Good June summer day to you all, our faithful friends and supporters.
We can not thank you all enough for your prayer support for us as we shared in the Kenya Field Retreat back in April. Many of you reached out to us saying you were praying with us and standing with us in your love and care as we went to minister to our missionaries serving Jesus in Kenya as well as in other parts of Africa.
Each day we gathered in worship and prayer as we shared encouraging messages from the Word of God to our people. Hearts were challenged to lean in to the goodness of God to meet every need. Missionaries have a unique situation being deployed to a different culture to work amongst a different people all with the goal of unifying one another under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It was an amazing ministry and the prayers of God's people made it so worthwhile. Thank you.
Whether we were speaking at the conference, fellowshipping with the missionaries, or hanging out with our African friends, God was so present and faithful to give us rich and fullfilling ministry all along the way.
Our travels allowed us to explore more of Kenya, and the ministries that are flourishing there.
A prop plane took us from the thriving city of Nairobi to the coast where we held our conference. Traveling along the way we dodged a few cattle, or perhaps a lot of cattle and got stuck in the mud, but we made it. Great times of prayer and sharing were a blessing and we know God's faithfulness shone through.
Just two weeks after we returned from Kenya, Ned's mom's health began to take a turn. She celebrated her 100th birthday January 9 and we had a party to honor her and celebrate her long life. She enjoyed every minute as nearly 200 people came to celebrate her. She was thrilled to reach that milestone and did so gracefully. Her mind remained so good, even as her body began to grow weary.
On April 30, mom went on to her heavenly home. She had always said she just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. During our time as a family at her bedside in those final hours, we were singing to her some of her favorite hymns. While we were singing, "I'll Fly Away" she mustered strength to raise her arms in praise to Jesus. Just a few short hours later, she drifted off to sleep and on to the arms of Jesus. We were able to celebrate her life well lived for Jesus on May 6 at our family home church in Rockbridge, Ohio.
As we make this update from Kenya and mom's funeral we are now preparing to head to Honduras. We will travel this week for our World Gospel Mission IMPACT Rally. With the advent of several International Global Workers that are now commissioned by WGM to serve around the world, more than 200 of God's choice servants from all around the world will converge in Honduras for a a week of seeking God, planing for ministry, praying for an anointing and outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our work and the mission of WGM. In addition there will be over 50 kids that our team will be part of ministering to.
Would you continue to pray with us? We have dozens of people flying from everywhere to Honduras and we will have many opportunities to sit with Global Workers from around the world to hear their hearts, hear their stories, and lift them up in prayer. We covet your prayers for health, for safety, for insight to hear, hearts to empathize, and a spirit to connect with Jesus. This will be an amazing time for our people to be encouraged and help to spread their vision to reach their world with the Good New and Love of Christ.
Your part in our ministry is vital and so appreciated, whether you are praying, giving, or just even pausing right now to lift us to heaven in prayer, we need it and we thank you for it.
May God Bless you each one. We thank you for standing with us in mission.
With Grateful Hearts,
Ned and Marlene