To Declare Christ

To Declare Christ Dec.-Jan.

2012-01-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings!!! Please see the attached PDF for our lastest newsletter!! If you cannot open the attachment we have included the text below for you to read!!
In Christ, Jonathan & Bethany & Hadassah

Greetings Dear Family & Friends,

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."

2 Peter 1:2-4

We read these verses together just the other day and were reminded, as we have been often of late, that Jesus came to take our sins away and to give us new and abundant life in Him. God has been encouraging us lately to continue on in our growth in Him. He has given us everything we need to live a more godly life...it is all in His Word! We have been learning to share God's truth, to love with His love, and to stand strong in His Word which is absolutely true. We hope some of the things God has been teaching us will also encourage you and draw you closer to our LORD.

Well, much has happened since we last wrote! Our little girl is growing and growing! God is continuing to show Himself faithful! And we are enjoying the ministry here more and more!

We'll share a bit with you. . .

Ministry

Over the holidays, we enjoyed a Christmas Eve service and praise the Lord for the ones He brought to that. There were some people who have not attended CBC in some time and there were some who are unsaved. Jonathan preached a very clear Gospel message and we pray God works in the hearts of the unsaved who were there.

We are enjoying getting to know the people in the church more and more.

Since we last wrote. . .

~ we have had a couple of good get-togethers with the 3 youth – Zach, Libby, & Sophia.

~ we have had good long talks over coffee and even enjoyed a Peruvian meal with Donna.

~ we have gone to a high school play with Donna and Lonnie & Eddie and their kids.

All the folks we just mentioned attend CBC and we ask that you pray for them! Thanks!!

All the Brothers & Sisters at CBC are such an encouragment to us. Two of them have recently shared with us how they have been inviting different people to church! Praise God for their faith and boldness!!

Jonathan is continuing to preach through 1 John in adult Sunday School and Acts in Sunday service. He is also teaching Firm Foundations in Wednesday evening Bible study. Please pray for him as he studies and prepares messages. Preparing lessons and messages is alot of work and he enjoys it so much! We praise God for giving him this privilege!!

Outreach

When we first arrived in Coalville we were very excited about the potential of a future Hispanic ministry here! And we are still excited about it!! We have met a few Hispanics here and there and are enjoying getting to know them better. We have decided to continue to build those relationships with the future goal of starting a Bible study with the friends we make through the relationship building.

Getting to know our neighbors, our postmistresses, our librarians, and grocery store workers has also been enjoyable and exciting for us. We feel like we're moving more and more into the community. . .bit by bit :)

Family

On February 5^th we will celebrate 1 year and 8 months of marriage!! The time has flown by and we have enjoyed every minute of our marriage!! Please continue to pray for our marriage to be strengthened in the Lord and praise Him for the marriage He has given us!!

Our little Hadassah is getting big!! She will be 12 weeks old on Sunday, January 29^th!! We are so blessed by her little life and thank our Heavenly Father so very much for her!!! Please pray for patience and wisdom from God as we raise our little one up in His ways.

We enjoyed so much getting to spend time with the Estell family and the Koehn family over the holidays!! We praise God for them and ask that you would too!!

Important!!

Since we are now serving the Lord as missionaries in Coalville and the surrounding area we have had a project name change. Our project name is now: Utah Project.

~ If you support us financially on a regular basis please be sure to change the memo on your checks to: "For Utah Project"!

~ If you would like to come on as a regular financial supporter or would like to give a one time gift please be sure to write your checks out to Tentmakers Bible Mission and put "For Utah Project" in the memo line! Their address is:
Tentmakers Bible Mission, Inc.
P.O. Box 160
401B Highway 151
LaGrange, WY 82221

Thanks so much to those who support us financially!! We would not be able to make it without you!! We praise God for you because we know, as Paul did, that the gifts you give actually increase the profit to your account!!

"Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account." Philippians 4:17

Thank you for reading our newsletter!! We praise God for you prayers for us!!

In Christ's Love,

Jonathan & Bethany

and

Hadassah

--  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan & Bethany Koehn serving in the San Martín Projectin Coalville, UT. 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 our emailing please let us know, thank-you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Dear Ones - It's a Girl - Newsletter

2011-11-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

To Declare Christ

Colossians 4:3

Its a girl!!! Hadassah Louise Koehn
(See attachment for this picture.)

