Dear Friends
& Family,
We hope
that your Christmas season is going wonderful, and that the Lord has blessed
you like He has blessed us! We wanted to write you to tell you of a very hard
decision that we have had to make. Bethany and I have been praying hard for the
past couple of months about what the Lord has for us long term. We both feel a
strong call to missions on our lives, and we have such great love for the
people of Guatemala. However, after being home these few months, I (JD) have
seen how much my parents need me to be with them right now. This last year has
been very difficult for them. We all had to go through a very difficult
situation that I have not previously told to many people. The last couple of
years, my brother got into partying, drinking, and drugs. One night, he, along
with two or three other people he hung out with, killed a man. Daniel was the
primary suspect. He was charged with capital murder and later was able to plead
out to life in prison. Thankfully though, his first night in jail he truly met
the Lord for the first time! He got saved that night and is now living for the
Lord! He is daily in the word and is growing in Christ.
While we
are overjoyed that he is now serving the Lord, it was extremely difficult for
my parents and I this last year. Bethany and I have been praying for a while
now and seeking God’s will in this. We prayed that God would make it obvious
whether or not he wanted us to move back. In all of our decisions about
Guatemala, God has shown us His will in a big way. One evening, we prayed
specifically that God would give us direction and clearly show us where we
needed to be. The next morning, we got a call that our landlord wanted their
house back. This confirmation, along with counsel from multiple people, has led
us to make the decision to move home this next year. We have decided to come
home at beginning of March. This was such a hard decision for us- so much
harder that even deciding to move to Guatemala. We love the country and the
people of Guatemala. It pains us to have to leave. But we know that God is
calling us home for now to minister to our families.
We ask
that you continue to pray for us as we make this transition back to the states,
as this will be our third move in a little over year. We are uncertain on what
the future holds, as far as jobs and housing, but God has been so faithful to
us and we are certain He won’t stop now. We also ask that you would prayerfully
consider continuing to support us through March, as we will have bills to take
care of in Guatemala until the end of that month.
We cannot
say thank you enough for your partnership with us while we were in Guatemala.
We know that God called us and used us in mighty ways during our year in
Guatemala, and each and every one of you helped to minister to these precious
people through your support. Thank you for being a vessel of Christ and giving
so generously to our ministry. We praise Him for our time in Guatemala and all
that we experienced and learned while there. We covet your prayers as we make
this transition, and continue to pray that the gospel message continues to spread
through the country of Guatemala through Clubhouse Guatemala.
Soli Deo
Gloria (to God alone be the Glory),
JD, Bethany,
& Karis Jones
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