Update from: the Gourleys

Dear Friends & Family,

Thank you for your emails, encouragement, and prayers. I have not really been able to get back to email since George became severely ill in the end of January and went home to be with the Lord in the middle of February. It has been a very trying time, but the Lord has been faithful and has ministered to us so much through His Word.

We left the States shortly after the funeral and returned to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It was hard to come back and see George and Pam's house and move the remainder of their belongings to our house. We were saddened to even drive through the city and think of our times together. Paul and Melanie are still in the States, so things have been somewhat lonely. But the Lord has been near to us in His Word. It seems that passages jump off of the pages and cling to our hearts. We know that He is comforting us and leading us.

Also as we returned I noticed something the day after our arrival during the mid-week Bible study. I saw a unity among the believers here that I had never seen before. Up until this time the church has been very disjointed. And now, the Lord has brought together a core of believers who are excited about Him and enjoy serving one another. I am reminded of the passage in John 12: "...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." Since George passed away, two people here have given their lives to Jesus, one just last night at our mid-week Bible study. Three people want to get baptized. The Lord is at work, building His church, and establishing His name in the place.

Just last week Renee and I took a quick trip to Kiev, leaving some of the kids here with people in the church, in order to be at the memorial service for George there. It was a blessing to see so many people whose lives we have been a part of for so many years, to hear the wonderful things said about George, and to be able to worship together with the body there once again. It was a sweet time of fellowship, but also difficult. I think that in many ways, this memorial service was even harder for Pam than the funeral. Life is "returning to normal," whatever that means. Kids getting settled in school in Kiev, daily shopping and other routine tasks.... It is a hard time for Pam especially right now. So, please keep her in your prayers. I asked Renee if she would like to stay in Kiev until her brother George gets there in order to help Pam. We quickly changed her ticket at the airport and she returned to Pam's apartment, who was very shocked and ecstatic to find out that Renee was going to stay. Renee has been able to get Aaron and Kristen into schools there and help in making many decisions that Pam has been struggling to make.

Due to a mess up in our tickets, I could not get back to Bishkek for the Sunday morning service. I made some phone calls to Bishkek and found someone who was able to teach and lead the service. They had a wonderful time of sharing testimonies and worship. And as soon as the church in Kiev found out that my departure was delayed, they asked me to teach the Sunday morning service. We were all mutually encouraged as we looked at one of George's life verses, Acts 20:24, and other verses that the Lord has been laying on my heart. The leadership there has also asked me to teach at the national conference in May.

Since our tickets to the States for the funeral were paid for by family and friends, we are still able to take our furlough this summer. We will be going back through Kiev in order to be at the conference there, and then arrive into Indianapolis in the end of May. For the months of June and July we plan to be in the States sharing at churches and spending time with family and friends. If you would like to get together or have us come and share at your church, please email us.

Thank you again so much for your constant prayers and support of our family and the work here.

By His Grace,
Jed & Renee Gourley, and family

Please Pray for:
- Pam and the family in Kiev; for peace, strength, and daily direction
- the young church in Bishkek, the growth of new believers, wisdom as we lead
- the upcoming national conf. in Kiev; we hope to take some people from Bishkek; also for me as I teach
- our upcoming furlough; safe travel, and that the Lord would order our steps

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SUPPORT ADDRESS IN USA:
Jed & Renee Gourley - Kyrgyzstan Base
c/o Shepherd's Staff
P.O. Box 27220
Albuquerque, NM 87125-7220
tel: 760-839-9214 fax: 760-839-9286 email: ssmfi@shepsstaff.org

MAILING ADDRESS IN KYRGYZSTAN:
P.O. Box 1980
Bishkek -- 720000
Kyrgyzstan
tel: +996-543-97-87-22 fax: 1-801-315-5711 email: GGour@aol.com
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