September Update

 

What's been happening:

Just last night we welcomed a precious couple to our team here in Surabaya. Nathan and Amber (pictured above) finished language school and have officially moved to our city to join our team. We are so excited! We have been “alone” here for too long (about 2 years) and we are sooo ready to have teammates in our city to fellowship, worship, and work with. Also, we just got word that Thomas and Gwen arrived safely on our island as well. They will be in language school for the next 10 months or so. Please pray for these two couples who are going through great transitions in their lives. Pray for quick adjustments and for God’s work in their lives to make them into effective workers.

What's coming up:

In our last newsletter, I asked you to pray for "Noah" because he was dealing with some difficult things in his life, and he told me that he wanted to take a year-long break from meeting and studying the Scriptures. Great news, we have begun meeting again. Thanks again for your prayers! In fact, later tonight, Jon is meeting with Noah, and another young man, “Samson”. Both of these two have professed faith in JC, but have not yet been willing to identify with Him in baptism. We are excited that we have the beginnings of a group with these two men; however, they are very young in their faith and have many obstacles ahead. Please pray that their faith would grow, that their hunger to study the Word would intensify, and that they would see the importance of sharing this new faith with others.
Raegan is planning to meet with two college girls on Saturday to discuss how they can partner together to reach the lost. Please pray that their meeting would be fruitful in encouraging these girls and forging a partnership with our team as well.

Pr. Requests:

• Pray for Thomas and Gwen to adjust quickly to their new home and are able to excel at learning Bahasa Indonesia.
• Pray for Nathan and Amber as they adjust to hot and humid life in Surabaya. Pray that they would find new friends quickly and that God would give them a clear vision of how they are to do ministry here.
• Pray for "Noah" and "Samson" to grow in their faith and that they would be willing to completely surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
• Pray for Josephine and Domis as they meet with with Raegan this Saturday.

August Update

What's been happening:

Well, the summer is over and it was a great one! We just said good-bye to Grami and Colby (Jon’s mom and nephew). Colby got to share his testimony with some of Jon’s English students and also shared with some guys that we played some pick-up basketball with. You should have seen the looks he got from people in our city (Colby is 6’9”)! A couple of weeks before that, we sent home a volunteer team from OU that had been here for two months. They did an awesome job of sharing their lives with believers and non-believers alike. I am confident their impact for the Kingdom will be felt for years to come in our city.

School is back in session, which means Raegan’s life just got a lot busier. Please remember her as she homeschools our four children. You can imagine what a challenge it is to teach a 4^th, 2^nd, & 1^st grader, plus a Pre-K’er! Pray for Raegan’s ability to be patient and for the kids to be attentive and obedient.

What's coming up:

As I write this, I (Jon) am about to meet up with “Noah”. I haven’t seen him in over a month and I am not really sure what is going on in his life. I know that his little brother is sick (demon possession?) and that he had his apartment broken into and many things, including his laptop, were stolen. He has told me that he isn’t interested in meeting this year because he wants to focus on school and work (to help pay for a new laptop). Please pray for Noah. Pray that his hunger to study the Scriptures would return. Pray that Holy Spirit would take hold of his heart and give him encouragement when he reads the Scriptures and when we meet together.

Our new partners, Nathan & Amber, will be joining us in about a month. We are SO excited to get them here! They are such a blessing to us and our kids and they bring so much energy to our team. We are in need of a little energy! Please pray for their transition to our city. Pray that they would finish their last unit of language study strong and be able to share the Truth with their friends before they leave. We are also thrilled that our other new partners, Thomas and Gwen, will be arriving (in another city) in October to begin language study! Pray for them as they are in training in Richmond for the next 6 weeks.

Requests:

·       Pray that Noah would continue to hunger for God’s word and fellowship with believers. Pray for wisdom as we discern how to minister to his family and in how to disciple him.

·       Pray for our new partners, Nathan & Amber and Thomas & Gwen. They are both in the midst of big transitions in life. Pray for God’s grace to be upon them.

