Email Newsletter January 2011

Happy New Year Friends and Family!

So much has happened in the last couple weeks. I wanted to start with a great thanks to all of you for your prayers this past year! God has blessed us, grown and stretched Leah and I over the last year. We have seen God taking us from calling us to Cameroon all the way to giving us the green light to depart for Cameroon. All the encouragement, all the blessings, and seeing God work in our lives week after week has been a truly amazing experience over the last year. We look forward to this next year as we depart for Cameroon and enter the mission field! We look forward to the ways in which God will blow our minds as we works in us and through us in Cameroon. Thanks for all your prayers and donations in this past year and into this year as together with Christ they encourage and make it possible for us to leave for Cameroon.

This newsletter is coming a few days late as Leah and I have both been struck with a strong flu the last few days. We feel blessed that we didn't have to go to the hospital, but we both wondered since we did not have health to take care of each other. We are very thankful we are feeling somewhat better. God gave us each strength at different times to take care of each other and had the kindness of a friend.

We wanted to quickly fill you in on the past couple weeks:
The week of Christmas Mark got his gift he was praying for. Plane tickets! Our fly out date is February 2nd from Detroit.
We filled out our visa application and mailed it in Monday after Christmas.
Figured out our housing with Wycliffe in Cameroon.
Set our move out date at the apartment, our last day in Jackson will be Jan 22nd.
Made plans to see family and friends.
Started packing up our apartment.

When we decided to take the plunge and set a date, buying tickets and sending in our visa had been a difficult, yet easy choice to make. We were not quite where we wanted to be with funding and it was scary not wanting to make the wrong choice. I kept reading all these crazy stories in the Bible, how God asked people to do these outrageous things so He could be glorified. I don't know if you ever read one of these sections and find yourself humored, but I kept shaking my head saying that's crazy who would do that. After deliberation, prayer, speaking with multiple people and looking at Scripture we jumped (set a date), I am happy to report our funding jumped to 85% a few days after we made our decision. We have nothing but peace and excitement (which can get out of control at times) plus a bit of stress of getting everything done.

We have added our story to our blog and will be adding our email newsletters to the blog so that as people get added on to our email listing they can stay in the loop. As always feel free to email mrjanowiak@gmail.com or gracebyfaith711@aim.com if you have questions or interested in more information.

We will be having a going away party during the weekend of January 15 or 16th. I will get more details nailed down here in the next few days for you and will send out a quick email about this. It will be held in Jackson or Ann Arbor.

Please continue to pray with us for 2011 and opportunities to share the Gospel.

--
Peace and Joy in Christ,
Mark and Leah Janowiak

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20