Below you will find the text of our newsletter, however pictures are included in the .pdf attachment.
In Christ,
Jonathan & Bethany Koehn
"To Declare Christ" . . . to a dying world
November 2010
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”
Eph. 2:8
God's grace to us is so very evident when we open our eyes and look around! His great grace has stuck out to us lately especially since Jonathan preached a sermon about His grace from I Corinthians 15:8-11. Paul talks there about how he was an apostle by God's grace alone and we have been thinking about this truth: we are who we are only because of our great God's grace!! Have you stopped lately to realize God's grace to you? He's given all of us much more than we deserve!!
“But by the grace of God I am what I am”
I Cor. 15:10
Please forgive our delayed communication with you all! Here's a little of what's been going on here in Peru that may help to explain the delay.
~Our Move~
We have officially moved twice! We are enjoying our new home where we are temporarily living and taking care of it for the Fowlers. We have already gotten one of the rooms painted. Please pray that we'll be able to settle in here better and better. Also please be praying for God´s next home for us. It is difficult to have to move so often but for now God has given this to us.
Our new address is as follows:
Jonathan and Bethany Koehn
Jr. José Pardo 317
Tarapoto, San Martín
Perú, South America
Just for those who are wondering here is our address again with a little description of what each line stands for:
Jonathan and Bethany Koehn – umm....us!! :)
Jr. José Pardo 317 – street name and house number
Tarapoto, San Martín – city and department (like a state)
Perú, South America – country and continent
*Please pass our address along to others who know us!
**Thanks Mitch Misak for the great idea about describing the overseas address.
~Travels and a friend~
On August 22nd we flew back to the capital of Peru, Lima, to finish up Bethany's paperwork. On August 24th she became an official resident of Peru and received her Carné de Extranjeria!!! Praise the Lord!! On August 22nd we met Kristyna Kelley (one of Bethany's classmates from Frontier School of the Bible) in Lima's airport and spent some time with her before her next flight to Trujillo, Peru. We followed her there in a few days after paperwork was finished. After being assured that she was secure and doing well in the ministry she came to do, we took some time to relax and unwind. We went shopping at a couple Christian bookstores (which is a huge treat for us as there are so few here), ate good food, walked on the beach, talked a lot, and slept in :) We are so thankful for the rest God gave us there! On Saturday of that week we headed back to Tarapoto by bus. It was a long 17 to 18 hours ride but we enjoyed the experience for the most part. Jonathan became “the official” bus door opener :) There was a door that separated our compartment from the rest of the bus and it stuck really bad. Jonathan was sitting near it so he'd help open it again and again even at 2 AM :)
A couple weeks later Kristyna Kelley came to visit us for a week! Her visit was a wonderful encouragement to us. After meals we'd just sit around the table and talk with her which was so good for us! We enjoyed showing her the Lord's work here and taking her to see different beautiful jungle sites! Thanks, Tyna, for coming to see us! You built us up in the Lord so much!!
Us with our friend, Kristyna Us in Lima, Peru Us at a fruit farm with some
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord
~Our ministry~
Our ministry here has been a lot different from what we originally expected it to be and God has lavished His grace on us through each change. Jonathan began preaching each Sunday in Spanish here at the Community Bible Church on August 1st. Our fellow missionaries, Delwin and Techy Fowler, and their children flew to the States at the end of August and Jonathan became a full-time pastor of Community Bible Church of Tarapoto. Bethany began Spanish lessons a few weeks after our arrival in Tarapoto and has continued those as well as started a women's Bible class with two young ladies in the church. She teaches this class in English once a week.
Jonathan is enjoying preaching and Bethany is enjoying teaching. We love getting to know the people here and love them more and more. Learning about the language and culture every day is interesting and, at times, very challenging for us!
One of God's ways of lavishing His grace upon us was to send Daniel and Mattie Melendez here to Tarapoto! They are a young married couple who are working a great deal in the church here with us. They have encouraged us in so many ways and we praise God for them! They are not just fellow workers in the Lord but also are rapidly becoming wonderful friends to us.
~Praises & Prayer Requests~
~ Praise the Lord that we're moved into our new home.
~ Pray that He'll direct and guide our future.
~ Praise for God's continuous provisions for us.
~ Pray for Jonathan as he preaches and Bethany as she teaches.
~ Praise for growth in language and culture!
~ Pray for those we have and do witness[ed] to here in town.
~ Praise the Lord God for His great grace!
Us having supper out with Daniel and Mattie Melendez
A Special Thanks and Request:
We want to say a huge “THANK YOU” to those who write to us and respond to our updates!! We are so encouraged by each of you who write to us!! AND we want to encourage everyone else to follow your example!! Please drop us a line if you're thinking of us or praying for us! We do get lonely here :(
We love you all and are so very thankful for you!!
Declaring Christ,
Jonathan and Bethany Koehn
-- Jonathan & Bethany Koehn serving in the San Martín Project in Peru. Serving God with http://www.tentmakersbiblemission.org If God has directed you to support please go to https://tentmakers.webconnex.com/giving/southamerica Skype: jonathan.g.koehn Facebook: JonathanandBethany Koehn Email: JBKoehn@customgraphicwork.com Website: http://todeclarechrist.customgraphicwork.com ----If you would like to be removed ----from my emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.
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