Hello and Apologies,

Techno Barbie is doing her best to stay on me about getting in a weekly blog. I haven’t been much help to her with that this past week. But the important thing is I’m writing now.

I have been in a whirlwind of excitement watching God’s hand work to continue to put together our Quito Trip and also begin our planning for the Costa Rica trip in Feb. Tuesday Penny Morrow (one of the Quito Team members) and I went to Jonesboro, AR to meet with several women that have been praying about being a part of the team. It was awesome to watch the Holy Spirit move even during our time together! I also had the opportunity to visit with their Missions Minister Larry Bailey and we began discussing ministry opportunities for next year in Africa.

Monday night I was with our church family here at FBC as we attended an association meeting with Robbie Tingle from our State Office who works with missions. He also provided a connection for us regarding a trip next year. It is exciting to see God bringing the opportunities to minister to the women missionaries overseas in the fashion He has designed for Pure Joy International.

Having said all of that I am asking you to please consider how God would have you become involved in this ministry. We will always be in need of your prayers and financial resources but just as importantly WE NEED YOU! Please pray about your church being one of the sponsoring churches for a retreat. We love to connect two or three churches as the sponsoring churches for these retreats. That is why I like to call it an inside out ministry. It is not just about what God can do through us for the missionary women but what God also wants to do for us as a team and churches here in the U.S.

Don’t be boxed in by the fact that I live in Arkansas. If you sense God’s direction for your church to be a partner on a retreat team, then contact us. I am more than happy to travel to meet with you and share the vision of the ministry with you.

You may ask but what can I do? We take speakers, worship leaders, piano players, hospitality people, craft people (beading, scrap-booking, etc.), drama people, video, camera people, prayer warriors, etc. We take who and what God directs us to do for that particular group of women after much time in prayer.

By the way, Penny got her passport back this week and she just sent off for it 3 weeks ago. Janice Mobley (another team member) and I sent off for ours before her and we haven’t seen them yet. Maybe because ours were being renewed it made a difference. I say all that to say…pray for us that they come in.

Would love to hear from some of you and it would be sweet to hear from some of the missionaries that will be attending our upcoming Quito retreat.

His, Vickie