Greetings Dear Ones,

We thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf and our baby's. Praise to God! God's precious gift of a little girl that He has given us to take care of Hadassah Louise Koehn was born on November 13, 2011 at 2:22pm in the afternoon weighing 7 lbs, 11 oz with a length of 21.5 inches. She has brownish/black hair which may change we'll see! We are so thankful for her. We are a bit tired especially Bethany who had 29 hours of labor but praise be to God who gave her strength. Pray for a speedy recovery. She is doing great so far. You can find some pictures of her on our facebook account: JonathanandBethany Koehn and here are a few to look at. For those interested Hadassah is the Hebrew name of Queen Esther, and Hadassah means "Myrtle".

Hadassah shortly after birth. With Daddy & Mommy. Who's not sleeping here? :)
(See attachment for these pictures.)

Praise:

-Praise for Hadassah's birth.

-Praise for Family who loves us so much, and kept right on praying during labor.

-Praise for Lonnie who filled the pulpit part of our wonderful church family at Calvary Bible Church that has given us time to rest.

-Praise for the wonderful Midwives God gave us.

-Praise for the quiet home birth.

Prayer:

-For Bethany's continued recovery

-For Hadassah's growing

-Wisdom from God on how to raise His precious gift.

-Wisdom in developing a new schedule with a new family member.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You make it possible that we can be your hands and feet here in the mission field of Utah.

In Christ strength Alone,

Jonathan & Bethany

--  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan & Bethany Koehn serving in the San Martín Projectin Coalville, UT. 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 our emailing please let us know, thank-you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

October Prayer Letter

2011-10-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings in Christ,
Attached is our latest prayer letter and the text is below for those who cannot open the attachment. Thank you all for your prayers for us!! In Him, Jonathan & Bethany

To Declare Christ – Colossians 4:3
From Calvary Bible Church in Coalville, UT, and the surrounding area

Ministry: We are enjoying ministry here at Calvary Bible Church, and ministry in our home area.

At church we are getting to know some of the different ones bit by bit. One such opportunity was taking three youth, connected to church, to Frontier Focus at Frontier School of the Bible. We had a wonderful time getting to know them and seeing them get to know Frontier School of the Bible.

We have enjoyed the opportunity getting to have different ones over to our little house, we are so thankful for this privilege.

At church on Wednesday evenings we continue forward in Firm Foundation a chronological study series. This Wednesday we will be looking at God's creation of Adam & Eve.

On Sundays, we are studying 1 John in Sunday School which is a wonderful challenge and a great book on our fellowship/maturity with God. We will be getting into 1 John 2:14-17 this Sunday, Lord willing. During the main part of the service we are in the book of Acts, a wonderful book of transition. We will be in Acts 2:22-36, Lord willing, this Sunday.

Here is a picture (to the left) from Calvary Bible Church on a Wednesday evening of me (Jonathan) visiting with a Brother in the Lord.

Home: Our home area, where our house is located, is the little town of Echo. (Above picture is our little post office.) We sometimes have opportunities for hospitality with people from church and people from the little town of Echo. Please pray for us to get to know the people in our neighborhood.

Some of the people we are meeting and getting to know are Mike, our landlord, Beverly the post mistress, and Ann, a neighbor. Please be praying for them. We'd like to get to know more people in the area. Here are a few pictures (to the left and right) of our home that Bethany is wonderfully decorating.

Family: Bethany's health is doing well as we wait for our little one to arrive. We are waiting until birth to find out if the little one is a boy or a girl. Especially since this is our first child, we are waiting with nervousness because of the new roles God is giving us as father and mother. We know God will use this little one to stretch and grow us to be more like Christ. We are so thankful for this. Thank you for your prayers in this regard. And praise be to God that the baby and Bethany are healthy.

Praise & Prayer Requests:

Please pray for us in the ministry here. For God's wisdom with our little one. Praise God for the opportunity to be in ministry and the opportunity to study His precious Word each week.

In Christ, Jonathan & Bethany Koehn

--  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan & Bethany Koehn serving in the San Martín Projectin Coalville, UT. 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 our emailing please let us know, thank-you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ministry Update & New Home!

2011-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings Dear Ones,

New Home:
    We wanted to let you all know that we have a new street address, and mailing address.
We have found a house to rent and are getting setup in it.
It is around 5-7 miles from Coalville in a little town of Echo which is right off of I-80 and I-84.
Our street address is
33 Temple Lane
Echo, UT 84024
If you all would like to visit sometime.

