“You are worthy, our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Dear Family and Friends,

Another School Year is About to Begin!  Last time we wrote, we shared with you about the ending of another great school year, and already it is time to begin again!  This is our fifth school year, and we are amazed to see how much change has happened since we first came in 2004.  When Nate first came, he was mainly teaching elementary music and he had a small middle school exploratory to introduce music into the curriculum.  Now, five years later, God has given us great growth in the band program, so that Nate’s whole schedule is middle school and high school band.  The students he built into for the past several years are now growing into the high school as well, so that is exciting for us!  

The Staff Retreat is This Weekend.  We’ll focus on continuing in service, since so many teachers are returning.  It is another blessing of praise to God that He has provided all the needs for the teachers and that so many are consistently returning year after year.  It will also be refreshing to lead worship and to share in times of spiritual vitality.  

The First Day of School is August 6th, next Thursday already!  Summer flew by, but we feel ready for another year of building into the lives and education of the missionary kids here in the Philippines.  Nate is also excited about his middle school Bible/Worship class that he is starting for the first time.  He and the leaders thought it would be good to invest on a very deep level in the area of discipleship, mentoring worship leaders and growth in Biblical knowledge and application.  Pray that these few middle school students (about seven, I believe) will grow spiritually, musically and in leadership this year as Nate mentors and disciples them.  

We Spent the Summer organizing and repairing instruments, ordering music, having family fun times swimming, biking and playing sports, and also working hard on seminary classes (see our blog for fun family pics).  I praise God I was able to finish both my Hermeneutics class and my Pastoral Care and Counseling class.  Now Nate and I are working to finish two night classes, Systematic Theology I and II.  These will be the last two classes I will need to complete my Master of Arts in Christian Education, which we both began in 2005!  Pray that I will persevere and finish before our second baby comes soon!  Pray also for Nate as he works bit-by-bit to finish as well in the next year or so.  It has been great learning more about the doctrine of election, the doctrine of the Deity and Humanity of Christ and the Sovereignty of God.  The verse above is one that I’ve really enjoyed meditating on as it calls us to worship God for his worthiness and sovereignty in creation.

Our Second Boy is Due in Six Weeks—on 09/09/09!  We are very excited to meet this little active guy that has been kicking and moving around inside me for months.  We’ve been telling Elijah that there’s a little baby hiding inside Mama.  If we ask him, “Where is Mama’s baby?” he tries to peek under my shirt to point to my tummy with a smile.  How precious!  Pray for our transition to go well as there are 16 months between the boys—Elijah still being quite attached to his Mama!  Also please pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby and mom.  We are planning a home delivery with two missionary midwives in their twenties, if all goes well.  At the moment they say I have low iron and the baby is smaller than is normal for my 34th week, so pray that he will grow strong and that I will eat enough.  We praise God that his head is down, that his heartbeat is strong and that everything else looks good for the pregnancy so far.  We also praise God that my mom is coming back to the Philippines for three more weeks to help out with the new baby.  She will arrive on the due date in the afternoon!  Pray for her safety and health as well as for special Grandma/Mom times together.

We have been praying for you as we put a picture of one of you on our table at a meal every day.  If you have special prayer requests please let us know so we can pray even more specifically for you.  We praise God so often for you and your support of our ministry through prayer, finances and encouragement.  We could not continue serving this community, the students, and the work of Bible Translation without our loving team.  Thank you so much!  Let us all worship the Lord our God for His worthiness and sovereignty—God is in control and He is worthy to receive glory, honor and praise!

All for Jesus,
Nate, Jessica and Elijah Becker

*Check our blog for pictures and updates:
 www.jessicanatebecker.blogspot.com

PRAISES:

• For a productive and restful summer; for a new school year about to start
• For God’s provision of all the teachers and for many continuing teachers
• For the growing music program and Nate’s ministry with the music students
• For the opportunity to continue our education at seminary
• For a healthy pregnancy so far and my mom’s planned visit on our due date!
• For our faithful financial and prayer supporters—we could not be here without them!
• For unity and love in our marriage (just celebrated four years!) and joyful times together as a family

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray that we will continue to keep Christ in the center of our marriage and ministry, and that God will use us to bring many people to know and worship Him
• Pray for Nate’s classes to start smoothly and for God to use him to invest in their lives spiritually and in many other ways
• Pray for us to persevere in our seminary classes, and that I can finish before our second baby comes, if it is God’s will
• Pray for the healthy growth and delivery of Becker Baby #2 due 09/09/09!

Contact Info:
Nate and Jessica Becker
P.O. Box 81439
8000 Davao City
Philippines

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Financial Partnership:  write a note for the ministry of Nate and Jessica Becker (account #210-886)
In USA make checks payable to: Wycliffe Bible Translators; P.O. Box 628200; Orlando, FL 32862-8200
In CANADA make checks payable to:  Wycliffe Bible Translators; 4316 10th St. NE; Calgary, AB; T2E 6K3
You may also call 1-800-WYCLIFFE or visit www.wycliffe.org/give (USA) or www.wycliffe.ca/donate (Canada) to set up automatic payments.

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