No Fear, Baby. And Other Prayers.

I think that should be our theme this week, folks. No fear. So many of us are facing long and challenging weeks. I, for one, have about 100 meetings and 50 presentations between now and next Sunday morning. Others of you are worried about jobs and conferences and sick kids and babies-on-the-way. All I'm sayin' is let us not be afraid! With God's help, we will make it through this week even stronger than we are today. I just know it!

Thanks to the Fadals! They brought our donuts today. We appreciate you coming through for us, Jeff and Jennifer. Jeff and Bernie Hookham, also known as the Old Faithfuls (no reference to age there!), will be taking care of us next week. We can always count on the Hookhams!

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

Let's move forward with our prayers and praises.

Jason Bunting has decided to make a job switch to become the new principal of Midway ISD's Success Lab. Congratulations on this great opportunity, Jason! Please pray for Jason as he makes this transition between now and Fall 2009. The decision was a difficult one for Jason to make, but he will be able to serve a completely different population of students next year.

Stefanie Bunting also would like for us to pray for the church as we go through the search process to find a new Children's Minister. We will be using a process very similar to what we used when we captured Joe Cox and brought his family to the promised land from some two-word state on the east coast. Please pray that God will be with the search committee and Mark DeVries as our church works through this very important process. Pray that God will bring exactly the right person to us for this critically important role.

Shelley Buhner brought good news about Maddie Sue (sp. ?), Tatum Buhner's good friend. It turns out that the problem with Maddie Sue's heart isn't near as severe as they once thought. It looks as though the problem may be solved with medication. Please pray that God will continue to be with Maddie Sue and her parents during this stressful time.

Also on the Buhner front, Shelley will learn about her job on Friday. Pray that God will be with the Buhners this week as they anticipate Friday. Ask that God will help Shawn and Shelley not to be anxious and to know that God is with them no matter how things turn out. We're praying for you, Shelley B.!

Christina G. would like for us to continue to pray for her boyfriend, Tim. It turns out that he will need to stay in Wisconsin for another month. Pray that God will be with Tim and Christina while they are apart.

Brian VanZee needs our prayers as he embarks on a busy week. He is coordinating a very important conference on biology and water-related issues, which will take place Monday through Saturday in Fort Worth. For you bass fishermen out there, Brian's bringing together the best minds in the world to tackle the "golden algae" problem, which has a direct impact on the quality of bass fishing in the great state of Texas! Please pray that Brian's week will go well and that the conversations at the conference will bear promising fruit. Let's also pray for Jill while Brian is away. Jill, please let us know what we can do for you. Just call if you need something!

Teresa Sullivan would like for us to pray for her school district (Bruceville-Eddy, if I remember correctly). They will be going through some administrative changes soon. Please pray that they will find good leadership and that the upcoming weeks will go better for Teresa.

We also need to pray for safety for Ben as he leaves for oil rig work again this week. Pray for his safe travel, work, and return to the Sullivan family. For those of us who might get the inclination to complain about our inside jobs this week, just try following Ben around for a few days!

Let's keep up the prayers for our expectant mommies: Shannon Smith and Elizabeth Nemec. Pray for strength for the mommies and continued growth and strength for the babies.

Tina Leonberger goes in for her back surgery on January 27th. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and that she will begin to feel better soon.

I would like for everyone to pray that my Mom, the one and only Jeannine Null, will have a great birthday on Wednesday of this week. She turns 39. : ) I think she and my Dad have been celebrating for about a month! That's great. They deserve some celebration time.

Last but certainly not least, let's keep up our prayers for Steve May. He's waiting to hear on several job possibilities. Pray that God will give he and Jennifer the strength, patience, and courage they need during this time. We're here to do anything and everything that we can for you, Steve and Jennifer. No fear, baby!

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I believe that does it. We look forward to seeing all of you next Sunday, and I certainly mean that this week. Lots of us will tackle big challenges this week, so let's be sure and assemble ourselves again next Sunday to celebrate what we've conquered. Dana and I will look forward to seeing you then!

God bless,

Wes and Dana