Update: 3/29/14

What's been happening:

Remember Ricky from our last newsletter? Well, he called his wife back in Afghanistan, and after sharing his testimony; she is now a believer as well. Thanks for praying! Please continue to pray for his mother and father who have yet to believe. It is still risky for him or his wife to make their new lives known to others around them. Please remember them.

Jon has agreed to take a position with a local English course run by a like-minded family. They have agreed to provide a visa for one year. However, the down side is that our beloved and faithful staff at our old English course are having to find other employment.  It breaks my heart that we won't be able to support such faithful servants any longer. Our existing English center is too small and the government requirements to teach English are so particular that it is not likely that we will be able to staff our English course with native speaking English teachers. Larger English courses are somehow able to get around these requirements (which is why I am able to teach at this new course).  Please pray that our existing staff will be able to find employment that will provide for them financially, but also continue in ministry.

Jon recently had an opportunity to meet with a young man named “Franky”. This man has had several dreams in which he has met Jesus. He is very interested in learning more and is currently reading a borrowed Bible. He was invited to believe but stated that he is afraid of what might happen to him.

What's coming up:

Our family has to leave the country on Monday.  We will hopefully return with a work visa.  Please pray that we will receive the visa on time and return to Indonesia without any problems.  Ellie will also have a small procedure on her wrist while we are there. 

Jon will be meeting with Franky next Saturday (April 5^th). Pray that Holy Spirit will break down the barriers and objections that the Enemy has set up in Franky’s heart.

Requests:

·       Please pray for a safe and uneventful week in Singapore. Pray for Ellie to heal quickly and that we will return with a work visa.

·       Pray for our Indonesian staff as they search for a new source of income. Pray that they would land somewhere that will allow for continued involvement in Kingdom work.

·       Pray for “Ricky” and his family.

·       Pray for “Franky’s” heart to be softened and for our meeting next Saturday.

·       Continue to pray for Drew to grow in wisdom, discernment, and in his ability to communicate.

Once again, thanks for your prayers! May God richly bless you.

The Guffys

 A bird wandered into our garage and it let us hold it.  Drew loved it!  Unfortunately it died the next day (of course after I had already bought a cage for it).

This is Drew doing exercise.  Can you guess who he has been watching?

Who doesn't love a good mud pie?

Update: 3/8/14

We can't believe she's already 9!  Isn't she beautiful?  If you say a prayer for Ellie, pray that she would continue to grow in her relationship with the Lord, that she would set an example of kindness and gentleness for her younger siblings, and that she would develop a heart for the lost.

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This is what has been happening:

As you can see in the photo above, Ellie turned 9 on March 1^st.  We had a small party and invited some of our friends.  She loves the movie “Frozen”, and that was our theme. 

Raegan and the three older kids just returned from Jakarta.  They were there all last week for a homeschool conference.  The kids had a blast seeing their friends and Raegan enjoyed spending some time with other moms.  Jon and Drew had a good week, but were certainly happy to have everyone back!

Jon had a very unique opportunity last week. A colleague informed him of a refugee (Ricky) from a central Asian country, who had recently moved to our city.  He was very interested in becoming a believer.  He speaks very little English and no Indonesian, so the process was very slow.  But PTL, our conversation ended with him being dunked!

What's coming up:

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Please continue to be in prayer for our visa/platform.  Jon has a few options and they each have their own advantages and disadvantages.  We are not necessarily concerned that we will not be able to stay, but we just want to make a wise decision for our team and our effectiveness. (Sometimes people get really bogged down just maintaining the platform and have very little time to do the “main thing”).

Jon will continue to meet with “Ricky” and try to get him some materials in his mother language.  Please remember his family as well.  His younger brother was the first to share with him and is planning to share with Ricky’s wife and mother next week. 
Here's our prayer requests:

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• Please remember us as we make some decisions this week regarding our platform.  Pray for wisdom from above, not from ourselves.

• Please continue to remember Drew that his ability to learn and communicate would improve.
• Please pray for Ricky that he would grow in his faith.  Also remember his wife, mother, and two sons that they would be sensitive to the HS.

Thank you for praying!

The Guffys