KUNKEL PRAYER GRAM 11/24/2008
Greetings from Cuidad del Este Paraguay
We are doing fine, and prospering in this new post of ministry. I say “new” because we are coming up now on 2.5 years here in country and 3.5 years with the new position. In contrast to the 15 years we spent in Uruguay, we really are newcomers here! God has blessed us here with new friends, families, and churches. We can say that many people have heard a clear presentation of the Gospel, because you all have sent us here, and support us in prayer and faithful giving. How could we ever thank you and the Lord enough? Every time we lead another person to Christ, see families, changed and couples reconcile, we know we could not do it without you; the churches and individuals who support us in love and prayers year in and year out. As we come up on THANKGIVING how thankful we are to the Lord and you all for the privilege it is and has been to know and to serve Him in missions these almost 19 years! Coming up, on 2/13/2009 we will have been under missionary appointment 19!! years. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
As we come up on the Christmas season, we say with the Apostle Paul, THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE gift!! (II COR. 9:15). Oh how great and above human words it was/is!! The baby Jesus was unique, the only one of His kind, He was JUST what this world and you and I needed, and He was wrapped in thoughtfulness and love!! God had planned on this for millennia, past, as Jesus Christ was and is “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”!! (John 1:29). This is the main emphasis of the message that I gave to a school assembly last week, and 170 people heard the Gospel, in it. Yes, let us continue to tell people about God’s unspeakable gift in Christ!!
This Christmas we thank you all in advance for what you will do through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This will be taken up in the Christmas season, in our churches. Please remember that about ½ of the entire budget for 5400 IMB SBC missionaries is raised in this one offering. We want to say a sincere thank you in advance for what you will do in this. We also want to thank you and the churches you attend for the way you also support us all year long in Cooperative Program giving. Thanks again for this.
We also know that hundreds of our friends, family and supporters have our prayer cards in your Bibles, on your refrigerator doors, and on your church bulletin boards! We can feel your prayers. As we serve in this place which is one of the pockets of darkness and oppression in the world, of corruption, and danger, we know that without the prayers of God’s people on our behalf, we would be in desperate straits! Thanks for holding the ropes for us in prayer.
Allow me to tell you of just one family that we have send transformed by the power of the Lord this year. We met Olga when she came crying to our house. Her common law husband with whom she had lived off and on for 6 years had left her again. He had been unfaithful to her on numerous occasions, as had she with and to him. She was tired of her sinful life, and the constant trouble, and suffering. The day she came and saw us, we told her of the hope that there is to be found in Jesus; that He could forgive her and give her a new life. She prayed to receive Christ. She gave me the phone # of her husband Pablo, and I called him. He respectfully came to see me, and I told him of the decision that Olga had made. I asked him if he was happy. He said he was miserable. I asked him to consider giving his life to Christ, and get his life on track with the Lord. He did, and that VERY NIGHT I took him back home. A couple of months later they were legally married, and then I baptized them.
They are not perfect They still have things to work our in their lives but they are on track!! We meet every Thursday night with them in their home. They are growing, and telling others about the Lord. Now I ask you this, How much is one family worth? And when we also begin to talk about others such as Elbio and Carla, Cepeherino, and Celia, Rumina, Gabi, Camila, Luana, Elizabeth, Carlos, Jose, etc, etc. All new Christians, or their children, newly married, and people who are learning to take off the old man, and dress or clothe themselves in Christ’s character. WOW!!! Is all we can say. (See Eph. 4:20-24) It is true, if ANYONE be in Christ, he/she in a new creation. The old is past; the new has come!!! (11 Cor 5: 17-21).
Family News: My parents are doing quite well. My mother is quite limited due to a lot of pain and rheumatoid arthritis. My dad has had two heart surgeries in the last 18 months, but the last one, in which he has three stents inserted, apparently has helped a lot. I had the privilege to be with them in October of this year. I praise the Lord for this.
Iracema’s 94 year old mother Ruth is doing quite well. Iracema will spend Christmas with her. Steven and I will “rough it out” alone this year, but we really wanted her to be able to see her mother and spend Christmas with her. Steven will be on a tour with the Japanese church, and I will hold the fort down here. I am not sure who I will spend Christmas Eve with, but it will be with some of our adopted Christian family here, I am sure.
Our Son John Glenn is doing well. He will graduate from Cal. Bap U, this coming May. We plan to be there!! I hope we can see some of you there as well! He is a 3.65 GPA student and we are proud of him. This past summer he was a youth pastor intern in Forks WA, and spent part of the summer in Europe. He is a blessing to us! He plans to begin an MA degree this next fall. He will most likely stay in SO. CAL…
Steven is doing great. He is finishing up his HS diploma, and has had a great experience in it. He will live with us for the foreseeable future and do an online AA degree. He continues to study Japanese and work with the Japanese churches here in Paraguay. He is also a great joy to us. By the way if you want to send him a graduation card, that would be fine. Please send it to the USA address at the end of this letter…
Julia is doing great; she is married to Jason Jordan. The both live and work in Norfolk VA. I was with them also for 2 days in November. They have developed into a great Christian couple and family, and it is always a privilege to be in their home… We thank God for our first born child, and her husband!! She and all of our kids are a blessing from the Lord! (See Psalm 127).
THANKSGIVING. Yes, this Thursday we will celebrate. We will get a turkey and I will make dressing from scratch. We will make real pumpkin pie (no boxed Stove Top stuffing, or Libby’s pumpkin mix here)!! We have already invited a non Christian family to spend it with us. Please pray for Daniel, Luiza and their 2 precious children. Please pray that the real meaning of Christmas and Thanksgiving might be made VERY CLEAR to them this holiday season.
Final thoughts: Occasionally look at our blog. I occasionally post a few things there.
jtkunkel.blogspot.com
We love and appreciate you all!
Tim, Iracema and Steven Kunkel
