November
Newsletter...(Sat. Nov. 10, 01)Greetings once again!
Thank you so, so much for your prayers and concern while I had Dengue Fever. I
have completely recovered and I am my old self again, with all credit going to God.
The other 2 teachers have also recovered. I returned to school two weeks ago. We have just completed our first 9-week grading period and those dreaded report cards have been sent home.
The weather here in
Suriname is changing just a bit. We are now in the upper-80's each day
(a little more comfortable) and it seems that we are just entering the "short" rainy season. It has rained several times. The short
season lasts from mid-November to January. The "long" rainy season runs from
April to August. Suriname receives an average 100 inches of rainfall each year,
so it will be pretty soggy here on out.
This has been sort of a slow month, with me having
Dengue and all. Last night, Patricia and I assisted with the bi-monthly
Youth Group Event. Praise God that 41 young people came out. Please continue for these young students and their personal relationships with Christ. Please ask God to do His will regarding the direction of these Youth events......Patricia
and I have some specific prayer needs that we ask your intercession on:
Please pray for us next week--On Saturday, November 17th, Patricia and I-along with Jim and Joyce Park, will
be taking 24 active High School students to Brownsberg Nature Reserve. This is
in the interior rainforest of Suriname. This endeavor will last 4 days. Please pray for us. I will be in charge
of daily devotions; so I ask that God uses me for His glory and that His message is clear.
We ask for safety, endurance, wisdom, compassion, and opportunities to share Christ's love on a more personal level
with these students.
Please
pray about the Young Men's bible study. The first meeting will be this
Monday. I had to postpone this study, due to my illness. Several students have approached me regarding this. I am excited
about this awesome opportunity to encourage and challenge these students in their walks with Christ.
Please pray for our school. There
will be some staff changes in January. Jim and Joyce Park
have served here for 30 years and are returning to the States.
Jim is a translator who worked with the Aukan people in the interior. Joyce
heads up the High School program and was once the principal of the school. Patricia
is Joyce's protege. They have worked closely together since our arrival in August. Patricia will take over the high school program in January. We have grown close to Jim and Joyce. They have taken us under
their wing and helped us in our transitioning here. They will be deeply missed. Pray for their adjustment, and reverse-culture shock as they return to Arizona. They
plan to continue working for their mission, Wycliffe(SIL), in the States........Pray for Danny Hicks and his family as they
leave in January. Danny is the 9th grade teacher and will be leaving due to some
health issues. His leaving results in having NO teacher for the 9th grade. We are praying that God will provide teachers for the school. We still have 2 openings that were not filled in August. We
know that God is in charge and that He will provide.
Please continue to
email us your praises and prayer requests. Along with our praying for
you, we have the privilege of sharing your needs with the school staff as we meet every morning for
devotions and prayers. All of your prayer requests have been lifted up to God
each morning! We look forwarded from hearing from you. Also, if you would like to send Christmas cards or other correspondence, please send them to:
EDITED OUT FOR PRIVACY
It takes up to six
weeks for us to receive postal mail at this address. Be sure to send it
AIR MAIL and make sure that you put SOUTH AMERICA on the envelope.
Also you can send packages and correspondence to the Miami address.
It is:
EDITED FOR PRIVACY
This comes to us via ocean freighter. Make sure that you put "in care
of American Coop. School". If you want us to receive things the
following month, your item must be in Miami before
the 15th of the month. It arrives the following month (3 weeks later). Sometimes you may get postal mail from us postmarked from Miami.
Luckily, many people here go to the States on a monthly basis, so it is standard procedure for them to drop everyone's
mail off in the Miami airport--thus, explaining the postmark.
We pray that God continues
to bless you. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and
support. Drop us a line.
Warmly, In Christ,
John
