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I guess we have to post this a little early it will be hard to do while we spend the next 6 days on the road. Wrapping up January, we have been blessed to do three ministry updates and begin creating relationships with two new churches. We have built up more faithful prayer warriors and seen our financial support increase more than 10% in the last month. As of now, Kathleen is busy packing bags for our journey to the Mid-West!

In the middle of December we began to pray to raise up $500 more in monthly support by the middle of January. This would help us as we make the adjustment into fulltime ministry, especially over the next several weeks as we travel full-time. God blessed and brought in $800 more in monthly support in just a few short weeks. Between faithful individuals that support our ministry and churches who have come alongside our ministry we are now funded at 65% in monthly support! Will you praise the Lord with us today for how He has continued to provide for our ministry?

I have been spending some time reading through the book of Jonah. I find the picture of events in chapter 1 fascinating. Jonah has been called to go to a wicked people. Rather than crying out to God verbally, Jonah’s reaction was to run! God knew what Jonah’s heart was saying before his action of running, even before his crying out. This highlighted two things for me as I have studied, the first is that God knows the plans He has for us (Jerimiah 29:11) and the good work He has designed for us to complete. The second, is that our actions of obedience speak as to who we believe God to be.

Thank you for our continued faithful prayers. As we follow God we are thankful to have such a faithful crowd at our sides!

Jaha Paraguay Pe,

The Loucks Family

What a year a growth and change, and a blessed year it was! As we have had time to reflect on 2021, we are humbled at what the Lord has accomplished through us. God used so many faithful servants to accomplish His work in our lives. We are beyond thankful for the path He has placed us on and for the task which lies ahead.

God blessed us with the opportunity to minister in over 20 churches our first year on Deputation ministry. This included churches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Iowa! We are very thankful for those who opened their doors and hearts. What a true joy it has been to be among so many faithful servants of the Lord.

While we look back at all that God has provided in 2021 we look forward to carrying all these things with us into 2022. January has started off cold and has allowed us some time ramping up for upcoming ministries. We will be at five churches in three weekends in January. We leave the end of the month for the Mid-West and will be on the road for a couple months. This brings us to some pretty big prayer requests.

The end of November we as a family have been praying that we would raise $500 more in monthly support by the middle of January. We have been greatly blessed and some of that has already come in. With our long trip ahead, we are taking a step of faith. Many of you know that I am still working fulltime and that much of our support has been going into our outfit and passage fund. I am going to be taking a Leave of Absence from work and trust that God will provide the remainder amount we need as we serve Him. We have several meetings lined up for our time in the Midwest and the remainder time will be spent making more connections for when we return. Would you please pray with us that God would open more opportunities to share our ministry? Would you also consider becoming part of our support team?

Want a quick view of what God did in our 2021? Watch the video below!!!

Thank you for your faithful prayers. We are confident that God is using you to accomplish great things!

Jaha Paraguay Pe!

The Loucks

Wrapping up November we have spent much time reflecting on all the things we have to give thanks for. While taking time to remember all that God has done, I have been spending time reading the book of Isaiah. I am very thankful that we serve a God who not only highlights a problem but offers to us a solution. In Chapter 1 of Isaiah God acknowledges the rebellion of the people of Israel. While one might conclude that at this time, He would turn His back and walk away God provides a solution to the problem of sin. The solution is found in Verses 18-19 when God calls them to “consent and obey”. He wishes to wash sins that they may “be like wool.” We are thankful for a God who has provided a solution to our problem of sin by offering His son Jesus as the sacrifice.

The month of November was spent as a family. We took the month off from traveling to catch up on medical appointments, time as a family and ministry at our home church. The month went too fast but we are thankful for the time we were able to spend and to see God work. We went from a family of 1 pair of glasses to a family of 5. Jedidiah was baptized and joined Grace Baptist Church of Kennewick, WA all while our family celebrated 35 years of attending Grace Baptist Church. We also got to share a ministry update with our ministry partners during their mission’s conference. We thank the Lord for Iglesia Bautista Biblica Jerovia for their love and support.

We have also spent time setting up a game plan for 2022 and making plans for what God has ahead. Being at 51% is such a huge blessing and while we did not spend time traveling this month, we have worked to make some good connections and expand our ministry plans into next spring. It has also been a great time for us to connect with our Pastor and Director as we prepare for what lies ahead.

Again, thank you for your love and support. We are anxious to get back on the road and share what God has called us to do.

October was a wild ride and we are so thankful for the amazing time it was. Over the course of the last six weeks we saw family, made friends and were used in new ways. We hope that this letter wraps up not just the ministry, but the joy in serving the Lord.

