What would you say if you had only 5 minutes with someone you loved? Well, I don't think you'd talk about the weather or moon shots or the price of gas. So, here are your 5 minutes....
We have been to Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia (Feb-Apr) and Costa Rica (July) so far this year as well as trips to Indiana and Ohio (May). The rest of our trips have been via the internet as we answer e-mail from many stations and solve problems, build equipment and help relationships.
We plan to be in Korea for 6-8 weeks in late fall, but since this has been postponed once already, we aren't packing our bags just yet. This will be a huge antenna replacement project and many items are being constructed to bring it all to completion. We wait on God's timing....as well as His wisdom and strength while there.
The first half of 2006 already has an agenda! It says Asia for 2 months....we aren't free to say where. It says England, probably in late July. It has a maybe of Costa Rica in January or February. Plus, Florida, Oregon and Indiana in between somewhere. In short, we continue to “missionary”.
However, we have had some time in June and August to replace the stovepipe to our wood stove and to paint the house roof as well as replace the mailbox and finish painting John's radio tower plus some needed yard work at Mom Stanley's place in Maryville, TN. Do you know that when we work on personal projects, we don't draw ministry funds? (That's where social security comes in....we are, at 65 and 62, receiving early retirement benefits.) So, all the gifts that our churches and faithful individuals give to us are used only when we are actively “on the road” or working directly on stuff that relates to “our” radio stations. It has always been that way since we left Ecuador in 1985.
However, we say that now because we ARE growing SLOWER, and once in a while need to take a break from the traveling to catch up with other work that needs to be done for family, for home, for church, for community, but rejoice that the Lord evidently continues to think we have some world purposes still to do. If you pray for us, we thank you. If you remember to pray for our son, Andrew, serving in Iraq, and his family here in Georgia, we thank you. If you give to our ministry, we thank you. If you don't give to our ministry, you may! The price of gas (oops, I said we wouldn't talk of it) has caused the airplane tickets to soar:-)
If you love us back, bless you! Let us encourage you to stand firm in the Lord. Only HE is solid rock.
Anchored there!
John and Ruth Stanley
524 White Pine Lane
Rising Fawn, Georgia 30738
USA
Phone: 706-398-0607
E-mail Address: jnrstanley@alum.MIT.edu
Stanley Website: http://home.att.net/~jnrstanley/
SOSdbase Website: http://home.att.net/~sosdbase/ (list of available surplus radio parts)
Darwin, Australia – a sea of surplus cable and insulators
