Our little girl turns 8 today and, wow, was that fast! It seemed such a short time ago that Shirin and I made the trek from Gaza to the West Bank for Jasmine's delivery. Wow. If you'd like to be part of Jasmine's "updated webpage," let me know by email.

Several of you have been kind and encouraging toward my "healthy lifestyle" regime, and I'm happy to say that between the 37 weeks of 6-Sep-06 and 23-May-07 I have seen the loss of 14.38kg/31.7 lbs (388g/0.856 lbs per week). The competitor in me, of course, wants to find a way to bump up the average to an even pound per week <g>.

Be sure to try the Church Sign Generator:

+ <L A S T  W E E K><

+ You asked God to use Scott last week to tell more people about Jesus as he hung out with some volunteers and entertained visiting co-workers from Africa... well, the volunteer part didn't work out as expected but co-workers and Scott had a blast talking about what God has been doing in their respective parts of the world, much to the puzzled looks of eavesdroppers.

+ Shirin asked for prayer as she helped prepare the way for volunteer groups coming next month who will share the love of God with the adults and children of the West Bank. You began to pray that the volunteers would pick the harvest of souls that God has prepared for them... so she writes, "Thank you for praying. The director of the Girls' Home has agreed to let the volunteers show the Jesus film as well as other Christian videos. We know that God's word will speak to the girls and the house mothers for His glory."

+ For a birthday present, Jasmine would like to receive a good grade in her Social Studies class... oh, she was grinning from ear to ear to tell me she made a 19 out of 20! She sends her thanks for your intercession. Once again, you made a difference in our lives. Thank you!

<T H I S  W E E K><

<>< Scott asks for an extra measure of grace as he goes through what appears to be a tough week on paper.

<>< Please join Shirin and a co- worker in praying for the ladies in the English class to be open to the Good News. They will be going on an outing away from the center and plan to share their testimonies and God's love story with the ladies.

<>< As Jasmine turns 8 today, her prayer concern is for her friends at school to stay healthy and safe.

<* Pray for the Khazakh of Khazakhstan.><