If you recall we wrapped up September in Wisconsin for ten days with family and friends. Our time was very profitable as it allowed for connecting with family, friends, and sharing our desire to serve the Lord with the people of Paraguay. Since our return from Wisconsin we are excited to announce that Brookridge Church of Plover, WI has joined our support team. We are very thankful for this church body and what the Lord is doing in their lives. Stay tuned if you want to know where we are at in monthly financial support…

The first two weekends of October we spent at a few amazing churches in Oregon. We are very thankful for the prayer warriors at both Ukiah and Long Creek that we were able to make. These two churches were such a great blessing to us. Then we spent an amazing couple days in Salem connecting with Missionaries Steve and Mendi Everett where we were able to share our ministry with their home church. Faith Baptist Church was a joy to minister with and we are excited for the connections we made and to see how the Lord might work our ministries together.

After wrapping up two weekends in Oregon I, Jared, hopped on a plane and headed to Iowa. While in Iowa I was able to stay with Michael Fowler (my brother-in-law) and his family. I spent the week at Faith Baptist Bible College encouraging the students on campus at the Global Reach Conference. I was also blessed to make great contacts with different missionaries and ministries around the world. I am thankful for the staff and students at FBBC. What a true blessing it was to be back on campus after 11 years.

The end of the trip I was able to share what God has called us to in partnering with nationals in theological training and church planting with Anchor Baptist Church in Des Moines, IA and then with Altoona Regular Baptist Church in Altoona, IA. The pastors of both of these churches are great encouragement to me as we prepare for full-time ministry. I was blessed by the people who took time to engage in conversation after the presentations to know more about what God has called us to. Thank you Pastor Capon and Pastor Robinson for the opportunity.

Are you ready for the NEWS?!?

Wrapping up the month of October we are so thankful for the many who have joined our team in praying for us regularly. It is amazing to see how the Lord has brought together so many faithful people to partner with us in ministry. We are also very excited to announce that we are now 51% in monthly support partners. We are making plans for entering ministry full-time and already booking a very busy schedule for 2022.

Please Praise the Lord with us as He has blessed us with another fruitful month of ministry. Also please pray as we continue to be steadfast in service. We are taking the month to connect and nail down some meetings for 2022. Look forward to seeing YOU!

Thank you for taking a moment to stop by and read out ministry update. We appreciate the time you all spend in keeping current on events in our lives as well as praying for us continually. September seemed to go too fast, but we are thankful for the wonderful connections made and time spent with family. We also look forward to what the Lord has planned ahead.

The month began with allowing us opportunity to worship in our home church which is always a treat. We are very thankful for the support we have received from Grace Baptist Church of Kennewick, WA. They have been faithful at checking in on us regularly to make sure we are doing alright while in pre-field ministry. It often makes it difficult being away, but we are confident that the Lord has not only called us to go but GBC to send.

The last two weeks of the month were spent in Wisconsin at the two churches that Kathleen attended while growing up. It was a blessing to be with both Brookridge Church and Providence and to share our burden for the people of Paraguay. The pastors of these churches have been aware of God’s calling in our lives and have been a great source of encouragement through each step of the process. A special pray request for Pastor Steve Svendsen as he currently ministers in Haiti with Bible Students.

Our time in Wisconsin went too fast. While away I was able to spend lots of time studying and preparing for upcoming meetings, the kids got to bond with cousins, and we got to explore the wonders of God’s creation. I also made a few additional contacts with area churches and am excited for the opportunity to connect further!

The coming weeks are keeping us busy. We are excited to be sharing our ministry at two churches this coming Sunday just south a couple hours. God has blessed us in allowing us this time to continue building prayer warriors. We are also scheduled to be in Salem, OR on October 10th. Kathleen and I will travel over together on the 9th and spend some time celebrating our anniversary on the way.

I will be traveling to Faith Baptist Bible College of Ankeny, IA on October 15th. I have been asked to co-teach a module with our Director Shawn Haynie. While some of the plans for this trip have changed I will be sharing our ministry plans at a couple churches. While there I will also be able to connect with fellow missionaries, area pastors, and friends from our time as students at FBBC.

Let’s go to Paraguay!

The Loucks Family

The month of August was too busy and went way too fast. To start out the month we were rather sick. Kathleen and I were both laid up for a couple days fighting off Covid-19 and are blessed to be fully recovered. However, while we were down it felt like I was constantly behind and not able to catch up. So we took some vacation time and that allowed for some great connections to be made.

What a blessing to be in Pre-Field ministry. The connections God has blessed us to make have been unbelievable. We are so thankful for the many wonderful people who have joined us in prayer. The opportunity to connect with people is what pre-field is all about. Some find this part of the ministry to be difficult but God continues to bless and encourage us along the way. We look forward to sharing what God has called us to do with people.

