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June 17 Future Ministry Needs This may seem like an extravagant request, but bare with me it really makes sense. The Christan school at Sudan for Christ is going to start a class to teach computer fundamentals. They are in need of some good used laptops, if they are internet compatable that would be even better. Why laptops, because they are much easier to transport, and if you're taking them to Sudan, that's a good reason. Just think, if you donate your laptop you can upgrade and everyone wins. Jesus Wept can give you a tax reciept for your donation. June 01 May 2009 ReportWell I did it again...I let the month get away from me without completing my report. Please forgive me for rushing thru this so it will not take any longer. You all got Bob's emails that I forwarded to you so I will fill in the gaps here but will include the actual emails at the end so new readers in the future will be able to get those details. When Bob met with the people from the Nuba Mts. there was an extra person and the budget had to be refigured. Then there was the fact that Bob would be making the return trip from Nuba back to Juba alone. He said he felt the Lord closing the door. Godly men that the Lord has brought into Bob's life has pointed out to him that it is biblical to travel in pairs...hense Paul's mission journeys. So he returned to Yei and Sudan for Christ. He really stuggled about that decision but finally got peace. Bob went to the children's home...got pictures...and got to speak at a different church as well as a prison. Since he couldn't make contact with the SPLA's chaplin, he had his interepter make contact at the local base and was allowed to speak to the troops. He was able to give out the Bibles that many of you helped purchase at both the prison and the base. (pictures)
May 5 email - I am in Yei preparing to leave for Juba in the morning, the phone numbers have not worked so I am little concerned but not much. I have a few ideas of how to get up with the people in Juba. Then we will be off, things this far have gone very well.
on Wednesday May 6 I got a call from Bob in Juba, Sudan. He said he has made contact but didn't know when he will leave to actually go to Nuba Mts.
on Thursday May 7 he called again and said he was going back to Yei. early on Friday May 8 I got this email Well I am back at Yei, I am a little depressed, tired, sore but also encouraged about events that have unfolded. we left by taxi yesterday at 8:00 AM I prayed for God to supernaturally shorten the road, it took 3 1/2 hrs to get there and 5 1/2 hrs to return today. When we arrived we spent 4hrs. trying to get up with Bishop Yousif, when we did I gave my traveling partner some money so he could return to Yei, then we left to have a meeting about the trip. In the meeting we decided I didn't have enough money, maybe ? and I was paying for myself and Bishop Yousif and his traveling partner. Also when I was done I would have to return from Nuba Mts. to Yei alone. As hard as it was I decided not to Go, I was very depressed only slept about 4hrs. But Martin, my traveling companion, lost part of his money and could not leave Juba. He called me, stayed the night and we traveled back to Yei together today. I am very tired hope I get a good night sleep tonight. also late afternoon on Friday I got this email Today is Friday, I am in Yei and Ester is taking good care of me. I got ten hours of sleep last night which is the 1st time that I have slept more than 4 hours at a time in over a week. Five days of travel has worn me down some. I have no plans for today (just rest around Sudan for Christ) I hope to preach on Sunday and visit some people. I will take a picture of the new baby boy that arrived on the same day that I did and send it out to the world. received this today - Saturday May 9 Today was slow and I rested some more. During the day it was very hot, but had an early evening rain and cooled things off. I met with some people and am developing a plan for the next few days or a week. I will preach at a small church tomorrow and may be involved with a dicipleship program later in the week. I just happened to bring the material I attended before I left Millington. On Monday (May 11) I went to the children's home. In a recent storm three buildings were damaged or destroyed, the kitchen was destroyed, at this time all cooking is being done out side. One of the dorms has been damaged so that it leaks badly, and the roof was torn off the out house. All buildings are under repair as funds will allow. There has also been work done on the school and a chicken coop has been built for chickens that have yet to be bought. On Tuesday (May 12) I spent some time preparing for a discipleship conference that I have been ask to help with. I also went to Across Ministries to visit some friends that just got back in town, Rhys and Rhonda Hall who are missionaries from Australia. Last night was the beginning of rainy season, it rained for 4 hrs very hard, then for about 10 hrs just Hard. I have open and updating an account on Face book. Wednesday May 13 Some time next month I would like too have a Reception / Gathering at the church for all of you to hear about this trip. Two days ago after the long heavy rain there was an increase in bugs. Some were like the termites we experience last year at this time. Last night there was an increase of killer crickets, also like last year. There is nothing going on here, I believe I am going to come home early, after I purchase the Bibles. Thursday May 14 God has finally gave me a peace over all that has and is going on. I will come home early. Last night God showed me the plan for next year, that will get a team into the Nuba Mts. I'm anxious to get home and start working on it. It rained again today. Each time it rains the bugs get worse. I even tired siting in the dark typing this email but the light from the screen attracted all the bugs in the room. Julia at Riverside Travel got back with me, I'm all set for Tues. Tomorrow I will schedule the flight on Eagle for Tuesday morning. I also plan to buy another $300 worth of Bibles (in English, Bari, and Dinka languages) ((I can't find where he said he bought Bibles)) Friday May 15 Today I spent another $300 on Bibles and it looks like on Monday will spend the last $400 for a total of $1000. It looks like the need will be much greater than our present resources. I will be preaching at a prison on Sunday and a Church on Monday to a large group of SPLA soldiers. ((Sundan People's Liberation Army, Bob also referred to them as the Army of Southern Sudan or the Christian Army)) Today is Independence Day. That is the day when the SPLA went into the bush and started fighting back. Tomorrow I am to have lunch with Rhys and Rhonda, as is always the case things start to get busy at the end of a trip. Sunday May 17 Today at the prison thing eventually went well gave out 50 Bibles in three languages and saw 60 to 75 people pray to receive Christ. after that I preached in a church of about 100, ended up praying for most of the church at the alter. Everyone is gone and I'll be alone here for the next two nights. All is on schedule for the SPLA preaching and Bible dist. in the morning.
Monday May 18 At the SPLA camp today things went well we gave out 250 Bibles and talked about teaching some conference type Bibe lessons in the future, Tom will go to another camp tomorrow. My bags are packed, I've taken all my medicine, I have said good-by, I'm tired of dodging crickets.
