Update from: the Gourleys

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"Are you ready to go back?" As we come to the end of our furlough I am hearing that question quite frequently. How does one answer that? Anna, our eldest daughter, has been mentioning "home" for the last two or three weeks, even though she loves being with Grandma, Grandpa, and her cousins. However, since she is able to calculate in months the total amount of her life spent in the United States, she is never fully at home here no matter how much fun she is having. Conversely, for Renee and me, having family, friends, and memories here never allows us to be fully at home on the other side of the world either. The old joke that a missionary feels the most at home when on the airplane in between the two countries seems more true to me now than ever.

What a wonderful furlough it has been, though. Extended time with family, renewed relationships with friends, trips down memory lane, parks with playground equipment that actually works, vacation Bible schools - all four of them!, ease of shopping, smiles, getting to the end of the day and realizing that everything on your list has been accomplished, effortlessness of communication - everyone speaks English!, roads without potholes, Christian radio stations, syrup and peanut butter. Some of these may sound funny to you, but how blessed we have been, even in the little things, during our time here this summer.

Even more, how special it has been to meet with those of you who are praying for us and partnering with us in the harvest fields of Central Asia. The only way we can go back is by knowing that there are faithful warriors going before us in prayer. You may never know this side of heaven the works that you have accomplished for us and the people to whom we are ministering. Thank you.

Returning Home
As we journey back to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, we will have a one week stop-over in Kiev, Ukraine. We have to get new visas for Kyrgyzstan and attend to other matters. Also, the church in Kiev is actually considering purchasing

some property upon which to build. I hope to be able to be a sounding board to them and pray through these next steps of faith with them that the Lord is taking them through. It is amazing to see how the Lord is blessing the body there.

Upon returning to Bishkek we will try to find a Russian tutor to work with the girls in getting their language skills back up to speed and ready for school. We also plan to meet with a young missionary couple serving there with us who are preparing to get married in September. Also, as the young people in the church in Bishkek continue to grow in their faith, we want to pour into them as much as possible as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to continuing to co-pastor with Paul and Melanie Billings in this vibrant young church.

I just received an email from Paul and Melanie that a young man with whom I had prayed to receive Jesus shortly before we left has recently been kicked out of his home for converting from Islam. A couple of weeks ago people from the church were also stopped by the authorities for sharing their faith during an evangelistic street outreach. We pray that the doors will remain open, that we will be effective, and that the Lord would give us wisdom in knowing how to rightly work in this place.

By His Grace,
Jed, Renee, Anna, Elizabeth, Joshua, & Rachel

Please pray for:
- A mighty work of the Holy Spirit in Bishkek.
- Our remaining time here and trip back.
- The young man who recently became a believer and was kicked out of his home.
- The church in Kiev, vision for the leaders, provision for a permanent meeting place.
- A sturdy, reliable vehicle for our family.

Kid’s Quotes

Anna: Daddy is __________ a Christian?
Dad: Of course, honey, why do you ask?
Anna: Well, if they are, why don't they go anywhere? Why do they just stay in Indiana?
Dad: Not every Christian is a missionary to a different country. Many stay here so that they can pray for us and other missionaries in different parts of the world. Also, there are many people here who still need to hear about Jesus. They stay here to share God's love with them.

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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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