First of all, we need to inform our partners about a change of address for sending checks. *Due to Covid-19, JEMS mailing address has changed for now.
From now on, please send your checks to this address. Possibly, this will be the mailing address until the end of the year. We’ll keep you posted:
JEMS
P.O. Box 86047
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0047
Now… a quick email with some updates.
Last Wednesday we went to the doctor again for another one of Serenity’s follow up exams. The numbers had gone up a little bit more, but, thankfully, she is still feeding well, very active, and quite busy developing each day. So, we do wish not to keep going on with discouraging messages. We are not discouraged! Not anymore.
These last few months, many lives have been shaken worldwide, on many levels and by so many things. The effects are still not over for you, nor for us here either, and we are all affected in a way or another. Then the whole situation with Serenity came on top of that. There were many moments that we found ourselves in great despair as well as rather lonely, being in a foreign country to deal with everything, far from so much of our family and friends.
Now we write this email to say we are very encouraged. Yes! It was a journey we had to go through and God’s Word has come alive to us in many ways. He has spoken to us continually and we want to encourage you as well with the same encouragement that we are encouraged with.
Let us not allow the present circumstances to dictate how we feel and walk. We decided long ago that we would walk by faith and not by sight. His Word alone is the truth — not what we see, hear or feel.
So in the next few weeks, we would like to share with you some notes of encouragement. We have sent many cries for help and prayers; we want now to send His Word that is a Light unto our path.
So here is one:
The night before we had to go to the hospital this week for yet another exam, Fabio was in the chapel with the baby. He was having his time with God and praying for Serenity.
At one point, he was prompted to open Psalm 112. The verses 7,8 jumped off of the pages:
7 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
This passage immediately became a repetitive (and loud) prayer:
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF BAD NEWS!
MY HEART IS FIRM! VERY FIRM LIKE A MOUNTAIN, BECAUSE I TRUST IN THE LORD!
From there, several other Scriptures came to mind to be added to that prayer. I shared it with Elizabeth. We prayed together. The next day, we remembered that passage as we went into the hospital. Although we heard what we did not want to, our hearts, this time, were not shaken. We choose to not be afraid of bad news, but instead, to firmly trust in the Lord.
Here is a reminder for you:
Are you seeing and hearing things you don’t like very much?
Don’t be afraid of bad news! Read the whole chapter of Psalm 112 (it’s a short one), and see yourself there. Simply continue to do what you were doing before, continue to be the man/woman of God that you are. Don’t be moved but be steady, until you see your triumph.
***Once again, please update the address you use to send your checks:
JEMS
P.O. Box 86047
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0047
