Jones Journal e-Mailer for 2009-09

jonesjournal.org > newsletters > e-Mailer for 9/09

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus!

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

*** Please note change in our contact information in signature lines below effective last month. Cell phone (805-345-9720) is turned off. New VoIP phone is working: 417-595-4697. The old phone (626-507-8044) will be disconnected 12/09 .***

It is good to be back together in Panamá! Yvonne and the kids left the refreshing missionary house seen here in Arroyo Grande the first week in August. We were apart for about two weeks.

It was a good year itinerating, even though we lack about $700 in monthly support, and still about $24,000 in cash budget. We will raise the remaining support from here in Panamá via phone and e-mail. While that is not ideal, we are trusting God and His people to meet the need. Thanks to all who faithfully support us in prayer and finance. If you're not on our support team, we would certainly appreciate your prayerful consideration, even if it might not come until 2010. The Itineration page of our website has transitioned into the Promotional Materials page. We invite you take a look and listen.

We celebrated a few of our missionary family traditions. In writing this down I realize that they mostly revolve around friends and food! Our first meal whenever we arrive back in California from Panamá is always at In-N-Out. So that is where we had our last family meal this itineration cycle.

Yvonne tried to catch a few Zzz's at the LAX airport before their 2am departure. After flying most of the night seeing the sun rise out of the left window the kids could also see the Panamá Canal and the Bridge of the Americas. Almost home!

Another family tradition is to drive straight from the airport to meet Anthony's longtime friend, Luis. As you can see both boys have grown up quite a bit!

I have been able to meet our Assemblies of God national leadership and our Children's Ministry leaders to get back into the swing of things. This weekend I will be at our monthly leaders seminar plus traveling to the interior to join the monthly minister's meetings in David and Aguadulce.

Even before moving into our own home, everybody got to enjoy our favorite typical Panamanian food: platano tentacion ("temptation" plantain, the cooking banana) and arroz con pollo (rice with chicken, and a bunch of other delicious things)!

Speaking of our own house, we have found a nice one in the area we had hoped for. The landlords are Christians. We will be moving in the middle of September. Since it's rainy season, you can pray for the clouds to hold back while we are loading and unloading the truck!
For this past year we wondered how our dog Rookie was doing at the kennel, and if he would remember us. Well, he is very healthy and he still loves us! Chloe and Celina are really happy about that, and to be together in Panamá. (Note: the abundance of pictures this issue courtesy of Celina and her camera)

Since we left Panamá the number of Assemblies of God missionaries has more than doubled. Within the first couple days back we met with all the AG missionaries plus our area directors, Jay & Nancy Dickerson. We ask you to pray for our colleagues, new and old: Rod & Sherry Boyd (www.boyds.org), Nelson & Amy Lugo (www.insearchofsouls.com), Larryon & Aida Truman (www.trumanmissions.org), Chad & Amber Burgbacher, Terry & Bridget Rosch (www.theroschfamily.com), and Terry & Julie Bell (terryandjuliebell@msn.com) in the US on itineration.

You can see our latest print newsletter in pdf format on the Newsletter page of our website.

Thanks so much for praying with us and praying for our kids. Perhaps a past e-mail note we received from a dear saint at a supporting church illustrates how meaningful that is to us:

At our ladies' prayer meeting on Tuesdays we've always prayed for "our" missionaries. At the beginning of this year I decided to select 4 families each week, so we could pray specifically for your needs, and by name. This way all the ladies get to know more about everyone, and the children too. We've already prayed for your family a couple of times - of course, all know who you are anyway!! :-) But you are coming up again next Tuesday, so I'd like to know of any new prayer requests you'd like for us to take to our Father.

That makes it easy to say with the Apostle Paul:

That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus

and your outpouring of love to all the Christians,

I couldn't stop thanking God for you--

every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks.

Eph 1:15-16 The Message

Yours for Them,

Kirk for all