Okay Bob got home on the 20th. We have started the plans for the get together and look forward to seeing all of you that live close enough to come. We feel very responsible about reporting and being held accountable, so hope most of you will come and challenge us with questions. We really are blessed by each of you and feel you would be blessed by attending this event. As always, we ask you to pray that the Lord will use us this month as Bob speaks a couple of times at other churches and working with Crosspointe's Minister of Missions for our congregation. April 30 The Time is NOWWell it is the last day of the month and I hope to get this out in one sitting. Apirl has been a busy month at home. Bob has worked for the Census Bureau, which helped divert his attention. Otherwise he may have driven us both crazy. In the last entry I mentioned us fasting, well of the three big things we were focusing on the Lord has finished two and reassured me He is still working on the 3rd. If you have never done this you are missing out on a tremedous blessing. Bob spoke at River Nile again (I needed to be at Crosspointe) and was invited to be involved with their local mission-outreach. Again we feel this is a door of opportunity the Lord is providing. We felt it was specificly for us but they included Crosspointe in the invitation also. As it has turned out the date had to be changed to the end of the month when Bob will be in Sudan and I will be out of town for a family function. Our personal prayer is Crosspointe will be there. (River Nile Church / Leewood Baptist church) About the middle of the month Bob felt he should postpone the Gulu, Uganda pastor's conference. I thought he was jumping ahead of God but kept my mouth shut for once! When he emailed the pastor in Gulu, he responded right away with the challenges he was dealing with and felt the same. Now I believe the Holy Spirit was working in that the whole time - especially with me. In the last few days many of you have contacted us about donating to the trip. We are thanking God for you allowing Him to work thru you...you are trully a blessing to us. Bob has said several times that he knew he could get into Nuba Mts but may not get back. And he was very concerned about getting enough Bibles for the Christian Army of the South. (SPLA). Your generousity has taken care of both these concerns and probably some unknown. We are excited about the email he got this morning from the pastor in Nuba Mts. He has arranged a very aggressive itinerary for the first six days provided Bob makes all the connections. As usual we are relying on God to arrange the contacts and details for Bob to be where He wants him to be. We need your prayers more on this trip than ever before. Please pray whatever way the Holy Spirit leads you. April 01 March '09 ReportThis is the second entry this month, but I promised to let you know how spring break went. We arrived before the groups so were able to see friends around Harlingen and at Second Bapt Church. Even tho we visited after Navidad just ten weeks before, the pastor asked Bob to share. And you all know he never passes an opportunity to talk. When the groups arrived there were fewer than expected but we always trust the Lord to bring exactly who He wants to be there. With the concern over the violence across the border, the group leaders requested WOTC to provide ministry opportunities in Texas. As you will see in the pictures the groups had no trouble drawing a crowd. I am sorry to say this time we didn't get Bob in any of the pictures and like always I prefer NOT to be in them. The last day Bob and Roger went to South Padre Island and got pictures of the sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico. We were home just a few days when we started to pack for a weekend trip to Atlanta. Before we left God opened the door for us to make a new acquaintance with a family that has an interest in the Nuba Mts. We spent Sunday afternoon getting to know them. We don't know how the Lord will use all of us but we agreed to join our prayers about reaching the people there. While we were in Atlanta we visited New Seasons Church and the Flockhart family. It is encouraging to see how God is working thru that congregation in that area. Well that covers March. The first day of the April will bring the opportunity for Bob to speak to our friends at Egypt Bapt Church. The second we will be fasting for three important concerns. Once we first committed to fast the the other two needs became more intense. On the fifth Bob will be speaking to friends at River Nile Church. Please pray for Bob as he starts this month with more than usual committments to serve the Lord. Also the next four weeks will be the preparation time for his trip to Sudan/Nuba Mts/Uganda. There are many details He has yet to pull together for Bob. We hope you will pray for that trip as the Holy Spirit leads you. God bless you all and thank you for allowing Him to use you to bless us. March 12 Prayer Request for Mexico / Sudan / UgandaTo Friends, Family and Brothers and Sisters in Christ On Friday night or early Saturday morning Glenda and I and Roger Murray will leave for Texas/Mexico. We may be on the border or in the interior wherever God assigns us. This will be a relatively easy trip. We will be working with Way of the Cross, so all we have to do is show up and let God use us. WOTC has to do all the planning. In May our plans call for me to be in Sudan/Nuba Mts. Glenda could possible go but that still remains to be worked out. And in June the pastors conference in Gulu, Uganda is still in the works. This will be the last prayer request we send out prior to our making the decision to buy the airline tickets, and decide if the entire african trip should go on or what parts of it might need to wait. It is completely in the Lords hands, and Glenda and I are comfortable with His decision. Here is a short list of prayers to be lifted up to the Lord: 1) That Glenda and I continue to Seek God, Listen to Him and Be Obedient to His will. 2) Traveling Mercies 3) That the people that Jesus is calling to this trip come forward (team for Nuba Mts. and for pastors conf. in Gulu, Uganda) 4) That the money for travel into the Nuba Mts. (3 local Sudanese pastors from Yei and myself) plus the resources to do ministry while we are there and living expenses - a total of Ten Thousand Dollars. 5) I have committed to provide 500 Bibles for the Sudanese Army located around Yei, South Sudan. Donations for about 200 of those have already been committed. (one Bible is two dollars when purchased in Yei) 6) There are many other things to pray for: peace in Sudan, good health while in the Nuba Mts. (no medical for 800 miles, except what we carry) and whatever the Holy Spirit reveal to you. In Christ's Love Bob and Glenda Ries February 25 February Report, 2009I would like to start off by backing up to a few days after our last blog. Bob started working for the US Census Bureau. We both prayed then applied but God only opened the door for Bob to get a job. It took a little adjustment after being retired for over five years. One of the conditions for the job was flexible scheduling. For the first four weeks there wasn't any flexibility. At the end of the fourth week Bob was told there wasn't enough work so technically he was laid off. We believe the pay was Him providing funding for the ministry. We are waiting to see how God continues or ends this blessing. Also before the end of January, the mission class got started and is going well. Once again we visited River Nile Church and have started talking with their leaders about working with them during their outreach. Then Pastor Adioye came to speak to the youth group of our church. We didn't know about it until we got there that night. (no pictures) But we are encouraged by the further connection between the two churches. Sunday, the 22nd was the start of the Missions Expo at Bellevue Baptist