Jon

I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords. I am the lead editor and site administrator for ElusiveTangent.com.

Foxes have Dens, Birds have Nests

Foxes have Dens, Birds have Nests Update Comments Off

Dec 082017

Click here for the printable version

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” Luke 9:58

The lights are glowing, trees stand tall in windows dressed in their seasonal attire, and stockings are hung by the fire with care. But even as Christmas approaches we find ourselves not decorating but instead undecorating, sorting, and packing. To think that less than two months ago we reached full monthly support, acquired our visas, finished our training, and received four of seven clearances to leave for the field. Now we’re preparing to pack our sea container, move out of our apartment, and live out of suitcases with family until we arrive in France.
In the last three weeks, God has generously bestowed $17,000 toward our expenses. Many people have sent us packages containing supplies that we needed. Thank you, everyone, for your generosity in helping us to launch into this journey to take God’s message of the coming of Prince of Shalom to those souls of the nations who have never heard of the joy of Christmas.
That brings us to the hard part of this letter; the thing that probably every missionary dreads. We don’t like having to continuously ask for money. But we also want to be on the field, probably more than you want us to be there. We need $23,000, the remaining cost our vehicle, to receive our final three clearances to depart for language school. Without this, we cannot go in January and would, at best, leave in March instead. If we don’t receive the needed funds by Friday, December 29th then we will be forced to reschedule. We are praying that we won’t have to do that. Will you diligently pray with us and help us take the true story of Christmas to the nations in Togo by giving toward the purchase a reliable vehicle?

To give a gift of any amount, please visit the giving page and follow the instructions there. (All gifts are tax-deductible, too!)

“Fear not, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all peoples.”
Serving Him Together,
Jonathan & Bethany Edwards

The Not so Distant Horizon.

The Not so Distant Horizon. Uncategorized Comments Off

Sep 182017

Enjoying the view of a distant horizon from atop the steep slopes Devil’s Marble Yard.

Click here for the printable version

This last month could be easily said to be one of doing the leg-work to get everything ready. We set the goal to reach 85% of our monthly support by the end of August. And we’re happy, relieved to announce that God provided in a big way by propelling us past that goal all the way to 93%! That’s enough to allow us to go to the next and last training sessions starting at the end of October. That also means that we’re less than $350/month away from full monthly support. The goal is in sight. God is amazing! We’re praying that God will bring us to the final goal of 100% before the end of October so that we can focus on setup costs and logistics. We’re proceeding in faith that we will be cleared to leave at the end of the year.

Along with that comes a lot of work. Perhaps we had forgotten or perhaps it really is so much more than before but it seems that the to-do list is long and time is short. Even in that God has provided. Each of us has started and is nearly half-way with our Story of Hope bible study training. We have applied for our visas to France and were granted interview slots with plenty of time to spare. Others have had to wait months to get in. We go to the French consulate in DC on October 10th. … and God be praised, a friend who lives near DC offered to put us up for the night so that we didn’t need to leave at 4:45 in the morning to drive there. Imagine someone who is not a morning person trying to interview after getting up that early and driving for over six hours in heavy traffic trying have a clear mind to answer important questions.

But God has provided even more… someone gifted us enough to purchase our plane tickets to France! That means that we now have a departure date – January 4th. The pieces are coming together. We’re working with another missionary family in our area headed to Togo (Archers) on sharing a sea shipping container. We are starting to look into the different things that need to be shipped. Some items it is only possible to get in the US or it cost/quality effective to purchase here. We have created a detailed list which you can see at the bottom including a registry and details about other items that we are seeking.

Prayer Requests

For contacts old and new to be willing to partner with us to be fully support by the end of October and have our setup costs by the end of November.

For God’s provision in working out all of the details required in starting a life overseas.

Support Levels

Here are some ways to help out in tangibly way without donating money. Please let us know about or order before October 27 if you can help with:

Household items: See our registry on Amazon. We will be purchasing these in the US before we leave. If you would like to purchase one or more of these items and have it sent to us, that will count toward setup costs and help us reach our goal. (Note: Some of the small kitchen items are not set in stone and are recommendations. If you find similar items cheaper then send us a link and we can let you know if that meets the need.)
Primary transport: We are raising the funds to buy an SUV in Togo or but donation of an actual vehicle would go a long way. We need a suitable SUV reliable and in good condition with automatic transmission of brand Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, or Mitsubishi to handle the rough, dusty roads. It must have A/C. This vehicle will make regular long-haul road trips where getting stranded is not an option; reliability is important and good gas mileage is a plus. (Note: parts, service, and cultural factors limits us to these brands.)
Alternate transport: Utility 4-wheeler in good working condition with a manual transmission (preferred) sized for an adult. Used primarily for around-town and easier to maneuver through crowded, narrow streets than a full-sized vehicle.

