April 28, 2023

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Dear praying friends, 

Thank you for holding us up in prayer. We greatly value your service to the Lord as you partner with us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are praying for you with joyful hearts! Thank you, God, for working among us. We're not worthy of any praise. Only you are!

Philippians 1:3–6 (NIV)
 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

On to the next places of service and Christian fellowship: We thank God for giving us grace to pack all our things back into the van and head off to more partnering churches. We plan to travel from Greer, SC to Lexington, VA on Saturday, so we can spend time with Collierstown Baptist Church on Sunday. The pastor friend that invited us to partner with that church is no longer there. We look forward to getting to know the interim pastor and reconnecting with the believers. May God be praised in all we say and do. We plan to travel to Manheim, PA on Monday. 

​God has been giving us wonderful times of Christian fellowship and service to him with our partnering churches over the past few weeks here in the Carolinas. He has also given us very enjoyable and valuable times of Christian fellowship and recreation with family, friends, and spiritual mentors.

We look forward to seeing God work as we spend time, Lord willing, with partnering churches from now through mid August. We have really enjoyed sharing what God has done and is doing in Peru. We have been encouraged to hear what God is doing in our partnering churches. We have rejoiced in the hope that we all have in God as we trust him with our future desires to serve him. May we serve him with love, fervor, zeal, joy, wisdom, holiness, integrity, humility, and the fear of the Lord all of our days. ​

Romans 12:9–21 (NIV)
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: 
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; 
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. 
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 Acts 14:26–28 (NIV)
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there
a long time with the disciples. 

Peru ministry video: I thought you might enjoy watching the ministry overview videos that we are showing to our partnering churches. The top video is in English and the one underneath it is in Spanish. May all the glory be to our God alone!

Psalm 115:1 (ESV) 
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, 
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Jay 

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Jay & Kelly Cross
          Alexia, Isabel, Esther, Lilian, and Eliana