And our mailing address is:
Jonathan & Bethany Koehn
PO Box 34
Echo, UT 84024

New Beginnings
Thank you all so much for praying for us as we sought God's direction.
We give praise to God for directing us into this next step.
    We enjoyed our first Sunday as Missionary Pastor and Wife this past Sunday the 18th of September.

Ministries:
    Youth:
        The weekend of September 29- October 1st we are taking three youth Libby 16, Ashton 18, and Zack 22 to Frontier Focus which is a college preview weekend of Frontier School         of the Bible.
    Sundays:
        We are in 1 John in Sunday school and just started Acts for the morning message.
    Wednesdays:
        Brother Lonnie is finishing up Zechariah then we will start in a series called Firm Foundations which is a Chronological study focusing on Christ through the Old & New                         Testament.
    Community:
        We need wisdom with starting a future hispanic ministry here. Roughly 20% of the community speaks Spanish as their first language, their heart language, meaning they get                 jokes better, they understand better in Spanish, and they are more open in their heart language. We are enjoying building relationships with the owners of a local Hispanic                 grocery store. The wife hinted that especially in winter, which is harsh here, there might be more open doors to minister to the hispanics because many hispanics find it hard         to drive to Park City for their religion due to the harsh winter.
Praise & Prayer:
    Please continue to pray for us as we get to know the church people, the community and seek God's direction about ministries here.
    Praise for finding a home near Calvary Bible Church in Coalville, UT.
   Please pray for God's continued provision.

In Christ,
    Jonathan & Bethany

--  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan & Bethany Koehn serving in the San Martín Projectin Coalville, UT. 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 our emailing please let us know, thank-you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Praise the Lord!!

2011-09-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We would like to share a huge praise with you so that you too can praise God with us!! On Sunday, August 28, Calvary Bible Church of Coalville, UT voted to have us come as Pastor and wife! We are so excited about God's clear direction for us and are reminded of Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

We will be ministering in Coalville for a year interim after which the church and we will see if God's is directing for a longer stay. Jonathan will begin preaching on the Sunday of September 18^th. We have already enjoyed getting to know the church in Coalville for a short time and we look forward to the time to come with them! We are also excited about learning about the community of Coalville and the relationships we know we will develop. The people in Coalville, like so many around the world, need Jesus Christ and we are grateful and humbled by God giving us the opportunity to be able to reach out to them with His love. Please pray for us as we move into this ministry and thank God for giving us this wonderful opportunity!!

Another small but important praise we want to share is that God has provided us with a good and reliable car. We are so thankful for this blessing!

Please pray for God to direct us to a house to rent. The possibilities we were looking into have not worked out and so we are still looking for a place. Please pray that we will find a place soon.

Lastly, we want to thank you all for your prayers, love, and financial support. We will be continuing as Tentmakers Bible Mission missionaries and are so thankful for your prayers and financial support which enable us to be able to minister in Coalville as missionary pastor and wife. Your lives are such a blessing to ours!

Excited to Declare Christ in Coalville,

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 our emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.

To Declare Christ -- August -- New Beginnings

2011-08-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings in Jesus Christ,
Please see the attached .pdf file for the newsletter with pictures or you can read it below without pictures.
In Christ,
Jonathan & Bethany Koehn

To Declare Christ

~ August 2011 ~

God's Gift – A Little Life

The Koehns are growing!! We are excited to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family! We are expecting a young one at the end of October. We're looking forward so very much to this new little one and give praise to God for him/her!

Thanks be to God for our first year of marriage which we celebrated on June 5^th. We are so thankful for the blessing our marriage has been to us and look forward to many more years together!

God's Gift – Time with Family

Fun times with the Estells

In Montana: We got to spend time up in Montana with our family getting to know them a little more. We enjoyed days with Mom and getting to go uptown with her and chatting with her this summer. Also, we enjoyed the time God gave us with the Estell siblings and getting to know them and make memories with them.

Some of you may have heard about the fire this summer in Montana that injured Jonathan and took Mom's house. Please pray or continue praying for Jonathan's healing (he's doing really well and healing wonderfully) and that Mom and our siblings would continue to recover emotionally, etc (God has provided a new house for them and been so good to them in all this). Thank you for your prayers.

