“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ...” Colossians 4:3
Sometimes life can become so busy that we fail to pause and take note if our lives are declaring Christ to those around us. Lately, our lives have been crazy busy! We calculated that between the two of us we have been to 16 states in the US in the last 5 months and covered at least 12,500 miles! But why? What has been our purpose in being so busy? It is this: we know that God has a plan for our life and right now that is to be in Tarapoto, Peru declaring Christ to the Peruvians. So, we have been busy for this purpose!
Here's a little of what we've been up to these last few months!
Friend-raising
We finished up sharing in churches and with individuals on May 9th . A huge “THANK YOU” goes out to those who had us come share in their church, youth group, or home. We loved seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers, and financial support. We look forward to seeing you all again in a few years.
Wedding
On the most beautiful summer day, we were married in Lewistown, Montana. June 5th was our big day and, though it was filled with busyness, we will never forget the beauty of being united as one in Christ for the rest of our life. Afterwards, we enjoyed our honeymoon on the beautiful Oregon Coast.
We'd like to extend our deepest gratitude to our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins, and friends who gave so very much to make our wedding day the most special day. Thank you all so much!
Peru
We departed from Salt Lake City, UT for Lima, Peru on July 1st and arrived in Lima early in the morning on July 2nd . We stayed in Lima from July 2nd until July 8th then we headed to Tarapoto arriving here on July 8th in the late evening
Paperwork
The main focus of our time in Lima was paperwork. Jonathan renewed his resident card and Bethany applied for her resident card. These cards allow us to live here in Peru as residences which is great for missionary work!
We also enjoyed shopping for our home and spending time with friends in Lima.
Setting up home in Tarapoto
Soon after we arrived in Tarapoto ,we began setting up our house. Jonathan had continued renting his place here while he was in the States so we had a house waiting for us when we arrived! We have really enjoyed setting up our home together and are excited for God to use it to declare Christ.
Ministry to come
As we look to the future of the ministry here in Tarapoto, some changes are going to be taking effect very soon. Delwin and Techy Fowler, our fellow missionaries, are heading back to the States mid-August because of family paperwork. They will be returning in about 9 months. We would really appreciate your prayers for the church here and for us during that time. We will be very busy with working in the church and Spanish lessons. Pray that we would not become weary but lean on God daily for all our strength. Pray also for a young couple, Daniel and Mattie Melendez, who will be coming to help in the church for about 3 months during this time. Please also pray for more laborers to come here soon to help in declaring Christ to the Peruvians. Thank you in advance for your prayers for us!
We thank God for each of you and your prayers!
In Christ's Love,
Jonathan and Bethany Koehn
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