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

APRIL PRAYER BULLETIN

Dear Family and Friends,

Twenty years ago we remember arriving in Uganda with good intentions to frequently communicate to our support network.  Instead missionary adaptation ate up our emotional and creative energy.  The Lord allowed us to succeed at the basic tasks of living.  The Lord gave us many friends.  He is doing the same in our new American posting.  Yet it has been a struggle to communicate.  Adaptation is still overwhelming.  Yet, we know to remember the Lord’s past goodness.  He is shaping us for His glory.

This month we ask your prayers for the following matters:

1. Rwanda Genocide Memorial in Chicago this coming Saturday, April 13:  19 years ago Rwanda experienced one of the greatest tragedies of humanity.  A few of us in Chicago are planning a Memorial.   May it deeply comfort the grieving.  May others learn this tragic event so our world can truly say, “Never again.”

2.   Discerning the USA Missionary Call:  We need an exceptional measure of wisdom from both God and men.  Please pray.

A.    Diaspora Struggle:  The people we call our own, the Diaspora from Africa’s Great Lakes (Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Tanzania) are in Chicago.  We now guess they number over 5,000.  Many are struggling with some of the same adaptation issues that our family is currently going through.   Yet, we have a heritage of older missionaries who have coached us through this transition.  Our people are in need of a shepherd.

Dave, Marcus Ibrahim, and Nftali Mwaniki beginning

B.    Christianity in the USA:  As we try to put down roots in the USA 20 years after our Uganda departure we have many sobering moments.  Is our appraisal accurate?  Yet, almost everything we read tells us Christianity has not done well over the last 20 years.  Could God be asking for us to again launch into church planting?  He gave us spiritual gifts for this endeavor that were abundantly used in Africa.   Do they fit here?  Can our people rally with us to start anew?

3.  Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Care:  The Lord and His people have been remarkably kind.   We’ve stayed in the Missionary Furlough Homes in Wheaton, Illinois as our “missionary half-way house” as we’ve relearned America.   Over $20,000 was given by many of you in December in one time gifts.  These gifts have sustained us for the last few months.  Our kids are all doing well in school.  In fact, our son, Caleb has joined the core of a recent church plant called, “The Branch.”   We are very thankful.   May God receive our thanks.

4.  Daily Bread:  Yet we are facing some of the greatest challenges we have ever faced.   Our monthly funding is down by 70%.   We will run out of savings shortly.  Dave has applied for many jobs hoping his skills can make some extra income, but nothing has materialized.   We must leave the Missionary Furlough Homes in July.  We have almost no furniture, cooking utensils, etc… to set up a home.   God has quite an opportunity to display His providence and Glory.  We ask for our daily bread.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement that sustain our family and ministry.

Us with Sam Gonzalez at ACU's Summit 2012

Mungo akubariki (God bless you), 

Dave and Jana

P.S.  Jana will be traveling to the Pepperdine Lectureship in a few weeks courtesy of her brother Wade Tarbet’s American Airline privileges with her parents Gaston and Jan Tarbet.   She looks forward to many reunions and divine appointments.