Awayo video!

Have a place we can stay?

It has been a blessing to have a place to stay here in Maine in an apartment under Stacy’s parents house.  It’s available for our whole furlough, if we need it.  However, we would love to spend time with other supporting churches in the Beavercreek, Ohio and Flushing, Michigan areas.   Our plan is to spend January to March in Michigan, and April to June in Ohio. 

Because our plan is to stay for 3 months in each location, we would need a place that is already furnished and ready for someone to live there.  If anyone knows of housing available for missionaries on furlough, please let us know!

What an amazing God!

Dear family and friends,

Thank you for praying for Aaron’s trip to Bolivia and our financial needs.  We have some good news to report!

God has provided $7,800 for our needs – including a nice 2000 Chrysler minivan.  He has supplied our needs yet again, and used many of you to do it.  Thank you for being used of God in this way!

Recently, Aaron has been able to share at Eliot Baptist Church and Oak Ridge Bible Church and told the story about how God has supplied for our needs for the past 9 years as missionaries.  What an incredible testimony – not about what we have done, but about what GOD has done for us.  What an amazing God!

Kaili had surgery for her umbilical hernia last week.  It went well and fast, and she’s recovering nicely.   Thank you all for praying!

Aaron’s trip to Bolivia went very well, and he arrived back home safely.  He accompanied some incredible folks from Bedford Community Church in Manchester, NH.  The team was able to do some small maintenance projects and other things to help out the orphanages down there, as well spending time with the kids and do a little sight-seeing.  Here’s the Bolivia team below:

We have some opportunities to speak coming up in the next few months:

September, Oak Ridge Bible Church, Maine

October, Lake Ann Camp, Michigan

October, Calvary Baptist Church, Michigan

November, Patterson Park Church Missions Conference, Ohio

We are planning to spend Jan-March in Michigan, and April-June in Ohio.  If you would like to schedule us, please let us know.  We would love to come and tell you everything that God has been doing in our lives.

Praise:

• Time with family and friends so far this summer
•  The kids are adjusting to American culture!

Prayer:

• Our daily walk with God!
• We had an accident with our van a week or so after getting it!  Everyone was OK, and just a fender bender.  But, it cost $1,785 to fix.
• Stacy’s migraines are better than while in PNG, but please pray that we can get something solved while we are home on furlough.
• Our continuing financial need.  God has supplied our needs for 9 years now, He is a BIG GOD and He’ll keep providing for us.

Thank you!

- Aaron and Stacy

Stacy and the kids at Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine

Showing off at Kennebunkport beach

Stacy in her element

Aaron and Kobe monkeying around on the Boston harbor cruise

Stacy teaching the kids about the ocean

Big lollypops!

Kids with Grandmama and Grandpapa in Oqunquit 

Our crazy kids!

Please pray with us

Dear friends and family,

Many of you have asked where we are at with a vehicle for furlough, so we thought we’d send out another update to let you know how you can be praying!

We are definitely in need regarding our finances and have been convicted of the necessity of sharing that with you.  Between the cost of plane tickets home, settling in (food, clothing, etc), and Stacy’s medical bills already, we have yet to be able to afford to purchase a vehicle for our year home.  We have looked at several possibilities and have one we would buy today if we had the money, so it’s just a matter of the Lord’s timing and provision.  A huge praise to share is that one of our supporting churches just gave us a $2000 gift towards the purchase of a minivan, so we’re almost halfway there! 

Here are the financial needs we are currently facing:

• Outstanding medical bill - $1,670
• Current medical expenses (estimated) - $800
• Remaining costs from furlough plane tickets - $2,030
• Minivan - $3,200
• Glasses for Aaron - $415

Plus, Aaron has the unique privilege of accompanying a church on a 10-day missions trip in the middle of July to minister in an orphanage in Bolivia.  We felt it was a great opportunity to worship God in a whole new way and gain some missionary experience outside of Papua New Guinea.  Although the international tickets have already been provided, there’s still several hundred dollars that need to be raised for this trip (Aaron agreed to go several months ago).

We are resting in our Father and know that He will provide for each of these needs, and in His time, as He always has!  We cannot thank each of you enough for your involvement in our ministry!  The Lord has chosen to use all of us in the Body of Christ to fulfill His Mission and it is such an AMAZING privilege!  THANK YOU for your prayers and financial sacrifices on our behalf!  They do not go unnoticed! 