Church. God gave Bob off from work the week before so he could prepare and get the Jesus Wept display set up. We arrived there before 8 am and didn't leave until 8:30 that night. It was so much fun and we are sure the Lord will open more doors of opportunity thru the people we met. We want to invite you to come and see the 'Expo'. The displays are set up all the time but are manned the hour before and after the services Wednesday and Sunday until March 1st. Now I know some of you don't live near Memphis. But if we don't let you know what's going on, you may not realize it is a divine appointment. Spring break remains to be worked out because we have invited some people to go with us that doesn't have as much freedom with their schedules. If we go alone we might use up most of March in so TX/MX. April, hopefully will bring family here to visit. May is when we are leaving for Sudan/Nuba Mts. Instead of retyping here, the prayer request from last month, I hope you will take a minute to scroll down and reread them and continue to lift them up for us. God bless you all. January 17 Happy 2009Well with the new year several days old, we are contacting you as mentioned last month - last year - with a report of the Mexico trip. The team included 2 people that had never been on a mission trip before. It is always exciting for Bob and I to witness their first experience. Everyone enjoyed our time spent at UTRI and meeting the teams from AR, MO, and OK. You will find some pictures of us passing out flyers and inviting on the 27th and 28th. Which resulted in the great turn out on the 29th. The estimate of attendance was 2000 so we ran out of hotdogs before everyone came thru the line. But there were enough gift bags for every child - from infants to teens - and the ladies got purses and the men got Spanish Bibles. I have been told that there was an estimate of 3 - 4 hundred salvations. Our goal was to get them connected to the local churches and pray now that they follow thru and grow. Before Bob and I left South Texas, we got to visit our friends at WOTC and in Harlingen. Then we took the long way home, we visited friends in OK and KS and family in MO. It is such a blessing to stay connected with the many people the Lord has brought into our lives. We love you all and pray God will continue to use you. Now that we are back in Millington, the opportunity to teach a mission class at Crosspointe has been our first task. Speaking at the Nile River Church again is next. In February we will be at Bellevue Baptist for their mission conference. After that we will be looking at spring break before our next trip to Sudan and Uganda in May and June. As always we are depending on God to provide for everything He leads us to do - finances, coworkers, supplies, even the timing. God bless, Glenda
Our focus now shifts to preparing to go back to Sudan and Uganda, Sudan most likely around the 7th of May (Nuba Mts.) and then move down to Gulu, Uganda for a pastors conferrence the 1st of June. I believe this is God's plan but He has not revealed all of it to me as yet, and there are many challenges to overcome.
The trip into the Nuba Mts. is the most difficult, dangerous, expensive, and time consuming ministry that God has ever called us to be part of. Our team will consist of myself and perhaps one other American, and up to three Sudanees pastors/guides/interpators/security, who are all critical to the ministry but do not have the means to contribute financially.
The pastors conference in Gulu, Uganda will go from June 1st to approximatly June 12th (return home) cost $3000 or less. It never ceases to amaze me to watch God's plan unfold. This trip has been in the works for over a year. I am not qualified to conduct a pastors conference, but Jesus has put me in contact with many godly, experienced pastors that can be a great encouragment and powerful tool in this dark place in Uganda. As we move into this last phase of preparation, God has not made it clear if any will be available to reach out to these pastors at this time.
Prayer Requests
1) That Glenda and I will continue to seek God's direction, listen, and be obedient.
2) That God will provide the people/pastors to fulfill His plans in Sudan and Uganda.
3) That He will provide 500 Bibles for the Southern Sudanese (Christian) Army.
4) That the financal needs of transportation, subsistance (room and board, 2 months)
and money to do ministry will be available. $15,000 total at todays prices.
May God continue to bless you and draw you ever closer to Him, as He, has blessed us beyond anything we could have ever imagined. In Christ's love, Bob December 24 Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas, here it is Christmas Eve and I am just now getting to this. I figure it doesn't matter, really, if you read it before or after the 25th. Bob insisted we send some cards in the mail, so this may be your second greeting from us. But we wish you as many blessings and as much joy as we have received. The Lord has blessed us so tremendously in 2008. Our thanks and praise feels so inadequate. It seems all we can do is continue to make ourselves available to Him to use, which in turns blesses us and makes us aware of our inadequacy again. With the celebration of Jesus' birth we hope you experience the love He showed by beginning His journey to the grave. We can not focus only on the manger and the wise men at this time of year. We must aknowledge the whole journey and be willing to do whatever each of us is destined to do in His divine plan for our life. We are spending Christmas in Millington so Stephanie is with us tonight and then we will be with missionary friends tomorrow. By the end of the day we will be packed and the truck loaded to leave early on Friday to head south. This year we will be serving with Upon This Rock International, in Reynosa MX in the celebration they call Navidad Reynosa. It appears there will be 10 others going with us but we will provide those details in January's report. We will also have details of what we feel God is leading us to do in 2009. In the mean time, our prayer is that God bless and keep you safe and healthy. November 15 Sept/Oct. trip to Uganda/SudanI have been back in the US just over a week, and as you might guess I am covered up with important things to do. This thank you is one of the most important things of them all. God continues to open doors, most of which are a tremendous stretch for Glenda and I. We are constantly aware of our need for His guidance every step of the way and your prayers. Many times in the last 7 weeks, I took great comfort in knowing that you and many, many other people were praying for us. This last missionary journey was the most difficult of our lives, and yet the next trip in May / June promises to be more challenging and more rewarding in kingdom building. 1) In May we plan to take a team of mostly local Sudanese pastors into the Nuba Mts. 2) In June we plan to take a team of mostly Americans to minister to a group of local pastors and their flock in Gulu, Uganda. One of the new doors God has opened is teaching a discipleship class on missions at our home church (Crosspointe) in Jan/Feb/March. And as always we plan to go to Mexico the week after Christmas. Your prayers and support are more important than ever and we thank Jesus every day for them and you. On Oct 1st I flew out of McAllen, TX to Kampala Uganda, a trip that took over 32 Hours which included a 12 hour lay-over in Dubai on the Persion Gulf. The trip was long but for the most part what I expected. When I arrived at the airport in Uganda, my friend, Pastor Nathenael was not there to meet me. This was the 1st of countless changes to my plans and the 1st of many opportunities for God to teach me and mold me. I had hopes to arrive on Friday and leave for Sudan on Saturday. Instead I was in Kampala till Tuesday, and when I did leave I had diarrhea and had a 2 hour trip on a small plan with no toilet.
