john_jen_putman's Xanga

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:28:10 GMT

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:57:46 GMT

PUTMAN PONDERINGS NOVEMBER 2009

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” Isaiah 42:9

LIFE IN THE USA

THANKS to all of you who have been praying for our time stateside! It was quite an adjustment at first, but we have gradually “settled.” Of course, we all know what that means….it’s almost time to board the plane again!

Thanks for praying for Hope! She absolutely LOVES Union University! She is enjoying her classes, teachers and many new friends…and she is doing well academically! She’s already signed up for her first “Go Trip” (mission trip) to Boston in the spring. PRAY for Hope to keep God first as she seeks to follow His plan for her life.

Thanks for praying for Mya! She is enjoying her small elementary school close to our mission house. She has great teachers and sweet friends…and she received straight A’s on her 1^st report card! By the way, she had an amazing time at horse riding camp back in July. I think she is learning TN culture….I can tell by her accent!:) PRAY for Mya as she finishes the year in TN and prepares to return to South Africa.

Thanks for praying for the parents! John and Jennifer have been so encouraged at missions conferences and speaking engagements in many of YOUR churches! We are traveling to 6 different states from Oct. to Dec. to share about what God is doing in South Africa. The really awesome part of this journey is seeing what God is doing in churches in the U.S. and exploring how we can partner together in building His kingdom! He has very clearly called out ministry partners from several churches and we are excited about what He will do in the future. PRAY for our relationships with partnering churches to be all that God intends.

THANKS and GIVING

The season of thankfulness and giving is upon us! We want to THANK YOU for your amazing support through prayer, giving and going! Our Southern Baptist friends are familiar with the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which is an annual opportunity to give to International Missions. 100% of this offering goes to overseas missions and it provides 50% of the budget for the IMB. We are well aware of the current economic challenges and want to applaud you for supporting over 5600 missionaries all around the world! At the same time, we must let you know that the shortfall in the LMCO last year is significantly affecting the sending of new missionaries to the field as well as making cuts to ministry budgets in 2010. PRAY with us that this year’s offering will provide for the work God wants done and all glory will be His!

NEW THINGS

As we prepare to return to South Africa in early January, please lift these requests to the Father…

PRAY for sweet moments with family & friends these next 2 months.

PRAY for strength for difficult goodbyes.

PRAY for transition back to Africa & wisdom for the way forward in ministry.

PRAY God’s watch care over Hope.

***Our next newsletter will be from South Africa. So, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!!!***

YOU ARE AMAZING! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:57:13 GMT

TN Kid's Camp

Hope & Georgia

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:48:22 GMT

PUTMAN PONDERINGS JULY 2009

Greetings from Nashville, TN! We have been stateside since April and it’s time to connect with all of you! Here’s whats been going on…

CULTURE SHOCK

……That’s what you get when you go to a new culture and have to learn a lot of new stuff. It feels kind of overwhelming at times. THAT’S HOW WE FEEL COMING TO AMERICA!!! We have to figure out so many things, such as: HDTV, American cell phones, internet, driving on the right, what’s a good price for ground beef, how to use Redbox to rent a movie, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea. Anyhow, for the first couple months, we were ADJUSTING (still areJ )!

HOPE HAPPENINGS

In April, we visited two Baptist universities with Hope. Both are great schools. Both have lots of missionary kids. Both have friends that Hope knows from Africa.

After much prayer, Hope made the decision to attend Union University in Jackson, TN. (Needless to say, the grandparents in Nashville are pleased.) It was a tough choice, as her wonderful (sea creature) friends at Ouachita University were strongly wooing her! Hope begins college life in August!

Meanwhile, Hope keeps busy working as a lifeguard at the local YMCA. She’s also doing some fun stuff….like attending Bigstuf camp with her life long friend, Georgia. Oh! And Hope is learning to drive!J

PRAY for Hope as she prepares to be "on her own" at college!

MYA MOMENTS

Mya is 10 years old and has been in South Africa since she was 3 years old. She absolutely LOVES being with her grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins, but she also misses her home in South Africa. This is an important time for her to experience life in America and we’re trying to find fun ways to do that. Mya will get a bit of Tennessee "culture" at a horse riding camp later this month and she will attend public school starting in August.

PRAY FOR MYA TO HAVE GREAT EXPERIENCES IN THE U.S. THESE NEXT 6 MONTHS!
　
THE PARENTS

John and I are getting some quality time with family and special friends. This requires a bit of travel, but we are always refreshed by these reunions. We’re also making sweet memories with our girls!

And, yes, we’re doing the missionary stuff as well!J We have been blessed by the opportunity to speak at several children’s events and we also have some missions’ conferences on the calendar. And, we are open to speaking at churches…..

We are SO THANKFUL for all of you who have supported us in prayer and through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering/ Cooperative Program. We would love to come share with your church what God is doing in our part of South Africa! Please email us at johnjenhmputm@yahoo.com OR call us at 615-866-7378 to schedule a time we can visit you! We’re here till the end of 2009!

PLEASE PRAY

Keep praying for the work in South Africa…..for new believers to grow in their faith, for MEN to come to God, for church leaders to live holy lives, for young people to follow God’s plan for sex & marriage…

"Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." Romans 10:1

Monday, June 22, 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:21:03 GMT

JOSIE! John's niece's daughter

NOAH! John's niece's son

Fun with KRISTY & MELANIE!!

MYRTLE BEACH!!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:09:51 GMT

Dear Prayer Partners,

It's been a long time...... Guess you could say we've had a hard time with American technology!:) You'll notice I am writing you from our yahoo address. This is because we are unable to SEND from our atlantic address. You may contact us at johnjenhmputm@yahoo.com OR putman@lantic.net as we do RECEIVE from both addresses!

We have been stateside for 2 months now and I think we're experiencing a sort of "reverse culture shock!" It's just hard to catch up after you've been away for 4 years!

We are praising God for many things....time with family and friends, a wonderful church (Two Rivers Baptist), Hope's college decision, Hope's job, a vacation at the beach..... and.... we are gearing up for some speaking engagements!

Please PRAY for John and I as we prepare to speak at children's camps, churches and conferences. PRAY that we will share in a way that is engaging and truly shows the heart of God for South Africa.

PLEASE PRAY for my teaching partner in South Africa, Ma Mbeta and her husband. Their six month old baby, Thandi, died in April. Many of you prayed for them through the many months that Thandi struggled with various illnesses.

Please PRAY for Mary and Lesley as they continue to teach in the schools around Rustenburg. The department of education is changing its policy about outside groups teaching in the schools. So, we are not sure how long this door will remain open. PRAY for the students to be receptive to the BIblical life skills that Mary and Lesley are teaching.

THanks so much for your continued prayer support! We will be stateside until January. If you want us to speak at your church sometime, please contact us by email....preferrably the yahoo address!

Jen

Monday, March 16, 2009

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:27:13 GMT

Portable baptistry!

Ma Mpetha & Thandi

Monday, March 16, 2009

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:12:00 GMT

Dear Prayer Warriors,

I am writing, first, with a BIG PRAISE!!! We had a baptismal service at Freedom Park yesterday!! Four of the ladies I have been teaching were baptised!! We are praising God for this milestone!

We had a lot of rain and the dirt roads out there were quite a mess, but we managed to drive close to the place and then John pulled the portable baptism (trailer) to the actual spot!:) It took quite awhile for me to collect all of the ladies...there was some confusion....but, alas! we made it! It was a wonderful time of celebration and of challenging these for the way ahead!! PRAY for Ntabiseng, Nkagisang, Ma Kgotso & Matsia to grow in their faith and to share it with others!

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST

As we celebrate, we also have much sadness. All of the bloodwork came back for baby Thandi and we have discovered she is HIV+. The doctors have started her on antiretroviral drugs, as her immune system is not coping.

This is quite complicated as the parents were unaware of any HIV infection before this time. Please keep the Mpetha family in your prayers as they walk through this time.

LAST....the Putman family leaves South Africa in just 2 weeks. Pray for us as we say goodbyes, pack, etc.

THANKS!!!!!!!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:39:51 GMT

Hope at her new job!

Hope & Mya

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:25:49 GMT

THE ROAD TO RUSTENBURG FEB 2009

The Putman family has lived in Rustenburg, South Africa for 4 years and 2 months! That means….it’s time for stateside assignment! We will be in the states from April to December 2009. During this time we will be speaking in churches, camps and missions conferences. We will spend time with family and friends. And we’ll be getting Hope started in university! Wow! We must be getting old!J

We are so thankful for all of our prayer supporters who have walked this journey with us. Please keep praying as we prepare to leave our lives, ministries and team in South Africa. Pray for our hearts to be ready to embrace new opportunities stateside.

Just a few highlights of the past 3 months….

We spent a week in the Cape Town area early in December. This is the most beautiful place! If you’ve ever dreamed of being where the mountains meet the ocean, you must come to Cape Town! We so enjoyed the beaches, the seaside towns and just the incredible beauty of God’s creation. [see pics on xanga from Dec.]

Another highlight for me (Jen) was sharing the Christmas story from Luke’s gospel in the squatter camp at Freedom Park. I was sharing how Mary was just a girl from an average home, how Jesus was born in a place where animals are kept and how a great crowd of angels came to some lowly shepherds….Suddenly, I looked around at the delapidated shacks made from rusty pieces of zinc and at the people in their well-worn clothes and I KNEW that I was in a place and with a people that GOD cares about! Isn’t it awesome that Luke wrote a gospel that shows God caring about everyday, common people….even outcasts?!

January brought the annual missionary prayer retreat which was held in Rustenburg. John was the main logistics guy and he really worked hard! He took care of the many details of the conference, as well as planning the extra days of travel, ministry & touring of our visiting team from the U.S. The Rustenburg team enjoyed showing the visitors some of our ministry places. They even got their feet dirty!J

Other "highlights"….MYA began grade 4 in a new school….Hope got a job in an early learning center (she also cut her hair)….John has been chained to the computer doing "admin"…..Jen has been stuck in the mud 3 times out at Freedom Park!!!

KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING….

Pray God’s blessing on these final weeks with the lady’s Bible studies at FP. We are planning a baptism for March!
Pray for wisdom as we put things in order, pack, freight, etc.
Pray for John as he hands over responsibilities to fellow teammates and to nationals.
Pray for Hope and Mya as they say some difficult goodbyes.

YOU ARE THE BEST!! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON!!

"Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God." Psalm 90:2

check out our xanga at http://www.xanga.com/john_jen_putman