Prayer Request | John and Anna Weeks

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Back From California

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Well, Paula and I are back from California, a real whirlwind trip. Thanks for your prayers. We weren’t able to make it up to Portland, Oregon for Jasper’s Memorial service, but we heard from my mom that it went well. Please continue to pray for Jessi and Leif, Jasper’s siblings and his mom Julia.

Paula and I flew into LA and then took a shuttle bus up to Santa Barbara where my sister-in-law Debbi met us and took us the next 1 1/2 hours to San Luis Obispo. We stayed in my mom’s house, but she was up in Portland, but we had a great visit with my brother Matt and his wife Debbi. Matt had Friday off so we all enjoyed time together Friday.

Disc Golf

I even got in some disc golf as there’s a park just a short walk from there.

Paula at Avila Beach

Saturday, Paula and I drove 10 hours up to Eureka my hometown.

John's oldest brother Dan, wife Kim and daughter Kelsey

Paula and John in SF

We ate out Vietnamese food with my oldest brother Dan and his wife Kim and daughter Kelsey. We stayed with them up on the top of Kneeland in the mountains.

Paula at Dan and Kim's farm

On Sunday I was able to speak in the morning service at Grace Baptist Church. It was great reconnecting with many old saints in the church, including Ralph and Virginia Buerer, both about 92 years old! Sunday night we had a big bar-b-que up at Dan’s with many visitors too.

John speaking at Grace Baptist Church in Eureka

On Monday we had lunch with Wes and Jan Wieman. On Tuesday Paula and I drove back down to San Luis Obispo stopping in San Francisco again for about 3 hours eating crepes on Polk Street, going to Lombard’s crookedest street then to Pier 39. We finally got to see my mother Mary that night. The rest of our time in San Luis Obispo was awesome visiting with my mom.

John and mom Mary on her 80th birthday

Paula and Grandma Mary

Paula got to join mom and Debbi at Grace Church’s women’s Bible study and they celebrated my mom’s 80th birthday. On Friday Matt and Debbi and us took my mom to Madonna Inn for her 80th birthday meal. Matt and I also snuck in a motorcycle ride to Lopez Lake.

Matt and John after motorbike ride

Saturday we took the train down to Ventura where we visited and stayed with friends John and Joy Whipple and boys.

Paula Bicycling at Ventura Marina

We went to the beach, seafood lunch at the Ventura Marina and wonderful steak dinner at Joy’s with her folks Pastor Amos and Ernestine joining; Pastor Amos was the pastor at Grace Baptist Church my whole growing up years!

John with Pastor Amos and Ernestine Clemmons

Thanks for your prayers. I had a great time with Paula and visiting my mom and so many other friends. Please continue to pray for Jasper’s family that he left behind and for God to work His glory through it all,

In this together,

John

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Quick Trip To California

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the long hiatus with no updates! Things are going well here in Missouri at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). We’ve just finished CLA Practicum and Phonetics has already begun, however I’m only going to teach Block 3 as I’m heading out to California. I also was able to just help teach four sessions at a local college, SBU in Bolivar, MO. This was a phonetics and language-learning seminar for Inter-Cultural Studies students heading overseas this summer for their 6-month practicum. But let’s talk about our upcoming trip tomorrow!

That’s right, California! I’m flying out tomorrow, April 19th along with our third child Paula, 16. We plan on visiting my mother in San Luis Obispo and also my brother Matt and his family who live there as well. Then we’ll travel to Eureka, CA where I get the privilege of sharing at our home church Grace Baptist Church on Sunday the 22nd. This should be a nice “kick-off” to the following Sunday’s Missions Conference and we’ll get to share a little about my nephew Josh Weeks and what awaits he and his family as they head for Asia Pacific in November. We’ll linger in Eureka through Monday then Tuesday drive back to San Luis Obispo where we get to visit my mom for three days and celebrate her 80th birthday together! It’s been 3 years since we’ve seen her our other family! My cell phone is 573-836-2225 if any of you want to connect with us somehow!