I have discovered that when I land in Yei, I feel very comfortable like I'm home. Infact I only feel that way in Yei and in Memphis. The next day the Cush Conference began and God blessed it, and set the stage for His work that He has called us to do in the Nuba Mts. I met 3 pastors from the mountains and got all their contact info. I met the missions director from Samaritans Purse in the Nuba Mts and many other important contacts from Yei, Juba, Khartoum, and Lokitanyala Kenya. Praise God
During the next two weeks, I had the privilege to work with a number of ministries: Combat Team, Evangelist Daniel and Jessica King, Greg Ford of Global Quest, and Sudan for Christ. I also continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to talk about the supernatural love of Jesus.
One Sunday afternoon Justin (an American intern) Kuku and I went to the local goverment hospital to preach and pray for people. In Africa the people know that their best chance for healing is Jesus Christ. For me the struggle is to know that, because of what medical doctors have to offer in the United States, and what is available here in Yei. It is an eye opener to walk through the wards at the hospital asking people if you can pray for them and not one person out of two hundred said no or turned away or asked us to leave. You see they know what we only say we know; that Jesus is the Great Physcian. He never has a shortage of medicine, doesn't ever not know what the illness is, or is to busy to take care of it. That faith is why you see so many more miracles in Africa than the United States.
Right before I left Sudan, Kuku and I made a trip to Juba (capital of the south). We met with some Christian officials (SLA) about what is most needed in the Nuba Mts and how and when is the best time to go. Satan did everything he could to prevent the trip and to make me miserable so I would give up. But God blessed the trip and made connection that will make it possible to go to the Nuba Mts, hopefully, in May of 2009.
The last four days I spent in Uganda, Pastor Nathenael and I made an all day trip by bus to a little town called Gulu in the north. The plan is to take a group of American pastors to do a pastors conference during the day, and then preach in the local churches in the evenings and on Sunday. We might even spend a day at a local animal reserve near Gulu afterwards. Praise God I'm excited to see what God has in store for Glenda and I in 2009, how He will use Jesus Wept International, and what part all of you will play in His perfect plan.
November 14 Two weeks in MexicoPraise God, I have just returned from two months on the road (2weeks in TX/MX, 1 week in Uganda, 4 weeks in Sudan and about a week of travel) so I will make a number of entries, in reverse order. While we were in Harlingen Texas, God blessed us by allowing us to spend a little time with many old friends from the past at WOTC.
It may seem like I'm complaining about the way things went in preparing for this missionary journey and the way things turned out. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I can see God's hands all over this trip, more than any other trip or undertaking that I have been part of. I am sure that we are doing battle for the kingdom because we are meeting struggles and challenges at every turn in the road. In the past I don't believe that satan or his deamons took much notice of what we (Glenda and I or Jesus Wept) were doing, but as of this last trip to Mexico/Africa that has changed.
The two weeks in Mexico, one week of set up and one week of ministry. Preparation is always important and it was, but in that 1st week God provided a divine appointment for me to share the Gospel with a man at Save-A-Lot in Harlingen. I was driving down the road, had planned to fill up with gas at a station farther down the road and all of a sudden decided to turn into the one I was driving past. So I had to make a right hand turn from the left hand lane, drive over the curb to get into the gas station. While I was there a man came up to me asking for 75 cents for food, and that is how we got to Save-A-Lot and he came to know Jesus.
During the 2nd week, Glenda and I worked with a team of about 10 US missionaries and 40 local pastors/church leaders, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in three services a day. We saw over 900 people -plus the one from the 1st week- come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To God be the Glory. We finished on Tuesday evening and by Wednesday at noon I was on a plane to Africa.
September 07 Following Jesus one step at a time I did not plan to make another entry before leaving for Mexico, Uganda, and Sudan but God has worked in such a powerful way in the passed two weeks, I felt I had to share it with you. It started with a visit from Rob and Elli Robinson, dear friends who God has used to play a key part in our mission lives. I also had another opportunity to preach at the local Sudanees church and to attend a service where the love of Christ was compared to Islam. Then Glenda and I traveled to Decatur, IL to visit with friends we met in Harlingen, TX Myron and Faye Perry. While we were there God provided the opportunity to preach at the Sunday evening service. It was a great blessing to meet their pastor, Cliff Davis and their church, which is much more involved in missions (world and local) than many churches that are much larger. While up north (north of Memphis) we went to St. Louis to visit our close friends Rob and Julie Schaumberg and my three brothers and sister (Larry, Randy, Donna, Ricky) and their families. During this time God has provided about half of the remaining amount of finances I feel is still needed for the Nuba Mountain trip. He continues to put together all the details of the up coming trip, not as quickly as I would like as a rule,but His timing is perfect. I can see throughout my life how Jesus has blessed me and how He has been at work, behind the scenes. Prior to asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior in Oct. 1999 I had very few close friends and was not very close to my immediate family. Today, I not only have the promise of eternal life with Jesus and the rest of the body of Christ, but I have close friends all over the world. I pray for them and they pray for me and I look forward to seeing them as often as possible.
Here, in it's simplest form, is what I believe is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.
JOHN 14:6
Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except by Me.
MARK 12:30
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
MARK 12:31
You shall love your neighbor as your self.
This is the difference between being a follower of Jesus the Christ, and a follower of Islam, also it is the reason Jesus died on the CROSS and we have the victory.
August 26 Prayer RequestPrayer Partners, Thirty days and counting down till my return to Sudan and answering God’s call to the Nuba Mts. I would like to report to you that everything is right on my plan but it is not. But I am more confident than ever that everything is exactly as God has it planned. (Isaiah 55:8-9) I have greater peace in the preparation for, and the execution of this trip than anything I have ever done. I believe that is because I have truly turned it over to Jesus, maybe for the first time in my life. This trip is so far outside of my ability to plan, prepare and execute that it has to be God, it can not be me. I am just a tool in His hand, and a tool need not worry about how it is going to be used. The need for a prayer covering is greater than we have ever experienced. Glenda and I are asking everyone that we know to keep us in their prayers on a daily basis, beginning today the 26th of August through the 31st of October. The one thing I know, that I know, that I know is that God is calling me to the Nuba Mts. and I am very sure that this is the time. If you look at circumstances you probable would not see that. I have not been able to make contact with my primary traveling partner and contact in Uganda since June. He was suppose to make some arrangements, check on transportation schedules and costs to move to team from Yei to the Nuba Mts. I don’t know how we are going to get there but I know Jesus does.
