Thanksgiving is next week, and we have so much to be thankful for! 

God has met and continues to meet every single need that we have.  He is faithful!  Thank you, God! 

God is allowing us the opportunity to spend the holidays with family and friends before taking off in January.  Thank you, God! 

I looked at our WorldVenture support statement today, and it shows that we now have 100% of our monthly support needed in order to leave in January!  Yeah!!!  God has been building His team for Africa, and we are so blessed to have these partners with us!  Thank you, God!! 

What are you thankful for??

Have you ever thought about how you say certain letters or make certain sounds?  Have you ever considered where you tongue lies in your mouth when you form these sounds or letters?  Well, that's the kind of thing we discovered over the past two weeks while at our Second Language Acquisition (SLA) classes at the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in Union Mills, North Carolina (NC).  We are proud to say that we can now trill our R's and make the Ng and Ny sounds beautifully!  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it's a huge step for us, because these are significant sounds in the Kiswahili language.  We also learned about the different learning styles and techniques that can be used accordingly, so that information is helpful as we think about and plan out our language learning program.  An answer to prayer:  Seth had a FABULOUS time!!  He didn't want to leave, in fact.  There were 5 teens altogether: twin 15-year-old girls (Andrea and Vanessa Zakas), a brother (Matt--16 years old) and sister (Mandy--13 years old), and then Seth.  All 5 of these teens are headed to the continent of Africa.  SWEET!  They got along well and spent most of their time together, either in class or just playing pool, ping pong, or volleyball.  What a huge blessing that was for Seth and for us!! 

And now we are back in NJ and preparing for our January departure.  Today is Arlene's last day of working at The Way Station of Truth and Life.  It has been a tremendous blessing for Arlene to have had that opportunity of working at the bookstore over the past year. 

We received the green light from our WorldVenture authorities to purchase our airline tickets.  We are excited to tell you that we have made reservations to fly out of Philadelphia on January 6, 2009, arriving in Nairobi on January 7.  We still have to raise about $350 in monthly support, but we feel confident that God is going to complete our TEAM AFRICA before the end of this year.  Pray with us to that end! 

We wrote in our recent newsletter that we still need 10% in monthly commitments, which translates into 5 people committing to $100/month.  Well, we got $150 (1.5 people) since that writing and only have $350 more to go (3.5 people).  We are getting so close!!!  THANK YOU to those on our TEAM AFRICA. 

I (Arlene) have been selling cards for the past 2 years that are made by Rwandan orphans.  You may now go to the Cards from Africa website by using this link:  http://cardsfromafrica.com/ap3.  By doing so, it will enable them to know I referred you to their site.  There are many new cards on their new website; check it out!  Remember, you will be helping those young people who have made the cards to earn a living for themselves and their siblings.  God bless...and have fun shopping! 

God's timing is not always our timing.  We had wanted to go to Kenya in August but we don't have the necessary support in order to meet that goal.  So, we are setting our sights on a new goal....January of 2009!  We currently have around 85% support, and we are going to trust God to bring in that remaining 15% very soon so that we can go in January.  Seth will go ahead and begin 8th grade at the Delsea MS in the fall.  Please keep praying that God will add to our team those who He wants to partner with us on TEAM AFRICA!! 

Seth's Little League team, the CUBS, won the championship for the 2008 series!  We are so proud of him and his teammates!  Seth even hit his first home run this season.  Way to go, Seth!!  A photo of the Cubs and their trophies is posted at the photo gallery on our weblog...check it out! 

Seth went on a local missions trip last week with his middle school youth group from FBC, Clayton.  They did work at our church and at Camp Edge, where they stayed for the week.  They also helped at a soup kitchen in the Vineland area and in Philadelphia at Philabundance & Hands of Hope.  He had a full week of learning what it is to serve others and to give a helping hand to those in need.  He also had a great time bonding with his buddies!  :-) 

Well, folks, we're around 80% of our monthly support needs...and we've begun to think about items we'll be selling before we leave for Kenya.  Some items are available right now, while others will not be available until the time we leave, which we are not sure of at this point.  It could be as early as August 2008 or it could be as late as January 2009.  I thought it would be good to post a list so that you can look at what we're selling.  No prices are listed at this point; we are willing to negotiate (like all good Africans!).  Give us a call if you'd like to discuss any of these items (856-694-0172) or email:  newellarlene@yahoo.com. 

