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Saturday, December 1, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Prayer Update - 10/22/07
Wow! I am in Cluj, Romania today and just finished a great day of staff training with the new staff team here. I shared some leadership training materials on the subjects of Caring For Ministry Leaders, Effective Teamwork in Ministry and Being an "Equipper" Rather Than a "Doer." The team really responded well and I really feel God will use their unique set of gifts and abilities in amazing ways.
The weekend was incredible, too. On Sunday, I got to share with a group of around 200school age children in a large Pentecostal church here in Cluj. Afterward, we observed a teacher of 5th graders who was using the materials our EGM partners have produced here. She is a direct product of the training and mentoring she's received through the Romanian staff here and the American summer ministry teams that have come to her church. What a joy to see her effectiveness in sharing God's Word with the kids and to know you and I had a small part in that!
In the afternoon, I was invited to share at the Hungarian Baptist Church. It seems strange to be in a Hungarian service while in Romania, but there is actually quite a large community of Hungarians in Romania and the Hungarian Baptist Union has a large number of churches. It was great to share with them and thank them for their part in the ministry of reaching the children (this is the church of one of our staff members). Following the service, we enjoyed an AMAZING Hungarian dinner! MMMMMMMM!
Tomorrow morning, I'm off to Kiev, Ukraine and am counting on your continued prayers for me. Igor Fridrikh and I will be sharing with denominational and church leaders about the launch of our minstry in this country. It's my first time there.
I spoke to Julie via the computer for a brief moment a few moments ago and things are going well at home. She even had our grandson, Noah, at the house for the weekend! (I'm jealous!) She thanks you for your prayers, as well. She's busy coordinating the trip I will make with the team going to Oaxaca in the south of Mexico (a children's workers training event) November 12-17. It's so great to have her there, seeing to the details of the ongoing work of EGM and coordinating communications. I'm so thankful for her.
God bless you for your ministry of prayer!
Joe
Ps. 25:4,5
Friday, October 19, 2007
Prayer Update - 10/19/07
Dear Praying Friends,
You have been so faithful to follow us and cover us with your prayers. Please don't stop! I can't tell you how important it is!! We feel God's provision, protection and encouragement so often and KNOW we can link it DIRECTLY to the prayer support we receive!
EGYPT
Julie and I felt God working in significant ways during our trip to Egypt last month. It was obvious that He had gone before us to prepare the way and we were able to encourage our staff and board team there. I enjoyed sharing Bible studies from the life of Elisha and God moved in hearts as a result. We both saw the Lord opening doors for informal strategic conversations as well as good results from the board meetings. We felt our time there was well spent on a number of levels. We even got to put our toes in the Red Sea - amazing! Praise the Lord for our team of prayer partners and financial supporters who made this trip possible.
MOVING
We are all moved into our new place (see new address and phone below). We love it and are so thankful that our son, Joe, was able to come out from Missouri to help us move! Things went fairly smoothly and we're thankful!! Believe it or not, I was called for jury duty in the midst of all the move, and was assigned to a case lasting a full month! God miraculously moved in the heart of the very "by the book" judge and, though not excused from serving, I WAS able to postpone my service to February. Whew!
JULIE'S NEW JOB
Now that our EGM president has a new full-time assistant, Julie is, once again, able to focus her time and energy on the plethora of special projects that continue to surface in the very quickly growing EGM ministry. Right now, she's putting the final touches on an international staff member's manual with loads of policies and procedures that will make our work stronger around the world. It's been tedious and complicated but the result is pure beauty!! She's also editing some training materials and other resources that will help US churches as they participate in short term ministry partnering with churches in EGM countries.
ROMANIA, UKRAINE, POLAND & HUNGARY
Sunday, October 15, I will once again board an airplane headed for Eastern Europe. Here's the itinerary, so you can follow me with your prayers…
Sun, Oct 14 - Leave San Diego at 7:40am headed for Budapest, Hungary
Mon, Oct 15 - Drive with our team to Cluj, Romania
Tues, Oct 16 - Meet with the Romanian staff team for conference planning and new staff training
Oct 17-20 - National Children's Worker Conference in Vlahita, Romania
Sun, Oct 21 - Hungarian Baptist Church in Cluj
Mon, Oct 22 - New staff training for Romanian team
Oct 23-26 - Meet with denominational leaders and board candidates in Kiev, Ukraine
Fri, Oct 26 - Fly from Kiev, Ukraine to Krakow, Poland
Oct 27-29 - Meet with our regional staff and EGM Poland staff and board
Mon, Oct 29 - Overnight train from Krakow to Budapest, Hungary
Tues, Oct 30 - Meet with EGM Hungary staff and board
Wed, Oct 31 - Fly home and arrive 9:45pm in San Diego
Of course, as always, remember to pray for Julie and Jonathan and for our US staff while I'm away. My special prayer requests this time is for physical ENDURANCE and for WISDOM as I meet with each team. Complex ministry consultations and decisions are a daily event on these trips and I'm hopeless and helpless without Divine help!
