Last weekend, we really enjoyed our first visit to Westview Christian Church in southern Indiana! Everyone was very warm and welcoming! Yolanda's childhood pastor in Zimbabwe and his wife (who were American missionaries) are now retired and are a part of this church, which is how we got connected with it. They were instrumental in helping Yolanda be able to come to the US for Bible college and even helping her get a visa the first time. It was wonderful to visit with them and of course meet and visit with everyone else in the church. We were blessed with an extended time with the missions committee in the afternoon, to share in more depth about JM2Z. We are thankful for this partnership!

This coming weekend, we will be in Seaside, OR to visit Lighthouse Christian Church. Although we have met some of the people in leadership, it will be our first visit to the church for a weekend service, so we are excited to meet everyone there!

We will be going to Boise on May 1 and be there until May 13. If you are in or near Boise, let us know if you'd like to visit for coffee or a meal. We'd love to see you!

Our planned Boise schedule:

May 1 - Fly to Boise

May 7 - Visit Weiser Christian Church (outside of Boise)

May 9 - BBC alumni gathering in the evening

May 11-12 - BBC's Spring Conference

May 13 - Fly to southern California to visit a board member

Our Boise schedule is open beyond that, so please let us know if you'd like a visit. We'd be excited to see you!

The second part of May and first part of June, we will spend time visiting with individuals in the midwest.

Then, we will wrap up our US visit, pack up, make last minute errands and appointments, regular medical appointments, and leave the US to return to Zimbabwe the last week of June.

We would appreciate it if you would be in prayer for our travels, both for interactions with people and also our safety.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visits to Willows Christian Church in California and Lander Free Church in Wyoming! As always, everyone at each church was very warm and welcoming. We were blessed to visit with friends and also make some new ones through visiting in smaller groups. People have been so good to us and JM2Z! 

Andrew flew back to Chicago (from Oregon) to assist his father (and mother) who had to have a full shoulder replacement surgery. Yolanda then went along to California on her own. Thank you to those from Willows Christian Church (especially to several couples) who picked me (Yolanda) up at the airport an hour and a half away and those who returned me, those who opened up their home last minute for me to stay in, and those who hosted gatherings. Thank you for your continued love and support!

Andrew and I then met up with each other in Lander, Wyoming, where we spent a full week. Yolanda spoke at Awana, Youth Group, the Sunday morning service, as well as several small groups and weekly gatherings hosted throughout the week. Andrew also shared during a men's Bible study and other small groups who hosted us both. We also visited with friends, who are like family, as well as present and past board members - what a joy filled week indeed!

• 4/16 - Westview Christian Church (Campbellsburg, IN)
• 4/30 - Lighthouse Christian Church (Warrenton, OR)
• 5/7 - Weiser Christian Church (Weiser, ID)

Westview Christian Church just started supporting JM2Z a couple months ago and this will be our first visit to them. We are very excited to meet new people there, as well as see our friends we already know there!

We met with some leadership of Lighthouse Christian Church when we were in Oregon in February. We offered to visit them at a later date so that we could also meet with the congregation. We are hopeful for a partnership in ministry moving forward.

At this point, Weiser Christian Church will be our last church visit this year. We will be in Boise the first week in May, as well as attending Boise Bible College Spring Conference the week following our Weiser visit. If you are in any of the areas listed on our schedule and would like to see us, please do reach out! We would love to visit over a cup of coffee or a meal. Seeing friends and catching up on life is always such a joy and encouragement to us. As a reminder, Yolanda's temporary number while stateside (until June 2023) is (630) 998-1383, feel free to reach out to us.

Although Andrew and I (Yolanda) are presently stateside, there is plenty of ministry continuing in Zimbabwe in our absence. Janeece is doing a great job holding down the fort! She does a fantastic job keeping us updated on all that is happening on the ground, which helps us stay connected and doesn't make us feel like any time is missed by the time we return.

Janeece has continued to teach Bible studies with notes on the whiteboard, just as I (Yolanda) do. We have heard such an excellent update and response from her concerning the ladies. She says since her last fill-in for us (several years back), that the ladies' "attention and eagerness to learn, has more than doubled." This is such wonderful news! She specifically mentioned how impressed she was with a few of them specifically and noticed their spiritual maturity. She explains how she ended her last Bible study on a cliff-hanger on purpose, to build the ladies' anticipation for the next time they meet. She said their reaction was "like watching a soap opera that ended just as it started getting good." This speaks to their level of interest and desire to learn and grow. This also points to the heart of everything we do in JM2Z, which is discipleship. What a joy to hear from someone other than ourselves, about witnessing the spiritual growth and maturity of the ladies - praise be to God! The Holy Spirit is doing a wonderful work in the women and what a joy to be the vessels He chooses to work through!

On a personal note, we've been able to assist Andrew's parents, while back in Wheaton the last 2 weeks. Andrew's father is healing nicely from his shoulder surgery and recovery is going as expected. Thank you to Willows Christian Church for your understanding in only hosting Yolanda for a visit this time. While stateside, it's a blessing to assist family and be present in times of need, as this is so often not the case as missionaries who serve in a foreign land. 

After Yolanda visited California and Andrew returned from Chicago, we made a last minute overnight trip to Colorado. Our flight onto Lander, Wyoming stopped over in Denver anyway. Andrew's aunt (his mother's sister), was close to going home, to be with Jesus. We wanted to emotionally support his uncle and cousins, and have a chance to say goodbye to his aunt, this side of Heaven. Thank you to Lander Free Church for changing around some scheduling, in allowing us to arrive a day later than expected. This brief one-day visit was much appreciated and brought much joy to our hearts! Our visit was timely, as Andrew's aunt - Norma, passed away March 29th. We will all (Andrew's parents and sister) be traveling to Colorado tomorrow, for the funeral on Saturday. Please be prayer for the family during this time.

We have also been able to travel to Michigan to help Andrew's other aunt (his father's sister) and uncle to finish organizing and clearing out his grandpa's apartment, as he recently needed to move downstairs into the nursing home part of the retirement village. Andrew's grandpa will turn 101 on Monday and we hope visit him again then! Again, being stateside for these family times has been a blessing to us!