1. Refrigerator (available now)
2. Electric stove (available now)
3. Washer
4. Dryer
5. 5 chairs
6. Roll top desk
7. Regular desk with drawers on each side
8. Brass hurricane table lamp
9. Queen sleeper sofa
10. TV cabinet with swivel top
11. Bookcase
12. Large turkey roaster (available now)
13. 2 52" ceiling fans (available now)
14. Toaster oven--never used (available now)
15. 2-slice toaster
16. Microwave oven
17. 18" table top Christmas tree w/lights (available now)
18. Brass bed frame (queen size)
19. Queen mattress and box springs
20. Air conditioner
21. HP printer/copier/scanner
22. 8 place-setting of clear Christmas dishes (available now)
23. Set of (4) wooden tray table

Hello friends!  Mark and I have the opportunity to spend the upcoming weekend (May 17 and 18) at Christ Community Baptist Tabernacle located on Rt 40 in Elmer, NJ.  Mark will be preaching an evangelistic message to a group of men on Sat night who are being treated to a steak dinner.  We pray that God will use this dinner to not only fill their stomachs but also fill their hearts and minds with His Word.  On Sunday Mark gets to preach again in the morning service.  We will present our "Journey to Africa" during Sunday school and then present our ministry at NEGST on Sunday evening.  Mark has preached before but not that often in one weekend!    But he's up to the challenge and we'd appreciate your prayers on his/our behalf.  Hey, if you have nowhere else to go or nothing else to do, feel free to come to on over to Elmer and attend any of these services this weekend.  We'd love to see you! 

 I read this last night..."For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to SERVE, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Mk 10:45  That's a lot to think about as we prepare to serve at NEGST in Kenya.  Please pray that we will be like our Master and serve well, even now as we develop our partners. 

For those of you who are planning to watch the interview with the Cerak and VanRyn families on Oprah, the date has been changed to WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2.  The Dateline interview with Matt Lauer was fantastic!  What an incredible story that God is using to bring glory to Himself.  Again, the book is available at The Way Station for $17.97, which is a very good price!   You will definitly be blessed by reading the story, too. 

MISTAKEN IDENTITY is the title of a book being released on Tuesday, March 25.  This book is co-authored by Mark's cousin, Newell Cerak and his family, along with another family, the VanRyns.  It is a true story, written about a tragic accident that took place in Indiana in the spring of 2006 involving several Taylor University students and staff, two of whom were their daughters (Laura VanRyn and Whitney Cerak).  While one of the girls went home to be with the Lord that night, the other lay in a coma in a hospital bed for several weeks before they realized that there had been a mistaken identity between the two girls.  This is a powerful story, friends--one you should read and become more acquainted with the love and grace of God and the hope found in Him alone.   The families will also be doing interviews:  Today Show with Matt Lauer on March 27 and 28, Dateline on March 28, and Oprah on April 2. 

Mark and I just celebrated 20 years of marriage on March 12!  Where does the time go so quickly?  We praise God for His faithfulness, kindness, and grace He has extended to us during these 20 years, and we look forward to many more yet to come! 

Here is a word from our friends in Nairobi.  Kenya continues to need our prayers, especially as these pastors endeavor to make a difference for Christ!   

"Although the agreement between Pres. Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila is a tremendous step forward, it doesn't solve all the problems of the thousands who have been displaced.  Much forgiveness and spiritual restoration must take place.  

    'Before the elections there were several reports of heightened witchcraft in the country as politicians sought all manners of supernatural power to ensure they would win their electorate.  Dark forcers were awakened and marshaled against this country as politicians battled for the soul of Kenya.  Floodgates were opened, and out of them poured the spirit of hate, destruction, and bloodshed' (from our church bulletin).

I just finished reading this book written by Phillip Keller.  Written in the form of a parable, it is a short but powerful read, and I heartily recommend it to anyone!  I assure you that you will see things about OUR MASTER from a different perspective after reading this one.  And because I work at a Christian bookstore, I know exactly where you can order this book: THE WAY STATION OF TRUTH AND LIFE, which is located at 115 Buck Rd (Rt 553), Glassboro, NJ  08028; 856-881-3033; www.thewaystationonline.com.