·       Please pray for Drew’s physical & intellectual growth. Pray most of all for God’s will to be done in his life (and ours). Pray that this little guy will be greatly used in His kingdom.

·       Pray for Raegan and the kids as they are starting up school again.

 

Grami & Colby w/ the kids

 

Awesome team from OU. You guys are welcome back anytime!

Grami & her Guffy girls

How could I forget? Drew turned five last month!

Construction Cake!

Grami & Drew

Drew playing "dead"...

Jon Davis and cousin Colby

Mt. Rinjani

Here are some pics of Jon's hike to the summit of Indonesia's second highest peak. It was awesome!

 A view of the crater below.

 The Summit! We made it.

 Here we got to take a warm bath.

 Me and my buddy, Josh.

July '14

What's Been Happening:

Greetings from Surabaya! Ellie had fantastic time at camp. She was a little nervous on the trip there, but she did great after she arrived. It was a great experience for her to see older girls and boys walking with the Lord and striving to live godly lives. Thanks for your prayers!

Our summer volunteers have been doing an awesome job of meeting students and sharing with them every chance they get. Last week, while we were out of town, they got invited to the Surabaya mayor’s house. No big deal…

Jon had an opportunity to join some friends and hike to the top of the second tallest peak in Indonesia, Mt. Rinjani. He had a great time and was challenged both mentally and physically. The greatest thing about the trip was seeing God’s amazing creation from a different perspective (from above the clouds), and spending time with other godly men. I’ll post more pictures soon.

And last but certainly not least, Mary Grace got baptized! Jon got to baptize her in front of dozens of her friends in Bali. Praise the Lord! Please pray for her growth as a new believer. See the pics in the post below.

What's Coming Up:

Jon met with his friend “Noah” Monday night. Please continue to pray for him as his faith grows. Also, pray that Noah would trust Jon. Just last month, he told us of his little brother who is being tormented by evil spirits. Pray for wisdom as we are trying to discern how involved we should be in this situation. If we insert ourselves too quickly then we risk his safety as a new believer (his dad is a cleric and leader of a m0sque). Pray that God would be glorified in this situation.

Please pray for our new teammates, Nathan & Amber. They are pictured above with our family. We love them and so do the kids. We can hardly wait to start working alongside them. They have two more months of language school, and then they will be moving to Surabaya. Pray that they will finish strong and be fully prepared to begin their work here in our city.

Don’t hesitate to email us your prayer requests. We want to pray for you too!

Blessings—The Guffys

 Requests:

·       Pray for our Indonesian partners as they search for new work. Pray that they will find work that will allow them to pursue ministry.

·       Please pray for Noah as he grows in his faith.  Pray that he would continue to hunger for God’s word. Pray for wisdom as we discern how to minister to his family.

·       Pray for our summer volunteers from OU.  Pray that they will finish these last two weeks strong and that God will move in the hearts of their friends.

·       Please pray for Drew that his speech will continue to improve. Pray also that God would develop him both physically and mentally into the man He wants him to be.

This is our friend "Ricky" who is a refugee from a very volatile country. He has recently become a believer and was dunked. He is studying the Word relentlessly. It is a challenge to me to see how much he hungers and thirsts for God's Word. May we all hunger to spend time with our Daddy like this young man. Pray that his hunger would continue and that he will continue to reach out to family and friends about his new-found Hope.

Bali '14

Drew found a huge leaf. Just one of the many interesting things we got to experience in Bali.

 I got the privilege of baptizing my Mary Grace.

Our family with our new partners in Surabaya, Nathan and Amber.

June '14

Just look at this handsome little man!

 Our friends from the University of Oklahoma (not State!)

What's been happening:

Hello again from Surabaya! We are so happy to have our FOCUS team here from OU (Not OSU, contrary to what the sign reads in the picture above…). The students and I got a good kick out of that, though. They have been working very hard at building relationships with young people here and sharing truth with the lost or encouraging other believers. We’re so proud of them! The team from Texas has been working hard as well, but in a nearby city. They have been spending a lot of time with our friends, Adam & Eve. One has already professed faith already and has been dunked! PTL!!!

