April Update

From Dennis - Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord is so incredibly good to us – certainly beyond what we deserve. The love of God for us is never-changing and ever-constant. We have just completed our 2nd year of service as your International Mission Board missionaries. It has been a long and quick journey these last 24 months. We have lived in three different houses, two different countries and we look to move again in a year and a half. We had a baby girl in Gaborone, Botswana, tried to learn a new language, and have had three different dogs. We were told that, as missionaries, we needed to be flexible. I think we are doing pretty well.
This last month has kind of been routine in the things that I have been doing. I continue to teach at Mmabatho Baptist Church on Wednesday nights. This will continue for another two weeks. They have received that teaching extremely well. Unfortunately, the numbers are not what I would like, but I don’t think preachers are ever content with numbers. We always want more.
I have been meeting with Ben Poo. He is another pastor that I have been working with. This last month, he and his wife had another child. I did not know about it until someone else told me. In fact, I talked with him after the fact, and he still did not tell me. In this culture, pregnancy and birth are not talked about. One pastor’s wife was dropped off at the hospital by her husband and he went back home and went to sleep. I asked him when he was going to pick her up and he said when she called. Culture is a little bit different here.
It has been a month of hellos and good-byes. We said good-bye to a ‘Masters’ couple on our team. K.F. and Wanda Plemmons went home to Oklahoma at the beginning of the month. They were both at least 73 and were working with the children and youth teaching them about HIV/AIDS. They put together a team of nationals that continues their work. We also said hello to Hayley Crews and Lyndee Jo. They are with the Journeyman Program. They will be working with Andrew Murray in Taung (place of the Lion). They will be doing HIV (He is Victorious) teaching in the schools – life skills about sex and HIV/AIDS. This Andrew Murray is the great-grand nephew of the author Andrew Murray. It has been neat to get to know him and his wife, Ronel. They have a daughter and a son – Andrew Murray VI.
I would ask that you would pray for me on the next two Saturdays. I am teaching all day for Calvary Baptist Church. I will be leading them through Purpose Driven material. I started last March with them through this process. The following Saturday, I am preaching 3 times at the ‘Associational Rally’ in Tweelaagte – don’t even try to say it!!! I am preaching on the topic: “Restoring the Integrity of the Church.”


From Jody - Hello everyone! Well, I guess I want to tell you that the work in the village is continuing, and we continue to have more and more come to our meetings on Fridays. Last week, there were 10 adults, 12 youth and 20 children! I was trying to bake cookies every week to take for a treat, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue if the numbers keep growing like they are! God is so awesome!
AND NOW FOR THE BIG SHOCKER… WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY!
I’m about 8 weeks along. The baby will be due around the 10th of November. This is obviously completely unexpected. I didn’t think I would have any more, but here we are again! Please pray for me. The “morning” sickness has come with a vengeance, and I am so tired of it already! I’ve also had to deal with some depression because I really wasn’t expecting to be pregnant. I’ve been to see some doctors already, and have been taking medicine for the nausea, but it doesn’t make it go away. It’s always there, just below the surface, and then hits with a crash at various times of the day. So, that’s my life, how’s yours? I just really want to be able to take care of my family, and my house, and I also want to keep going to the village to teach. I really need your prayers during this time. I’m so glad that my parents, my brother, and the people from OHBC will be here in a couple of weeks. I know it will be a great time, and I’m hoping to feel better when they arrive.
We love all of you very much, and thank you so much for your prayers over these last two years. We couldn’t have done it without you!