Thursday, September 29, 2011

Prayer Request.

Please pray for Liesa and Haylee as they lead a Mother/Daughter Retreat this weekend at Camp Garaywa. Thanks to all of you who so faithfully pray for us.

Jackson and Nana.

Jackson and Nana after scrimmage.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Jackson's First Football Game


Jackson is #15 in this video.
             
            Jackson's First Football Game from Jeff Holeman on Vimeo.
Greetings friends!

Just a quick update.  Things have been busy, busy in our lives.

  • Haylee is doing great and is enjoying high school.  She's involved in the the youth group at Crossgates Baptist and is continuing to take guitar classes.  Some boy keeps calling her and texting her alot.  Not sure what that is all about.  :-)
  • Jackson continues to do well.  His first football game is today so we're ALL worked up about that.  He is enjoying our time in the USA, making  new friends, finding ways not to do homework, and all those things jr. high boys do.
  • Liesa and Jeff are busy with Missionary In Residence duties at Mississippi College and also sharing with churches and other groups about the things God has done in South America.  Last weekend we led a session for the Mississippi Missionary Parents Fellowship.  That was big fun.  We have also enjoyed finding and spending time with other missionaries from around the world who are also on stateside assignment.
We have some busy days ahead that you can be praying with us about:
  • Today, Sept 22 is our final GO! Week chapel at Mississippi College.  Jennifer Smith and Fish Robinson will be leading and it's gonna be goooood.
  • Next week we have meetings with area pastors regarding the 'embrace' initiative the IMB is currently promoting so that the remaining 3500+ unreached people groups in the world will hear the Gospel.
  • Liesa  is leading a retreat for girls at Camp Garaywa on Sept 30 to Oct 1.  Pray for her as she prepares and leads this training opportunity for young girls.
  • On Monday, Oct 3 we'll be meeting with the high school seniors at West Heights Baptist Church in Pontotoc, MS to talk about disciple-making, missions, and their partnership with us on the mission field in the future.
  • On Oct 5, Jeff is off to Second Baptist Church, Springfield, MO to meet with them about a partnership with us in the future.
  • On Oct 6 to 11, the PENNINGTON'S ARE COMING TO VISIT!  Hooray!  The Pennington's are our dear friends from Peru who are also on stateside assignment.
  • On Oct 10, Liesa and Jeff will be speaking to the Woman's Missionary Union at First Baptist Meridian, MS.  We're excited about this great opportunity.
In the midst of all of those special events we have our ministry opportunities at Mississippi College.  Please be in prayer for a group of 5 students from East Asia that we are meeting with on Tuesdays at 4 pm.  These students are learning about Jesus for the very first time.  Please pray that we will love unconditionally and proclaim the Gospel wisely.

Thanks for your partnership and for 'holding the rope.'

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee and Jackson

Sunday, September 11, 2011

11 September 2011 Update!

Hola friends!

Lots to catch you up on.

We are excited to be celebrating Haylee's 15th Birthday today!  It was wonderful today to be joined by many of her closest friends for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Oxford.  All of you know that Haylee is such a blessing to so many.  It has been good to celebrate with her today!

Haylee and the cousins (minus Hayden) in 2007.


Our last update was a couple of weeks ago.  We've been busier than we've wanted to be!
  • Haylee and Jackson are doing great.  They are enjoying school and making good friends here in Brandon, MS.  Jackson is learning to be elusive on the football field and hopefully, will learn how to deliver some punishing blocks from his wide receiver position very soon.  Haylee is doing great...taking guitar lessons...texting...listening to music...all that teenager stuff.  Thank you for praying for them.
  • Liesa and Jeff are serving at Mississippi College as Missionaries In Residence for the Fall Semester.  Things have been wonderful as we're meeting students and finding different places of ministry.  One great opportunity we have is on Tuesday afternoons with International Students as we discuss Christianity during International Student Chapel.  This is something that we really enjoy because the students from a large East Asian country are eager to listen but many do not believe in God and have no concept of a personal relationship with Him.  We are loving this opportunity God has set before us.  
  • Liesa and Jeff also have duties with the International Mission Board during our Stateside Assignment.  We were in Atlanta earlier this week for a meeting of churches interested in working with unreached people groups around the globe.  There were over 500 folks at the meeting!  It seems God is stirring the hearts of many of the churches in the Southern Baptist Convention to be even more involved in reaching to the uttermost parts.  Even more exciting is that some in the world's largest mission sending agency are willing to work with them.  These are exciting days!
  • We've been able to spend some time with our families and friends.  We're blessed with so many folks that love us.  It has been fun to catch up and be a part of their lives again.  The hardest part of serving so far away from home is missing so many 'family moments.'  But, it sure makes things a lot sweeter when you're back in middle of them.  We won't ever take them for granted.
  • Church.  Being a part of church in the USA has been such a blessing. We really did not realize how spiritually worn-out we were.  It has been refreshing to be able to be challenged by God's Word and to enjoy worship in our heart-language.
Thank you to all who pray regularly for us!  You are a blessing to us in so many ways.

Love,

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson Holeman