Enjoying dinner with the Koehns

We also praise God that we got to share how He has been directing us with our home church in Buffalo, Mt and also with our supporting church in Denton, Mt. We are so thankful for these Brothers and Sisters and their faithful prayers and love for us!

In Utah: We have enjoyed the time God has given us to spend with the Koehn side of the family here in Utah. Getting to spend time talking with Dad and Mom has been wonderful for us. We are so glad to see the Koehn siblings again and have loved being able to spend time with them this summer. We look forward to spending a bit more time with them this summer before we head to where God is directing us.

We are thankful to the Lord for giving us the opportunity to share with our home church here in Richfield, Ut as well this summer. Again, we praise God for the Brothers and Sisters He has given us in this local body of believers and are so thankful for their faithful prayers and love for us.

God's Gift - Direction

Where: God has been leading us onward to Utah. We are praying about serving the Lord in a small church in Utah and have been looking into that possibility. We will be able to share more information with you about this later on as God continues to direct us.

Religion: The local religion in the area we are looking into is the same as the religion in the majority of Utah which is Mormonism which was founded on the writings of Joseph Smith from the 1800s. Our desire is to share the truths of the Gospel and God's Word in love with the people of Utah.

Church: We are praying about working with a small church in a small town in Utah. This church is the only evangelical church in the town of some 1,400 people. There are three other nearby towns as well without any evangelical churches. We are praying about being Pastor and wife in this local church and look forward to God's direction. Please pray for us and these local believers to clearly see God's direction in this matter.

Fun water games at VBS

Hispanics: We are also greatly encouraged by the local hispanic population. We've enjoyed already getting to visit in Spanish with some of the local Hispanics. We look forward to God's direction for us in the area of Hispanic ministry! Who knows, perhaps down the road we would be able to hold a Bible study in Spanish with them!!

Vacation Bible School: We enjoyed leading the Vacation Bible School at Richfield Bible Church for a week this summer. We also enjoyed leading another week of Vacation Bible School in the small town we've seen God directing us towards. The lessons we shared with the kids were centered around the Lamb, Jesus Christ. And we enjoyed so much sharing Christ, getting to know the kids, having fun, being challenged, and working with different people to make these VBSs happen!

Jonathan sharing the Gospel at VBS

Praise & Prayer:

-Praise to God for His protection during the fire

-Praise that Jonathan's legs are healing quickly

-Praise for God's provision for the Estell's

-Praise to God for the time He has given us with family this summer.

-Praise to God for the opportunities He is giving us to serve Him

-Praise to God for His direction and His continued leading

-Prayer for God's continued direction (after August 28^th we should know more)

-Prayer for a house to rent wherever God directs us

-Prayer for a car to purchase soon

-Prayer for our baby who is due the end of October

We thank each of you for your prayers, love, and support for us as we serves the Lord wherever He takes us!

Seeking to always declare Christ,

Jonathan & 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 our emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.

To Declare Christ - May 2011

2011-05-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

“To Declare Christ”

May 2011

“At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding

and revealed them to little children;'” Matthew 11:25

It is important to remember, along with Paul (I Cor. 2:1-5), that our salvation is not based in our own wisdom but in the power of God. Praise to God that it is through His power, and not our wisdom and understanding, that we have salvation. Dear believers, please learn, along with us, that as believers we need to stay rooted in God's power and we need to be careful not to rely on our wisdom and understanding (not that we don't study but, we recognize it is GOD's Word and not our word) in the life God has given us.

Celebrating Hugo's Birthday (who is in the middle) (To see this picture ask for a PDF copy of this newsletter)

Brotherly Fellowship – We have been enjoying lots of fellowship time with our Brothers and Sisters in the Community Bible Church here. One day after church we all headed to the river in a small rented bus. We had a great time eating, swimming, enjoying the sun, playing soccer and volleyball, and just sitting around talking together. We have also been celebrating quite a few birthdays (including our own) amongst all the Brothers and Sisters here lately and that has been a fun way to get together and enjoy celebrating the lives God has given to us.

The team came from all over the USA (To see this picture ask for a PDF copy of this newsletter)

Short-term Team – A team arrived from the USA in late February and was here for about 10 days. They ministered through a Pastor's Bible Conference which was held for 3 days. They all shared in the plaza (town square) and we enjoyed their sermons and testimonies here in the local church. We are thankful for God bringing them here for a time. We'd like to thank each one of them who encouraged us in the Lord during their short time here. We were very encouraged by you!!

