AUGUST PRAYER BULLETIN

Dear Family and Friends,

The start of our transition last summer in Wheaton

Last summer we transitioned from Rwanda to Wheaton, IL.   We spent a year living in Missionary Furlough Homes.   Last month we moved out of the furlough home.   We have now spent a little over a month visiting family, friends, and supporters in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.   We are beginning plans to move to the north side of Chicago to church plant.   These seasons are always ones of faith and mystery.   

Our season of homelessness may be near an end.   Several have given some financially significant contributions.   One of the most encouraging was from a Christ’s Church of Rwanda member who relocated to another African country.    We continue to believe the Diaspora of Africa’s Great Lakes are a very capable people, and we are very thankful to share the missionary task with them.  

Dave and Ethan are currently couch surfing in Chicago as they try to find housing.   Jana, Ruth, and Timothy are in Wichita with Greg and Debra Carr.   Sophia and Caleb are beginning the fall semester at Wheaton College.  

We ask your prayers for the following matters:

Caleb with College of DuPage Cru

1.    Our kids.   Tomorrow will be Caleb’s 19^th Birthday.   It will also be the start of Wheaton College’s freshman orientation.    We are immensely thankful for the resilience Caleb has shown this last year (To see more details of Caleb’s journey see http://www.jenkinsinrwanda.blogspot.com/2013/05/caleb-jenkins-definition-of-mk.html.)  

                              

Ethan is enrolled at Chicago Hope Academy.   We are still in process of discovering the school options for Ruth and Timothy.   God continues to remind us of His care for our children.   We trust Him. (Jana guest blogged for Tara Cole about Ruth’s entrance into our family at http://www.overacup.org/2013/07/gods-story-jana-jenkins.html.)

2.   Our new missionary calling.    As we have prayed and studied God’s Word we have concluded that the spiritual gifts are not removed due to location.    They are taken away when one acts disobediently   (1 Samuel 13:13, 14; Romans 11:11.)   God has called and gifted us as church planting missionaries.   Now the task is to obediently use those gifts in the United States.

We have seen an affirmation of that call in a unique way as a new book by Kathryn Joyce called The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption has been released.   The book takes a critical tone toward international adoption and many American Evangelical political and religious leaders.   Yet our Rwandan community and our family are spoken of in a positive light.    We see it as an indication our Africa Great Lakes community is uniquely positioned to teach and live the Gospel in the United States (For more reading on the conversation see http://hekimagreatlakesmessenger.blogspot.com/2013/08/missionary-reflections-on-kathryn.html.)

Christian, Mutoni, Aisha, and Ethan in our furlough home

3.   Our new home.   Our missionary journey has taught us heaven is home.   Everything else is temporary.   It has also reminded us of God’s care.  He has always given us places that were full of guests, coffee, tea, meals, parties, joy, laughter, and shared wisdom.    (To see Jana’s reflections on our past homes and current situation see http://jana-joyinthejourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/looking-for-home_13.html.

We trust He will continue His nature of providence.  May we have the wisdom to see how to most give Him glory.

Mungu akubariki (May God bless you),

Dave and Jana