ElusiveTangent – Jonathan & Bethany Edwards

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.

 Get the printable version here.

     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.

 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.

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

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!