Things have been very busy for us recently with ministry in Kemmerer and Cokeville, including the funeral of one of our dear folks from Cokeville and Kemmerer. James was privileged to perform the funeral on May 28th and have opportunity to preach the gospel to many who are unsaved.
Ministry in Kemmerer, both in the church and the local jail, has been flourishing. Several in the jail have made professions of faith over the last few months, with many showing signs of spiritual growth. The church body has grown to the point of needing larger facilities, so we have been praying about how best to expand the current building and/or buy additional property. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and God's guidance in this matter.
Ministry in Cokeville has remained steady. Please continue to pray for the salvation of those we regularly minister to (J&C, R&R, B, B), as well as two gentlemen who responded to some Facebook advertisements for our Easter services. We are praying that some changes we have noticed in R are evidence of salvation, or at least God drawing them toward salvation.
Coming up this month, our plans include Vacation Bible School at both churches! We are looking forward helping with VBS in Kemmerer the week of June 12th, and leading it in Cokeville the week of June 26th. We have already begun advertising VBS in Cokeville and distributing invitations, and are praying to have 50 kids again this year, as we did two years ago. Thankfully, God has been providing much of what we need and help for Cokeville through our church family in Kemmerer. However, we could still use a few more helpers, and we would also like to rent a trailer this year to store the VBS supplies (decorations, craft supplies, game supplies, etc.) at the park to lower the amount of daily work for setup and tear down. Renting the trailer will cost approximately $300 for the week. If you would like to give toward this need, please designate your gift for Cokeville VBS. We would also covet your prayers for provision and fruit from this labor, that children in both towns will be saved and families transformed by the gospel.
On the health front, we are thankful that Elizabeth seems to be recovering from last month's infusion just in time for the busyness of VBS month. Pray that she will soon be able to come off the current round of heavy medications so that she can more fully regain energy and strength. James has also made some improvements in endurance and managing his symptoms through the help of two new doctors who are each addressing different parts of his condition. We are thankful he found these doctors and the way God has used them.
In other news, the Army finally made a determination on James' pension and denied payment of it while we are receiving VA benefits. We do have options for recourse, but it is a multi-year process involving appeals and possibly political influence. As such, our current support level (including VA and missions support) is around 73%, accounting for current inflation and changes in our needs. We are praying about what path to pursue to increase our support, and how best to do so with our current ministry responsibilities and health challenges, so that we can afford to purchase a home in the next year. Decent homes (non-fixer-uppers) in Kemmerer are now running close to $300K or better, with prices jumping quickly because of the pending nuclear plant project. Please pray we can increase our support to meet those price increases, and for approval of the VA loan to be sufficient to purchase something in good repair.
We are thankful for your continued prayers on our behalf and for the provision of God! We pray continually for His enablement so that we may remain faithful to His call, and we are trusting in His promise to produce fruit for the labor.