Your brief return email, reminding me of your commitment to pray is always a welcome sight in my email inbox and is often just the encouragement I need.
Thanking God for you,
Joe Cox
New home address:
41710 Monterey Place
Temecula, CA 92591
New phone number:
951-506-4868
Friday, August 24, 2007
Prayer Update - 8/24/07
Dear Praying Friends,
As you receive this email, we are entering into the final week of preparations for our move and for our trip to Egypt. We're very excited about our new home and feel God has directed us to it. When finally there, we will be relieved, but right now, it's just boxes, boxes and more boxes. Things with the owner of our home have gotten stranger by the day and we can see now why God directed us elsewhere. Even though the actual move-in date isn't until September 14, we need to have everything packed up before…
We leave for Egypt September 1 and will return September 8. Please mark these dates on your calendar and PRAY with us!
September 1 we'll leave the San Diego Airport at 11 am and travel to Egypt via Rome
September 2 we'll arrive in Cairo and will be met by our Egyptian EGM leaders
September 3 we travel to Sharm el Sheikh conference center via local Egyptian air transport
September 3-7 we'll share at the EGM Staff and Board Retreat
September 7 we fly back from Sharm el Sheikh to Cairo (check out the location on a map of Egypt!) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Egypt-region-map-cities.gif
September 8 we'll leave Cairo (after a very short night of rest) traveling to the US via Paris
September 8 we hope to arrive back at the San Diego Airport at 8 pm
While we're in Egypt, please pray for Jonathan, who will be staying behind with friends in order to stay current with school commitments. Pray for safety in the journey and for safety of the believers who will host us. Pray, too, that we will be able to effectively encourage and train the Egyptian national Christians who lead the EGM ministry in Egypt. This "face-time" is so important as we seek to lovingly influence the national team in positive ways.
September 11, our son Joe will arrive. He'll be with us through the weekend to help out with the move. He's going to be a great help and we're thankful for him.
September 14 is our move day and everything must be done on this day because the next day…
September 15 we will be sharing at St. James Church in Orange County. This church has been a special blessing to EGM over the years and when they invited us to conduct an all-day training event for their children's ministry team, we jumped at the opportunity to bless them in return. This date was selected months before we even knew we'd be moving, so we're trusting the Lord to give the strength that will be needed.
The week of September 16 will be a "normal" work week for us, with the exception of the appointment for our final inspection at our "old" house. Please pray for a good result and full deposit refund even though the relationship is strained.
Our prayer partners are so valuable to us. Thanks so much for your partnership in the ministry. We will endeavor to be in touch with you soon. Thanks for praying! We count it a privilege to be serving the Lord alongside YOU for the sake of lost children around the world.
Joe, Julie and Jonathan Cox
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Prayer Update - 6/1/07
Dear Praying Friends,
I just love calling you "praying friends" and knowing you REALLY are praying for us! Today, I received two news bulletins from countries where EGM serves. I'm including a part of the news bulletin so you can be aware as you pray. It is a stark reminder of the need to regularly uplift the church leaders in these countries. We count it a privilege to stand with the children's ministry leaders in churches throughout Belarus and Egypt. After reading this information, would you be willing to pray for church leaders in these two countries, asking God to encourage and bless them even as they are facing opposition? Thanks for praying…
Joe
EGYPT
On May 11, a mob of Muslims attacked Christians in Bahma village south of Cairo after hearing rumors that a church was to be built in the village without government permission. Muslims left their Friday prayers and attacked the homes and shops of Christians, setting the buildings on fire. At least 10 Coptic Christians were injured in the attack. People from both faiths took up sticks and hatchets and began hurling bricks and firebombs at each other. At least 27 houses and shops were damaged by fire. At last report, 59 Muslims have been arrested on charges of arson and spreading sectarian strife.
BELARUS
Ten state officials raided the Pentecost service of John the Baptist Pentecostal Church in the capital Minsk yesterday (27 May). Pastor Antoni Bokun was arrested, held overnight at a police station and fined 20 times the minimum monthly wage today (28 May) for holding an "unsanctioned mass meeting". The church – which has state registration – has been refused permission to rent premises for public worship, so has to meet in a private home. Local lawyer Sergei Lukanin told Forum 18 that Pastor Bokun told the court he had broken the law only because it went against the law of God. Fellow church member Jaroslaw Lukasik, a Polish citizen married to a Belarusian, who faces deportation in early June, was also held for several hours. Although he did not preach at the service, he faces administrative charges on accusations of conducting unauthorized religious activity as a foreign citizen and hence violating laws on the presence of foreign citizens in Belarus.
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