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oqp;rts/uOvw$s'xy?z{|o~}s/€{/‚V‚ƒ„w…u{‡†‰ˆ\ˆ5Š Breakthroughs! Bob and Jackie Braswell Missionaries to South Africa

AGWM Acct No 2936581 US Address: 1408 W Frosty Dr Apt 4 Ozark, MO 65721 Phone: 417-595-4458 Email: [email protected] Web: BobandJackie.org


 
 
 

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: :R 7!P!S/T3N:K VU YW XQZ\[^]X _`];acbd]fehg6e Pray for us to get off to a good start in our new spot. We fly July 22! Pray for a good transition to South Africa, including getting the household goods stored in Tanzania shipped there. Please keep Melinda in prayer, to stay strong.

In our last newsletter, we had requested that you pray with us about two things. First, regarding our financial approval to buy tickets to get to South Africa, we needed a financial breakthrough so that we could get approval to leave, in order to arrive at Cape Theological Seminary ahead of the scheduled beginning of the school term in early August. Second, regarding my sister Melinda’s struggle with cancer, that God would continue to show her mercy. These prayers have been answered in a most amazing and encouraging way.

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We have had a breakthrough in our pledge budget since our last newsletter. We needed it! In October, 2008, we reached 84% of needed pledges. We made it to 87% by the end of January, when we changed fields to South Africa, got an increased budget, and thus went back to 85%. It took until May to hit 89%, but by that time we had been stuck in the 80s for 8 months! Also, even though the projected travel dates were sneaking up on us, we were not eligible to buy tickets until passing 90%. In May and June, pledges started coming in from unexpected sources. In fact, we have had about as much increase in faith promise totals in the last six weeks as we had in the previous eleven months. We are now over 90% officially, and should be over 95% by the time you read this. We plan to leave for the field on July 22!

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A little over a year ago, when we arrived back in the USA, we found that Melinda’s breast cancer

had come back and spread into her bones. She was emotionally and physically wiped out by the diagnosis, the prognosis (terminal in 6 months to 3 years), the treatment decisions, and the treatment side effects. We prayed and asked you to pray. Since then, God has intervened in her situation. After a rough period undergoing and recovering from radiation and surgery, she started an oral chemotherapy treatment that has not had severe side effects. She has been feeling better and resumed almost all of her normal activities. Toward the end of this May, our sister Kathy went with Melinda to get the results of the most recent diagnostic test to track her progress. Kathy writes, “I went to the Dr. with Melinda today and we got good news. He explained the results from the scans she had earlier this month. Basically both the CT and the bone scans show the cancer is stable in the bones it was in. We are thankful that it is still only in the bones (no organ involvement) and that stable is good … I think that Melinda had been dreading the scan and its results because she dreaded needing to face more decisions about treatment. The good news is that [the Dr.] is pleased enough with the results that he suggests she continue what she is doing now. “When I compare her now to how she was a year ago and how she was last summer, she has made remarkable improvement!! We are thankful that the oral chemo she is on has not had bad side effects for her and that her other treatments (chemo through her port and a shot) are only once a month. We talked about what a blessing that was when we saw a crowded room of chemo recipients today, many of whom have to come weekly instead of monthly.” Thanks to God for His mercy, and to you for standing with us in prayer! Please keep it up!

Melinda, Bob, Idonna (Mom), and Kathy