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Jesus Wept InternationalJune 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.
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