Cox Family Prayer Update - Health and Travel News!

Dear praying friends,

I have never received so many responses to a prayer update as I did with this last one where I told you about my health issues. What an encouragement to have so many of you send a quick note to say you'd be praying. A SPECIAL thank you to those who prayed!

The doctors are puzzled about my health issues. The tests have come back without results that point to a clear diagnosis. The general consensus is that there is still some viral activity in my body that has been causing the fatigue. How long this will last is a big question in everyone's mind. Without a clear diagnosis, it's difficult to know what treatment options to consider. I still have good mornings, which is what really makes the doctors scratch their heads (if I had the fatigue all day everyday, things would be clearer to them). As I write this I have had two good days. A good day is one where I have enough energy to be at the office almost a full day. I'm praying this will continue and that the hours where I can function normally will increase every day.

I am still scheduled to leave for Romania June 7 and will continue on to Egypt June 10. I feel definitely that God is leading me to move forward with the trip and so I have not cancelled. If I EVER needed you to pray me through a trip, this is the time! Please pray that I will find times of rest as they are needed and that God will show Himself to be strong when I am weak. I'm still asking everyone to pray, along with me, for complete healing. However, if God chooses to allow the weakness, I know He can and will receive glory through this part of my journey.

As you are able, please follow the itinerary and pray for me each day as God leads you...

June 7 Leave the San Diego airport

June 8 Morning arrival in Cluj, Romania

June 9 EGM-Romania Board Meeting

June 10 Fly from Cluj to Cairo

June 12 Time with EGM-Egypt staff

June 13 Team arrives in Cairo from the USA

June 14 Preparation for the camp/conferences

June 15 Speak in Sunday worship

June 16-19 Camp/conference in Alexandria (north of Cairo)

June 20-21 Rest and sightseeing

June 22 Speak in Sunday worship

June 23-26 Camp/conference in El Menya (south of Cairo)

June 27 Fly from Cairo to San Diego

The two camp/conferences are a combined group of children AND adults. There are training times for the teachers and times where they USE the training with the kids. I'm really looking forward to it! Our Egyptian director's wife, Mofida, has recently been diagnosed with lupus and doctors are trying to find the right medications for her. I know they would really appreciate having your prayers, as well. As always, please remember to pray for Julie and Jonathan while I am away.

God bless each of you.

Joe

A prayer request that's hard to share

Dear Praying Friends,

It's not easy to admit weakness. It's much more fun to write to you and ask for prayer for the next great ministry adventure. But today, I'm just plain weak and I need you to stand with me in prayer. As you know, I was in a pretty serious car accident during my last trip to Ukraine and Belarus. I was just so thankful to be alive afterwards! God literally saved my life and I will never stop praising Him for that. During the days after the car accident, I wrote off any physical symptoms, chalking them up to the trauma.

The day after I got back, I began to have more severe flu-like symptoms and was VERY sick for several days. The doctor called it a virus and told me I couldn't fly to St. Louis according to schedule. So, we postponed and shortened our trip to St. Louis, but I was able to travel even though I had to have a wheelchair in the airport part of the time. I even improved some while I was there and the Lord strengthened me for the meetings that He arranged for us.

Unfortunately, after I got back to California, I began to experience real fatigue as well as muscle weakness and soreness on a daily basis. Thinking it was just that I needed time to get over the virus, I just rested alot and waited. However, it's been a month now and I'm still having real problems with fatigue. I start off pretty good in the morning, but after just a few hours of work, I begin to have trouble thinking clearly, lose all energy and even have trouble speaking clearly at times. At that point, I just MUST go and rest. Blood work shows levels in the normal range. Of course, everyone I talk to has an idea of what this could be. I am asking God for healing and for wisdom to know from HIM what to do next.

I'm scheduled to leave for Romania and Egypt on June 7 and would very much like to make the trip since the national Christian leaders have gone to a lot of trouble to prepare for me and the team of Americans traveling with me. I realize this is all a loving gift from God and I want to get from Him what He wants for me through this. I really HAVE just rested and rested, but progress is very slow and it's confusing when we don't know what we are dealing with. I keep hoping I'll wake up tomorrow feeling good again.

When I asked you to be a part of my prayer team, I asked if you would be willing just to stop and pray when you got an email from me. I sure hope I can count on those prayers today. Please pray for Julie, too. This hasn't been easy on her, either.

Wow! Do we ever appreciate you!!

Joe

Cox Newsletter - May 2008

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Prayer Request from Julie

Greetings!

I am so thankful that you have been praying!

Joe called to let me know that he was in a car accident on his journey from Ukraine to Belarus. The driver (not Joe!) lost control of the vehicle when he tried to avoid an animal that was in the road. The car rolled twice before it settled upside down in the woods. There were four people in the car and they all walked away without serious injuries. The police were surprised that they were able to survive the crash. God was certainly looking out for them!

Joe lost his glass's knee was hurt, but the x-rays revealed only a strain--not a break! Pray for him as he continues with the trip as planned.

