Jones Journal e-Mailer for 2014-06

jonesjournal.org > newsletters > e-Mailer for 6/14

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus!

If you'd prefer you can read this e-Mailer online, or see past issues on "Newsletter" page at jonesjournal.org. This monthly e-Mailer includes updates on our life, ministry, praise, and prayer.

From Kirk:

Yvonne received her ministerial license from the Southern Missouri District of the Assemblies of God at their District Council celebrated in April. The district also recognized her as a SoMo missionary. Kirk is still gratefully a SoCal district missionary. We trust that even more doors will open in Panamá for ministry opportunities—especially with what the Lord has laid on her heart for when we return. I’ll let Yvonne share that in her own words later.

Our time serving as Missionary in Residence at Evangel University ended with graduation. We thoroughly enjoyed the experiences teaching in the classroom, with World Changers Mission Fellowship missions club, and working with amazing future missionaries like Megan Stum (pictured). She was selected the Outstanding Graduate in Intercultural Studies, and deservedly so! (FYI: all professors, even for just one year, wear their academic regalia at graduation).

In the previous e-Mailer issue we mentioned that following the Dying Out Loud DVD presentation our prayer is that many students will choose to become lifelong goers and senders in God’s mission. Let me share our perspective of the caliber of missions-minded students at Evangel University: Of the thirteen officers Yvonne and I had the privilege of working with throughout this year in the World Changers Mission Fellowship, ten of them are doing a missions/service trip this summer. Special thanks for the MIR opportunity to my boss, Dr. Sandy Friesen, Chair of the Intercultural Studies Department.

Last month Yvonne and I celebrated 30 years being married! We are so blessed by the Lord with the life He’s allowed us to share, the families He placed us in, and especially the four terrific kids He’s given us.

From Yvonne:

This past term, I had the wonderful opportunity to minister in two different orphanages in Panama. It started when another missionary wife and I became aware of the need through a friend. When we first walked into the nursery, it was eerily quiet. The worker told us not to hold the babies because then they would become used to being held, and there simply were not enough workers to hold the babies. Therefore, they didn’t cry, because it did no good. You can imagine our hearts were broken. We asked if we could bring a group of women in each day to hold the babies. We shared with them about the studies that have shown that if babies do not bond with someone within the first 9 months of their life, they may never be able to bond with anyone. After some time, we were permitted to bring groups of women in each day to hold the babies, pray over them, exercise their muscles, and look them in the eye and tell them that we love them. They began to eat better, sleep better, and be more content.

During my time there, I always left feeling so sad for the kids having to grow up in this institution. Each child deserves a loving family to raise them. However, the laws in Panama for adoption were very strict. Therefore, most children were left to live their entire life in the orphanage. After years of prayer from the church, and hard work by a Christian lawyer, I’m thrilled to announce that Law 61 was passed this past year that allows adoptions to be processed in a timely manner and for foster care to start. This is a huge breakthrough and victory for orphaned children in Panama! The Lord has laid on my heart to give awareness to our churches and pastors of the opportunities that we have now to care for the orphans. I also want to help support families that feel called to foster care. Please help us walk through this open door.

From both of us:

We have finished our time of itineration and MIR at Evangel and are planning with hope to return to Panama by the first of August. However, we still have additional funds to raise before leaving:

Cash budget: $17,921 out of $28,194 = $10,273 needed.

Monthly budget: $9195 out of $9966 = $770 needed.

Would you please prayerfully consider if the Lord would have you give toward this need? Thank you for your faithfulness to the Harvest Master.

I have taught and preached that missions is found everywhere in the Bible, “from Genesis to maps,” as my childhood pastor R. L. Cornwall used to say. It was especially gratifying in my personal Bible reading to be reminded again by none other than the premier missionary Apostle Paul tying OT promises (references added) to NT fulfillment:

Romans 15:8-13 (MSG):

Jesus, staying true to God's purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God.

Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:

* Then I'll join outsiders in a hymn-sing; I'll sing to your name! (2Sam. 22:50; Ps. 18:49)

* And this one: Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together! (Deut. 32:43; Ps. 66:1-4, 67:3-4)

* And again: People of all nations, celebrate God! All colors and races, give hearty praise! (Ps. 117:1)

* And Isaiah's word: There's the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope! (Isa. 11:10, Matt. 12:21; Rev. 5:5)

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

Yours for Them,

Kirk

P.S. If you prefer not to receive these e-Mailers, or happen to receive a duplicate, simply reply “remove” or “dup” and we will take care of it.