On a tragic note, we just received word three days ago that my nephew Jasper (my oldest sister Julia’s second child) was just in a fatal off-roading accident. We don’t believe he was saved and his mother Julia, my sister, is not right mentally to start with from years of substance abuse and I’m not sure how she’s taking all of this. Julia has never walked with the Lord since youth and has lived a very troubled life. What makes this “extra” tragic is that Jasper, although he endured a difficult childhood with a mother who wasn’t fit for raising children, had really made something of himself starting his own fencing and landscaping business, selling it, and starting another business. He was a bright kid with a promising future and we had really hoped that he would become a believer. My parents had raised Jasper (Jasper actually lived with his aunt and uncle Dan and Kim just up the hill from my folks) and his older sister Jessi while their mother was in jail for a few years and they poured their lives into these two kids, with Jessi becoming a believer, but Jasper choosing not to. Jasper was 24 years old. My mom’s already flown to Portland, Oregon along with my niece Mary Katherine (currently at NTBI Waukesha) to be with Jasper’s older sister Jessi and younger brother Leif so I won’t see my mom ‘till the end of our trip.

Please be praying for Jasper’s older sister Jessi and younger brother Leif as well as for his mother Julia and father Dean Allison. Pray that God would work through this whole situation for His glory. Please pray also for Paula and I to have quality time together in our travels and for a great time sharing at our home church. Please pray also for Anna and the kids who aren’t traveling as they stay behind in Missouri.

Thanks for all,

In this together,

John

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March 2011 Prayer Requests from the Weeks’

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Thanks so much for your prayers for our ministry. It’s not just a matter of praying for the work, prayer is the work!-anon.

Praises:
1. The Lord’s provision of our house, monthly support and ministry at the MTC.
2. Health: My eye disease has been “quiet” and Anna and the kids have all been healthy.
3. Provision of part-time jobs. Was not Paul even a “tent-maker?”
4. Kaitlyn has begun coursework at the local community college.
5. Paula continuing to be active in various youth groups and her desire to attend Bible School and be an animal vet some day.

Prayer Requests:
1. For our children to desire a walk with the Lord. Especially for Kaitlyn and Grace at this time as many other things are distracting them from this. For direction for Kaitlyn and Grace now in studies and future.
2. For mine and Anna’s relationship.
3. For our monthly support to increase as next semester I will not be able to work a part-time job with all the responsibilities at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). I may still work some on weekends giving swim lessons or cleaning floors, pool…ect.
4. For timing for a return trip to Indonesia. While we would like to return to full-time ministry in Indonesia, we realize this may be some time off in the future now. But in the meantime, I need to return to keep his visa active. We’ve prayed about the possibility of us leading a short-term-missions-team from Singapore or Malaysia to Indonesia with perhaps a friend our two from our supporting churches.
5. Timing on a trip out west to visit friends and supporters along with supporting churches. We’d love to get away this summer to visit our supporters and churches in California, but just aren’t sure about timing and funds, especially with rising gas prices.

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A Late Winter’s Greeting from the Weeks’

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Paula standing in 20 inches of snow at our house!

Our shortest days are over and there’s light at the end of the tunnel! I always enjoy this time of year when the daylight gets a little longer each day! Four weeks ago we had a snow storm that brought 21 inches of snow which stuck around for two weeks and kept us snowed in for two days. The next week followed with our coldest days of the year including a 15 degrees below zero day! Then just a few days later we had a couple 74 degree days! Yes, lots of drastic changes in the weather these past days.

Our whole life here also seems like a drastic change compared to our lives in Indonesia, which seemed to be more predictable. Every morning I continue to go out to the MTC (Missionary Training Institute) where I’m involved in teaching Culture and Language Methodology, Phonetics, and the Culture and Language Practicum to missionaries in training. This is cool because one of these is with the CP1 (Church-Planting Semester One) students, one with CP2 and the other with CP3. Right now I’m involved with the CP3 students in the CLA Practicum where I dress up as a Dobu tribal man speaking Indonesian and the students use all they’ve learned in CLA methodology and Phonetics to learn my culture and language eventually setting up teaching lesson plans at the end of this semester and teaching my people about Jesus Christ.

