Dear Friends,
Lynda and I would like to express our gratitude to all of you who support us with your prayers and with your financial gifts. Your concern for us brings us great joy. We enjoy all the cards, emails and phone calls and we are looking forward to the opportunity of seeing you next year. In August, it will be four years since our last furlough.
We are planning, Lord-willing, our next furlough for April 2009. The Webster's dictionary defines a furlough as "a leave of absence." The "absence" of a furlough does create a problem for the ministry on the field, but we believe it is a very necessary part of a missionary's ministry. At the end of his first missionary journey, Paul wrote in Acts 14:27 that he "...gathered the church together and reported all that God had done with them." With all the changes that have taken place in Word of Life Australia, this furlough will be very important.
Lynda and I have many goals we hope to accomplish. First of all, we want to report on all the changes in the ministry and to give a clear picture of our role. We want to meet with as many of you as possible and share the many blessings the Lord has been doing in our lives and in the ministry. Also, we will need to raise more financial support. Lastly, we hope to recruit others to come help us in the ministry!
There are many prayer requests that we have in regard to our furlough. We will need someone to "fill in the gap" during our absence. Where to live is always a big concern; we would love to rent an apartment in Phoenixville, PA, and base all of our travels from there. Lynda's health is a major request; she is still in lots of pain from her recent surgery. Pray for healing and that she will be able to manage her stoma while traveling. Pray that we would be able to report on the ministry and share our vision with many people and churches. Lastly, pray that we will be able to raise our needed support.
Please take a few moments to read the ministry news on our letter!
God Bless,
Jim and Lynda Dugan
1 Thess. 5:25 "Brethren, Pray for us."