A Building Excitement

A Building Excitement Update Comments Off

Aug 012017

Comrades in cause attend part two of three training.

Click here for the printable version

If we had to sum up what is weighing on our hearts in one word it would be: deadline.

We attended training part 2 (of 3) in Harrisburg this last week and learned a lot about planting a church in a different (or sometimes not so different) culture. While we were at training other topics naturally came up and we came to realize just how close we were to being ready for language school and that the process needed to be started right away. When we got there it was still five months away… but as we left we realized that it was only five months away! And with the application deadline for language school enrollment in January fast approaching, we knew that if we waited any longer we risked being blocked out until the next semester in August. But we also weren’t at full support yet either.

A tough decision had to be made.

After prayerful consideration we have applied to language school near Paris for January! We’re excited to be starting this process and at the same time apprehensive because it sets specific deadlines that must be met.

So we’re praying and trusting God that the remaining needed support will come in. It has to; we need it to come in. We are not given permission to leave for language school until we are fully supported. Our goal is to reach 85% of our monthly before the end of August so that we can attend part 3 of training and to reach full support by the end of November. If we don’t meet those goals, if we cannot go to training part 3, there will be no language school until August 2018.

There are so many logistics involved in moving a family across the ocean… How do we get visas? What are our living arrangements? What stuff will we need? How to get all of that stuff there? How do we get our stuff that needs to be shipped to Togo packed and stored while waiting for a sea container and how does it get loaded while we are away?

Thank you to everyone who has been praying about these things and please be praying that God would make all of this possible and that we would retain our sanity in the process.

Support Levels

Monthly= 79% of $5200

Setup= 40%

Travel= $0/$4000

Vehicle= $3098/$25000

House Setup= $15500/$23500

Language study= $10000/$25000

Misc= $5000/$5000

Prayer Requests

For contacts old and new to be willing to partner with us to be fully support by the end of November. (This includes monthly & setup costs.)

That God would help us to meet our training requirement to lead individuals through the story of God’s Word.

A Delay of Plans

A Delay of Plans Update Comments Off

Apr 262017

Spring arrives! Enjoying the beautiful daily commute home from work on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Click here for a printable version.

The craziness of our February-April schedule is wrapping up just as Spring is rolling in. Would you believe that in 10 weeks we spoke at 10 presentations, many of them multiple day conferences, and 2 multi-day training courses in 4 different states? We are thankful to be back to something resembling a routine and hopefully will be taking a few days to relax and recover.

Our goal had been to get to 85% by April 10^th so that we could attend field prep training. Though it was not our plan, God determined that we should wait at least another six months before going to language school. We are only at 66% of our needed monthly support instead of 85%. We simultaneously disappointed and relieved at not getting to go in August. Now our schedules are not so mindbogglingly packed but even so we still desire to be on our way to Togo quickly.

We still have more training upcoming in July as well as ongoing courses learning about Islam, evangelism, theology, and bible study. Please pray with us that we would be diligent to get these done and that they would be done well so as to bring the most glory to God. We would also ask for specific prayer that the requirements for leading an unbeliever and a new believer through the story of the God’s Word could be fulfilled. God has not shown us yet how He will meet this requirement.

So… our hope, now that the April 10^th deadline has passed, is to be to language school by January. That requires that we meet all of our training requirements as well as reaching 85% of our monthly support by the middle of October. Would you please pray that God would raise up financial partners and church contacts to reach this goal. And if you would like to partner with us financially you can contact us using one of the ways contact page or visit our giving page page. We would love to share with you the many and diverse ways God is working in Mango.

In Service of the One who is able,

Jonathan & Bethany

Support Update and News from Mango – Feb 2017

Support Update and News from Mango – Feb 2017 Update Comments Off

Feb 162017

News from Mango!

This old photo is of a similar Fulani refugee camp that was set up behind the hospital in Mango several years ago.

Currently the team in Mango is helping with a sudden refugee crisis as late last week violence erupted between the Konkomba and Fulani people groups. Around eight Fulani people were murdered (from that number several were children) and many people’s homes were burned, their main livelihood Continue reading »

We Do – Now to Get There

We Do – Now to Get There Uncategorized Comments Off

Aug 162016

Get the printable version here.