The people at Baker Creek Bible Church were so encouraging, several approached having done their research about Paraguay and challenged us with great questions. The following week were were in Kuna, Id and it was a blessing to be there. We got to meet up with a young lady from Kuna Baptist Church and be encouraged as God is calling her to Togo, Africa. This was such a great opportunity for us to build more prayer warriors for the people of Paraguay.

We also got to spend a few days in Boise, Id as a family on a short vacation. This was a great opportunity for us to spend with the kids and spoil them with some sight seeing. Thank you to the many who prayed for us while we were away. Many wonderful memories were made for both the kids and the parents.

We have a busy schedule ahead of us and ask that you please keep praying for us. September 17th we fly to Wisconsin for a couple meetings and time with Kathleen’s family. We come back on the 27th, followed by 4 more weeks of ministry. If you follow us on facebook I am sure you will be able to track where we are at. We will also work to making sure we update you all on here.

We have a huge praise and ask that you praise God with us, as of today we are 45% in monthly financial support partners! This is a huge answer to prayer for our family. We are humbled as God continues to provide prayer warriors to our team and financial supporters. If you are wanting more information on how you can become a financial support partner please let us know, we would love to connect with you.

Ministry through June and July was very busy around the Loucks home. With several opportunities to share our ministry we also packed in the opportunity to be very active in our sending church. So let’s catch you up to speed.

Many of you know that we were aiming to be at 33% by July 4th. God blessed and allowed us to get to 30% and continue to build some amazing contacts. We enjoyed our time at Hobart Community Church the first weekend of June and had a blessed time at Moscow Bible Church the end of the month. Both of these were great blessings to our family and we made such wonderful memories and connections. In July we gave an update at our sending church and then enjoyed a Sunday at First Baptist Church of Soap Lake, WA and then wrapped up the month at Southwick Bible Church. What a joy it was for us to again meet some wonderful people and spend time in fellowship and worship together.

We have a busy schedule ahead of us with two churches in August, a trip to Wisconsin for a couple meetings in September and a busy month of October with 6 churches in 4 Sundays. We are beginning now to schedule churches for 2022 and are looking to fill our schedule up.

“Christ sent me to preach the Gospel, and He will look after the results.” 

— Mary Slessor, Missionary to Nigeria (1848-1915)

It is such a blessing to read the testimony of many faithful men and women who have served our great God.  Their testimonies are a great encouragement to our family as we prepare for life on the mission field.  Many of the testimonies in the “Daring Devotion” book we are reading offer warning of the sacrifice that one must be willing to make, but most of them tie together the fruit of such sacrifice.  Mary Slessor’s testimony was no different.  She knew firsthand what Paul was meaning in

1^st Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

We are watching God provide for us in such a blessed way and are excited to share what He has been doing.  May started off a little rocky, exploded with change, and has ended with reward!

A little Rocky:

Kathleen returned from Wisconsin on May 3^rd and was mixed with emotions.  We can not thank you all enough for your continued prayers.  Having so many faithful family and friends to walk through this trial with us has been such a blessing.  While we will continue to miss Dad we know that we will see him again in the presence of our King. 

Exploded with Change:

The change did not stop there.  I received a call from our landlord that he was going to be placing our home on the market for sale.  This was not all a surprise, but it did catch us a little off guard.  Rather than staying in the home and being here through the showing process we have chosen to find a new place at our earliest convenience.  Praise the Lord as he opened an opportunity to move into a small place here in Kennewick that will still allow us to be close to Church, Family and Work.  We will be moving very soon and look forward to a new place in a quiet neighborhood. 

Ending with Reward:

Many of you may remember that in February we began praying to raise our support from 15% to 20% by the end of May.  Those of you who have been following along our journey know that the 20% came rather quickly and so we changed our goal to 25%.  We are blessed to announce that we are over the 25% mark of promised monthly supporters!    We are so thankful for all the people who have joined our support team by becoming prayer partners as well as financial supporters.  We thank God for you daily! 

As we set goals for our next steps will you please pray with us.  We have scheduled 2 meetings for June, July, August, September, and are working on 2 or 3 for October.  We are excited for what God has instore for us and are confident in His working through us!

May Prayer Letter,

A month of adventure, a month of mourning, a month to remember.  As we closed out the month of April we have so much to reflect upon and we want to share with you a brief summary of that.

A Month of Adventure:

Most of you are aware that March was a pretty busy month for us in presenting our ministry and making some great contacts.  We as a family were truly blessed!  As we approached April we began making connections with new contacts and sharing our burden for the people of Paraguay.  What a blessing to be able to set up a few appointments for the coming months and gain some wonderful prayer partners throughout the month. 