Jonathan praying at a dedication service in the church (To see this picture ask for a PDF copy of this newsletter)

Keeping Busy – Jonathan is now preaching through the book of Ephesians and we have enjoyed all the deep truths found there and grown through studying this book in the church. Please pray for Jonathan as he preaches. Satan's attacks come unexpected at times and they can cause very interesting situations. But God has been teaching us, recently, that through Satan's attacks we learn to hold up the shield of faith “. . .with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:15)

We have also begun selling things and packing. Please pray for everything to sell that needs to sell. Also, we appreciate your prayers for us to have wisdom as we pack because when moving from one country to another the packing can get tricky :)

Praise & Prayer:

~ Praise for all the rain and cooler weather God has been giving us lately.

~ Prayer for God to direct us exactly where He wants us to minister for Him in the States.

~ Praise for the growth we have seen in our lives and the lives of the Brothers and Sisters here!

~ Prayer for God's provision for our upcoming needs as we move to the States – car, house, appliances, etc.

~ Praise to God for all the friendships and experiences He has given us here in Peru!!!

Thank you all for your prayers and support for us in so many ways!!

In Christ's Love,

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 our emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.

Arrival in Utah

2011-03-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://www.7is7.com/otto/countdown.html?year=2011&month=6&date=1&hrs=16&ts=12&tz=-420&min=40&sec=0&lang=en&show=MWdhms&mode=t&cdir=down&bgcolor=%23CCFFFF&fgcolor=%23000000&title=Arrival%20in%20Utah">Arrival in Utah</a>

Declaring Christ -- Special Edition --

2011-02-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings Family, Friends, Supporters,
You will find below our newsletter, but to see it with pictures please open the attached .pdf file.
In Christ's Love,
Jonathan & Bethany

“I will instruct you and

teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

~ Psalm 32:8 ~

Taking Youth to Camp

Since we first landed here in Peru it has been a wonderful place of growing and changing and learning to be more like Jesus. Jonathan first came here in summer of '08 and Bethany in summer of '09. Then, we arrived, in God's direction, as a married couple on July 2, 2010. We planned on staying as long as God directed us. We never knew how long He would keep us here but just like Proverbs 16:9 says “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”God has used the believers here to encourage us, challenge us and love us. Each person He has brought into our life here has taught us something! We are so encouraged by how God has been strengthening us as a married couple here too! All in all, the time God has given us in Peru has been tremendous and we won't take any of it back.

Our friend
Katty Melendez's 21st Birthday Party

Since December, we have been praying for the Lord's direction about our next step as missionaries. After much prayer and seeking godly counsel, God has shown us that His next step for us is to move to the USA. God has shown us this is His next step for us through several means. We would like to share a few with you now. We have seen that there will soon be a huge transition time in our life. We began to see that when our fellow missionaries, the Fowlers, arrive here we will need to find a new house and also a new ministry as we have been filling in for them while they've been gone. We saw that God was pushing us on to something else. We also began to pray and think about building stronger relationships with our closest supporters, our families, in the States. After our marriage, we were not able to spent the needed amount of time with them in order to the build strong, lasting relationships that we desire with them. We saw God instructing us to move to the USA in order to build stronger relationships with them. We have a great desire to be heavily involved in a church-centered ministry serving as missionary pastor and wife. We love one-on-one discipling and the close relationships that are developed between a pastor and wife and a local church. We know there is need for pastors/church-planters in the States and so God taught us that He wants us to minister in the USA. Do we still see a need in Peru? Of course!! There is always a need everywhere. Lord willing, we hope to come to Peru, in the future, on some short-term training trips. However, we see that the combination of what God has instructed us and taught us is leading us to the USA to minister, as long as He directs.

We are so thankful for our team here, Delwin & Techy Fowler, who are presently in the states working on Techy's citizenship, and Daniel & Mattie Melendez, who are working alongside us here in Peru. We've enjoyed getting to know Daniel & Mattie over the last 8 months or so. They are a godly couple seeking to serve the Lord. Delwin and Techy have been such a blessing to our life and have become dear friends. We know God will continue to use Delwin & Techy and Daniel & Mattie in the ministry here. Please continue to pray for them in the work here as God uses them. 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” They have a very valuable ministry.

