January 26: DeckerUpdate - Liberia report

Dear friends and family,
We are so thankful for your prayers as we work with SIM's Western Africa Area, which includes the countries of Guinea, Senegal, Cote d'Ivore and Liberia.   Our purpose is to serve missionaries by offering quality leadership and administrative support.  Many of you have been involved in our life and ministry since our very earliest days of living in Liberia, and you know how special that country is to us.  Last week Dave returned from a trip to Liberia, and here is his report.  God is clearly at work, and the need for prayer is very great.  Please join us in praying, as this week and this season is very significant for the ministries there.

With thankfulness for your partnership and your prayers,

Mary for the DakarDeckers

Dave's Liberia Report
Last week I returned from a visit to Liberia, where rebuilding following the devastation of an extended civil war continues.  Signs of progress are visible all over, as are obstacles to progress.  This is true on the national level, and also in the church, and at ELWA, where SIM partners with Liberians ministering through radio, health care, and education.

March 4: update on Carol K.

Steve Kejr writes to thank people for praying. Overnite, they made all the
connections from Cote d'Ivoire, and went directly to the doctor in Charlotte
who says Carol has a partially detached retina that included the
macula, the part of the eye that gives the central focus.

The specialist has initiated a basic treatment and may do a more invasive
procedure in a couple days if this doesn't work. Continue to pray. Carol must
hold her head in a given position, even while sleeping. The Doc says
because the macula is involved we will not know for several months how her
vision will end up. May both Carol & Steve know God's peace.

Pray also for the team at ELWA in Liberia. This did not seem to be a good
time for Steve to leave many projects unfinished. 

March 3: Prayer Request

Please pray for these dear friends, Steve and Carol Kejr.

Received this morning from SIM:
Sunday morning Carol Kejr, then in Liberia, experienced symptoms of retinal detachment In her best, right eye. As there are no good eye doctors in Liberia they flew to the neighboring country of Cote d'Ivore to a better hospital in Abidjan and saw an eye doctor at 7:30 AM local time Monday, who confirmed the diagnosis and advised surgery ASAP. They barely missed one flight and are expected to arrive in Charlotte about 11:40am Tuesday. Pray they will be able to make all connections, that there will be an opening in the surgeon’s schedule for immediate surgery, that God will give real peace of heart to both Carol and Steve as they continue “trusting in His care”, and of course for God’s hand on the surgeon’s. Praise Him that our insurance was willing to pay for the airfare and cover the surgery!

February 23: ELWA Radio

Please continue to pray for ELWA Radio as they share the gospel of Jesus Christ over the airwaves in Liberia!

February 23: ELWA Academy

Pray for ELWA Academy as they provide quality Christian education in Liberia.







(personal side-note from Mary: I can't resist posting several of Dave's pictures of the ELWA Academy students!

ELWA Academy was Danny and Joey's first school. SO many memories!

And I love the sight of of Liberian kids in their school uniforms! I miss living in Liberia!!)

February 23: ELWA Hospital

Dave, Burt and Mark with Les Unruh in front of ELWA Hospital.

Please remember to pray for this hospital as they shine the light of Christ while ministering to physical needs in Liberia.

thoughts on choosing a focus.

For every picture, the photographer has a choice about where to focus the camera. The same scene looks very different when one focuses on the background instead of the foreground. Something stark and bleak can look beautiful in a well-composed photo, when a skilled photographer has captured the scene. And I'm reminded that it's true for how we perceive and interpret situations in our lives as well.

Depending on where we choose to focus, the same event can be viewed as a tragedy, or as God's providence.

I've felt so sad this week at the death of Ben, an M.K. in Kenya, but so appreciated that in the midst of their grief, his family has kept their focus on God's trustworthiness.

They've helped the many people worldwide who followed Ben's sudden illness and prayed for him to trust that Ben is in the hands of the all-powerful God who loves him-- and grieves with them as well.

Here's an article, Why God Doesn't Fully Explain Pain from our home church pastor which has really helped me this week.