Once again I have some specific prayer requests.
If you receive more than one copy of this prayer request I apologize. We are sending it out several ways and there might be some overlap. Please feel free to tell others of our prayer needs and ask them to pray for all of us to be dedicated servants of our Lord Jesus. In Christ’s love Bob and Glenda RiesAugust 05 Answering God's call In Oct. of 2007 God made it very clear to me that He was calling my wife and I to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ not only in Sudan but in a very remote part of Sudan. For almost a year we have been working to that goal. In the June entry I listed some very important prayer requests,one of them was for God to supply the resources needed for this trip. I have had several people ask me about specific cost, so I am going to list the financal needs of this trip, which by the nature of the trip is higher than usual.
1) Airfare to Uganda $1800.00
2) Travel expenses Uganda to Sudan $250.00
3) Travel expenses from Yei to Juba
for the rest of team 5 people $500.00
4) Airfare from Juba to destination
for 5 people (4 pastors & guide) $2500.00
5) Food and housing for 5 people for 2weeks $1000.00
6) Money for Ministry $2000.00
Please be in prayer for all the needs listed in the June entery. May Jesus Christ continue to bless you. July 30 July 2008 Report Hi y'all. Yeah I know I wrote earlier this month but...I don't know, I just feel like getting this out now. As I mentioned in the last entry we did stay home. The Lord has blessed us tremendously during the time, but HE has also challenged us. We got to share during three services as well as eight individual get togethers. God continues to bring new brothers and sisters into our life. Then teaches us things thru their testimonies and stories. Even tho Bob says he hates yard sales he did a three day sale and God brought lots of people. One of the things Bob hates so much is the pricing of each item then having people argue with him. So he prevented that from happening by telling everyone that they could have anything for a donation that would go to sponsor our ministry in Sudan. Then he gave them information about Jesus Wept and Sudan for Christ. A couple of people said they would be interested in having us visit their church to talk about Sudan. We are praying God will open those doors for us. While we stayed home this month we were planning to do some traveling in August. But the contacts we made didn't develope. We are trusting that God has a reason for it working out this way. We praise God for answer to prayers and appreciate you interceding for us. Our ministry trips coming up is to Mexico in September, then Bob going to the Nuba Mountains in October, back to Mexico for the Big Feed in December and finally to Uganda in June '09. As always we are inviting you to come with us to the Big Feed the week between Christmas and New Years. But the Uganda trip will be the first time God has called us to lead a group to Africa. Tenative plans call for us leaving Monday June 1st and arriving back no later than June 12th. The cost, based on prices right now would be about $2500. If you are interested contact us for further information. July 02 June 2008 ReportWhen we got home from Africa we had just one week before we were traveling again. My family had a reunion in St. Louis but we spent the night with Bob's brother, Randy and went to church with them. Then we spent a few days in Springfield with my parents and helped them work in their basement. On our way to our planned ministry assignment we stopped in OK to visit with missionary friends Bart and Sherry Effinger. Since we have spoken at their church before Bart challenged Bob by giving him five minutes in the podium Sunday morning. He said it took eight, but it was the smoothest presentation I have ever heard Bob give. I wish it had been taped! After lunch we left for KS to meet with Lone Cherry Southern Baptist Church to go with them to camp. It was Bob's first time to camp as an adult and he was the Missionary speaker. Once again he did a great job presenting the info...the kids could relate but the adults weren't bored. Finally we get to Pryor OK and the home of missionary friends Jerry and Barbara Delacerda. They had introduced us to their pastor the last time we visited and were invited back for Bob to share his testimony. He was greatly encouraged by the Sunday evening attendance. We were told by many people that they were blessed by his testimony, but the Lord used them to bless us, also. God brought many people into our lives the whole two and a half weeks, and used each one to bless us in very special ways. By Monday morning, the last day of the month, we are worn out and ready for a long rest at home. So here we are and it looks like we will be staying in Millington for a month or so.
Confession time!!! I was supposed to send out the following letter as soon as we were back from Africa. But I always say "God made it work out this way for a reason."
We are writing this letter to you from Kampala, Uganda after having been in Africa for 29 days. This is our last full day in Uganda and then we will be traveling back to the US. The Lord has worked in miraculous ways while we have been here, and we want to share with you some of the many blessings we have received. 1st of all is that God worked out all the details of this trip from financing, to timing, to where and when we would preach or serve Him. We had little or no advanced plans of how we would be used. Several of the Sunday School classes at our home church (Crosspointe Baptist in Millington, TN.) colleted money or specific materials for this missions journey. The teenage girls class collected Footballs (Soccer). We would give them out where we would share about the love of Jesus. I always made sure that the children / young people knew that it was the love of Jesus, that the Message and the Soccer balls represented was the key point. Another class provided ink and photo paper so that prints could be given to people. We used this as a means to share Jesus and invite people to church on Sunday, they picked up their portraits after the service. That Sunday we had at least fifty visitors to the service. An extra blessing was that I got to teach and preach that Sunday at that church, the New Generation Tabernacle Church at Sudan for Christ. I could write a book on how God moved in preparing for this trip as well as during this missionary journey. In order to shorten the explanations I will summarize and ask you to contact me and I will explain in detail. We spent approximately 1 week in Uganda and 3 weeks in Sudan. During that time we spoke at 9 different locations, including 6 churches, 2 schools, 1 children’s home and I helped teach in the Sudan for Christ Bible School. All of which was beyond my ability, only through Jesus Christ was any of what was done possible. During these services we saw Jesus work in a powerful way, greater then 100 people ask Christ into their hearts. In Africa many times the only answer is prayer; no doctors, no food, no money for their children’s school. So we always take time to pray with people, to lift up their need to Jesus. God allowed us to work with at least 4 different ministries, 1) Sudan for Christ 2) Across Ministries 3) Kingdom Mission Ministries International in Uganda 4) Hisickles International Missions from Nigeria, I know that this experience blessed Glenda and I. I believe that we in turn blessed and supported those ministries. There are three young Sudanese that I have worked with in the past and God continues to draw us close together. The 1st is Tom a local pastor in Yei, he is married and has three boys, ages 11, 7, and 2 yrs old. The 2nd is a young high school student, Anthony 23yrs old, we have committed to pay for his schooling over the next two years and mentor via email over the internet. And the 3rd person’s name is Kuku Mahadi also a high school student 24 yrs old, a former Muslim who‘s family lives in the NUBA MTS. We have also committed to pay for his schooling over the next two years and will mentor him via the internet. The most amazing thing to happen to me since asking Jesus into my heart, started last Sept. when I felt Him calling me to minister in the NUBA MTS. I know He is calling me, even though it doesn’t make sense, at least to me. All I had was a calling, no plans. But on this trip God has put together His plan and His team. We are moving foreword with plans to go to the NUBA MTS in Oct. 2008.
