23 November 2014 Update!

Thanksgiving is a natural overflow of a heart that has been changed by Jesus.  We are very thankful for all of you who take the time to pray for us and the work that God is doing among the peoples of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.  You need to remember that we don't take you for granted.  We can't do the task that the Father has asked us to do, period.  We can't do it.  But, if we're going to be obedient and follow God on this journey we would not want to attempt it without prayer warriors like you.  Thank you.

November has been a great month.  We asked you to help us out with a few prayer requests a few weeks ago.  Here's an update:

• Haylee's knee.  We'll get more information in December when we meet with some doctors in the USA.  Originally what was diagnosed as some ligament damage has become clearer as a very large cyst on her knee.  There is some pain involved but Haylee is doing well and has not slowed down too much.  Keep praying as we prepare to meet with doctors on Dec 22 in Oxford.
• Jackson is pushing through a challenging semester.  Keep praying for him to finish strong.
• Liesa and Jeff traveled to Haiti to pray and get a better idea of how to lead Southern Baptists to more effective work.  Haiti is a wonderful place with some precious people.  The needs are overwhelming and without a disciplined approach, Southern Baptists have been spinning their wheels for decades.  Keep praying because the answers are difficult and emotions get in the way of a coherent discussion with many people.

We're very excited about the next few weeks.  We'll be celebrating the USA Thanksgiving with some time at the beach with several of our colleagues and Mexican family.  Jeff will be traveling to Peru for some important leadership meetings.  And, we'll be heading to Mississippi for a couple of weeks of vacation and speaking on Lottie Moon's behalf.

While in Mississippi we're available to visit Mississippi churches.  Here's our schedule so far:

• Sunday, December 21.  Center Grove Baptist Church, Maben, MS.  (AM Service)
• Wednesday, December 24.  Venture Church, Hattiesburg, MS.
• Sunday, December 28.  First Baptist Yazoo City, MS.  (AM Service)
• Sunday, January 4.  First Baptist Oxford, MS.  (AM Service)
• Sunday, January 11.  Pillar Church, Stafford, VA.  (AM Service)

Let us know if we can help out with anything at your church while we are in the USA.

We pray each one of you have a great Thanksgiving Week!  We are hoping that this Saturday is one of the worst days ever for our Mississippi State friends.  Go Rebels!

Blessings!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

5 November 2014 Update!

Hola from southern Mexico!

Thank you so much for your strong prayer support!  We are constantly aware that there are folks all over the world who give of their precious time to lift up the work going on around us.  You also pray for our family and that means so much to us!  Here's an update from the past few days:

• Jeff traveled to Virginia to attend a meeting of USA churches who are sending folks to the field in some very creative ways.  If we are going to reach the remaining unreached people groups in our world then ALL OF US will have to be a part of doing ALL WE CAN to make sure EVERY ONE gets an opportunity to hear about what JESUS has done for them.  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN SEND MORE WORKERS!
• Christy and Rebecca are HERE!  Finally!  Our new teammates will be here for two years and we are so thankful for them.  They bring a whole lot of talent to southern Mexico and they've got some kick-butt Spanish skills! Christy and Rebecca are the direct answer to your prayers for more workers.
• First Baptist Oxford sent Gary and Carolyn Carter to continue the work of the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.  This ministry equips teachers in indigenous communities to be better prepared to teach English to their students.  This is an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of indigenous people.  We're thankful for First Baptist Oxford taking on this important task!
• Community Church of Oxford sent Rebecca Sanders to us for the month of October.  Rebecca is a tremendous servant and jumped right in and helped with a lot of different ministry projects.    We are hopeful she will return some time soon and continue the relationships that she made.  Reaching southern Mexico is going to happen through meaningful relationships!  Rebecca is another servant that is a blessing to the people here.
• We really don't know how but we always get the BEST and BRIGHTEST Hands On workers.  Hands On is an opportunity for young adults to come and work alongside missionaries for 4 months.  It is a great opportunity to get the REAL picture of what being a missionary is all about.  Katherine and Sara have been a huge blessing!  They are with us for one more month.
• What would it be like to pack up your family and move into an indigenous village for 3 weeks?  Twenty-one of our teammates did just that and we have had a great time of training and fellowship down here in the mountains of southern Mexico.  We finish up this training on November 10th!  These missionaries have been real troopers as they have worked in some challenging situations to put into practice the things they have learned.

Here are some updated prayer requests:

• Haylee has been diagnosed with a Baker's Cyst on her knee.  We thought it was something VERY serious but a cyst is still painful and somewhat serious.  Pray for her doctors as they determine the best way to treat this common injury.
• Jackson is doing great!  Pray for him to finish strong this semester.  There is always a huge mountain (called Homework!) that he has to conquer.  Pray for him to succeed!
• Pray for our USA partners who are working in southern Mexico.  There are so many challenges to the work.  And, the Enemy is attacking several of our best partners in very ugly ways.
• Pray for Liesa and Jeff as they travel to Haiti in the next few days.  Haiti is now a part of our responsibility and we are praying for wisdom on how to lead the strategy for these people who are very important to the Father and to many of our Southern Baptist churches.
• Pray for our Stateside Assignment that begins in July 2015.  We will be spending several months in Oxford, Mississippi.  Pray that we will be able to find a place to live during this time that is furnished and in the Oxford School District.  That's a big request but we know God has a plan!

Thank you for your prayer support.  You are SO IMPORTANT to what the Father is doing here.  We'll have an End of the Year report soon.  Be praying about your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year.  When you give, people hear about Jesus.

Blessings!

Jeff

MORE PRAISES AND REQUESTS!

Our Hands On Students (Katherine and Sara) have made some
great friends in a village.  Pray for this family to understand and respond
to the Gospel.

There was a lot of this left after Ole Miss beat Alabama this year.

Here is where we live!  Oaxaca, Mexico!  Pray for this great place!

Rebecca and Christy meeting some new friends.  Pray for these new missionaries!

Our job as Cluster Strategy Leaders means Jeff sees this view a lot more
than he wants to.  Pray for us in this HUGE assignment that we cannot accomplish
without the Father's wisdom and grace.

There's a rumor going around that this young lady graduates from High School in May 2015.
It's just a rumor, though.

One more month with these goof-balls.  We love Sara and Katherine!

Rebecca (from Community Church Oxford) was a huge blessing this month!

Some folks from the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.

More folks from the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.

Training session for IMB missionaries.  We finish on November 10.