. . . continued on next page

Some things you should know:

We love the ministry!! We desire to stay in long-term ministry where ever God leads us. We will be staying in ministry, will be staying with Tentmakers Bible Mission, and will be staying in the service of the LORD!!! We will also still be missionaries and are so thankful for your continued support in this next step of God's will.

Still planning. . . We are, of course, still in the planning, packing, planning, packing stage so, we not every detail is ironed out. We are praying about and looking into ministry in the Utah/Idaho mission field area.

Going forward!! We know that this is not a step back for us. Oh, NO, this is a step forward for us in God's will for our life. Thank you so much for being with us in your prayers and your financial support!

When? Lord willing we will be arriving in the states on June 1^st.

Prayer Requests:

~ Please continue to pray for us as we seek the Lord's direction about the specific place He wants us to minister.

~ Thank you all for your prayers as we continue the Lord's work here in Tarapoto. Please keep praying for Jonathan as he preaches and teaches here in the church. Pray that our Spanish would only get better and better.

~ A team from the States will be arriving on February 26^th and staying through March 7^th !! We are anticipating there arrival and wrapping up details for their stay so, we covet your prayers about this.

~ Please continue to pray for the field here in Peru as there is still a great need for training the local believers here.

~ Please pray for the people to whom we will minister next and whom will minister next to us. Pray for God to direct us to them and them to us and all our hearts to be open to His will.

Final Note:

~ Please feel free to email and ask us if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing back from you.

We love you all and are thankful for you love for us!! ¡Muchas gracias por tus oraciones! Thank you all so much for you prayers!!

In Christ's Love,

Jonathan & Bethany

--  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.

Seeking to Declare Christ

2011-02-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Greeting Family and Friends,

We pray that things are going well for each of you. Please let us know if you have prayer requests you would like us to be praying about.
We've attached a copy of our latest newsletter and the text is below for those who can't open the file.
Thanks to each of you for your support and encouragement!!
In Christ, Jonathan and Bethany

“At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ . . .”

Colossians 4:3

Teresa & Naomi – When we first arrived here in Tarapoto we began to build a friendship with a young woman who works in a grocery store that we frequently go to here. Her name is Teresa. Slowly but surely we have been growing our friendship and trust with her. One day, after the tragic death of one of her co-workers, we shared a Gospel tract with her. Then, we decided to invite her to our house last Monday. When she and her daughter arrived Bethany and she visited for quite awhile and we enjoyed time with her little girl, Naomi. Then she invited us to go with her to see a resort where her brother works. We spent about 5 hours with her eating lunch, walking around, seeing beautiful jungle animals, boating around a little lake, and taking pictures. She seemed to really enjoy it and we very much enjoyed being with her.

Please pray for her to trust in Christ. She does understand that God has a purpose for her life as He saved her from dying from an overdose. And He indeed does have a plan for her life! Please pray that she would stop depending on herself and her works and see her need for Christ. Please also pray that we can continue to build a trust and friendship with her.

Ministry here and now – Life is keeping us on our toes and has not been anywhere near boring lately :)

Jonathan will soon be finishing preaching in Spanish from I Corinthians after roughly 6 months of filling in. He picked up in chapter 11 at the end of July. We are in chapter 16 and will be starting a two part series about the travels of Paul, Timothy, and Apollos from I Corinthians 16:5-12. We are learning about how Paul desired and planned to come visit the Corinthian believers to collect their donations for the church in Jerusalem. But, God had other plans for Paul and he did not arrive in Corinth until quite some time later, much later than he expected to be there. “A man's heart plans his way but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Last Saturday Bethany finished a discipleship class with two godly young ladies here in the church. This class has been a wonderful encouragement to Bethany and, we pray, to Katy and Paola as well. Please continue to pray for these two young women. Katy as she heads to Bible school in Lima, Peru and Paola as she continues to work and live here in Tarapoto.

We are also looking forward to different things going on with members of the church here. These include some of the youth going to camp this next week and a church outing to a nearby river for fellowship and lunch together the following Sunday!

Upcoming excitements – We are looking forward to and prepping for the arrival of a team from the USA. They will be arriving on February 26^th and departing on March 7^th. While they are here they will be teaching a Pastors/Church Leaders Conference for about 3 days. They will be ministering in the church here and they will also be involved in evangelist outreach here. We are excited to have them here. Please pray for their health, both physical and spiritual, while they are here. Pray that God will work effectively through them.

