FOB, London (Joyce)

Making History: Jacksons' first selfie on the streets of Downtown Oxford.

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” ~ Isaiah 55:10-11

This new reality has definitely not sunken in yet: I am still very much conditioned by my China lifestyle it is hard to believe I am not there anymore. I still find myself reluctant to go outside as if I am fearful the pollution is still waiting to get me once I set foot out the door. When Joe finally convinced me to go running with him this morning, the raw beauty of this “private road” in the countryside of London took my breath away. It’s a narrow strip in the middle of a vast grassland, lined with stately looking trees that are slowing giving in to Autumn’s irresistible charm. It was as if I was suddenly teleported back into a Jane Austin novel. I felt a little underdressed in my cotton “jumper” and Nike’s, I wished I had been more ladylike, worn a poofy, lacy dress and walked a poodle on a leash or something. You know, just to match the scenery.

It was then that this simple piece of truth struck me: Dad’s word is amazing. Once he speaks it, it is as good as done. His word IS reality. I have always known this in my head, but we got to experience it first hand in the past 6 months and it came alive as I was breathing in the crisp, sweet air this morning. He is really the only reason we made it here. We did nothing to earn it; we are here simply because He said so:

• He got Joe admitted into Oxford and the OCCA program against all odds
• He chased after some of you to pr/y unceasingly for us, for stronger faith to believe in the impossible and trust him in uncertain times
• He allowed us enough time and space to end our season well in China 
• He made it possible for us to see our families before we came over to the UK
• He knocked on many of your hearts and asked you to send us enough funds to pay for 1 year’s tuition and living cost in this beautiful (and expensive!) city 
• He orchestrated Joe’s visa to come through in the nick of time although it did not look promising at first
• He worked magic to convince the custom officer to let me through the border (story for another time, but this IS a miracle!)

All this happens because of His infallible, faithful, loving Word.

I want to trust his word and not my own judgement as we journey forth into this adventure. I want to bar fear from my heart and stand boldly upon his promises. Yes, sometimes he might not let me see very far ahead, but I KNOW and I know that he never fails to fulfill his promises. Although we are so undeserving, I can trust that he will bring the fruit he desired and accomplish all that he wants to do in and through us. And it will be good.

Thank you for walking with us, pr/ying for us and investing in us; we are beyond thankful. We will continue to update you on our journey as Dad unfolds this chapter of his plans. As for now, we are well: trying to get over jet lag, exploring London, and enjoying every moment with the Sander’s family in the breathtaking countryside of London. Next week we will be looking for housing and getting some administrative details ironed out in Oxford. School starts first thing in October, please be thinking of us.

Gratefully,

Joyce

New Direction

Sonrise Service on the Great Wall, Easter 2014

       Some of you have been in recent contact with us while others may not have heard of our recent news. We went to a conference last October and it was there that the Lord placed a desire in my heart (Joe’s) to pursue further education in theology and apologetics - a long time passion of mine. I applied earlier on this year, and we just found out that I have been accepted to attend OXFORD University in the UK this coming Fall! This program is actually rather difficult to get into and is quite incredible: we are informed that they only accept a selected number of people, and the students will be mentored by and work closely with a number of well known Christian authors and speakers such as Ravi Zacharias, Alister McGrath, Os Guinness, and John Lennox. 

Throughout the last year, before the opportunity for Oxford even came up, I felt an increasing sense that God is leading us into a time of spiritual “upgrade.” When I got accepted, we realize that this is an incredible opportunity that could only be given by God. So we are selling everything we own and hoping to move to the UK at the end of August. We have been doing ministry in China for twelve and six years respectively, but now we sense that it’s time to move on to this next stage.  

This brings us to the reason for this letter. You are receiving this letter because we believe that you really care about the Kingdom and have either touched our lives or been touched by our lives/ministry in some way. We would LOVE for you to partner with us as we step out on this faith journey. 

Would you prayerfully consider….

1) Praying for us - We desperately need people to pray for us regularly.  We have heard from many differing sources that the academic load for this course is very substantial.  Please pray for the strength and perseverance to get through this course and to do it WELL.  Pray for health and community while we are in Oxford.  Also please pray that God would move powerfully through us and that we ourselves will get the spiritual “upgrade” that we feel God has called us there for. 

2) Giving Financially - We need you to PRAY for our finances specifically! We trust that God will provide for us as we step out in faith to follow him. Please pray that our eyes will be opened to see all that he has prepared for us! We are praying that Joyce will find work in Oxford to support our time there. Would you consider giving towards our study and living costs while we are in Oxford? If you feel led to support us financially, we have included detail info at the bottom of this email. 

Oxford has given us a deadline (end of June) to show proof of funds  or at least a pledge of funds to cover the fees for the entire year. The total cost is VERY substantial.  Should you feel led to give toward this need, could you please let us know before June 15th  how much you’re prepared to give? We are grateful for any amount of contribution.

3) Connecting Us with Your Contacts in the UK - Neither Joyce or I have ever been to the UK, let alone live there! If you have friends or family members with whom you would be able to connect us, please introduce us! We promise we’ll be good and won’t cause you any embarrassment :)

Once again, we really sense that this is where God is calling us.  This will be a season of upgrade, both spiritually and intellectually, in order to equip us for the next stage in our ministry.  We humbly ask that you would consider supporting us in some way.  Thanks for your time and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

With much love,

Shoeless and Joyce

Click here to give financially via PayPal (credit/debit card).

(If the above link does not work, copy and paste this link onto your browser:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=LECXL6KBNVV6Q)

If you would like to give via bank wire transfer, please let us know and we will gladly send you the necessary information.

For more info about the program at Oxford, check out these links:

The School at Oxford: www.wycliffehall.org.uk

The RZIM Program: www.theocca.org