A while back Jon met a young man, “Noah”, through a mutual friend (Angie) who is going back to the States indefinitely. She has been very influential in Noah’s life as she has shared with him and studied the Scriptures with him. As we met with him at a roadside coffee shop last week, Noah professed faith in JC! Even before this profession he had already been leading two groups on his campus where they study the scriptures together. Needless to say, I am really excited to continue on with the discipleship process with this special young man. Please pray for Noah! His father is the leader of a m0sque, and as powerful as his testimony can be, he is likely in for some really daunting persecution. Even so, he is so hungry to study the Word and pass on what he is learning to his friends on his campus. Pray for us that we will have wisdom from above on how to go about this unique discipleship process.

What's coming up:

 

Ellie is on her way to camp as I type this letter! This is her first year to go to Camp Miki where dozens of other MKs will gather together, study scripture, learn about God, and have tons of fun. She will be a week away from Mom & Dad. Please pray that she would be safe, have sweet fellowship with her friends, and have a special encounter with the Lord.

Our family will be travelling out of town to our annual meeting in one week. We will be leaving behind our volunteers for several days. Please continue to pray for them, as they will be participating in three different culture exchanges while we are gone.

Please pray for Jon as he continues to meet with Noah and his friends.

Blessings to you and your family,

The Guffys

Things to Remember:

·       Pray for our Indonesian partners as they search for new work. We have officially closed our English course and they are looking for a consistent income.These folks are such faithful servants. My prayer is that they could start their own non-profit ministry that could support them and provide them an outlet for reaching the lost. Pray for God's will in their lives.

·       Please pray for Ellie while she is at camp. Pray that she will be safe and that she will come back a changed little girl.

·       Please pray for Noah as he grows in his faith.  Pray that he would continue to hunger for God’s word.

·       Pray for our summer volunteers from OU & Texas.  Pray that God will speak through them and that they would have many more opportunities to share truth.

This is "Noah". Pray for him!

Our friend, Angie, with two other students who are studying with us.

Update: 5-14-14

What's been happening:

Greetings from Sultry Surabaya! The weather is turning hotter here as the cloudy, rainy days are becoming less & less frequent. We are hanging in there, but praise the Lord for air conditioning!!! Hot season is officially here.

Yesterday I (Jon) took Drew to a nearby city to meet with an ex-pat Speech Therapist who has graciously agreed to see him periodically. She told us that he is making great progress and that we just need to continue to work with him as we have been. Thank you for your prayers for little Drew. He is now wearing “big boy” underpants during the day. Dad is really stoked about that!  Please keep praying for Drew. Pray that he would continue to progress in his development both physically and intellectually. But most of all, pray that he would grow in wisdom and discernment. Thank You!

What's coming up:

 
Raegan and Jon will be taking a trip across the island to meet with our future partners. We are so excited to get to know them better. Pray that we would be an encouragement to them. Please pray for our kids while we are away too and the families they will be staying with.

I mentioned in our last newsletter that we will be hosting a summer team from OU for two months. We will also be welcoming a team from Texas for the month of June. Primarily, they will be focusing on building relationships with college students. Please begin to pray now that God would introduce them to young people who are ready to hear the Good News and that they would be able to communicate it clearly to their friends.

Thanks for the many ways you support us, but most of all we appreciate your prayers for us! May God’s Kingdom come to Surabaya!

The Guffys

Requests:

·       Pray for our Indonesian partners as they search for new work. Pray that they would find a job that would allow for continued involvement in Kingdom work.

·       Pray for our kids this week while Jon and Raegan are away from home. Pray for safety and peace for our children and for those who will be caring for them.

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

·       Pray for our summer volunteers from OU & Texas.  Pray that God will use them this summer and He will be glorified through them this summer.