Papa John

Early this morning, Papa John, went to be with his precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. John Cook, Sr., was an incredible man who passionately loved the gospel of Christ. His life honored and glorified Jesus and his desire was for all that he came in contact with to know his Savior as he did. Papa John's life had a huge impact on our family's life in that his love for missions was contagious. It was Papa John and his lovely wife, Mama Jo, that first invited Curt and Shay on a mission trip to Moldova in 1999. That trip made an impression on us and we're convinced that God planted a seed for overseas missions in our heart. We loved Papa John but we are so thankful that his pain is over and he is in eternity where there are no tears and no sorrow. Here is the email that Mama Jo sent out to the FBC family. You can see from this email the confidence they have in the truth of the gospel:

"The Bible assures us that death is not untimely, God has appointed a time for each of us to die. (Ps 139:16) My beloved husband, John Robert Cook, was ushered into heaven this morning, February 27 at 1:57 am. John told us he had no fear and was ready and the 2 week prediction for his life was God answering his prayer to go quickly. So this day was his appointed time.
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)"

Arrangements:
Visitation at First Bible Church on Tuesday, 4:00pm – 7:00pm. Funeral at First Bible Church on Wednesday, 1:00pm

Please continue to pray for Jo, John, Jr., Lyn and Brian during this time.

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A Teacher in the Country of Turkey

Here is an update letter from a young Christian teacher teaching elementary-age children in Turkey. Her name is Ruth Stevens and her father is the pastor of our church in Budapest--Danube International Church. We love and support Ruth and her work in Turkey. Please read her update and if you feel led to pray, please do so. Hers is a difficult job in a very dark place:

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Turkey! After my first semester teaching 1st grade at Oasis International School I am eager to update you about the Lord’s goodness to me in this new place and stage of life. The move here in August was a quick one, but I am thankful for a smooth transition to a foreign culture. I teach a class of 19 first graders from 9 different countries who mostly come from either diplomatic or missionary families. Teaching is challenging and I am still adjusting to all of the responsibilities of this more-than-full-time job. However, I love the school and the other teachers who work here.

Due to our location, our school is not overtly Christian, and I have to be careful about what I say about Jesus in front of the class. Nonetheless, as teachers, we try to integrate biblical truth into our lessons whenever possible, and the school offers Bible classes that students may attend with permission from their parents. I have had some exciting opportunities to talk about God’s truth with students who are curious about the Bible. Please pray that these kinds of conversations will continue to arise.

I live in the “suburbs” of Ankara, Turkey’s capital city. Life in Turkey is an interesting mix of East and West. The makeup is composed of conservative Muslims who wear the head coverings, as well as secular Turks in European dress. Though many Turks in our area are not so strict as to pray five times a day, this semester I watched as almost the entire neighborhood observed Muslim holidays such as Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) and the “Sacrifice Holiday.” Please pray against the darkness in this land.

Most of my time is spent with school activities, but I have also been able to attend a Bible study for Iranian women. Please pray that God will bless this community (mostly refugees) who are in our midst. Next semester I hope to add more: a prayer time with the first grade moms, serving at my church, and getting to know the middle and high school students better. I appreciate your prayers as we enter into this second half of the year.

The school year continues until June 17th and then I will return to the U.S. during the summer to attend weddings and my NICS orientation. I have committed to teaching a second year at Oasis International School and will return in the Fall as a 3rd grade teacher.

Please praise the Lord with me for:

· Completion of my first semester
·Great roommates and living situation
·An international church to attend
·God’s provision in allowing me to be here
·Receiving my Residence Permit

Please pray for:

·A strong personal walk with the Lord
·Our school as they become accredited
·Ahmed, Peter, and John- first graders who are struggling with their behavior
·My unbelieving students and their families
·Language study
·Friendships with Turkish neighbors
·Teachers to fill open spots for next year
·A Work Visa

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement,

Ruth Stevens

The Holy Land

Olivia and Shay have the opportunity of traveling to the Holy Land of the Savior next month. We are so excited and are anticipating that God will speak to our hearts and minds during our time there. The trip is with a professor from Moody Bible Institute who has a company called Messianic Journeys. We'll be gone for about 10 days with the trip beginning and ending in Chicago. Our plan is to take lots of pictures and write down our thoughts while there. We will post some of those images and thoughts on our blogs. We never imagined we would have this wonderful gift of being in that part of the world. Israel is so critical to what we believe about our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, God tells His story of redemption through the story of the Israelites. The Old Testament points toward the coming of the Messiah and how His sufficient sacrifice alone is our only way to heaven. Seeing these places mentioned in the Bible will only increase our love and gratitude towards God for His wonderful gift of His Son!

We would appreciate your prayers as we get ready to go. We'll update you more the closer it gets to time to leave.

"For you (ISRAEL) are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. "
Deuteronomy 7:5 (emphasis mine)