Dear Friends and Family,
Here we are…summer at the door…and time to catch you all up on our adventures. April was special in that we were able to spend Easter with Rachel, Tiago and the girls in their new home in Charleston, South Carolina. God has blessed them with a wonderful place to live and to raise their children. Nathan and his daughter Adeline joined us there as did Silvéria, Mark and three of their boys. We had a mini family reunion…so nice. After two weeks with them we drove to Virginia Beach to see Brandon and Anne Kindleberger and then on to Louisville for our annual S.I.M. board meeting. It was a quick trip, but wonderful to be with family and dear friends.
We arrived home on the 26th of April and then on the 29th we left for Germany. That was a fast turn-around, hardly enough time to wash clothes and repack. But, Germany is special and we had three wonderful weeks ministering in churches and being with such wonderful friends. We ended our time in Germany with a special treat. We were able to see our granddaughter Ruth dance in Stuttgart Ballet’s production of Swan Lake. It was so well done, and we are so proud of our gracious and beautiful granddaughter.
On returning home, we found that Helen needed some urgent dental work. She had broken a tooth and lost a crown. The dentist suggested that we invest in implants as a more permanent solution. So, last week Helen had two extractions and four implants. Afterwards, she looked like a squirrel with her mouth full of nuts as well as black and blue down to her neck…ugh! What a brave girl I have. The swelling is down and the color is turning more yellow and less intense. Soon she’ll be back to normal.
On the 14th of June, I leave for Angola. I will be preaching at the ordination of ministers, graduation of 400 Bible school students and ministering in a conference in Luanda. Then I will travel to Huambo, in the center of the country, where I will be teaching in a Bible school we established last year. We have years of investment in Angola and the fruit has spread to many other nations both in Europe and around Africa.
The months of July and August we will be home. Rachel and Tiago are coming for three weeks as well as visits from some of our grandchildren. David Schultz will come the first couple of weeks of July and Alex and Sarah Reimer will come for a few days around the middle of August. The nice thing about our grandchildren growing up is that they can now travel on their own. In August, our church here in Lisbon, will spend a week together at their annual Family Camp. It will be a wonderful time together.
In September, Helen and I will be in Eswatini. Who ever thought we would have ministry opportunities in Helen’s nation of birth? We will be with the Abraham family at New Hope Centre and with a Swedish mission, training their pastors and leaders. Lee West will join us on this trip as he has had a heart for this nation. Then, right after we get home, I will be taking in a team to Morocco to continue to visit believers and do practical work in aiding those who lost their homes in the 2023 earthquake.
The rest of the Fall is yet to be planned, but we are pencilling in another trip to the States to be with family for Christmas.
I have just finished writing another book and should be printed in July. The theme is on the Fatherhood of God, concentrating on His personhood, parenting, and purpose. The name of the book is ABBA. It will be available on Amazon as well as through SIM’s website. Since my last book was The Holy Spirit, my Friend, Helen thinks I should now write about Jesus, to finish the Trilogy of the Trinity. We’ll see.
Keep us in your prayers.
We love you all so much.
Jim and Helen