Our Newsletter for April 2023
The Privilege of Serving for a Long Time!
Dear Pastor Bill & VFBC Congregation,
Great news since we left Gurage last month: 95 people have come to know Jesus! Rejoice along with the angels because this number of people responding in such a short time is only by the grace of our Lord.
We apologize if you wanted to receive our letters and haven’t been receiving them. Thank you for the phone calls from some made us aware of this.
We apologize if you wanted to receive our letters and haven’t been receiving them. Thank you for the phone calls from some made us aware of this. We were in Ethiopia and Kenya January-early March and first taught two modules at the newly named Gurage Theological and Pastoral Training College. Since 2014 the school has graduated 140. The pictured graduates thronged to the college to share in God’s word. We loved hearing their faith goals, and how they are serving. Pray for these precious graduates who call people to focus on Jesus and his joy despite serious challenges. Ethiopia trembles with reverberations of COVID shutdowns, hyper-inflation, currency devaluation, grief, and losses due to a year-long civil war in the north of the country. The peace agreement is holding firm, but unrest pops up even in Gurage. Politically unhappy young people proclaimed an impromptu “public transportation strike” the day of the graduate’s reunion (and about 70 couldn’t get transportation).
Great news since we left Gurage last month: 95 people have come to know Jesus! Rejoice along with the angels because this number of people responding in such a short time is only by the grace of our Lord.
We apologize if you wanted to receive our letters and haven’t been receiving them. Thank you for the phone calls from some made us aware of this.
We apologize if you wanted to receive our letters and haven’t been receiving them. Thank you for the phone calls from some made us aware of this. We were in Ethiopia and Kenya January-early March and first taught two modules at the newly named Gurage Theological and Pastoral Training College. Since 2014 the school has graduated 140. The pictured graduates thronged to the college to share in God’s word. We loved hearing their faith goals, and how they are serving. Pray for these precious graduates who call people to focus on Jesus and his joy despite serious challenges. Ethiopia trembles with reverberations of COVID shutdowns, hyper-inflation, currency devaluation, grief, and losses due to a year-long civil war in the north of the country. The peace agreement is holding firm, but unrest pops up even in Gurage. Politically unhappy young people proclaimed an impromptu “public transportation strike” the day of the graduate’s reunion (and about 70 couldn’t get transportation).
From Ethiopia, we flew to Kenya. Our mission invited 300 representatives from 48 countries to the Global Assembly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_qxXfyyYxga
Isa 3-minute overview highlighting the enormous diversity of SIM, and prayer. We heard about new areas of work like North Korea and Central Asia. On the final evening, Howie had the honor of conducting the communion service for the whole crowd. It was a foretaste of heaven as we anticipate people from “every tribe and nation” worshiping our Lord (Revelation 5:9).
Crazy jet lag was our biggest “return home” challenge. We wanted to sleep at the wrong time and 3 times made dumb mistakes in our normal work. Howie and Jo-Ann are part of a 2-year program mentoring rising leaders Using Zoom we have regular involvement with individuals to Singapore, China, India, Ethiopia, and China. But Jo-Ann feels foolish right now because this week is not the only appointment she missed. True, we both mentor at weird times of the day and night but tracking time differences is simple math. Further we’ve been punished with late charges because in our mound of mail we missed some bills. Howie’s backlog of editing/circulation of Ethiopian missionaries’ prayer letters went to prayer partners with spelling errors, but we are back in rhythm now.
Here are 2-time sensitive needs we are donating to, and we invite you to join in:
Isa 3-minute overview highlighting the enormous diversity of SIM, and prayer. We heard about new areas of work like North Korea and Central Asia. On the final evening, Howie had the honor of conducting the communion service for the whole crowd. It was a foretaste of heaven as we anticipate people from “every tribe and nation” worshiping our Lord (Revelation 5:9).
Crazy jet lag was our biggest “return home” challenge. We wanted to sleep at the wrong time and 3 times made dumb mistakes in our normal work. Howie and Jo-Ann are part of a 2-year program mentoring rising leaders Using Zoom we have regular involvement with individuals to Singapore, China, India, Ethiopia, and China. But Jo-Ann feels foolish right now because this week is not the only appointment she missed. True, we both mentor at weird times of the day and night but tracking time differences is simple math. Further we’ve been punished with late charges because in our mound of mail we missed some bills. Howie’s backlog of editing/circulation of Ethiopian missionaries’ prayer letters went to prayer partners with spelling errors, but we are back in rhythm now.
Here are 2-time sensitive needs we are donating to, and we invite you to join in:
- Recently, the wife of one of a missionary serving in Mali died on the operating table leaving him and his two beautiful daughters behind. We have been fundraising for them to help the girls schooling. If interested, let us know.
- Spring of 2022 the Gurage church sent an evangelist to a strategic Muslim stronghold on the main road in and out of Gurage. The evangelist assigned to that place as been threatened with death and beaten, forced to move multiple times as Muslim clerics pressure property owners to immediately evict him. He refuses to give up and is seeing Muslims come to Christ. Kabul is an important market center, and this fledgling church needs a place to gather. $US 11,000 is still required to purchase land for a church. If the Lord nudges you to help, we can send full details and how to be a patron of a brand-new church. Pray for this.
Your Missionaries:
Jim and Lynda Dugan
“Brethren, Pray for us!”
1 Thess. 5:25
Jim and Lynda Dugan
“Brethren, Pray for us!”
1 Thess. 5:25