Merry Christmas from the Guffys!

Here's the whole Surabaya Team!

Crazy girls!

Lego Luke Skywalker meet...

Lego Darth Vader

Who knew Santa was Asian???

Fun night with our national team. Always better after a game of "Dirty Santa"

Soon to be Surabayans

November Update

What's been happening:

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for. Some of you have been praying for our friends “Adam & Eve”. She is pregnant with their first child and has been struggling physically the last couple of months. Thank you so much for your prayers. Praise the Lord she is feeling better and seems to be coping with this new “blessing”. Now however, she is preparing to tell her mother (who comes from a more radical family) that she is a follower of Jesus. She has been putting this off for quite a while now because she fears that her mother will disown her or worse. Please pray for Eve and her mother. Pray for boldness and wisdom for Eve and that her mother’s heart would be softened and receptive of the life-giving truth of the Gospel.
Our friend “Noah” has continued to hunger for the Word. He has been meeting with us every week to study the Scriptures and has been passing along these lessons to others on his campus. However, last week he came down with a severe earache. It hasn’t gotten better in the last few days and it is hindering his ability to study at school and with us.. Please pray for Noah’s ear to be healed and for him to continue to hunger for God’s Word. We are praying that he will not only follow Jesus wholeheartedly, but that he would also lead many others to faith as well.

 What's coming up:

On December 19^th, Jon has been asked to share the Christmas story with the staff of the English course he works at. Most of the staff are from the majority religion, and this is a great opportunity for them all to hear about why Christmas is so important to us. Pray that Jon would communicate the Gospel clearly and that Holy Spirit would prepare the hearts of those who will hear the story.
The Christmas season is upon us and our team is praying for a plethora of opportunities during this next month. Please pray for many opportunities to share the reason why we celebrate Christmas and how they can know the One who can take away sin.

Once again, thank you so much for supporting us. We need every prayer offered up and every dollar you send out. We would also love to have you here with us in the flesh to carry out the Great Commission. Please pray how God might have you to get more involved.
Blessings,
the Guffys 

 

Got to enjoy some fun on the beach

A tea party with friends!

October Update

 

On the train to see our friends Josh & Betty!

Mr. "W" & his grandson on the south coast of Java

On the hiking trail. Watch your step, Josh!

MG & Drew riding a scary tiger

Simply beautiful!

What's been happening?

Hello from Surabaya. It is hot and sultry here now (about 98 deg. with high humidity). It always gets that way right before rainy season starts, but we are hanging in there. We are soooo thankful for air conditioning!
This last month has been a busy one for our family. As I stated in our last newsletter, we have welcomed Nathan and Amber to our Surabaya team. Let me tell you, they have hit the ground running. Raegan and I are so impressed with their zeal to meet new people and share their lives with them. Amber and Raegan have been meeting with some young ladies who are interested in reaching the lost. Nathan and Jon have been meeting with “Noah.” Needless to say, we are so excited to have them on our team. They have already brought so much needed energy and encouragement to our team. Please continue to pray for them as they adjust to life in our city and on our team.

I mentioned earlier that we have continued to meet with Noah. Just last week he had a dream in which he met a man with a shining face. This man had his hand extended toward Noah inviting him to take hold of it. He stated that the man in his dream would not stop smiling. Noah admitted to being afraid and would not take hold of the man’s hand. We believe that the man in his dream was none other than Jesus! We challenged him by asking him why he did not take hold of his hand. He didn’t know. Our suggestion was that he is still not “all in” and that Jesus is calling to complete surrender. Please continue to pray for Noah. He is the son of an Islmic cleric and has such influence on his campus, however, he risks much in becoming a believer. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see him devour God’s word.  Thank you for praying for him. Please continue to pray that he would surrender his life wholeheartedly to God through Jesus Christ and that God would use his life in amazing ways to reach many others with the Gospel.

What's coming up:

On Sunday our family will be traveling to a country to the North for two weeks for meetings. This meeting is designed to help us understand our host culture better and to find new and effective strategies for reaching the lost, discipling believers, and planting ch's among our people. Please pray for safe and uneventful travel and for a refreshing and enlightening time for us all.

Our friends and main partners, “Adam & Eve” have found out that they are pregnant with their first child. We are all so excited for them, but Eve has been really sick and weak, and it has resulted in some discouragement among them. Despite all this, they have remained faithful to the ministry that God has called them to. Please pray for Eve as she endures this difficult time. Pray that she would regain her strength and that she would feel better physically. Pray also for the little life that is growing inside her.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and interest in God’s kingdom. Words can’t express how much we appreciate your partnership, your prayers, and the way you sacrifice for us and others. We get the privilege of being the recipients of your deep love for us.

Blessings,

Jon, Raegan, Ellie, Mary Grace, Jon Davis, & Drew 

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the man pictured above. Mr W and his whole family have heard the Good News from fellow workers on the south coast of Java. Pray that they would all believe!
• Pray for our new teammates, Thomas and Gwen to adjust quickly to their new home. Pray that they would learn the Indonesian language quickly. They started language school in another city last week!
• Pray for Nathan and Amber as they adjust to life in Surabaya. Praise God, they have already made many new friends! Pray that they would receive 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 that both of them would hunger and thirst for God's word.
• Pray for Josephine and Domis as they meet with with Raegan & Amber weekly. Pray that they would feel God's calling on their lives and obey His voice.

 

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.