Update 12-27-14 Fall Report

As I reflect on this past fall and want to report to you on all that took place, it seems most appropriate to do a more general summary of the events, developments, and travels while including some highlights.  It was my intent to write two different reports summarizing more in detail the meetings and services in various locations from this fall, but time has flown by and now it is nearly Christmas.  In a way, this in itself provides a summary or indication of how full these past few months have been for us!

Weekly food pantry in Fallon, NV

I have been describing the meetings and revival services from this fall as, perhaps, the most fruitful which we have experienced yet.  Once again we were in churches from coast to coast and several in between, including:  Fallon, NV; Warner Robins, GA; Milo, ME; Lower Sackville, Truro, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada; Chandler, OK; Lafayette, IN; Mattoon, IL; and close to home at Smyrna, TN.  It was my privilege to have my son, Carey, travel with me to most of those locations.  It was an extra blessing to get to have Trina and Chaili with us in Georgia and Tennessee.  We made some close new friends and saw the powerful moving of God in new locations like Lafayette and Smyrna.  

We continued to see some of the most fruitful, exciting, and powerful things taking place in the churches where we have been privileged to continue and walk with over these past few years.  To be quite honest, I am overwhelmed with the way God is working and what Jesus is doing through His Word in the lives of the people.  What is most exciting is to see what His moving is doing in these congregations and how that movement of His Spirit is spilling out into the community.    

For a few examples, there is no way to describe to you the weekly food pantry and thrift store ministry of the Church of the Nazarene in Fallon, NV (go for a work and witness trip and see for yourself!) or to see the growth and the breaking into darkness happening through United Baptist Church in Milo, ME. You would have to see for yourself a small house church, called Upper Room Fellowship, which is now meeting in a renovated garage in Truro, NS and how they need to now knock out a wall to make room for more people.  All of this and more has been the joy, excitement, and encouragement of these last few months.  I praise the Lord for the fruit that He is producing, both that which is seen and that which is not yet seen.  

United Baptist Church, Milo, ME

In addition to the travels, you may know that I have continued teaching online Bible classes to High School students through an online school called The Potter’s School.  This year I began teaching the Bible Survey course in addition to my other classes, which more than doubled my classload.  Each week I have the privilege of interacting with 75 students from all over the world, most of whom are here in North America.  I teach five classes each week, each of which lasts for 90 minutes.  In addition to the in-class time, each week there is preparation time as well as time needed for grading work.  One of the great features of the online classes is that I can teach from anywhere I might be, and this fall I taught classes from Nevada and Maine!  

I cannot describe the moving of God that has taken place in these classes this fall.  Not only have we learned a great deal about the Bible and about studying the Bible together, but the Holy Spirit has moved in a remarkable way in every class session and is working in amazing ways in the lives of students.  The personal growth and discipleship taking place through these classes is exciting.  I have discovered that teaching these classes is as much about walking with students and families outside of class as it is about teaching and sharing truth in class.  All of this has been a joy and encouragement to me that is more than I can share here, and for which I thank the Lord every day.  

As I write, I am tremendously blessed by the fact of our family being all together at home for these weeks.  Chaili came home from college after finishing her third semester of what is a wonderful educational experience for her.  She continues to thrive at college and we are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for how He has provided for this opportunity. Next semester she will dive into clinical experience in nursing as she continues to have a love for work in medical field.  An additional blessing this year has been her opportunity to take advanced piano lessons at college as she continues to develop in her love for music as well.  

Carey traveled with me much of the time this fall.  When we are not traveling, a good portion of our time is involved with the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.  We both became members this year and are involved with our local squadron, where Carey continues to gain valuable military knowledge and experience, looking toward a possible future in the military.  It is with mixed feelings that I report that he now wears almost the same shoe size as me and can outdo me at pushups!  Trina continues her work from home in multiple areas of employment, homeschool teacher, help with LifeMessage International, animal caretaker, and support in just about every area imaginable.  It was a special blessing for both of us that she got to come with me to services in Georgia and Tennessee this fall.  I have missed having her on the front row!  After 26 years of marriage, we continue to be best friends as we grow together in the Lord.  I thank God every single day for my family and for what He is doing in our lives.  Trina, Chaili, and Carey all have such sensitivity to Jesus Christ and a love for Him.  They are the greatest blessing of my life. 

The next days and weeks offer a time for us to give thanks for all that the Lord has done for us, all He is to us, where He has placed us, what He is doing in our lives, all that He will do, and for the promise and hope of all He has and is for the future.  It has occurred to me in a new way that the “merry” of “Merry Christmas” comes from the thankfulness that we have in our hearts.  How can I not be glad if I truly seek Him, see who He is, and thank Him for all of it?  I truly pray that, in these weeks, the Father will give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).   May your Christmas and New Year be merry, glad, and full of thanks as we see Jesus for who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. 

In Christ,

John Juneman