Eleven more weeks to go, give or take a few days, until we finally get to meet our little one. It's so exciting to be on this end of waiting. We're so used to being on the front end, waiting for the first eleven and twelve weeks to come and go. It feels like we already know her but just don't know what she looks like yet. She kicks like a soccer player and is constantly moving, even gets the hiccups from time to time. She is a hope fullfilled after a long time of waiting and still eleven weeks to go, will it ever come?
Eleven more weeks and we will have finished 2 camps this summer, the 3 interns here for the summer will just be leaving, and we will have had two teams and some guests in and out of country by then. We will be done advertising in all the schools in the area and putting together the program for the camps and events surrounding them. Those problems we didn't see coming will all be behind us... in eleven weeks. How are we going to get everything done in time?
This next week we are finishing up contacting all the schools and getting into English classes to advertise for the english camps. I have been in about 20 classes already and probably have another 20 to go. Please be praying for the students as I go into the schools that they would be drawn to the English camp. We just started
advertising last Friday and we already have 13 students signed up, that's 13 more than last year at this time. Things are starting to roll. The Ricklicks were gone this past weekend so I didn't advertise a big meeting this Friday hoping it would be a smaller group that we could connect with them personally, with it just being the two of us. However, 20 students showed up! Pray that some students would start a relationship with Christ this summer, get planted deep and begin reaching out to all of these students in darkness. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We are so thankful for the Ricklicks being here and for Erin Thomas who is raising support to come be with us for a year... or longer : )
I've never felt more sure that we need to be here to be lights to this next generation who are hungry for the truth. Make you want to come and take part? Makes me want to be a part and to give! Sometimes I think that I should go back to the states and support some of these ministries over here in a bigger financial ways, what a cool thing. Like this first evangelical church in Kranj in over 400 years and this youth group. Better than the stock market, it's an investment in eternity!
In eleven weeks we officially go on Family status with Josiah Venture. What a great thing, a family! That also means that we will have to pay family-rate insurance, buy a few diapers (so I've heard), some new little clothes, and she will go everywhere we do. With all of these added expenses and the dollar dropping over the last 3 years there is an opporutnity for you to be involved. We need to raise our support level. It will make our support team a little bigger and it can get more people involved in what God is doing over here in Slovenia. We are praying and asking for 22 more people at $50 a month to join our already great support team. In the past 3 years the dollar has lost 25% of it's value compared to the Slovene Tolar and the Euro. That means for every dollar given to us today, we actually have only $.75 to spend. We get paid the same as 3 years ago but we buy $500 less worth of goods in Slovenia. Family rate insurance costs $350 more a month and doesn't matter if you have one child or 6. So once we make the switch we can keep on having children... a lot of them J and it won't matter. Could God want you to invest in His kingdom this way? If you feel God directing you this way, please contact us so we can get you the information you need!
We are also seeing how valuable the Student Center is in downtown Kranj. It brings students together in a way we couldn't any other way. We are praying that the community's industries and businesses will see the value of this in the community and direct their support of youth development (they gave $20,000 last year alone) to Trdna Skala instead of empty concerts and drinking parties. We need to develop the programs and center and show their effectiveness before requesting these funds. In the meantime, we have had some individuals and ministries give money to get the center off the ground. We want this to be self-sustaining within two years with help from the community but until then there is an opportunity for you to give a one time gift to help pay for rent, electricity, taxes, and a few extra things still needed in the center. Would you please pray about this and let us know if this is something you would want to be involved in. We can give you more information personally if you're interested.
Thanks for standing with us. The Lord is doing more than we can ever ask or imagine. We are just hanging on for the ride. Getting fun, huh? We are loving it!
Love,
Joel & Amy
Joel & Amy Woodard
Stranska Pot 5
4208 Sencur
Slovenia
(503) 207-5653 (An Oregon phone number we have over here! We're 9 hours ahead of Oregon time.)
jwoodard@josiahventure.com
awoodard@josiahventure.com
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