John dressed as Dobu tribal man in CLA practicum class.

We have 4 other helpers who work with me in the “village.” In two more weeks I will be helping teach Phonetics, a system of writing down new sounds consistently for learning a new language. I learned under the APA “American Phonetic Alphabet” but must make the cross-over to the IPA “International Phonetic Alphabet” as that is what we are now teaching and equipping students with.

This semester I also continue to work 2 part-time jobs in addition to serving at our Missionary Training Center. We plan on returning to Indonesia in the Lord’s timing, but since we’ve begun serving Stateside our support has dropped 25%! Do the math with your personal salaries to see what that may look like! That’s the reason I’m working part-time afternoons at a Chevy dealership in town as well as at an indoor pool 30 miles away giving swim lessons and life-guarding on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. I won’t be able to continue this in the fall as I will work full-time out at the MTC to maintain our full-time NTM status. So to help with finances until our support picks up, Anna has begun driving school busses for the local school district, substituting routes right now. Kaitlyn is enrolled at the local community college taking general education while Grace continues to try to finish high school early hoping to graduate this spring. Paula is still involved with three youth groups, hockey, and the FFA agriculture club at the high school plus she just got her drivers permit. Kurt skateboards and does well at school.

Thanks so much for your faithful and generous support of our ministry with New Tribes Mission in Indonesia and now at the Missionary Training Institute,

Love,
John, Anna, Kaitlyn, Grace, Paula and

Tags: The Weeks' family at the MTC
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Recent Natural Disasters in Indonesia

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Friday, November 12th, 2010

I’m sure you’ve all read or heard about the most recent natural disasters in Indonesia, both the tsunami and volcano eruption which happened on the same day, October 27^th, yet 1300 miles apart! The tsunami, caused by a 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra took a couple hundred people. This location is about 1300 km (812 miles) from where we minister on Java.

John and Kurt on Mt. Merapi 2008

However Mount Merapi, whose eruption has caused 100 casualties to date, lies just a short distance from our home in Indonesia. We can see the volcano from our home-town there, sitting behind a large “dormant” volcano. Kurt, Paula and I have hiked to the top of Mount Merapi, and I’ve bicycled up through the Selo Pass between the two volcanoes a couple of times. At this point in time our home-town is only affected by heavy ash accumulation on the ground, besides the fact that most people know people or have relatives that live in the mountain villages surrounding both volcanoes.

Kurt and I with one of our mountain guides "Superman," really, his nickname!

Even though we are not in Indonesia right now, our hearts go out to those affected by the eruptions, yes there have been many more eruptions each increasing in intensity. Even other volcanoes in Indonesia have come alive with higher activity and more eruptions including Anak Krakatoa. Over 320,000 villagers have been forced to leave their homes and taken to the nearest towns to shelters, but now people are even leaving some of these refugee towns! Most of these villagers are subsistence farmers growing tobacco, cabbage and other vegetables as rice cannot grow at this elevation. They also gather grass to feed to their livestock. It is common for a family to have a cow for milking. Most of the villagers are also animistic in religion believing in multiple gods often found in nature. They are also of the predominant religion in Indonesia on paper as there are benefits to doing so.

The volcanoes on Java are both a blessing and a curse. The benefits are that the soil is so fertile on Java that most all land can be used for multiple crops. The ash from these volcanoes are responsible for that. However, people nearest the volcanoes never know when and how intensely they will erupt again.

John at highest point of volcano, 2004.

Please pray for relief and aide to reach those who are indeed in need and not get into the right hands as corruption is quite high in Indonesia. The local church in Indonesia is a good channel to work through to get funds to those in need. Please pray too that many hearts will turn towards God in these days. Villages will need to be rebuilt as so many homes were destroyed and new crops must be planted as existing ones have been destroyed.

