel message to keep on "hand" at all times that I shared before the movie began.

Yvonne and I celebrated our 23^rd anniversary with a wonderful weekend getaway. We ate too much delicious food (at least I did!), and thoroughly enjoyed just being alone together.

Chloe is finishing her junior year strong. Saturday was the SAT test. We're all glad it's over for her. Her school held a yearend banquet, and she won the centerpiece--a beta fish in a bowl. It's still alive. Last week was elections for National Honor Society officers and she was elected Vice President! She has plans to make NHS a lot more fun next year.

Anthony has been enjoying developing his basketball skills. Another motivation for him was the visit of the basketball team from Sterling College whose coach has come to Panama now two years running. They held exhibition games against national teams and led a couple of Anthony's team practices. They even had a basketball clinic for all ages that Gracie also took part in.

Celina is on the "Battle of the Books" team reading 30 books and memorizing facts, titles and authors. The competition was scheduled for Monday 6/4/07 and we found out the Sunday before that all schools will be closed by order of Panama's President. If the competition is cancelled, Celina says she won't be too upset.

Apparently it's to avoid riots during the Organization of American States meetings. We heard that Condaleeza Rice is in country. Just goes to show that in the tropics you don't get snow days, you get riot days J!

Gracie continues to surprise us with what she's learning in gymnastics. She does backbends and walkovers. She can even do a somersault on the balance beam with her teacher's help.

The major social event of the spring occurred last month for our three youth age kids--the school banquet/party. Here's Anthony and his friends in front of the limo by which they arrived in style. You can see several more pictures of Chloe, Anthony and Celina with some of their friends in this month's photo album.

Allow us to share some praise reports:

* Visa report: We finally have our one-year missionary visa in hand. I know I reported last issue that we would be getting it the following day--it didn't happen quite like that. But it did happen. PTL!

* Financial report: Thanks to all who have helped keep us--albeit just barely--in the black! I appreciate the sacrifice it represents. We appreciate your consideration of a one-time extra donation during this final year of our third term. Itineration will begin for us in July 2008 when we return to the US to regroup, report to donors and recruit additional supporters. If the alliteration is really re-dundant, forgive me. But you get the idea.

Forgive my quote being longer than normal. I recently discovered an old Christian classic that I had always heard about but not yet read. I downloaded it free from OliveTree.com, a great Biblical studies resource.

If we want to pray in power, and if we want to expect the Holy Spirit to come down in power, and if we want indeed that God shall pour out His Spirit, we must enter into a covenant with God that we love one another with a heavenly love.

Are you ready for that? Only that is true love that is large enough to take in all God's children, the most unloving and unlovable, and unworthy, and unbearable, and trying. If my vow -- absolute surrender to God -- was true, then it must mean absolute surrender to the divine love to fill me; to be a servant of love to love every child of God around me.

Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender

Yours for Them,

Kirk for all