We are so thankful for each of you and your prayers for us!! Thank you for standing with us to be lights in this dark world.

Declaring Christ,

Jonathan & 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.

Are we always looking for something New or are we growing in the Truth?

2010-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon dear ones,
    Sometimes when sharing from the precious word of God it seems we are talking to the choir. Everyone knows this already. So as we study we are always trying to find something new which can be good but how well do we grow in the truth that we do know? How often do we forget what God has taught us? Please read here with me from 2 Peter 1:12-15 "12. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14. knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind."
    Our lives on earth are so short, and we have but a lifetime to make an impact. We should be as Peter here stirring up the believers in Jesus Christ with the truth. To get the context of this verse read with me here in verses 2 through 4 of the same chapter. " 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3. seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."
    We have so many wonderful promises of the Word of God that we too often forget. We can be so quick to say I know that, I don't need to listen to the Word of God today. However we including myself need to listen, know, and apply the precious Word of God.
    Let's see if we can be like Peter and stir up the believers to remember God's Word not our own words but God's Word so that when we leave whether we leave the area we live at or whether we die as Peter was speaking of they will be able to call the precious Word of God to mind.
In Christ,
    Jonathan & 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 our emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.

To Declare Christ - Nov 2010

2010-11-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

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 22^nd we flew back to the capital of Peru, Lima, to finish up Bethany's paperwork. On August 24^th she became an official resident of Peru and received her Carné de Extranjeria!!! Praise the Lord!! On August 22^nd 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 1^st. 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.

Praise & Prayer God is so AWESOME

2010-10-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings Family & Friends,

ok, God is soo SUPER AWESOME!! We just wanna share a little story about Him tonight...we went out this evening to buy groceries etc. and one of the things we decided to do was get a book, Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, printed and bound.We went by the printing place to get the process started then went on to do our other business. When we came back we found the lady who works in/owns the printing shop read the book she had printed off for us. It is in Spanish and is a book... that chronologically studies the central theme of the Bible: Jesus Christ. It is very interesting and is focused on people who have had some sort of "Christian" background but are unsaved and is focused on new believers in Jesus Christ. We were so happy to see her reading it and she said she really liked it. We ended up buying the book and then giving it to her as a gift. Please pray for her that God's Word would work in her heart and she would put her trust in Jesus Christ!! Thanks for your prayers for her and us!! ♥

In Christ,
Jonathan & 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 our emailing please let me know, ----thank-you.

Honored Guests

2010-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Peru,
Have you ever felt very honored to have certain guests staying with you? Tonight as we rushed around to prepare a room for our guests I, Bethany, paused to realize that I felt so very honored to have these people staying with us! But why? Well, when Jonathan first came to Peru he took a trip to a small village to live with and learn from a Brother in the Lord for a week. This Brother's name is Augusto and Jonathan's respect and love for this Brother and his family grew the more time he spent with him. I heard about Jonathan's trip and so I, too, came to love and respect Augusto, his wife,Nilda, and family. And just this evening we spent time a church gathering with Augusto and Nilda. You see, Brother Augusto and Sister Nilda are very strong believers and they work very hard for the Lord here spite many physical troubles! They travel from village to village sharing God's Word book by book. Just tonight Nilda shared with me how she enjoys teaching the women of other villages that they are to be a helpmeet to their husbands and this is a gift from God. These two believers encourage us to go on with the work of the Lord here and we are so very honored to have the staying with us tonight!! So, we have a question for you. . .do you feel honored when those who deserve honor stay in your home?
Thank you for your prayers!!
In Jesus, Jonathan and Bethany

--  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.

Honored Guests

2010-08-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

We're moving!

2010-08-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

God has blessed us with a comfy little house here in Tarapoto but His time for us to be in this house is up. Delwin and Techy Fowler, our fellow missionaries, are traveling to the U.S.A. for paperwork reasons and so they offered to let us settle into their home while they are gone. This works really well for us and is such a blessing to us in many ways. So, on August 24 we will be moving. Right now our homes are not very far apart so this won't be a hard move. Please pray for us though! Have a blessed day!

To Declare Christ - July 2010

2010-08-09T15:14:00.001-07:00

“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 9^th . 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 5^th 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 1^st and arrived in Lima early in the morning on July 2^nd . We stayed in Lima from July 2^nd until July 8^th then we headed to Tarapoto arriving here on July 8^th 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