Greetings from Winona, January 2008
Another year of newsletters! I appreciate those of you who tell me that you actually read these things! I’m always amazed that you have that much interest in what I have to say. Anyway, thank you for your interest, support and prayers for us over the past four years of mission work.
Prayer Requests
We were informed that Brother J.C. Choate passed way today (February 1st). When I saw him last, he was very ill and bedfast. We had a prayer together. Please pray for Betty, their children and the World Evangelism Ministry. Also pray for the Bates and Rushmore families who are working for them and the two other families that will be moving to Winona to work for them also.
My Uncle Randy Swain, who has severe heart problems is in the hospital in Houston, Texas. He has just been notified that he is a candidate for a heart transplant. Please continue to pray for him and his wife Terri.
I would like for you to continue to pray for the new congregation in Vilonia, Arkansas. They are having close to 50 on Sundays and have baptized a young man already! This is a great effort for evangelism in Vilonia!
Romania
I had the opportunity to conduct a class at this year’s Albania & Romania Conference that was held at the Levy building in North Little Rock. For the past couple of years I have been making one trip a year to Romania with my good friends Ted, Barbara and Marty Knight. Although our main focus will be the Spanish-speaking world, I will continue my assistance in Romania. In May of this year I have been asked to head a nation-wide effort to bring young people from around Romania together to plan and prepare for the future of the church in Romania. If we can find the funding, Michal has been asked to come and speak to the young ladies at this camp. Pray for this effort!
Your Prayers for Support
In the last eight months we have lost $400 a month in our living support. Most of it had to do with changing budgets of the churches that for whatever reason needed to cut down on their outreach. Within the last two weeks we lost $100 from a church that is having internal problems but regained our loss from the new Vilonia congregation within 24 hours! God does truly look out for those who are trying to do what is right! Please pray that we can find the funds to cover this loss and pray that the remainder of our support stays intact.
Barbara
We are working again in Barbara’s house. She is trying to finish the never-ending job of caulking around trim, windows and doors. I am building kitchen cabinets at the moment. We have high hopes that the little house will be ready to paint in February or early March. Right now the cost of the kitchen cabinets and the money for a furnace unit are our big challenges. Not only is she trying to find help to finish her house but we are still all out on the road seeking her living support. Please keep her and her search for her living support in your prayers. At the current time she has $1,100 dollars of the $1,500 that she needs for her support.
Our Books
The news of the commentary on the Gospel of John is spreading through the Hispanic part of our brotherhood. Thanks to those of you who have taken the Adoption Program to heart and have purchased copies for ministers in Central or South America. We are geared to work on the next volume in the series – Enrique Martorell’s commentary on Revelation. We have international requests for books almost weekly and we even have a church in Scotland who wants to help send these commentaries to South America! If you are interested in helping, please contact us and we’ll get the ball rolling. We need to sell as many of the John books as we can to have the funds to publish the Revelation book! Working on a shoestring budget can be challenging!
Y.O.U.
On January 25th through the 27th the fourth annual Youth Outreach University was held on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. About 500 young men and women came to prepare themselves to learn to evangelize their friends and schoolmates. I taught two classes at this event and had an information table about the Gospel Opportunities Ministry.
Church Visits
The New Year started out with me visiting the congregation at Grandview, AR on the 5th and 6th. On January 13th I visited the Jerusalem, AR congregation and attended the monthly youth gathering for Central Arkansas. This was held at the Mars Hill church in Vilonia and I was able to visit with many of our supporters and friends there. On the 20th, Michal, Jamie, Barbara and I visited the congregation in Greenville, MS where our good friends Danny and Mary Holman have moved to work and preach. Danny and I served together in Conway for many years and I consider him a very close friend. That evening we visited the Monticello, AR church. We have a number of friends and supporters there that we got to see. The last weekend of the month found me once again in Arkansas for the Y.O.U. I reported and preached to the Bigelow, AR congregation where my one-time intern Taylor Francis preaches. I have many dear friends and fond memories of this little congregation! Besides what was mentioned above, Barbara visited the ladies’ class at the Batesville, MS congregation on the 23rd. We have really kept the road hot and the gas company profits rolling in!
Future Visits
Here are some things I would like for you to pray for… my trip to Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama in February or March. In May, pray for our return to Cluj, Romania to head a countrywide youth encampment. And in July Michal, Barbara, Jamie and I will be assisting with a group from Mars Hill going back to Costa Rica. This list does not include any of the pending church visits for us. Please pray for these efforts and for us as we travel.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. Let’s all pray that God can use us mightily in 2008!
On Behalf of Gospel Opportunities
J. Robert Swain
If you ever have questions regarding our work, travel or finances, I will be happy to answer those questions. I try to plan a trip to our supporting congregations at least once a year and to visit whenever I am asked to. We want you to feel confident that this work is active, productive and sound. Thank you so much for your help and for your prayers! J.R.S.
