Deputation Notes
October - December 2004
Dear
Praying Friends,
“It is of the LORD’S
mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every
morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will
I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the
soul that seeketh him.”
Lamentations
3:22-25
It is hard for us to believe that we have been on
full-time deputation for a year now.
The Lord has blessed us with many good meetings over this past year and
our support level has increased from 35% to 50%! It has been a joy to fellowship with many of you as we have
traveled along the many miles of deputation.
We look forward to what the Lord has planned for us this coming
year. Our prayer is that we be in Kenya
before year’s end!
For us, this past quarter began in northern Maine
where we were invited to a mission conference in Presque Isle. The beginning of October was a beautiful
time of the year to visit New England as the fall foliage was at peak
color. Having been in Greenville, SC
for the past fifteen plus years, we had forgotten how beautiful the autumn
colors were elsewhere in the nation. From Maine we traveled to Vermont to visit some new friends who
are considering going to Kenya as missionaries. Pray for them as they take a survey trip in January. We also had meetings in Illinois, Ohio, West
Virginia, and Pennsylvania. God
blessed us this quarter by adding another church and an individual to our
supporters list.
Urgent prayer is needed for missionaries in Kenya! Some of you may have heard about this situation while others may not know. Here is the issue as we understand it presently: Sometime earlier this year the Kenyan government announced that they would enforce an income tax on foreigners living in the country. At first, this did not alarm us too much, but thought that it would only cause us to need a little extra support. However, the situation seems to be getting worse. We have learned that the income tax could be as much as 30%. What seems to cause the most concern is that the Kenyan government wants to include everything a missionary owns or receives as “income” including airfare allowances, ministry funds, property, vehicles, and even their Social Security. Pray for the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in this critical situation. If imposed it may cause many of the missionaries in Kenya to come home or move to other countries. How does this affect us? At this time we are waiting to see what happens. For now are continuing as planned since we do not yet feel that the Lord has directed us elsewhere.
Our Prayer Requests:
- Kenya tax issue: That the Lord would grant us and our
co-workers wisdom.
- Our meetings: This
quarter will find us in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, & West Virginia.
Pray that we will be a witness and an
encouragement.
- Our support: That the
Lord would lead some to supply our support, outfit, and passage.
- Our physical health: Joshua’s
asthma has flared-up with colds recently.
Becky is cutting
teeth. The rest of us have mild colds – remember us this winter!
- Our safety: As we
travel across the many miles.
Your
missionaries to Kenya,