Meet Janelle

I think that most of you who are reading this know that we are closing in on completing another China adoption. Jiang MinMin, who will be called Janelle, caught our attention back on February, and we began the paperchase to bring her home to our family. Last week we received the next paper we needed from China to bring her home. That has been returned to China, and now we await our Travel Approval, which should take another 2 or 3 weeks to arrive. We hope to travel the first week of October to meet her and bring her home. Taylor and LiAnne will be staying in Missouri with the family while we travel.

Please be praying for Janelle. Just imagine what it would be like to leave the only home (orphanage) that you have known for 12 1/2 years, your language, culture, food, smells, comforts, friends--and travel half way around the world with two people you had just met. She has no real idea of what is going to happen to her or what to expect. Please pray that she would be comforted in this time of extreme change. Also, that she will have a tender heart, and will come to understand our love for her, and God's love for her.

The more we read and learn about older child adoption, the more of a challenge this seems that it will be. We have corresponded with a number of families who have gone through this, and have learned of many things that we might face in the days ahead. We don't expect that it will be easy....quite the contrary. But, we do know that it will be worth it. There will be days that we wonder what we got ourselves into, and probably wish that we hadn't. But, in the end we know that God had had His hand in this since the day that we first saw Min Min's picture, and felt called to her.

If you would like to read more about Janelle, or to follow us on our journey back to China, please go to: journeytojanelle.blogspot.com.

Lancy--off to Thailand

Our daughter Lancy finished up her Bible school training earlier this year, and stayed in Argentina to work in the Church Planting office there. She has been involved in secretarial work, as well as working with teams that visit, translation, and working in the town of Oro Verde--helping in the church there.

Lancy's desire is to serve the Lord as a missionary. For the past year or so, she has been praying that the Lord would show her where He wants to use her. The answer to her prayer seems to be the country of Thailand!

In June of this year, Lancy was able to attend missionary canditate school in Schroon Lake, NY (a looooong way from Argentina, and a blessing of the Lord as He supplied the cost of her ticket and training week). At the end of this time, she was appointed as a missionary to Thailand. She will be working with Jeff and Jessica Gordon in opening the Word of Life ministry in Thailand.

Please pray for Lancy, as she needs to raise a very modest $1200 a month for her first two years in Thailand. During this time the idea is to live with a Christian family there while she attends language school. Living with a family will greatly help her in language learning, as well as greatly reduce the cost of living there.

If you would be interested in knowing more, please email Lancy at: lancykull@wol.org.

If you would be interested in supporting her financially, the mission address is:

Word of Life International

PO Box 600

Schroon Lake, NY 12870

Volleyball Tournament

On Tuesday, August 21, we were invited to bring a volleyball team to play against the mayor or Bernal, and his team, as well as the mayor of Ezequiel Montes, and his team, and a couple of other teams from nearby. This was the second time that we have been invited by the local mayor to play....the first being when the group from Village Bible Church in Garden Grove, CA were here. That was such a hit with the mayor, that he invited us again.

Well.....you win some, you loose some.....but it was a great time of getting to know people in town, and having a positive testimony with them.

Bernal Construction Continues......

Summer Time in Bernal

Summer is winding down here in Bernal. It has been a busy time of camps, vacations, family visits and building for the people in the church here. Activities have dropped off to the minimal as people are in and out and so busy with other things.

Youth camps are over, and a few of our youth have been able to attend. This morning the kids headed off to camp for the week--very excited, to say the least. A few of the youth from church are also helping as workers this week.

School starts next week for the public school kids, and in a couple of weeks for the Christian schoold kids, so things should slowly get back to normal.

We look forward to continuing with Thursday night Bible study and prayer time, as well as starting back up with Ladies Bible study and youth/kid and adult activities.

Please continue to pray that God would work in the lives of the folks here, and that they would be faithful to their calling. Pray for this as well, for our missionary team: Richard and Starla, Gadiel and Martha, Coleman and Nancy.

Coleman and Nancy are expecting their second baby, another boy, in September. Pray for health and the finances needed for them.

Mission House and Church Going Up

Thanks to the generous gifts of friends in Oregon, we were able to buy property and begin building a mission house/church here in Bernal. The construction began in April. We have had many church work days, as well as the help of the group from Clackamas Bible in Oregon, and Village Bible in California. Richard's folks also came for 3 weeks, and painted most of the inside of the house.

Now in August, we are hoping to be able to move into the house at the end of the month. Richard and Gadiel plan to hook up the water tank and hot water heater on Monday, the doors and windows should be in by next week as well. There is still plenty to do, and we will move into the house with much lacking, but over time it will get done.

Once we move out of our rented house, and into the new one, that also means that the church has to move. The church upstairs has walls and a beautiful roof. I'll get pictures posted of that as soon as possible. The newest pictures are on Richards computer, and it is out of comission right now. We are having to wait for more funds to be able to continue with the Sunday school rooms, doors and windows for the church.

Check out my Slide Show!