A Javanese Mountain Village Family

On the home front here in Missouri, please pray for our second child Grace as she recovers from gall bladder surgery. She had been having stomach pains and anxiety issues the past several months and finally she had an ultrasound which showed many gall stones quite large, unusual for somebody only 17 years old! Even 5 days after the surgery, she still has pain. Please pray as she regains strength and that she would catch up on school studies. She had already missed many school days from being sick. Katie works at The Gap now and is looking for another part-time job as well. She is still interested in getting some further training too. Paula continues to do well in school, balances three youth groups, and is trying out for basketball now. Kurt too does well in school and skate boards almost daily.

We have also enjoyed hosting many of our coworkers from Indonesia as they pass through the MTC (Missionary Training Center) here. In one week we had 4 different coworkers over for a meal and visiting. I continue to sit in on some classes to glean some of the new things being taught as well as helping out where needed. Next month I get to give a lecture on our overseas national language programs as that is the area where we have most recently ministered in. I have also been able to help with small group studies with Culture and Language Acquisition. Right now I’m in an interesting class called Folk Islam which is the predominant religion in Indonesia. Ron and Duanne Risse area also sitting in on this class!

Please pray with us to seek the Lord’s timing in when to return to Indonesia. We miss working with new families and especially miss the Indonesian people. I would love to put together a trip to go to Java and help out with the Volcano victims working through a local church there. Please pray with me about how that can come to fruition. Please also pray for my nephew Josh and his wife Bethany and daughter as they look to finish the training next semester and also head to Indonesia.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support! We know this is such a huge sacrifice on your part. You are each vital to any ministry we are able to accomplish!

In this together,

John, Anna, Kaitlyn, Grace, Paula and Kurt Weeks

Tags: volcano
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…A Friend’s Passing and other January 09 News

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Well, this has been a busy two weeks since our last update. It’s good to all be healthy once again and back in a routine. Anna got the kids back into the swing of home schooling 2 weeks ago. Paula has started JV basketball and is really enjoying that. She also has had more missions’ trip opportunities come up and rather than go on the same one she’s gone on the past couple of years, she will be opting for a different trip. She’s been invited to help with childcare at a regional conference on a different island here in Indonesia. She will be helping lead games, teaching and perhaps doing some babysitting in this other region. Then I will be coming to the same region to do a “tribal team kick-off” in helping two tribal teams get off to a good start. Please pray as I prepare lessons, schedules and Power Points for this.

This past week was a long, hard week. Over the past three years we’ve built a relationship with an Indonesian family in our favorite beach area. Grace, our second daughter had originally befriended their son who’s a local surfer and the same age as Grace. Then through him, we befriended his family who runs a little beachside “young coconut drink” stand in front of their simple home as well as managing a local fishing boat. Over the years we’ve enjoyed bar-b-cued fish together, boat rides out on the Indian Ocean and lots of visiting. A couple of weeks ago, the mother, came down with Dengue Fever and was admitted to a local hospital, then eventually transferred to a hospital two hours away in a bigger city. Pak Hasyim the husband called us and we went to visit her in the hospital two hours away from us in the big city. She was not conscious and not doing well. While we were there, they transferred her to an even bigger hospital in a bigger city. We joined them at the next hospital where we were again able to pray for her as well as help with hospital bills. Well, just one day after getting back home, we got a call from Hasyim that his wife had passed away at only 37 years of age, leaving him and their three children, 15, 13, and 10 years old. Please pray for them as they all adjust to life without Ibu (mother) and that God would reveal himself to them and help them through this time. The day after she passed away, we drove the four hours to their little beach town to sit with them and visit and encourage them along with other friends and relatives. Please pray as we share Christ’s love for them as they do not yet know Him personally as their Savior. They plan to come visit us and stay with us for a couple days later this month. Go to our Photo tab under "In Memorandum; Ibu’s Family" to see more picture of their family.

Please continue to pray with us about future plans for our family as we weigh all the options with Katie’s graduation coming up. Katie also has some medical needs we’d like you to pray about as we search for the appropriate doctor which most likely means a trip to Jakarta or even Singapore. I also have some medical issues so will possibly combine a trip with Katie.