We had the blessing of traveling to University Place, WA and sharing our ministry with the people of First Baptist Church.  Very thankful for their encouraging words and many who became interested in our ministry.  Pastor McClain and wife were also very encouraging to us as they too once served in foreign missions.  It was great to hear some of their testimony and we look forward to furthering this relationship. 

Many of you are aware that we as a family began to pray in February to be at 20% of monthly support by the end of May.  In March we reached that 20% marker and so we set out a new goal.  We began praying to reach 25% by the end of May and to date we are at 25% in monthly support partners.  We are so blessed and encouraged to have many faithful brothers and sisters in Christ come along side us in supporting our ministry.  We are also greatly encouraged by those who have dedicated to praying for our ministry as well. 

A Month of Mourning:

As many of you know Kathleen’s Dad, William Fowler, went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on April 22^nd.  William Fowler was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, who has left a great impact on many lives of family and friends alike.  As we reflect on the life of Dad we have so much to be thankful for and looking head we have so much to rejoice in. 

“That wasn’t a mistake, that was jazz”

William Fowler (Dad)

We appreciate your continued prayers as the family heals through this loss.   

A Month to Remember:

Making markers in our lives is a necessity as we make strides forward in ministry service.  April brought with it new friends, new perspective, and new markers to strive for. 

So thankful for Steve and Amy Kliewer who were such gracious hosts while in University Place.  They loved on our girls and made a great impact on our hearts.  As God blesses us with new friendships we know that we won’t be able to mention each one of them, we want to recognize how God is using some of His servants in our lives. 

We have been reading through a daily devotional on missionaries who have suffered for the cause of Christ.  James O. Fraser is a missionary I have never studied out before.  He emphasized the great need for prayer warriors for the ministry he was called to.  We ask people to pray for us, but we don’t hold people accountable for that.  Fraser looked for ways to hold people accountable knowing that prayer was a vital lifeline for successful ministry.  So let us ask you, will you pray for our ministry?  Will you dedicate that during your quiet time with the Lord to pray for us daily or weekly?  Will you email us and let us know that you are praying for us? 

God continues to do great things and challenges us to “walk by faith” regularly.  Thank you for being part of our team, for encouraging us along the way, and for your willingness to faithfully serve the Lord. 

“Solid, lasting missionary work is done on our knees”

Missionary James O. Fraser

Kids Corner:

Chapter Three:

Thank you so much for taking a moment to read this letter to keep up with what is going on in our lives.  While we have not begun to post monthly newsletters, we are working hard to keep people posted on our journey on our webpage (Loucks2Paraguay.org).  Please feel free to check in and see our posted videos on our webpage and follow along on our journey to Paraguay.

Recent Events:

We have been so blessed to be on pre-field ministry.  As part of that ministry God has us making contacts with Pastors, Churches and Individuals who have an interest in what the Lord has called us to do.  This is a busy ministry, but God has been faithful and shown Himself in many ways to us through this time. 

February started off very busy in my secular job which led us to some very specific prayer requests as a family.  We began to set specific goals so that I would be able to eventually step back in my workplace and focus more on ministry.  We began praying that we would be able to reach 20% by the end of May to which God quickly answered and by Mid-March we were at 20% of our monthly support goal.  That is right just a few months into our ministry and we have already reached 20%.

Big thank you to all of your who have dedicated to praying for our family as we continue in ministry.  Also, a big thank you to everyone who has taken interest in joining our monthly support team!  Being at 20% and growing is such a huge blessing to us as a family. 

Meetings Arranged:

March was very busy with the blessing of being at Pioneer Baptist Church of Wilsonville, Or the beginning of the month.  It was a blessing to be part of their mission’s month and receive such great encouragement from the body.  We have also been attending Pastor’s conferences which have been of great encouragement to us.  We look forward to follow-up with the connections.

What’s on the map:

Currently for April we have two meetings set up and are greatly looking forward to these times of ministry.  As we wrap up from our second pastor’s conference we hope to begin setting up more meetings soon and begin filling our schedule for the summer months.  We are also working on making some arrangements for the fall and are very excited to see how the Lord will continue to fill our schedule and get us to the field. 

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for Kathleen’s dad (Bill Fowler).  He is very sick, and hospice has set up at their home in Wisconsin. 
2. Pray as we make contacts that we would be able to set up meetings.
3. Pray also that we would continue to raise solid monthly supporters for our team.  We posted a new goal on our webpage, feel free to go watch the video 😉

Kid’s Corner

While we make visits the kids get the blessing of spending extra time with Papa and Nana.  That means they get a little spoiled too!  We thank the Lord for family who is supportive of our ministry calling. 

Jaha Paraguay Pe!