"When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” Jeremiah 10.13

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve Had a Drought Here—No Rain. Because of that, the water level is low in the reservoir for hydroelectric power. That means we have had “brown-outs” regularly for the last several weeks—random moments in our day when the power just shuts off for two hours. My heart sinks with disappointment when I hear the motors of fans and refrigerator go silent and see the lights shut off. One day we had no power for five hours; another day the boys woke up early from their naps sweating from the heat because of no fans. Things more important than our electric fans are suffering from no rain.

When I Read The Above Verse This Morning I Prayed that God would send some clouds to rise and fill with rain. This afternoon for the first time in a long time, it rained. I know it is from the Lord’s hand. Lord, send rain.

“Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, O Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you;
for you are the one who does all this.”
Jeremiah 14.22

We don’t expect lots of rain until June, when the Philippine summer (April-May) ends. Our God is in control of the clouds and skies. Let us pray that He will send rain and sustain all the people here in the Philippines who are in need.

More Importantly, Let Us Pray that there will not be a drought for God’s word, but that He will shower down His word upon us!
“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’” Amos 8.11-12.

Pray that God’s Word will continue to go forth, be translated, and be received into the hearts of our students, the people of the Philippines, and the many people in this world who do not yet have His Word. Pray that we will continue to thirst for God’s Word and make it known to our students and the people of the Philippines.

“Elijah Was A Man, Just Like Us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5.17-18. Our prayers make a difference. For anyone who wants a bonus verse that is a great image of our spiritual lives in times of drought read also Jeremiah 17.5-8.

Nate Will Be Going to the Teacher’s Conference In Manila this week. It is an exceptional conference put on by international schools all over Asia including seminars and professional development opportunities. Pray that Nate will be a sponge and learn lots to take back to his classroom and to become an even more effective teacher. Pray again for me and the boys as we hold down the home-base here in Davao without him (March 24-28, Wed.-Sun.).

After A Great Time of Leading Worship At the Ladies’ Retreat, Malachi got very sick for more than a week. He could not breathe when he laid down but coughed deeply. I held him and got worn out trying to do what I could, but we prayed that the Lord would heal our son! We praise God that He answered our prayers, for once the antibiotics ran out Malachi was healed completely. Our God is a Great Physician!

“The Prayer of a Righteous Man is Powerful and Effective.” James 5.16b. Thank you for praying for us and for being part of our lives. Your encouragement is a blessing to us, and your part on our team is vital. We praise God for you and pray that He will continue to pour out His showers of blessing in your life, especially His Word in your hearts.

All for Jesus,
Nate, Jessica, Elijah and Malachi Becker


Visit our blog to see updated pictures:
www.jessicanatebecker.blogspot.com


PRAISES:

• That God is in control and is Lord of all creation: rains, clouds, skies
• That God healed Malachi’s sickness and has restored Nate’s health as well so that we are all healthy again
• That the ladies’ retreat went great and I had a blessed time leading worship and being encouraged by other women of God
• That Nate has an opportunity to go to Manila for a teacher’s conference this week (March 24-28)
• That we had special times as a family and some dates alone this past week as Nate was on quarter break
• That Nate’s brother, Stephen and his wife Joy bought plane tickets to visit us in June!
• That God’s Word is being poured out into our hearts and lives so that there is no drought of His Word

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray that God will send rain and sustain all the people here in the Philippines who are in need
• Pray that Nate’s students and our neighbors will be thirsty for God’s Word and that His Word will pour out into the lives of many people
• Pray that we will continue to thirst for God’s Word and make it known to our students and the people of the Philippines.
• Pray that Nate will be a sponge and learn lots to take back to his classroom and to become an even more effective teacher.
• Pray again for me and the boys as we hold down the home-base here in Davao without him (March 24-28, Wed.-Sun.).
• Pray God will keep us all healthy and strong, especially protecting us from the mosquito and dengue fever that many people we know have suffered.
• Pray for wisdom about how to give and how to use God’s resources to help others
• Pray for Bible Translation to continue and be completed so everyone on this earth can have His Word and His promises in a language they can understand! (What would I do without God’s Word?)
• Pray that we will continue to keep Christ in the center of our marriage and ministry, that we will abide in Christ and grow in Him, and that God will use us to bring many people to know and worship Him

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


This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it