So we now have a new missionary trainee in Lapoc! Pray for him! Our Lord told us to pray for more labourers as the fields are white unto harvest and here is one more labourer who has raised his hand and has said, “I’ll go.” Please also pray for his dear mother and father as they endure this separation from their beloved son who they have raised since childhood to follow Jesus.
These are Jovanie’s elders arriving with Jovanie on May 23rd in Lapoc. They honoured him and showed them their full support by not sending him off on the trip by himself but by giving up a couple of day’s work to bring him all the way to Lapoc and entrust him safely into the hands of his new co-workers and teachers. They are so happy and excited as Jovanie is the first missionary to be sent out from their church!
Today is Jovanie’s first day of training and he is going to have a packed weekly schedule of going out on outreaches with the bible teachers from Lapoc, formal classes two or three times a week taught by Rodil and others from the Lapoc church leadership team, a couple of mornings a week with the translation team to deepen his understanding of the Word, physical work that will be assigned to him…… prayer times, work with the Youth Group…… all this to prepare him to go out and open up a new area of missionary work as part of a new missionary team.
Yesterday Jovanie (in the center wearing a blue tshirt) said goodbye to his elders as they left to head back to Ricodo. We can imagine the sudden hole they left in his heart as they drove away. One of the costs of being a missionary is the sometimes overwhelming feeling of isolation from loved ones. Jovanie will be working through these feelings right now so please pray for him that he will endure the hardships and count it all joy for the sake of Jesus and for the Gospel.
