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for July, 2008.
By admin
Thank you, Lord…
–that John was able to speak at Stony Point Baptist Church in Kansas City, KS this past Sunday. It was a “first” for us as a family since we did our first “overnighter” on Saturday night. Praise the Lord together with us that He made this possible. The service at Stony Point was a real blessing as well.
–that John’s motorized chair is here now. He has NOT forgotten how to drive, since today when we were headed to a doctor’s appointment, Bev accidently put it in second gear and he took off ahead like lightning!! She had to run to catch him and put it back in first. Of course, he was having the time of his life and thought it was just great. Now, he only wants to go in second gear, but Bev still thinks it is a little early…it won’t be long…
–that the investigation of the crime in Brazil continues. The latest we have heard is that a suspect (prisoner) was found in a nearby town, and they are bringing him back to Maceio for questioning. Please continue to pray regarding this. As we have said before, we do not care so much about “punishing” the wrong-doers, but we ARE wanting to know the motive so that the ministry there in Coqueiro Seco can go forward without fear.
–that John’s mother, Frances, made it to Brazil safely. We miss her, but we know that she is very happy down on the field serving the Lord. We are so grateful for her willingness to step in and help us for the past three months. She seems to be doing OK health-wise, and is able to continue with her medication/follow-up appointments with the doctors down there in Juazeiro. Continue to remember her in prayer.
–that many continue to be saved in Brazil. For the past three Sundays, souls have been saved at the Graciliano work, and this past Sunday, a young couple was saved!! Continue to remember Pastor Lelo and the other works in prayer.
–that Josh was able to discover why his hip was still bothering him. The doctors say it has not healed properly and that he will need another surgery to correct it. His Aunt Marabel was gracious enough to take time out of her busy schedule and take him to Iowa City for a doctor’s appointment last week. Surgery is tentatively set for December 1 in Iowa City. Pray that all will go well and that soon Josh will be back on his feet. The plan continues to be for him to attend Iowa School of the Blind in January, and FBBC in August.
–that Bev’s side of the family will be together for Thanksgiving Day. We will be meeting (and EATING!!!) at Grandview Park Baptist School in one of the classrooms there. Our family has grown, so this makes for a nice place for us to have our gathering. It is also handicapped accessible, which is super for John getting in and out.
–that God has brought us to where we find ourselves today. On July 3rd, (almost five months ago already!), the future did not look good at all. But God has been gracious and merciful, and we praise and thank Him SO MUCH for all He has done for us. We are thankful that we have learned to be more thankful–even for the “little things.”
…for YOU, our friend, who have so faithfully and earnestly prayed for our family. Our support team is extremely important to us and we don’t want to think about where we would be without our Heavenly Father and YOU.
With grateful hearts,
John and Bev Leonard and family
By admin
Dear Prayer Team,
More good news from Brazil! We just heard last night of one more young lady that made a profession of faith this past week. We rejoice that the ministry is going forward for God’s glory in our absence. While we are on the field, we sometimes wonder how it will ever go on without us since we are so involved and busy while there. However, each time we have left Brazil, we find out that the work DOES continue on without us, and sometimes even seems to go more smoothly!! Thank you for your prayers that God would continue working in the hearts of the people in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. There are lots who still need the Lord!
This past week kept us running to dental/medical appointments. Most of them were check-ups and it seems all of them happened at once! But it was good for us, since every time we go out, we learn something new that makes it easier. It is all a learning process, and takes time. But we have really enjoyed becoming more “mobile.” John’s new “better fitting” manual chair came, and we are so thankful. We are still waiting on his power chair, and it should be here for sure this coming week. The movement in his left arm has been increasing, although it is still not what he would like. One of our considerations is whether or not we should have some continuing rehabilitation at another institution…please pray with us regarding this.
This coming week will be busy since we have the Baptist Mid-Missions tri-annual conference at Altoona, IA. We are not sure how much we will be able to participate in the meetings, but the Lord has given the opportunity for us to share at the “Field Focus” hour on Saturday evening. Please be in prayer for us as we continue to minister to others for the Lord’s glory. We were also scheduled to speak at Victory Baptist at Marysville, KS, this weekend, but are sending a short video to them.