Julie

Prayer Update - 3/28/08

Dear Praying Friends:

We're entering into a season where your prayers will REALLY be needed. What a privilege it is for us to be able to email you, knowing you WILL pray for us! Thank you!! Here's what's going on...

On Saturday, March 29, we depart for Phoenix, Arizona where we will join a team from Calvary Church in St. Peters, Missouri. We're excited to work alongside our dear friends and ministry partners from Calvary as we head down to Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico. Through April 5, we'll have opportunity to conduct a training for children's workers in the region, help in some neat direct children's ministry stuff and visit an orphanage and drug/alcohol rehab center.

After a few days at home, I will head for the airport again, this time journeying to Kiev, Ukraine where we will conduct an orientation for the new Ukrainian board members who have agreed to serve as the new Ukrainian ministry is established. I'll be working alongside our regional resource team director, Igor Fridrikh. It will be FUN to be a part of some of the first steps to seeing an official ministry established in this country where so many children's workers are looking for training, resources and encouragement.

After the Ukraine meetings, I will go for the first time to Minsk, Belarus. During the days I am there I will evaluate the ministry work and seek to be an encouragement to the team there. In order to protect our ministry partners, I'll not go into further detail as to my activities during this week. It is enough to say that there are very real dangers and pressures for believers in Belarus and I'm COUNTING on the covering of your prayers during this portion of my trip.

I will be home for just a couple of days before we leave again for the St. Louis area. We're beginning the process now of setting up meetings with our friends and ministry partners in the area. We'll have about 10 days to see EVERYBODY!! A good portion of our support team resides in this area and it will be great to see them. We can't wait to give everyone an update on the ministry and thank them for their support and prayers over the last almost 2 years in EGM ministry! Our new team member, Alex Bruda, from Romania, will be joining us for part of that time so that we can introduce him to our supporting "family." (NOTE: If you're in the area, we WANT to see you while we're there. Please email us to let us know when we can connect with you!)

Here's the itinerary for the next several weeks. Please post it and follow us with your prayers for physical, emotional and spiritual strength for us as individuals and for us as a family.

March 29 - Joe and Julie Fly to Phoenix, AZ on the way to Mexico
March 30 - Cross the border into Mexico
March 30-April 5 - Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico
April 5 - Fly back from Phoenix to San Diego
April 9 - Joe flies to Kiev, Ukraine
April 10-12 - Board Orientation in Kiev
April 13-17 - Ministry Activities in Minsk, Belarus
April 19-29 - Connect with St. Louis Support Team

Thank you for standing with us in prayer!

Joe, Julie and Jonathan Cox
YOUR missionaries with Every Generation Ministries

Prayer Update - 2/11/08

Dear Praying Friends,

Normally, I have emailed you just prior to a trip, giving you my itinerary and asking you to pray me through it. However, due to a communication glitch, the email requesting your prayers in advance did not go out. Therefore, I'm sending you now a report on the trip instead! I'm sure you were praying (as the dates for the recent trip to Egypt were outlined in our most recent newsletter) so THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

I was pleased this time to be able to join a team from Voyagers Church in Irvine, California (about an hour or so from where we live in Temecula). It was so great to see all the gifts of the different team members being used by the Lord in the lives of Egyptian children's ministry leaders.

Upon my arrival, the 10 of us piled into a minibus and a car and headed toward Alexandria, 3 hours away. The conference center where the children's workers conference was to be held was right on the Mediterranean Sea and the the view was spectacular even though the weather was the worst they'd seen in 15 years!

In spite of the horrible weather, 230 children's workers arrived within a few minutes time. The group was mostly young people and there were LOTS of men. This is an unusual sight at a children's workers gathering. Women ages 30-50 normally make up the majority of the group, but not at this conference. Every spare minute, on every break, attendees inundated team members with children's ministry questions - about everything from classroom discipline challenges to complex spiritual issues.

I was taken aback by the number of children's workers asking me about sexual abuse. It seems that the problem is growing but the society is not growing in it's ability to deal with the issue. Every teacher who asked me about it said that their fear was that the parents would blame the child if it were known what was going on. Egypt is a spiritually dark place and this is just one more confirmation of that fact. The conference center was called Beit El Salaam, which means "place of peace" in Arabic. It was truly a haven for these storm beaten servants. It's not easy being a evangelical Christian in Egypt, let alone a children's worker. These precious people were so in need of encouragement. They packed into the worship center for every session - no one skipped out of various sessions as you see at American conferences. They were so eager to hear what was shared and took copious notes during every class.

At the close of the conference, most attendees boarded buses headed to the various locations throughout Egypt. Some would travel several days on various modes of transportation before they would eventually get back home to rest. We boarded each bus and bid farewell with a prayer for safe journeys. As I was saying goodbye, I thought of you.

What a privilege to know these people and serve them. What a privilege to know that boys and girls in churches and communities throughout Egypt will be touched by the ministry of this conference. What a privilege to be sent by you, our prayer and financial supporters. Your ministry of prayer and giving is making a difference for real people like Yousef and Meham and Sylvia and Michal and Mofida and Ayad and...Joe and Julie and Jonathan.

With much love and thanks,

Joe and Julie and Jon

Fun photos to check out

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