There are many people that helped us (Glenda and I) make the trip to Africa in May, and we are forever grateful. Before this trip, I wasn’t absolutely sure that God was calling us to minister here. Maybe it was just a short term, Christian work (adventure). But now I am certain that God is calling us to work here, in a substantial and long term way.
So it is time to ask everyone we know and those that we haven’t met yet to Partner with what God is doing in Sudan and Uganda through Jesus Wept International. This includes daily prayer as well as a financial commitment. We are asking that you would pray and ask God if you are to partner with us (God, Glenda and I) in this work. If the answer is yes we are asking for a 12 month commitment of whatever amount God lays on your heart. We believe that God has opened the door for us, Jesus Wept Int’n, to bring others to minister in Uganda and Sudan. Our plan is for this huge step to take place in May 2009 with a ten day trip to Uganda to preach the Gospel, evangelize and minister to less fortunate.
Daily prayer needs
1) Continued peace in Sudan and Uganda.
2) That God will continue to use Sudan for Christ & Jesus Wept Int’n. to lift up the name of Jesus.
3) For Pastor Stanley, his wife Vicki and his children Debra and Daniel.
4) For Esther and her family, a great Christian lady and prayer warrior that works at Sudan for Christ, who has a very hard life.
5) For Pastor Tom and his family.
6) For Anthony and Kuku.
7) For Kuku’s safety and God’s protection, as a Muslim converted to Christianity his life will be in danger when he returns to Nuba Mts with us.
8) For Glenda and I that we will continue to seek God’s Face, listen to His voice and be obedient to His will.
9) That we will trust God to provide the people and resources to do the work He has called us to do.
June 06 We Are HomeYes, we are home and I don't know where to begin. No there isn't anything wrong to report. I am just having trouble figuring out what to write about. Okay I'm ready! Saturday morning we got up with everything already packed and ready to be carried out. Esther said Bob could leave but she wanted me to stay, I told her I wanted to put her in my suitcase and take her with me. Pastor Stanley called to confirm the schedule for the flight from Yei to Kampala and was told it was going to be late. So instead of boarding the plane at 10 we wouldn't be leaving Sudan for Christ property until then. The distance is less than 10 miles but the time will take more than 30 min. After several final goodbyes and prayers, we get into the same Range Rover that picked us up but with a different driver. The plane was still another two hours late. Then we got in the air and the excitement mixed with a little sadness set in. I was really ready to come home but I have fallen in love with the people. God's people are so wonderful, it it hard for me to leave them behind. Anyway we got to Uganda and Pastor Nathaniel was faithfully waiting for us even tho his church was having an important meeting. Sunday morning we arrived at his church and was welcomed, so they didn't hold it against us. We really enjoyed the adult chior, I hope the pictures will give you a good impression of their efforts. Bob had the podium after the children gave a wonderful presentation in song. The rest of the Lord's day was spent in rest. Monday started off slow but picked up progessively when Bob and Pastor Nathaniel sat down and started discussing the details for the Nuba Mnt trip. Bob had so many loose ends and unknowns that God filled in thru Pastor Nathaniel that we went away from the meeting with such excitement you would have thought they were leaving next week. Then we went out for a late lunch at a very nice Korean restaurant. (pictures!) On the way home we stopped at a book store for a city map. Now I know my way around Kampala. Bob had mentioned to Pastor Nathaniel that he would like to go to the beach of Lake Victoria or someplace along the water. So on Tuesday we went to one of the outer suburbs to a very exclusive English resort. It was very beautiful - and expensive - and interesting. (more pictures) On the way back we stopped at an Ethiopian restaurant for another late lunch. Back at the hotel we had time to fellowship with the young lady that is the head staff member. She is a christian and is engaged to be married in August to a young pastor who is in England, so we didn't get to meet him. She plans to leave her job but will be in contact with us via internet. I finished the day off with repacking the suitcases, again. Even tho our flight wasn't leaving until 10:30 pm we planned to leave Kampala around noon. Pastor Nathaniel picked us up and we headed south toward the airport but took a few mile detour to the beach. We had another late lunch at a wonderful beachside establishment that specialized in fish - whole fish! (wait till you see this picture) After a nice long leisurely afternoon we stopped at another beachside area in Entebbe, just a few min from the airport. By this time I am ready to just get there, but Pastor Nathaniel has been a true blessing to us, so I kept my thoughts to myself and let him entertain us. At the airport we didn't have any delay with getting checked in or getting thru secruity. Bob had already put some thought into what these two long days was going to be like. He was going to sleep as much as possible on the flight to Amsterdam so he could stay wake till we got home. Well he managed that pretty well but I couldn't sleep but about 30 min. When we got to Amsterdam I was tired but still couldn't sleep more than a few min at a time. Bob was patient with me as we walked around, browsing thru the airport shops. Then we got checked in to our flight to Memphis and in comes a young mother with a 6 month old. I couldn't resist giving the baby some attention. I find out her husband is stationed with the Army in Germany and she is taking the baby home for the family to meet for the first time. We were able to help her get settled in to her seat and I told her if she needed any help or just wanted a break during the flight we were only ten rows back. I hoped I wouldn't be asleep if she needed me but figured she might make it fine. As it turned out she brought the baby to me a couple of times then I stopped to talk to her once when I was up walking around. At that time we were only half way and the baby hadn't slept. God had arranged for the seats across the isle from her to be empty so I spent the next two hours with the baby. I finally bored her to sleep and she slept about an hour and 15 min. Unfortunately the mom could get comfortable enough to sleep. After I went back to my seat I thought I might sleep but couldn't get comfortable enought to do more than just doze a few min. But I perked up and spent the last couple hundred miles looking out the window - the clouds finally broke and I could actually see the ground. And then we were on the ground and so close to home. It was time for the mixed feeling again - good to be home but my new friends were so far away. Okay that is enough. I will now get busy with the pictures. I hope you will enjoy them even tho they will be all bunched together. God's blessing to you all. May 30 Heading HomeWell we leave Sudan in about 12 hours. The last two days have been special. Thursday morning we rode motorbikes to the Children's Home. While there I shared my testimony. The kids range in age from 5 to 14 so I think they all understood. Anyway when the translator asked if anyone want to say the prayer all the hands went up. I let him lead them in prayer and I prayed that they were sincere and not just doing it because we asked them to. Since this is a christian organization I feel confident they will be encouraged to grow and lead a Christ centered