Serving God through By Prayer at SIM USA is such a joy and pleasure.  It is encouraging to know the work God has given me reaches others in beneficial ways.  One of the things I have asked contributors to do is to share answers to the prayers we publish in By Prayer.  I then inform all the contributors of these answers to encourage us all to not give up praying.  One man wrote he had an answer.  He told me the theme of ‘Women in Ministry’ featured in By Prayer made him realize he didn’t have any women in ministry in his field.  He shared this concern with his Bible school students and sent me a request for women to do ministry in his area.  One of his students came to him and said she had an idea for a ministry she wanted to do reaching out to girls in the streets of her town.  They prayed together about it and he wrote to say this student has started a ministry to the girls teaching them to make jewelry they can sell to support themselves and studying the Bible together.  It is so exciting and humbling to see how God is using my work in the SIM USA office to impact our team mates in distant lands, expanding His mission.

Somehow the calendar keeps turning over and life keeps happening.  It has been a busy, eventful few months.  I had a lovely visit in March with my brother and sister and a sweet time of fellowship with old and new friends at Sebring.  Immediately upon my return I started a week long course (class from 9 to 5) in Trauma Healing.  This training equipped me to help people who have experienced traumatic events to process and recover in a healthy manner.  I anticipate taking the trainer course in the fall.  On the heels of this packed week, work began for another edition of By Prayer.

Just as I sent that edition to the typesetter, Corey, Katie and the girls arrived for a short home assignment in the USA.  We had a packed schedule with Katie’s parents for part of the time, meetings with friends over the pool or grill, picking berries (blackberries, strawberries and raspberries) and eating them, sandwiched in with games, laughter and just a little bit of time together to visit.  Katie’s dad even very graciously installed a storm door for me.  Too soon they were all gone.

Even before Corey and Katie arrived the Perspectives course for which I had signed up began.  It explores a Christian viewpoint of world missions.  I missed two classes while they were here and have worked hard to catch up on the class assignments.  Next week I will miss class again to travel to Connecticut to spend a week with Corey, Katie and the girls, and see some of you.

I plan to drive up and back hoping to stop off to see some friends along the way.  I leave Charlotte Friday, July 1 and need to be back at work Monday, July 11. I will go up through Wheeling, West Virginia to visit friends there and drive down the eastern coast on the way back. Let me know if you would be willing to have me stop by on my way up or back.  I would love to see you.

Thank you for your prayers for a church home.  I have found a lovely fellowship that is a little farther than I wanted, but the worship, teaching and fellowship are worth it.  I am attending a summer study group and look forward to getting to know the folks in it as well as studying the Word together.

I have signed up for another course in September on coaching, and joined the hospitality team at SIM to welcome visitors to the campus by picking them up at the airport when the regulars cannot.  It feels good to feel settled enough to expend my energies in these community-building activities.

Many thanks to all of you who contributed during the matching funds campaign from November through April.  You contributed over $12,600 that was matched.  This means these funds reduce my monthly shortfall to only a little over $1,100.  While I thankfully currently have these funds to cover my expenses for the present, we still need to pray for more monthly support partners.

Praises and prayers:

• Ask for more answers to prayers to multiply ministry effectiveness through By Prayer.
• Continued praises for the place I have been given to live in. Plead with me for more opportunities to use it to God’s glory.
• Pray for safety as I travel to and from Connecticut and good connections with friends and family.
• Praise for the $12,600 in matching funds, but please continue to pray for more monthly partners.

For a few pictures click here.

To contribute to the Thailand SLC fund click on this link. Click on the “Give Now” button and add a note saying your contribution is to my MINISTRY funds for the THAILAND TRIP.

I sit inside a warm room and hear the rain falling – a gentle, steady rain that has gone on for two days and promises to continue through today. I am thankful to be in a warm, dry place since the rain is not only wet, but is bringing cold weather with it. The season is changing.

I also can sense there is a change in the season in my life. These past six months have been a season of movement and travel. I packed up all my things and moved from Senegal after five years there with Corey and Katie to an unknown future in the USA. Upon arrival at SIM USA I discovered God had gone before me and prepared a job for me orchestrating the collection and distribution of the prayers of his people through By Prayer, SIM’s bimonthly prayer calendar.

August through October I traveled around the USA and to Abu Dhabi to visit with many of you, informing you of God’s plan for me for this season and hearing how God has been moving and acting in your lives as well.

Much of what I heard encouraged me, but I was also saddened to hear of the hardships many of you endure: sickness, loss of work, downsizing to smaller homes due to lack of income, years of static salaries in the face of constant inflation, increased expenses due to children attending college – and on it goes. Life can be hard, and we can become discouraged. It is when we find ourselves discouraged that we must adjust our viewpoint and look to God to clear our vision.

At just the right time, in my devotional time, God changed my outlook as I read about the Macedonian church in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

I see now how I have discouraged some of you, and I see how some of you encouraged me. As I met with you, there were some I discouraged from supporting me financially by saying I understood you had such a small income you couldn’t afford to support me. How faithless I was! Please, forgive me from robbing you of the privilege of giving; and robbing myself of the blessing of receiving your sacrifice of partnership in service. There were others I visited whose poverty of worldly goods was unnoticeable because of the overflow of godly joy in life and the blessings they enjoyed. Their spontaneous generosity was displayed in their eagerness to partner with me financially, giving a sacrificially generous promise of support. I see how poor I displayed myself to be! I find I have been living in an attitude of poverty, allowing Satan to rob me of the certainty of God’s provision for my life.

As always, it was at this low point that God surprised me with an outpouring of blessing! Through the obedient generosity of some caring donors and SIM missionaries, new or increased gifts for support given through February 29, 2016 will be matched. This means all new or increased gifts that are deposited to my SUPPORT account between now and the end of February will be matched with an equal gift. If you have promised to support me, but haven’t done so yet, this will be a great time to start your gift! It is also a great time to share any end-of-year funds you have been praying over how to use. By giving in this time frame, every dollar you give will be doubled by this generous matching fund! Please prayerfully read the letter from our SIM USA director regarding these matching funds.

This is an opportune time to join financially in this ministry, knowing your gift will be doubled! Please know that ALL gifts, regardless of the size will be precious in my eyes and the eyes of God as they are given with a grateful and generous heart. Becoming a financial partner helps put action to your prayers and forges a stronger link of connection in our ministry team. The tangible evidence testifies every month as I receive your financial as well as prayer support to help sustain me in God’s work.

To view more pictures click here.

The letter from
Bruce Johnson,
President
SIM USA