And for a "change of focus", here's a link to pictures from our recent days at the beach. I enjoyed experimenting with the camera... and the reminder of how focus changes the picture was a timely one for me.

Update: Ben Home With The Lord (Please keep praying for this family!)

Dear friends, thank you for praying. We just received this update.


(this was written by Ben's grandfather)

Ben Home with the Lord

Dear Family and Friends,

We just had a call from Dan[Ben's father] in South Africa. He reported that Ben did really well for the first 3 1/2 hours of the flight. Then, his heart developed problems. The team on the plane did everything possible to revive Ben, but the pulse stopped and nothing could be done. The plane had been on the ground about 20 minutes when Dan called. He was still at the plane and trying to determine what to do. He really has no one in South Africa to turn to for help. He needs immediate prayer for wisdom and he desperately needs God's presence and strength. Judy[Ben's grandmother] found this wonderful verse in Psalm 54:4. "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one that sustains me." We are praying this for Dan and Lynda and for the dear children. We are also claiming it for our entire family.

At times like this it is so wonderful to have Jesus, whose eye is on the sparrow. We know He is grieving with us. He has not failed. Once again life has triumphed over death. We have total confidence that Ben is 100% well and we will see him again. God is good all the time and even Ben’s passing comes through His loving hand.

If any reading this message do not know the Lord or has wandered from Him, we plead with you to come to Him. At such times in life, there is nothing like knowing that one’s sins are forgiven and that Jesus is able to present us faultless before the Throne of Grace. That is what He has done for Ben. He has done it because He loves Ben, not because Ben deserved it. Oh what comfort we have despite the tears.


Our family wants to thank all of you who have prayed us through this time of pain. Your messages have brought solace and encouragement. We have felt the love of literally thousands and have thanked God over and over again that we are part of the family of God.


To God be the glory!


(If you would like more details about this situation, or would like updates, here is their website .)

urgent prayer request: Ben in Kenya

Dear friends,
please be praying for a young man (age 20) named Ben. He is a missionary kid who graduated in 2006 from Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. Our friends were his dorm parents, and have written asking for prayer. His parents/mission are trying to med-evac him to South Africa-- he needs heart surgery and they don't think he could make it to the States... please pray.

Ben had open heart surgery because of a strep infection that went bad in the fall of 2005. He's done amazingly well since that time, an athlete playing soccer for a college in the states. He came out for his brother's graduation and to see his family and alumni friends about two weeks ago. But he got an infection in his heart and because of that, he has had a stroke.

The infection seems to be spreading, and his condition is increasingly unstable.
>From Ben's grandfather: "Despite the condition of Ben and the stress on the family, we continue to trust God. We know that God's eye is still on the sparrow and Ben is immensely more valuable to Him. Jesus is totally trustworthy and whatever the outcome, He will be there with grace and comfort. We continue to believe that in HIs perfect will Ben can be healed, but we also want what will bring Him glory and honor. We find that at such a time as this, there is tremendous comfort in knowing Ben is in the hands of His loving and all-powerful God."

June 5 quick note

Dear friends and family--
We're a bit overdue for an update, and I will write one in the next few days! But in the meantime, would you please pray for our electricity and water situation? We have had significant outages in the past few days, as much as 12 hours out of 24, and at completely unpredictable times. It gets a bit stressful when our reservoir is not filling, and we have no water... and I do worry about things in our refrigerator! I know in many locations it is always like this, but at this point we're not real-well set up for it here! Please pray for "enough" water, "enough" electricity, and "enough" cold for the fridge.... Update will follow!

With love,
Mary
for the DakarDeckers

Sunday May 27

Today Joey flies from N. Ireland back to the U.S.—tomorrow evening he will fly back to Minnesota. We are looking forward to hearing more about his trip!

My Mom is traveling right now too, enjoying time in Scotland, Wales and England. They can compare notes when she gets back.

We are entering into the end-of-year round of activities at the school—Fine Arts Festival, Open Houses for graduating seniors, finals, senior reception, awards ceremony, graduation… it’s kind of a whirlwind.