life. Pastor Stanley has been out of town since Wednesday so I hope to have a chance to tell him about it in the morning before we leave. When we got back from the Children's Home we went out to lunch with the friend of the ministry that gave us a ride to the market the last week. He was in town for business and knew we were leaving soon. I look forward to telling you all about him when we get together. I had to iron one more time. Then the Bible study class finished up with Bob teaching the last lesson. It had rained right before class time so only about half the class showed up. They ended with a little refreshement and fellowship time. At about 4 this morning a storm blew in and Bob had to get up and close the shutters of the windows. While he was doing that I felt some drops of rain falling thru the mesquito net on me. So I pushed my mattress off on the floor and I crowded over on Bob's bed. We both tried real hard to go back to sleep but it didn't work. So he got up and did his quiet time and I took over his bed. By the time he finished the storm had calmed down and there wasn't anymore leaking so I pulled my dry mattress back up on the frame and gave Bob his bed back. We were both able to sleep for another couple of hours. This morning we didn't have anything planned so Bob walked around the school and took pictures of the kids. The principle, Vickie, gave Bob a list of books they need. After lunch we visited Across Ministry and shared the list with them. Their ministry has publishing at another location so we were able to get a few samples of their material for Vickie. She seemed interested. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the room repacking. We had gotten all the things separated that Bob wants to leave here in storage and that left half our suitcases empty. It will be great not having so many things to keep track of. Okay, this really wraps up my effort to share with you. It has been a challenge for me and I will be interested to get feed back from all of you. As I said in the last entry we probably won't have reliable internet service in Uganda so I will tell you all about the last leg of the trip from home. I am glad God has allowed me to make this trip and used me. I really do pray His blessings on all of you. May 28 Next to the LastThe way I have this figured, there will probably only be time to do one more entry before we leave Yei. The internet was less reliable in Uganda, so I probably won't be able to add anything until we get home. We get in late on the 4th of June. I only have yesterday and today to tell you about. Esther wanted to take me to the supermarket yesterday. She said it would be a long walk. I promised her I would keep going, I didn't know how fast but I wouldn't quit on her. Well we first stopped at the Catholic Hospital which is where Bob visited in October. But she took me to the TB ward. After a short greeting from part of the staff Esther told me to talk to them. I told them why Bob and I are here then I encouraged them to do their work as it says in Ephesians 6:7. Then I told them I did what they are doing for 27 years and understand about working all day then going home and working there. We finished in a circle to pray. Esther wanted me to take pictures and they said it was okay then wanted me to go into two of the wings. There were patients in less than half the bed, mostly dressed. The nurses wanted me to take pictures of the patients. Well after getting each persons permission, I did and then showed them the picture on the digital screen. They all really liked that. At that point I shook hands with them and moved on. One of the first things I noticed was there were both male and female in each ward. No real evidence of separating them or providing privacy. As we were leaving the building there were some men sitting beside one of the wings we didn't go into. They said something to Esther and she stopped me and told me to take a picture of them. I did and then showed them the results and she said something to them and took my arm to move me in the direction of leaving. I asked but she didn't tell me what they said. I didn't sense any trouble but I trusted her. Okay now we get off the compound and she tells me we are going to the river. I say fine. What else could I say. I had already started drinking my bottled water that I brought but wasn't sure where I was going to get some more. With a silent prayer I followed her into a residential area that wound around to the river. Got pics and she is becoming aware of how slow and sweaty I am so she announces "now we go to market". The way out of the neighborhood was different and took some very narrow paths, but we ended up at the opposite end of where we were Saturday. Being the wise woman she is we stopped right away and got me some cool water, then off to gather her purchase. Now I have no sense of what time it is and there aren't any clocks around. But the sun is high and I am feeling the last of my breakfast fading. So when she says we are going to take the motorbikes home I didn't argue. It did occur to me that she referred to the place we were going to go to as the supermarket, but it was the same market as Sat. I figured it didn't matter, I was just glad that I was almost to my room where I could cool off. Well almost, Bob had left and had locked the door. I will survive, just let me sit in the shade and pull off my shoes. Sure enough I was doing fine 15 min. later when he showed up. After a short nap I had lunch then started ironing. I worked up another sweat but told myself I would only have to do it one more time. This morning Bob started breakfast before he woke me up because he was going with two of the young men to their school. They had gotten permission for Bob to speak and he had soccer balls to give to the school. Bob said it was quite a walk and he was told by the administrator that only about a third of the students had returned after the holiday. They estimated between 3 and 400. Then they had approximately 50 decisions at the end. The guys from the ministry were really excited. Anyway while Bob did that this morning I started a small wash so that we will have enough clean clothes to get us home. {I remember how much I appreciated my W/D when we first got back from WOTC, that appreciation is taking on a new dimension} Lastly I started repacking and organizing. Bob got a storage box and is planning to leave as much here as we can. Then we need to make a detailed invetory and a copy. So I will be working on that - on and off - up to Saturday morning probably. Okay I am finished. God bless you. May 26 Happy Memorial DayBob and I were trying to figure out when the holiday was. It is today. So that means that those of you that get your emails at work will have two entries to read. We missed Mother's Day. I love you Mom, every day. Let's see, I left off on Saturday. Well I finally got to go to the market with Esther, our house keeper. It was similiar to the market places we have been only bigger. I took the camera even tho Bob had warned me that I could get into trouble. But he agreed that he trusted Esther to take care of me. To start off we walked out of the ministry gate and it started to rain on us. But God sent a ministry friend along who was on his way to the market to sell his vegetables so he gave us a ride. It stopped raining before we got there so no problem. Within 5 minutes of getting there Esther introduces me to her friend who is a vender and then tells me to take a picture of her with her produce. I asked the lady who was sitting beside her if it was okay, just in case she was in the pic also. Okay with everyone. Then I had to show it to everyone. To keep this short - as promised - I will just say we went thru that three more times without