Josh has his “built-up” shoe now, and is learning to walk without limping. He is busy studying for his ACT which will be on December 10. The course at the School of the Blind will be approximately six months and then it will be on to Bible college, the Lord willing. Continue to pray that his dream to become a missionary in Brazil will become reality.
Jerrod is in his “running out the door and jumping into the driver’s seat” mode now whenever it is time to go somewhere. He has had his permit now for 4 months–2 more to go to get his license. Things have gone fairly smoothly–only a few “gasps” out of mother and also a few louder than usual “watch it Jerrod’s!!” The lectures about what “could have happened if…” seem to have faded out to some extent. In January, I think I will be losing my “taking the kids to and from school” responsibility, which will be fine with me, and Jerrod also plans to begin working, the Lord willing. Continue to pray for Jerrod.
The kids had Friday off this past weekend which they enjoyed to the fullest. They were “flying high” until we mentioned raking leaves and cleaning gutters on Saturday…but they lived through it and were happy when they looked up at the trees in our yard and see that they are almost “leafless.” YEAH!!
Thank you again for your faithful prayers for John, our ministry, and our family. The Lord bless each one!
Sincerely in Christ,
John and Bev Leonard and family
By admin
We are praising the Lord for the way that He continues to use John in His service. This past Sunday morning, he “spoke” via telephone to our friends at Faith Baptist Church in Perry, OH. The Lord also gave us the opportunity today to do our first official “furlough meeting” since John’s incident in Brazil on July 3rd. Yes, we got up a little early (good thing we had an extra hour of sleep last night!!) and headed over to Omaha, NE where we had a wonderful time with Pastor and Mrs. Knudson and friends at Park Lane Baptist Church. It made a pretty big day for John, but he did amazingly well, and we are thankful that we are back at home in Ankeny safe and sound. Thank you, dear ones for your prayers for us. Never did we imagine that John would be able to continue on with this ministry so soon…once again…a DIRECT answer to your prayers.
We are thankful that the Lord has enabled us to be connected via SKYPE to Pastor Lelo in Brazil. He is the pastor that is “heading up” the work down there, and we praise God that John has been able to speak with him regarding the work and various situations that have come up. It is pretty weird to hear them talking about “gearing up” for summer activities which include camps, VBS’s…etc. With the temperatures dropping here in Iowa, it is hard for us to even think about this season coming on (although it is nice to at least “dream!”), but we are praying that many would be reached with the Gospel of Christ during this time.
John’s mother is doing well. She went to the doctor this past week and found out that her medicine needed to be increased, and that her calcium count was a little low. However, that has not stopped her activities…this weekend, her sister and she headed up to Wisconsin to visit some family members that they had not seen for a long time. The Lord willing, she will be back with us tomorrow sometime. Continue to pray for “Mom’s” health situation and also thank the Lord for allowing her to be with us during this time.
It will also be our pleasure to receive the Dan Anderson family here in our home tomorrow evening. Many of you remember that it was Dan who spent long hours with John in the hospital in Brazil after the shooting, and we are forever grateful to him for all that he did for John and also for our family.
It looks as if Josh will be able to begin studying at the Iowa School for the Blind at least in January. The Lord willing, he will spend six months there training and then will be able to start his college education in the fall of next year. Tomorrow, he should be getting his pair of shoes that have the right shoe “built up” 7/8 inch. Because of the hip surgery he had, one leg is now shorter than the other (this is not all that uncommon, really), so it will be necessary for him to always have these. We are thankful that he is now walking without a cane, too! Continue to remember Josh in prayer.
Parent-Teacher conferences were held this past week, so it was great to be able to meet most of the kids’ teachers. For the most part, we got good reports, and we truly thank the Lord that Jerrod, Jonna, and Jeanne are adapting pretty well to life in the Ankeny Public School system. It was our pleasure to meet several teachers who were Christians, and seemed to have a real personal interest in the kids. Thank you for your prayers, and once again, we ask that you pray for our “teenagers.”
We appreciate you, Prayer Team. Where would we be without you?!!
Love,
John and Bev Leonard