As always at the end of a school year we feel a mixture of joy and sadness… celebrating with the seniors, while knowing how much we (and their families) will miss them. Some families will leave at the end of this school year, for home assignment—some planning to be gone 3 or 6 months, some a year or two years, and as always there are several who will not be returning.

prayer notes

PLEASE PRAY:
* for a renter for our house in Dakar during our home assignment time
* for safe travel and significant ministry for Joey and teammates in Northern Ireland
*for a helpful financial aid package for Danny as he plans to return to college full-time in the fall
* for us to finish well with our responsibilities here, and to prepare well for home assignment!


also, please pray for a missionary family here who has been caring for two foster children (early elementary age) for the past several years and are facing opposition as they try to finalize the adoption. It would be heartbreaking to all if they have to give these children up...

Tuesday May 8

It's been a busy few days around here. Dave returned from Liberia on Friday night. He had a good trip, and enjoyed connecting with colleagues, both Liberian and ex-patriate. He saw some beautiful sunsets, and if you'd like to see them, they're here on my flick'r account. Liberia continues to have a very special place in our hearts, and we still love and miss our friends who live there.

Saturday night we attended the play at Dakar Academy, It's "Once Upon A Mattress" -- a re-telling of the Princess and the Pea story-- and it was well done. It's so much fun to watch high school students we know transformed into singers, queens, knights, etc.

This week I'm working hard to finish the papers for my class. By Thursday it all needs to be to the professor. Pray for me to finish well, and to learn much from what I'm doing.

Please also keep praying for someone to rent our house here while we are in the States for six months. I'm really hoping someone will be able to be here, benefit from the comfortably furnished home and enjoy caring for our cats and dogs! For me, that's one of the hard parts about this life, leaving pets that need care...

January 6: Emma and Abigail

We are so thankful for the continuing good news out of Paris. Emma is awake now, and recovering from her ordeal with malaria and the lung infection. She will need a period of rehabilitation and recovery, as her lungs need to continue to heal. The family is working on plans to return to their home area in the States for 3-6 months for her convalescence. Thank you for your prayers for them, and please lift them up as you think of it in the days ahead as they make arrangements. Emma and Abby's Mom and Dad are very tired and will need their own time of restoration and healing. We are thankful that we can continue to depend on God's good work and His healing in all their lives.

January 3: Update from Paris

Thank you all for continuing to pray with us for this family!

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 11:06 PM
Subject: update 1/02 - to forward

Abigail continues to improve. Doctors believe she will
be released Thursday afternoon or Friday morning at the latest.

At noontime Tuesday, Kate spoke with Emma in ICU and again
noticed her eyelids were fluttering. As they were leaving, one
of the nurses told Kate that she had actually opened her eyes
once during themorning.

At 8:00 p.m., Paul and Kate received the results from the MRI
that was performed earlier Tuesday. This report shows no
lesions, which indicates no apparent damage to the brain.

It is still expected that Emma will require a period of
rehabilitation time. Doctors speculate 3-6 months of
convalescence.

We continue to pray for Emma's complete healing; that all be
accomplished in God's  perfect timing.

January 1: prayer need for friends

Please pray for our friends, Paul and Kate, missionaries here in Senegal, and their daughters, Emma (12) and Abigail (10) who were airlifted out of Dakar early Friday morning (December 29.) Both girls have been suffering from a severe case of malaria. Both were admitted to the pediatric ICU ward of the Raymond Poincare hospital just outside of Paris. After the first tests had been administered they were informed that Emma, besides suffering from a severe case of malaria, has a pulmonary infection, is dangerously anemic and might have suffered brain damage. On the other hand Abigail, after an in-air transfusion, seems to be progressing well.

Right now, everyone is praying and waiting, as Emma will be sedated for several days to allow her lung infection to be treated, before trying to wake her up. We look for God's good work in the life of this family. He is the One who made her, loves her, loves them all, and will work for His best in their lives.