any objections. When she finished the shopping our friend obviously wasn't able to take us home so she hired a friend who has a motorbike to deliver the groceries to the ministry. And we started to walk home. It wasn't bad but I hadn't done much walking since we have been here. Esther took pity on me and walked slow. She pointed out different interesting things but I couldn't take pictures because we were on the street. Needless to say when we got back I went to my room to cool off and rest and promptly fell asleep. She went straight to work on lunch. An hour later Bob woke me up to see if I wanted to eat and Esther had started working on the laundry. She is an extremely hard worker and has patience with me. The afternoon was when I wrote the last entry. Bob was taking pictures and printing them to have them ready to give out after church tomorrow. Sunday we had eggs for the first time. Now I only miss having milk. Bob is preaching this morning. The songs and testimonies and everything that lead up to his time was the same theme as his sermon...is that God or what? I have mentioned that it is the rainy season a couple of times and it was evident today. We started out cloudy and it cleared up and was sunny. Then it clouded up and poured. Bob had set up his camera on the tripod just about two foot out from the church roof. I was assigned the job of starting the video camera when he was getting ready to preach. I videoed about 3 min. and decided I didn't like the angle so moved the camera to the middle isle and about 3 min. later is when it rained. Again, is that God taking care of all the details? Since is was so cloudy the turn out was about half of what we hoped but still a lot of the teenagers came to get their printed pic and so we still had a full house. At the end of the service dozens of people gathered round Bob and wanted their pic taken and printed. He had to tell them that he would take their pic but wouldn't be able to print it this time. He thinks he will be able to accomadate more next time. So after lunch things got really quiet around here. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon just like at home. That gets us up to this morning, Monday, Memorial Day. We had been told the ministry truck would go out to the children's home and bring back more bricks but that changed this morning. Pastor Stanley offered to arrange motorbikes again but I begged off. That worked but Bob warned me that it looks like that may be our transportation if we go out one more time before we leave. I am preparing myself! As that gets worked out Bob asks if I want to go to the market with Esther again. Without much debating I say no. Today is the first day of school for the Sudan for Christ Christian School. I think I mentioned they had been on a month long holiday. During one of our early conversations we were told that the school had 400 plus students. But only half of them came today. They expect the other half tomorrow. I still don't see how they are going to handle that many. Anyway the school only has half day classes. So the kids left before our lunch. The afternoon had its own excitement. The gas powered lawn mower that came in the shipping container was brought out and strarted up. The young man that was assigned the job had never operated a mower before so Bob coached him and demonstrated and walked the areas to pick up. This will be a great blessing for the ministry as long as it is taken care of. We take for granted the machine, riding or pushed, that we use or hire someone to use on our yards. The maintenance and repairs are another thing we take for granted. That will not be the case here in Yei. Then to prove Bob right about getting busy at the end of our stay, we were invited to meet one of our translators family this evening. He lives close, less than a mile. So we only spent about 45 min actually visiting. Then the walk back took a different route and it ended up being a mile back. It looks like I will be getting all my exercise the last week. So I guess that is all. I didn't manage to keep this short did I? Bob says that will prepare all of you for all my talking when we get together. We are praying God continues to bless you all. May 24 Still in SudanWell it is Friday evening and we have just one week left in Sudan then another four days in Uganda. Bob has warned me that things get real busy the last few days. So I am going to try to keep this updated. Maybe I will be able to make shorter entries more often. We'll see. Wednesday Bob spent the morning at Across again to finish checking out their excess monitors. I felt okay but stayed in the room and claimed the promise that everyones prayers were being answered about my stomach bug. I did a few things then would rest. At one point the resting didn't help so I laid down. Next thing I knew Bob was moving around the room. I had fallen asleep but felt better - again. I ate a few bites for lunch and tolerated it well. Bob started a photo project where he takes portait type pictures and is going to make 3X5 prints to give out. With him in and out of the room doing the pictures and then teaching the evening Bible study, I managed to do some ironing. Thursday I could honestly say that I was over the stomach bug, but am eating at least half the amounts I normally do. Wow, do you think I might loose some weight after all? We walked to the internet cafe to see if the pictures would upload better to the webpage. We managed to get two...oh well. Bob took more pictures of people, mostly teenagers, and telling them he will print it and they can pick it up on Sunday after church. Bob is hoping the kids will tell their parents and they will come to have their pictures taken also. Hence encouraging them to be here for the service. Pastor Stanley thinks it is a great idea. In the evening the Bible study class is still going on and Bob taught the ending of his lesson from Wednesday. I was interrupted soon after I started this, then we didn't have signal when I tried to get back to it. Now it is Saturday afternoon. So I am going to finish off Friday and get it posted. Bob had talked to Pastor Stanley about us getting back out to the children's home this week but it just never worked out for everyone. Bob got the okay for us to go out on our own. He talked with one of the young men who translates for us and he was able to go with us to make sure we found it. As we were getting ready to leave after lunch, another translator showed up and went with us. They rode on a motorbike together and hired two more for Bob and I. Oh no, not another bike ride!!! That will be a story I share with you in person. While we were there Bob took pictures of all the kids, brothers and sisters together, or individuals. Both the translators that went with us worked on getting the kids information, names & age. I got to give them hugs whenever they would let me get close. The kids had their lunch while we were there, and I was tempted to ask for a sample. But decided I would be taking a chance I would probably regret. So the worker that had been helping us with the pictures told me that they are serving the food that came in the shipping container, beans and bread. The bread looked more like a huge block of soft white cheese. But I realized they don't have an oven to bake it like we would. So I am sure they are doing the best with what they have to work with. Again, more details when we get together. Okay guess what? I still have to ride a motorbike back! Yeah I know I survived, but am sore today. Well the rest of the day was uneventful which is fine. So now I am going to try to get some pictures for you to see. Thanks for all your prayers. I hope it is evident God is answering them. God bless you all. |
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