In His Love,

Aaron and Stacy   

Prayer update!

Here’s some quick updates for those of you who have asked and who are praying –

·         Stacy had her first doctor’s appointment last week in Boston.  The doctor added another preventative medicine to help with the migraines, so we’ll see over the next few weeks how that is helping.

·         Stacy has an MRI scheduled this coming Friday.  She will then take the results to her next doctor’s appointment in August.

·         We are looking for a minivan to use for this year while we’re home.

 

Our general schedule for the next year or so –

·         June-December ’09 – be in the New England area, living with Stacy’s parents.  The kids will be going to Seacoast Christian School and we will be getting our many doctor’s appointments done!  This is also a time to visit with family, friends and supporting churches.

·         January ’10 – quick trip to Florida for a workshop and visiting family and friends.

·         February-May ’10 – living in or traveling to the Ohio/southern Michigan area to visit family, friends and our supporting churches.

·         June-July ’10? – pack up, visit with family, head back to PNG (the actual date will depend on visa renewal paperwork).

 

We cannot begin to thank you for the amount of prayers that you all have sent to the Throne on our behalf!  Thank you all SO much!  We would never have gotten this far in our ministry without the incredible foundation of prayer you have given us!

 

- Aaron and Stacy Jex

Back in the USA!!!

Kids having fun in Australia

 Thank you all SO much for your prayers!!  Our flights to the US went very smoothly and the kids did remarkably well!  We are all still adjusting to the time difference, so sleeping isn’t going so well, but that’s to be expected! :) 

Kids feeding a kangaroo

The week in Australia—our first break in a LONG time—before the flight across the world was very restful and fun for all of us!  It was very nice to have that time as a family while getting a head start transitioning back to a Western culture.  Plus, it’s actually been almost 2 weeks since Stacy had a migraine, which is a new record!  We plan to spend a few more days catching up on sleep and settling in and then start in on doctor’s appointments this week.

If you remember, Aaron and Kobe came back last summer for Aaron’s sinus surgery, so this trip was old hat for Kobe.  But Stacy hadn’t been out of PNG for over 3 years and the girls were just babies when we left the US, so here’s some of their “firsts”!

For Stacy—the first taste of real ice cream… the first sip of her favorite Starbucks’ drink… the first time driving (it’s not safe for women in PNG)... the first time going alone to the grocery store (also not safe in PNG!)… the first time in a mall… the first glass of cold milk… the first cold cut sandwich…

The girls – first time on an elevator and an escalator (Kiera was clawing Stacy and screaming the first time!)... first time in car seats… first time eating at McDonald’s… first time at a grocery store… first time at a mall… first Dunkin Donut…  They thought they were incredibly cool getting served their own drinks and meals on the flights and couldn’t wait for the beverage service to start every time!  Kiera would look at the drink choices right away on each flight and want her tray table down so she was ready!  Remember, they’ve been on lots of our smaller NTM planes and even the helicopter, but the last time they were on a “normal” flight they were infants! So fun to watch them experiencing all this!

We really have been SO impressed with how well the kids have done, especially the girls, considering how new everything is!  They just seem to be taking it all in stride and honestly enjoy tackling the newest thing we are experiencing!  We are SO thankful for this!!!  They are settling in at Meme and Papa’s house (Stacy’s parents) and have already been playing with some of their cousins. 

What will we be doing on our furlough?  Aaron will be studying for upcoming meetings, and hoping to get some extra Greek study in – as well as helping with the house and kids and escorting Stacy to doctor’s appointments.  Stacy will be trying to get healthy and do her best to keep up with things when she’s not feeling well.  It’s good we have Stacy’s parents to help!  We will all be spending time with supporters and building relationships with those who are willing to be used of God to support us in prayer and finances.  If you would like to schedule a meeting with us, let us know and we’ll see if it will work.

Praise – That our trip to the USA went well!

Please pray – That we will get Stacy’s health figured out.

Praise – For how God is supplying our needs and that He knows what they will be before we do!

Praise – Stacy’s sister is allowing us to use her car until God’s timing is right to provide one for us!

Kaili all decked out