13880388_10154401672089680_4940740833350120925_n Well, it happened just as planned. We were married just after 2:50pm on August 6^th. Thank you all for being there in support of our union whether in person or in spirit and prayer. We’re settling in to our new abode and discovering our new routines – as much as there is such a thing on this missionary journey.
Bethany was accepted as a missionary to ABWE (officially) just two weeks before. Praise the Lord for these good gifts in the whirlwind that was this past month.

13987591_1223452164341064_4956451533015085809_o So now what? We are starting to build contacts with the churches in our general area of Virginia and North Carolina. Our hope is to start language school in France in August 2017. For us to meet that goal we need to be at 50% support by Oct 15^th and then 100% monthly + 100% setup costs by March 31^st, 2017. This coincides with the training schedule needed for us to get onto the field. Isn’t it exciting to think that in a year we could be learning French and just a few semesters away from ministering in Togo! Please pray with us that we would be able to meet these goals and not need to delay ministering to the people of Togo.

From our family to yours,

Jonathan and Bethany Edwards

Why Mango? – Here are over 1.5 million reasons.

Mango has over 1.5 million unreached people coupled with almost nonexistent gospel access and churches served by too few and mostly poorly equipped leaders. Here are the top 5 unreached people groups within 100 miles of Mango.

Mango_top_5_unreached_chart

Unreached defined as evangelical population < 2% and little to no access to gospel. Statistics from joshuaproject.net, 15 Aug 2016

June 2016 Newsletter

June 2016 Newsletter Uncategorized Comments Off

Jun 152016

Get the printable version here.

In February I announced that I had asked Bethany to marry me and she accepted. While we’re not married yet (as the name above might suggest)– that will come in early August – we are making preparations accordingly. What an exciting time! b+Jengaged_Print-163

Bethany will be I are planning to attend the training seminar together in July. (For those keeping track, this will be my 3rd time through training.)

Additional life transitions will see us be relocating to central Virginia where we will live and work until we are able to leave for language school. We have started building contacts with church and family partners there and in the surrounding areas into North Carolina. Pray that God would raise many partners from these areas. So… if you are in the Ohio-Michigan area and want to meet with us, please let us know soon because we won’t be able to visit nearly as often as before.

The ministry focus has not changed. I will continue to manage and build IT related ministries and Bethany, an RN, will minister at home and at the hospital.

We thank you for your continued prayers as we continue to seek partners for God’s work in Togo. We have increased our financial support by over 7% in the last few months to over 33% and at this rate hope to be ready to leave for language school before the beginning of 2018. Praise the Lord that He provides abundantly.

Gospel through Gifts – Operation Christmas Child from the Other Side.

news, Togo, Update Comments Off

Mar 212016

Gospel through Gifts - Operation Christmas Child from the Other Side.

This gallery contains 16 photos

Churches, Changes, and a Heavy Metal Band

Churches, Changes, and a Heavy Metal Band Uncategorized 1 Response »

Mar 022016

Get the printable version here.

The month of February was has been nonstop presentations and seeking support. Some of the highlights are talking with many of the Mango team members who are in the USA on furlough or prefield, meeting a conspiracy theorist from Roswell, implying during a presentation that I wasn’t a Baptist, and 2016-02-13 Continue reading »

A Year Full of Opportunities

A Year Full of Opportunities Uncategorized Comments Off

Jan 112016

Get the printable version here.

After a getting back to the US from a short trip to South East Asia advising another hospital about setting up a digital system I have settle in to the not so normal life of deputation.

The work at the hospitals is never far away. A few days ago I received news of a major problem at HBB, the southern hospital. The server had experienced a hardware failure that brought the entire system down. The medical staff scrambled to revert to a paper system while the IT techs worked out what was wrong. Many frantic emails and phone calls later the on-site techs were able to nurse the server back to a usable state (A failure of two physical drives, and probably part of the motherboard were the root cause.)

The situation was not over however even though the hospital systems were functioning again. The system is running at limited, slowed capacity until replacement parts can be delivered and installed. I am thankful for Tim, a short-term IT missionary, who could respond in this critical situation. Short-term people are vital to fill the gaps when long-term missionaries are away.

I have many upcoming events and prayers are appreciate as I travel throughout February and into the first week of March visiting supporters and speaking at churches. I leave at the begin of February to Seattle for a few days and then on to Boise for a multi church missions conference for the rest of the month to present at six (and maybe more) churches. Please pray that during this time individuals would also be burdened to help financially, materially, or by volunteering time. Also pray that God would use this to encourage and burden others toward becoming missionaries. Truly the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. (Luke 10:2)

I am excited to see what God has planned for this next year!

Older Entries Newer Entries