In summary, please pray for the following needs:
1. Finances for Paula’s upcoming missions trip as well as possible medical trips for Katie and me.
2. For our medical issues to be resolved.
3. For Pak Hasyim and his three children as they grieve the passing of Ibu Hasyim. For us to be able to share God’s love to them.
4. For wisdom in helping Katie pursue options/opportunities here or back at home for after she graduates from high school this year!
5. For enthusiasm in our ministry as co-workers come and go (either on furlough or onto other ministries) and the constant transition gets rather wearisome!

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Dengue Fever Meets Strep Throat…

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

Dear Praying Friends,

I had always heard the general rule of thumb, both parents never get sick at the same time. Could you imagine what things would be like in a world where that was allowed to happen?

Well, just 7 days ago it happened…and continues to happen even as I write! About 10 days ago Anna Marie became very exhausted and run down with a high fever too. We later learned that she is suffering from Dengue Fever. Just 7 days ago after returning from Jakarta, I came down with chills, fever and a terrible sore throat. Mine was diagnosed as strep throat, something I’ve heard about, especially with kids, but have never experienced.

Praise the Lord that the kids have remained healthy. Kurt got a fever and sore throat, but he took a three-hour afternoon nap and jumped up doing karate or something, full of energy! KIDS! I wish we adults would heal up more quickly!

Grace continues to heal. Her foot and her scalp wound both became infected so she is sharing antibiotics with dad. She still hasn’t gotten back on the motorbike, which incidentally only suffered a broken tail light and cracked headlight mount, ya, Japanese built.

What a way to approach the holidays! Please pray for us to continue to heal and that we’d somehow be able to get into the holiday spirit! There will be more Christmas activities to attend with our local churches and friends. We do look forward to all of this, but just a bit apprehensibly as we wait on the Lord’s timing in getting better. Please pray also that the kids have an enjoyable Christmas. Last year was our first Christmas in the past 10 Christmas’s to spend it celebrating with family! So we now begin the next "drought" celebrating Christmas without family. Please pray that we’d look to Jesus as our true meaning to celebrate!

Thanks for taking the time to pray,

Grateful,

John for Anna, Katie, Grace, Paula and Kurt

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Pray For Our Daughter Grace After Motorbike Accident

Posted by John and Anna Weeks on Sunday, November 30th, 2008

Dear Friends,

Please be praying for our second daughter Grace as she recovers from a concussion after a motorbike accident. She was driving the motorbike last night with her older sister Katie on the back. They had left the house wearing helmets, but then took them off while riding on backroads. They were making a 90-degree turn and hit loose gravel on the pavement and the bike slid out from under them. Katie was not hurt, but Grace was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. Their Indonesian friends rushed them to a local hospital wear the doctors just bandaged her up. When they got home Grace was still bleeding from her head wound and had injured her shoulder and foot which was bloodied too.

Grace kept asking the same questions over and over again like, "Is all my hair gone?" and she was experiencing short-term memory loss. Our other daughter Paula was having a sleepover and Kurt was already in bed so I stayed with the younger kids while Anna drove Katie and Grace an hour away to a bigger city and bigger hospital. The roads were clear and Anna made it in a half-hour! They immediately got Grace into emergency and stitched her head wound and then did a cat-scan. They did not find blood on the brain and after spending the night at the hospital they returned this afternoon.

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day late here on Sunday with some friends and enjoyed turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, casserole, and pies the girls had made. The girls started a pie business a couple weeks ago so have been busy baking and selling pies! They made my favorites pumpkin and pecan pie yesterday before the accident in anticipation of our late Thanksgiving. We can’t get pecans here but had received them in a care package! The turkey we ordered in advance!

Please keep praying for Grace as she recovers and still experiences some nausea and short-term memory loss; it seems to be getting better though. Please pray for a full-recovery.

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Archive for the ‘Prayer Request’ Category

Back From California

Quick Trip To California

March 2011 Prayer Requests from the Weeks’

A Late Winter’s Greeting from the Weeks’

Recent Natural Disasters in Indonesia

…A Friend’s Passing and other January 09 News

Dengue Fever Meets Strep Throat…

Pray For Our Daughter Grace After Motorbike Accident

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