Decker Update

Hello to you all from Dakar! We are so thankful to have had a very quiet week here! From the results coming in, it seems that most people are accepting the election here as free and fair, and we have not heard of any major disturbances, and we are so glad.

As many of you know, our son Joey is a freshman at John Brown University this year. One of the highlights of the year so far for him has been being a part of the rugby team. The team is gearing up for a two week missions trip to Northern Ireland, and Joey is hoping to be a part of that. Here is his letter, for your information and for your prayers!


We are excited for him, and look forward to sharing his short-term trip via pictures!

Blessings,
Mary
for the Dakar Deckers

Dear Friends,
Greetings from JBU.
I hope this letter finds you all doing well. My semester has gone extremely well so far. I am still enjoying playing rugby, and right now we are in the middle of our season. Our cup match (to decide if we go to a multi-state tournament) is coming up on Saturday, and we are all excited about it. Classes are demanding as always, but they too are going well. As some of you know, I am hoping to go with the rugby team on a missions trip to Northern Ireland this May. The details of this trip are coming together, and I thought it would be good to update all of you.
We will be leaving from JBU on May 14th traveling to Belfast, N Ireland. From the airport in Belfast, we will be driving up the north coast--to an area known as The Glenns. Upon our arrival there we will go into action immediately. We have numerous things planned to keep ourselves busy--everything from construction work for churches to speaking in elementary schools to playing rugby with local teams. Our overall goal on this trip is simply to build relationships with as many people as possible as that will aid future trips to this area. We are the first team from JBU to this particular area, and our goal is to get our name out there so that when groups arrive later on, the people already have an idea who they are and what they are about.
I want to thank you all for the support and encouragement that you have given me thus far. I can see God putting together details and working things out, and it is because of all your prayers. I ask that you all keep praying that everything will continue to come together. I am also still in need of financial support. The airline gave us a break on our group tickets, so the original goal of $2100 a person has been dropped to $1800. However, I am still short about $1500. If you feel led to contribute financially to my trip please make checks payable to "JBU -- Rugby Ireland Missions." Please attach a note to the check saying that the check is for Joey Decker. All gifts can be sent to the following address:

John Brown University Missions Department
Attention: Mr. William A. Stevenson III
2000 W. University St.
Siloam Springs, AR 72761

I appreciate your love and support. May God bless you this next year.

In Christ,
Joey Decker