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e-Mailer for 6/04
jonesjournal.org
> newsletters >
e-Mailer for 6/04
Dear Friends,
Greetings in Jesus! If you'd like to read this e-Mailer with photos, or see
past issues, click on "Ministry" at www.jonesjournal.org. This
includes updates on ministry, family, praise and prayer.
MINISTRY
* Last month's Children's Ministries seminar was on clowning by Dallis
Quiñones & Victoria de Chavarría (she coordinated the KidsQuest
Crusade at
La Felicidad
) and on cell group ministry for children by me. Attendance was 60 leaders,
which was a considerable increase, largely due to the follow up from the Int'l
KidsQuest seminar in early April.
I'll continue the topic this Saturday, plus introduce teaching materials from
Resource and Development Ministries (RDM) at AGWM. Our thanks go out to the
terrific missionaries who are writing, editing, translating and making it a lot
easier for local teachers and children's ministries leaders here in Latin
America.
* We held our first KidsQuest Crusade of our own here in Panamá at the
La Felicidad
(means "happiness") church coordinated by Victoria de
Chavarría (highlighted in last month's e-Mailer). Apart from a few
"technical difficulties" it was a great three days of Crusade. That
was after 7 nights of practice with our 40+ volunteer team members.
Attendance figures for the three evenings were: 166, 396, and 545. Pictured are
kids who came to pray at the altar on the second night.
Along with clowns Ding and Ling, CJ is our mascot hero. He's a ninja Tiger,
whose initials stand for ¡
C
onfiar en
J
esús
!
--Trust Jesus! Here he's breaking a "board" with "sin"
written on it.
* As I mentioned last month, I have served as project advisor to graduating
seniors at Panama's "Larry Cederblom AG Bible Institute." As such I
had the chance to interview my current student, Adela Giroldi. She is the widow
of General Moisés Giroldi, who was executed by Dictator Manuel Noriega
in October 1989 after his coup attempt failed to remove Noriega from power.
I hope to write up her testimony more completely at a later date. Allow me to
include some of her final comments here. Through her tears Adela told me that
this was her first interview to share what happened with her husband--and how
she and her three children later came to the Lord. She expressed extreme
gratitude for what God had done in their lives. "He can do it in any
family," she said. "God is my only hope!"
* Focus on the Family's Brio magazine, through Big World Ventures, is bringing
a team of 800 young people and sponsors to Panamá in July. Chloe and
some friends will help translate during the day, plus enjoy the fellowship and
Christian concerts in the evenings. We've helped to set up ministry and work
trips to our Latin America Childcare schools to benefit the schools, and to
promote child sponsorship among the families of these young "missionary
tourists." I use that term in a very positive light, trusting that God
will use this fun, high-energy, and stretching experience to plant seeds of
future commitment to world missions.
Please be praying with us for these upcoming teams and crusades:
* Georgia AIM choir with Youth Pastor Kevin Lewis, 15-24 July, traveling almost
to the Costa Rica border and back, singing and street witnessing along the way!
* From Surprise AZ Steve Elam and team will be holding a medical missions
clinic, 30 July - 7 August.
* We'll be ministering with the kids of our ministers at the Annual Pastor's
Retreat in July. Pray for God to touch these present and future ministers of
the Gospel.
* Our next KidsQuest Crusade will be in August in the central zone of
Panamá: Santiago, Veraguas province. Our coordinator is Rigoberto
Mitchell, who also helped at the original Int'l KQ Crusade in April.
* Our very good friends, the Clowers, will be leaving Panamá in a couple
weeks to itinerate in preparation for their new missionary assignment in the
Dominican Republic. We'll miss them very muchy and ask you to pray for them,
and us.
FAMILY:
School is almost out for our kids. Most private schools use the US calendar. On
the other hand, Panama's schools open from March to December to take advantage
of "dry season" for their vacation. So our kids' "summer
vacation" is really in the middle of "rainy season." Go figure!
* Chloe celebrated her 14th birthday at the beach with friends and family...
and her badly sprained ankle elevated! Later she had the cast put on as you can
see. How did it happen, you ask? Goofing around playing basketball at school.
What upsets her most is that nobody can see the beautiful shades of black and
blue under the cast right now.
* Anthony is signing up to play American tackle football (I need to spell it out
like that because "football" to Latinos means what we call
"soccer.") He's missed it since playing back in Arroyo Grande during
deputation.
* Celina played raquetball for the first time awhile back--and loved it! All
the older three kids have played and had a lot of fun too.
* Gracie graduated from Kindergarten this week, shown here receiving her
diploma from School Director, Pastor Bob Gunn. Yvonne accompanied while they
sang an adorable rendition of how they are ready for "First Grade, First
Grade" to the tune of "New York, New York."
Since this was the first time in about 4-1/2 years that Gracie wore a pretty
dress (and actually didn't fight it!), Yvonne wanted us to be sure and get a
family picture.
This closing scripture comes from Gracie's graduation program:
