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“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

We have said it several times before and I am sure we will say it again, but we are humbly blessed by the willingness of so many of you to join us in prayer, to encourage us along the way, and to join us in financial support. November 27th, we gave our last ministry update at our home and sending church, Grace Baptist Church of Kennewick, WA. We had the blessing of looking back and helping them see the stones that have been laid in our lives. Stones that God would bring to our lives to help encourage us in the ministry, stones to remind us of how great a God we serve, stones to keep us faithful.

This is why we have chosen to stack stones in our hearts and minds. To remember how great a God we serve and to remember many of you who have joined us in this ministry.

The Month of November we were blessed to be part of the Treasure Valley Missions Conference in Boise, ID. A huge thank you to Notus Baptist Church for allowing our family to stay in the mission’s house. I think in the last 2 years we have had the blessing of staying there 4 times and have grown close to several of the members at Notus. What a blessing they have been to our home.

The conference is a wonderful time for missionaries to connect with several churches over the course of a two-week window. We shared this time with Missionaries from North America, Central America, South America, and Africa. It was a great blessing to pick some brains on ministries and to share in encouraging local bodies to faithful service.

Columbia Heights Baptist Church poured out a lot of love on our family and gifted us with an amazing time of encouragement and fellowship. It was a blessing to kick off our time sharing with them. We were then able to be part of several ministries including two symposiums, a lunch and pie social, some family game nights, and a youth rally. We shared our ministry with Kuna Baptist Church, Involve Church, and Notus Baptist Church. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement. Many wonderful memories were made!

Wrapping up the month we were able to arrive home with time to attend the annual Harvest Banquet at GBC. This was a great time to be home, be with family, and begin the process of closing out this chapter in our ministry. We shared a two year wrap up at Grace this last Sunday evening. It was a blessing and great encouragement to us to thank them one more time publicly for their faithfulness to our family. They have served us very well as a sending church. Now we get to the busy work of packing and preparing for the journey to Texas for Language School.

• Praise: We have been selling things off and the Tahoe sold this last weekend! Still working through anything else we can get sold before dumping things.
• Please keep praying for us as we prepare for the move to Texas. The Lord has the details and is showing us just a little bit at a time. Already things are coming together for this adjustment.
• Please pray that we would use our time wisely in enjoying time this Christmas with the kids and make it full of great memories for them.

We want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas! We may not send out a long ministry update this month in light of the prepping to move and the busyness of Christmas, but we do not want it to go untold, we praise the Lord for each and every one of you! May the joy of a newborn babe, laid in a manger, sent to save His people from their sins be the light of this Christmas season.

Jaha Paraguay Pe!

The Loucks Family

” While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night Shall not cease.”

Genesis 8:22

The beautiful colors of fall have set in around us here in the Pacific Northwest and reminds us to look to the immutability of God. While the days get shorter and cool air sets in we are reminded that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. What a joy it is to serve the God of Abraham, Issaac and Jacob. The same God who formed the nation of Israel now bringing together His church to be salt and light to the World.

The month of October started with two weekends at home allowing us to catch up from the busy month of September and prepare for 13 days away in the Mid-West. October 9th, Kathleen and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. What a joy it was to be home for the weekend and to spend the time with those we love here in Kennewick. Call us strange but as often as we can we like to spend our anniversaries with some of our best friends. Jared and Sherry have been a huge blessing and encouragement in our lives as we seek to follow the Lord in this way. Even a simple evening of dinner and dessert with friends brings great encouragement.

One of the highlights to deputation is being able to be back at Faith Baptist Bible College and being part of the Global Reach Conference. Dr. Mark Lounsbrough was very influential my Jr. and Sr. years at FBBC, and it is a joy to see how God continues to grow the mission’s program on campus. We were blessed in speaking with many students on campus, connecting with staff and sharing our burden for the people of Paraguay, South America. This year I was able to share a ministry highlight with the students during their Thursday banquet. We pray it is an encouragement for students as they seek the Lord’s leading in their lives.

I do want to thank Andy Stearns, Dr. Tim Little and Charlie Carter of the Thinklings Podcast for taking time to meet with us. A quick cup of coffee with a group of friends is a wonderful treat. It is even better when you leave the office with a couple books in hand, a list of books to order, and greatly encouraged in our walk with the Lord.

Let’s go to Paraguay!

The Loucks Family

“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;”

Matthew 5:14

What a joy it is to serve the Lord with a purpose!  As the light of the world we have been sent out to share the light of Christ.  We have been set upon a hill to radiate the glory of the Lord. We as believers in Jesus Christ have a responsibility in ministering to the lives of those God puts us around.  It is not just out of obedience to the command of Christ in making disciples, but it is the joy of loving Christ and sharing in love of our neighbors. 

Summers are some of the best times to connect with churches and set meetings, so it is not too alarming that they go so quickly.  This summer has been packed with adventure and we pray that you have enjoyed following us along the way. As August ended we were already prepared that September would be among our busiest months with a weekend in Montana followed up by two full weekends of ministry in Washington.  We are excited to share some of the events from the month with you. 

One of the pastors that I have always enjoyed staying in contact with is Pastor Rob Morris of Hobart Community Church.  We shared our ministry in Hobart over a year ago and had some time this summer to try and work out another meeting.  When I contacted Pastor Rob a couple months ago, he asked when we might be able to come back and it just so happened that the weekend I was free was the same weekend as their church retreat and Pastor Rob booked us quickly.  I chose to speak on the topic of evangelism to encourage the church in being bold in living out our gospel message.  It was an exciting weekend with fun activities, lots of fellowship and time in the Word of God together. 

We wrapped up the month at Lakewood Baptist Church in Lakewood, WA being their guest speaker for their missions conference. They had been working through the month with an emphasis on “Preparing the Soil.” While I didn’t speak to the issue much I enjoyed many conversations on how our ministry is working to help prepare good soil for the people of Paraguay. We never know what type of soil has been laid in the lives of people, but as 1st Corinthians 3:6 states “but God gave the increase.”

We had a busy but very blessed month! Now that we are home for two weeks we have begun cleaning out preparing for the move to Texas. Anything we can get done in the next couple weeks is valuable because we will be on the road for 5 weeks beginning the middle of October. Please keep praying!

• Safety as we travel
• For Nana as she will have the kids for 12 days while Kathleen and I are in the Mid-West (October 13th-25th).
• For the cleaning out of our duplex in preparation for the move to Texas.

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands”

Psalm 19:1 NASB

Hard to believe that summer has already come and gone.  I would ask where the time has gone, but we spent some of it in the mountains and some in the city.  Some in Washington, some in Idaho, a little in Montana and wrapped it up in Colorado!  We have had an eventful summer and are excited to share with you just a little bit about our adventures from this last month. 

Our month ended in the beautiful state of Colorado.  We had not planned on any connections in the state of Colorado, but they had already prayed about having us out and when they made the call, I couldn’t say no.  In deciding wither we make the 17-hour drive over the course of 2 days or making the 5-hour flight the cost of gas made it a simple decision.  Kathleen and I would have to take this trip by ourselves, and Nana was more than happy to keep the kids for a few nights. 

We were warmly greeted and greatly blessed by our time with Rustic Hills Baptist Church. It was exciting to hear testimonies from many members in the church, to be encouraged by the leadership and to have the sweetness of fellowship within the body. We left with tired bodies, warmed hearts, and full spirits. Please take a moment to watch our uploaded video to see some of the sights!

At the end of July, we wrapped up just over 95% funded and needing $400/month to close the gap on our monthly support need.  We had already begun making arrangements for language school and set up to begin in January 2023.  We had already begun the task of cleaning out the house and eliminating things we don’t plan to take to Texas with us.  We even began having the kids work through their things and slowly eliminating more and more of their stuff all in preparation for language school.  We were confident that God was going to bring us to our monthly support goal by January.  However, we can never expect how God is going to bring things about.  We are excited now to be able to share with you we are at 100% of our monthly support goal!  Thank you, Strait View Baptist Church, and for the couple individuals who have decided to join the team in this way.  Praise the Lord for all He has done and continues to do.  We are very thankful for all of you who have joined us on this journey and have prayed for us to this end. The Journey isn’t over yet!

We have been asked what lies ahead for us now that we are at 100%?  By the Middle of last month our meetings for this fall were set and our schedule was pretty full, so we closed the planner and stopped making new contacts.  We will continue to share our ministry at churches until the end of November and are excited for the opportunity to share what God has called us to do in serving the people of Paraguay.

Should God permit that we gain support beyond our monthly goal there are a few things that those funds help us accomplish.  It will 1) help with current inflation burdens 2) aid in the furlough process (looking ahead) and 3) and most importantly, aid in our ministry fund, allowing us to do more in serving the people of Paraguay.  Our monthly support goal has allotted for $200/month for ministry funds but as we all know that fund can always use more resources.  The support beyond our living expenses would fuel that fund directly for ministry.

We are praising the Lord for how He continues to faithfully provide for our family and for your part in this ministry.  What a true joy it is to serve the Lord in such a way and to know that we do not do it alone.  We do it with you!  That is where “Jaha Paraguay Pe” came from, because if you pray for us, you are part of our ministry.  If you support us through encouragement and finances, you are part of our team.  We know we cannot serve the people of Paraguay without your willingness to join us in serving them.

“But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”

Exodus 14:13

The account of the nation of Israel in the book of Exodus is one that I am constantly humbled by. When the Lord puts forth a plan there is nothing that can change that plan. However, to see the deliverance of the Lord, it would require that they act in obedience. The nation was driven out having plundered the Egyptians and went out as valiant warriors. However, when tragedy strikes what direction does their focus turn to? They would be reminded again and again of their dependance upon God and their responsibility to obey. I am reminded that as we walk in faith we are to act in obedience. God wants our full surrender, and we pray to give Him just that. Lord, lead us in the way everlasting.

The beginning of the month we were blessed to be with Faith Baptist Church of Sequim, WA and were warmly blessed. We were very thankful for the missionary apartment that we used for two weekends and the love of the body. We were greatly cared for and enjoyed the enthusiasm of the body at Faith toward missionaries. We then had a weekend home for ministry before we spent a Sunday in Roswell, Idaho. We were connected with the church in Roswell through another church and were able to spend another wonderful day with Pastor Clancy and his family. We love the Clancy crew and are excited for what the Lord is doing in their lives in reaching the people of Notus, Id. and the Congo.

The next several months are going to remain pretty busy. As we begin to wind down deputation and prepare for language school, we have much to get accomplished. We have a full schedule between now and Thanksgiving but are confident that the Lord is working out His plan in our lives. Please be in prayer as we make these last several meetings. Some of these will be out of state and will require more extensive traveling for Kathleen and me. Please pray for us while we travel and leave the kids behind on these longer trips.

Well, I think you heard it in the video! If you didn’t watch it I would challenge you to stop reading this and click that play button. The excitement of the boys is very much worth the two minutes. We are now over 95% of the way to our monthly support goal. We cannot express our thanks enough for those that have joined our team over the last several weeks. The Lord continues to build up a faithful team around us for this ministry and we are excited to have you onboard. To God be the glory!!!

Being that we are now just over 95% we have had people ask us “what will you do when you get to 100%?” Well, we will keep on keeping on. We will keep to our meetings that we have scheduled and if we bring in funding over our support goal, those funds will help us as we serve the Lord to the people of Paraguay. We have a set date before classes start for Kathleen and me, so we will continue to share wherever God takes us.

“Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely”

Exodus 11:1

When the Lord sets forth a plan of action, He is faithful to complete it. The real question then is are we ready for what He has for us? One of the joys to serving as a missionary is learning to lean on God and trust that He is preparing the way. This can be even more eventful when we work to train our kids to have the same understanding. When you pray as a family to reach a goal by a certain date, but the support doesn’t come in. We pray to teach the kids what it means that God has a plan and we must not lose hope. What a blessing it is to have the Word of God as our guide in helping us to understand just how great He is. We pray to take steps of faith and trust Him to be faithful in completing the work in our lives. This month was no different!

We have booked a couple more meetings as we attempt to close out our time in deputation ministry. And for some exciting news we wrapped up the month at just over 85% funded! That’s right we are less than 15% away from our monthly support goal!!! Would you pray with us that we could finish closing the gap by this fall? We need about $775/month in support to be at 100%. We know that God is doing some wonderful things and is preparing the way for us to get to Texas for language training. Don’t stop praying!

Are you thinking of joining our ministry as a support partner? We would love to connect with you about how you too can be part of our team in helping reach the people of Paraguay, South America with the gospel message Jesus Christ!

This month I have begun to read through the book of Exodus. I must be honest in that I am not in a hurry to read through it. I have chosen rather to read one chapter several times over the course of the week. In reading the first few chapters I have been greatly encouraged by how when God sets out a task, He is faithful to complete it. As the nation of Israel suffered under the Egyptian rule, God was bringing forth His perfect plan. While Israel was not prepared for what was about to happen, God was shaping and sharpening His people. How often did Israel cry out against God wanting relief from their captors? God heard them, but it is always in His time and according to His perfect will.

I recently began conversing with a young gentleman in Paraguay who is working with our partners and preparing for possible fulltime ministry. He was amazed that it has now been almost 17 years since my first time in Paraguay. God has used these years to shape and sharpen His tools for the task ahead of us. I am thankful for the 17 years of learning and growing. I am thankful for the people who God brought into my life to help in the process over the last 17 years. Every step in the path has been worth it!

On to some other exciting news, the kids wrapped up their school year. This was a tough year as we spent so much time on the road, but they have done very well! Educating children in the Tahoe and hotel rooms is not an easy task. I am continually thankful for Kathleen and her hard work with the kids. We allowed them a couple weeks off before starting their next year’s material, and they will have some more time off as we have time on the road and some vacation this summer.

If you remember last month, we began the process of applying for language school. Looking through the material we decided it was in our kids’ best interest to get as much schooling done prior to getting to Texas. This will keep them on track, but also lighten the load while Kathleen and I are busy studying Spanish. Using the program we use, allows us a lot of flexibility. We are moving in the right direction and praying that we continue to trust the Lord as we make decisions moving forward.

The journey of deputation allows us to see the hand of God in a whole new way. The other evening during our Proverb and Prayer time with the kids we shared what it means to have so many people faithfully praying for us and supporting us. Because of you, we are able to serve the Lord in fulltime ministry! That brought tears to our eyes that night. God has continued to bless us with a great support system and we honestly could not do it without you.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High”

Psalm 9:1-2

Ten weeks on the road was a long time to be away! However, we got to see God faithfully provide as His Word promises. It is hard to find the words to share how much this month has meant to us in creating new friends, gaining more prayer warriors and taking on more financial support. Closing it out on such a busy note, we have some exciting news to share!

The last 30 minutes of our drive home we began to ask the kids what they liked about the trip, what they learned while on the road and to even share some of their dislikes. Many of the kids highlighted how they enjoyed making new friends. These friends come in different ways, different backgrounds and, for a short time, leave a big impact on our lives. We would love to be able to write every one of them, but it simply isn’t possible. Please allow this ministry update to be a very big THANK YOU, from our family to yours. If you met with us, if you fellowshipped with us, if you played with us, with you laughed with us, cried with us and spoke truth into our lives, THANK YOU! We could not do this without you!

We were home for a week and a half before Kathleen and I took off again for a conference in Boise, ID. This time we left the kids with Nana (and she wasn’t complaining about that at all). This allowed for Kathleen and me to get connected and be on the same page. A lot goes on in a Tahoe filled with 5 kids over 8,000 miles that allows for a disconnect to happen but being away for a few days allowed us to get caught up.

While wrapping up our time in Boise we were blessed to stay at Notus Baptist Church missionary house. We love the church body at Notus and their heart for ministry and missions. They have been a huge blessing to our family. Pastor Clancy and Myndii are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to missions and national partnerships. It was a great blessing to pick their brains and to have them as a long-term resource for our family.

And for some excitement…

We have been greatly blessed and joined the mini-van club a couple weeks ago. While we will still drive the Tahoe for some trips, it is nice to have a vehicle that is ready just in case we need it.

Closing out the month of April we are excited to announce that we are over 80% funded! That’s right; God brought on two new supporting churches to our ministry, and we could not be more excited for how HE is working. Thank you to First Baptist Church of Quincy, WA and Grandview Baptist Church of Estherville, IA for joining our support team. This means that we are in the process of applying for language school with the desired start date of January 2023.

Please Keep Praying!

Over the next couple months, we are working to make several new connections. We just wrapped up a conference in Boise and have another opportunity to connect with a group of Pastors in Montana. Please pray that these connections would open more doors of opportunity for ministry. We have a few new meetings lined up but are also double backing to some of our supporting churches to give an update on our ministry.

Our ministry partners in Paraguay have a lot going on also. Please pray as they begin new ministries and trust God to open up new areas. They are scoping out an opportunity in Tobati (near the capital city). Pastor Juan Carlos Escobar has also begun training up two men for ministry and is excited for the Lord’s leading. We cannot wait to get to Paraguay to partner with these ministries.

“The heart of man plans His ways, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

The Lord has blessed us with making a few connections in the Mid-West and the original plan was to fly to those meetings and connect with the churches. Figuring it would just be myself and Kathleen going. Then the Lord began bridging the weekends between those meetings. We had already been offered to stay at the Missionary House offered by Berea Baptist Church of Steven’s Point, WI so it was easier to say let’s just make a 6-week trip to Wisconsin. Little did we know that it would turn into 8-weeks just prior to leaving and then into 10-weeks while we were here. Being charged to just go and be faithful we couldn’t say “no” to any of the opportunities. While we prepare for the last couple meetings of this trip, we must look back in thanks to all that the Lord has done, and we are excited to share some of that with you.

You may be wondering how the kids are doing with all the traveling, and I could give a generic answer and say everyone is great, but truth be told, they are ready to be home. Kathleen and I were speaking not long ago and were greatly blessed to have such an amazing team with us. Yes, they want to be back in their own beds, and I cannot blame them for that. However, they have been doing really well adapting to life on the road.

We got spend some time with our friends, the Chapins, in northern Iowa again! While it was cold outside, we were still able to get out for some fun. Not everyone is so adventures to ride the quad with daddy. Those ones you have to spoil in their own way!

We really have spent a month making memories. We have connected with friends that are faithfully serving in Asia and others serving in Europe. Both of which invited us to join them. We grew in our love for family and were encouraged by growth in their spiritual walks. We made new friends and connected in ways we never could have imagined. I cannot even write this update without tears of thanks to God for all He has done.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

We get to be part of people’s lives and ministries for such a short time. Often it is just a weekend here and an email there. However, for a time we get to be part of a life and we pray regularly to be sensitive to how the Lord will use us in that time. Many of you get to be part of our lives for a time and we are so thankful that you have chosen to be used by God in those times. You have allowed us to share our testimony and our ministry, but more importantly you have allowed us to just be us. This month the Lord used a situation to shed my coat and express a need to someone like I never have before. That man understood, he was sensitive to my need, and he offered to help. I pray that we embrace the season God has us in to learn, to grow, and to lean on the everlasting arms of God.

Where do we go from here? Currently we are just shy of 73% and praying to end this trip at 75% or more. We wrap up this weekend and begin the drive home on April 5th. Praying to be back at Grace Baptist Church of Kennewick on April 10th. Once we are at 75% we will apply for language school with a goal of being 100% this fall and head to language school in January. Language school details are being worked out and we are excited for how the Lord is leading, but we need your continued prayers.

Deputation: a group of people appointed to undertake a mission or take part in a formal process on behalf of a larger group.

As God has continued to work in our lives, we begin to see piece by piece the fullness of the other side of the relationship. We have been commissioned by Grace Baptist Church of Kennewick, WA into deputation ministry. The Ministry that God has called us to is just an arm of the Local Church. That can easily be forgotten while you are traveling some 1,700 miles away from home. How sweet it is though when God brings simple reminders that we are not alone. Unable to count the dozens of people who are praying for our ministry, we have 7 faithful churches behind us in support, we have 16 faithful families helping propel us in support and how blessed we feel.

Deputation at times seems impossible. We spend countless hours making connections with churches and praying that they may have us in to share our ministry. We spend days preparing for what will take place during those times of ministry. We (Kathleen) packs the bags, we load up the Tahoe and we set out on the road. If you follow us on social media, you have seen how it can look inside our car as we hit the road for a meeting. We often do not know what all to expect, we sometimes are in the dark until arrival and have to simply trust that God will take care of us (He promises to do so).

Kathleen said when you look at it, it is all impossible like the task is too great. The reward however is far greater. When you step in faith to areas of discomfort you get to see God provide. While we say that we are humbly blessed often in our letters there are really no other words to describe how we feel. Humbled because God is using you to fulfill a mighty work in our lives. Blessed because we are the recipients of God’s love and mercy being poured out through YOU. We cannot express enough our thanks for what God is doing and your willingness to be used.

Jonah 4:2 is the revealing of Jonah’s heart and his desire for the people of Nineveh. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because God would have mercy and forgive them. If you knew that God was going to save a nation through you, would you not want to go? How about if God was going to use you to save a family, would you not be willing to go? How about if God was going to use you to save a grocery store clerk, would you not be willing to go? So, let’s go! Let’s go together into all the world and preach the gospel to every people, because God wants to use us!

As we end this month’s ministry update, we cannot hold back some exciting news. This month we added 2 new churches to our monthly support team as well as a family bringing our promised monthly support to 72%. Would you praise the Lord with us today at this exciting news? After you do, would you please send us an email letting us know you did and also letting us know how we can pray for you! We look forward to reading your emails with the kids. jared.loucks@hotmail.com