God's Word Goes Out!

Getting SonSet® radios delivered from Elkhart to another location across the world can be tricky and extreme. In addition to customs, some locations are just difficult to reach. Above is a photo of our partner, Radio Logos (Peru), who had to use a float plane to reach a remote location along a river in northern Peru. Pastor Jairo Sangama of Radio Logos distributed SonSet radios pre-tuned to the frequency of Radio Logos. In addition, he spoke at open-air public gatherings to large crowds of people. There was also a baptismal service during this trip. People ARE hearing the Word of God through these efforts, they are coming to follow Christ, and being baptized!

 

Season of Change

 

We've served now at SonSet Solutions for over ten years. Over this past year or so, we've been seeking the Lord's will as to our future ministry. In the past several weeks, the Lord has answered clearly. He continues to call us to serve at SonSet Solutions, in both current and new roles.

You know John as a software developer and chaplain. You know Jean as a healthcare professional. Now, in addition to our current roles:

• John has a lead role in Human Resources;
• Jean has a major role in Donation Services.

Please pray for us for strength and wisdom as we balance our current duties with the new ones.

Sure and Steady

 

Praises:

1. We are so grateful for a steady partnership team; your prayers are not unnoticed and are a steady support to us. Thank you!
2. Our financial partners are also so very reliable and we are thankful for you all.
3. We are grateful that you communicate with us in so many ways: text, email, phone calls, and social media. We enjoy each contact and are encouraged.

Please pray:

1. We prepare to visit two more churches end of April and mid-May.
2. We have team members at SonSet Solutions who are retiring. Please pray for new workers to fill critical roles.
3. For us as we adjust to the new roles we have at SonSet Solutions.​
4. Our six summer interns are finishing up their school year and are raising up their partnership team.
5. We love working with the college and career-aged group at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church in Elkhart. Please pray for these young men and women as they grow in the Lord and serve Him.
6. Please pray for John's parents, who with increased needs, are looking to downsize and find a living situation more suitable. Please pray for clarity. 
   

 

Blessed

 

It is a blessing to have adult children. We share in their joys and struggles, and yet, there is a wonderful depth of relationship we enjoy.

The grandkids are great fun, and a simple video call gives added joy any time of the day; they are small in size but are large in blessings.

God's Word is Going Out!

 

There are exciting ways that God's Word goes out. One obvious way is through our SonSet®​radios. The photo above shows some ladies in Uganda who are charging their radios by hanging them on the tree bark. They hear the gospel through our partner, Usalama FM. Recently, our president, David Russell, shared that a sheik in a West African nation “collected the solar radios for distribution to the imams and their members in the town. Muslims are listening to the gospel every morning, afternoon and night.” Praise the Lord! This week 2,000 radios are being shipped to five locations! Please pray for those who will receive a radio and will hear the gospel! Using our technology with the SonSetLink™ water monitor, trips are planned where the team, sometimes including SonSet Solutions staff, will upgrade water pumps and/or install a SonSetLink water monitor. Trips like this can be grueling; the most recent trip of this sort included over 100 villages, where the gospel was shared at each location! In addition, the SonSetLink helps to increase the reliability of the water supply, which continues to build relationships in the villages which lead to sharing the gospel. Praises:  Our annual staff retreat, Advance 2021, was last week; it was a blessing! We are grateful that we have been able to join several churches in 2021 to share our ministry including invitations for John to preach. We've enjoyed the fellowship and community greatly. In the photo, we are putting together a Solar Media Center to show. We've been able to demonstrate it twice already. ​ ​Please pray: We prepare to join two more churches end of April and mid-May. We have team members at SonSet Solutions who are retiring. Please pray for new workers to fill critical roles. Please pray for Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church, who launched a fundraiser for a Solar Media Center for a pastor in Uganda. We were able to help a local ministry, Ribbon of Hope, who ministers to cancer patients, by delivering an Easter basket. Please pray for these that we have visited and for our desire to work with people directly. The family is doing well. Elizabeth, Pete and kiddos are enjoying their new home and ministering at Lansing Bible Church. JR was recently featured in a video about lemurs (he is the Lemur/Ambassador Animal Keeper). David just got a good raise at MarkNet Alliance and has become a member at his church in Taylorville. Tyler and Anina are now owners of a Mini Paceman. John's parents are getting better. Just after Chinese New Year, Mom got her feeding tube out. John's dad had a knee replacement. The pain in his new knee is more than expected but he is up and about. Aunt Penny is doing well, and we enjoy her close by.

We are Amazed at His Work

This picture shows Pastor Martin who is serving in the Adjumani District in the Ugandan refugee camps. He delivers SonSet® radios using a motorcycle. In that box are eighty radios that will go to individuals and families, and these radios not only deliver the gospel, but help in unexpected ways. Recently we learned that the radios have helped the refugee students with alternate schooling; their teachers are teaching over the radio! Of course, it has always been God doing the work, and we are in wonder of that.  We praise Him that technology can be used by our ministry partners so well.

The final numbers are in! During 2020, SonSet Solutions assisted 180 ministries in 60 countries via equipment, service, consultation, training, and partnership development. We are amazed by this information. The challenges of this past year have not hindered ministry! 

SonSet Solutions has been doing some organizational restructuring. We have transitioned from departmentalization of jobs to a new team-oriented approach.  This will allow us to be able to focus more efficiently on the providing solutions for our partners. 

We continue to have some key positions open. Please join us in prayer that the Lord would move qualified people to serve here in critically-needed roles. Many of us have a primary team we work on, but serve on multiple teams.

For John and Jean specifically, we would appreciate prayer for:

1. The preparations to speak at two churches: one end of February and the other mid-March. 

2. John, as he and our Spiritual Enrichment team plans for our annual staff retreat, Advance 2021, which will be held March 26, 2021.

3. Jean as she continues work in IT, monitoring COVID-19 regulations, restrictions, etc, as well as help meet communications deadlines. 

We are grateful that we were able to celebrate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, year 4719. It wasn't as big as it was last year, and we missed those who couldn’t join us, but our immediate family was together as well as John's parents and aunt, who have been vaccinated.

We praise the Lord for his provision. JR was able to fly out of South Bend, but landed in the craziness of Dallas with their power outages, cold, and storms. After a rough evening, he was able to stay with a Christian couple, while he waited for a Thursday night flight back to Garden City.