Greater Portland Baptist Church

Jesse and Tiffany Shanks: January 2009

Here's a quick update of what's been going on lately and what's coming up. Please remember to check the blog on our website (www.lightoftogo.com) for more details.

- We finished packing all of our belongings and sent them by truck on New Year's Eve.
- The truck arrived in Missouri on January 8th, and now all our things will be packed into an overseas container by a ministry called Friends in Action International.
- The container should leave around the end of January.
- Pray for a situation we had with our 220 volt appliances. The original order we placed was canceled without our knowledge, so we now are dealing with a different company. We're pressed for time now, so please pray that the appliances don't delay our container shipping too much.
- God has given me two great opportunities to speak for Him this week. First I'll be speaking at our church's Forever Young lunch, then later this week I'll be speaking at a Bible club at a local public high school. Please pray for any students who will be there that don't know Christ, and pray that God will draw people to Jesus as I present His gospel.
- Pray for our Togo visas. The applications are in Washington D.C. right now being processed. Please pray that there are no problems or delays in getting them.
- Three weeks from now we will be saying goodbye to family and friends as we board the plane on February 3rd. Pray for our travel, but pray especially for the grandmas, that God will give them the necessary strength to see their little Joshua leave for three years.

It's hard to believe that the next update letter will be coming from Togo! Going to Africa as missionaries is something that we know God has planned for us all along, and it's amazing to see how He has brought us this far and provided in every circumstance. We give Him all the praise!

Thank you for your prayer and support!

In His Grace,
Jesse, Tiffany, and Joshua Shanks