Hefner Update - April 2009 - On Furlough

Hefners on Home Assignment
It’s hard to believe that the first official day of spring is just around the corner. Each day seems to pass at a comfortable, relaxing pace. But when we take a look at the calendar and see how much time has gone by since we arrived in the States (mid-December), it’s shocking! We are currently in Snohomish, Washington, spending time with Lindsay’s family and our sending church family, Emmanuel Baptist Church. The church provided us with a very comfortable place of our own and we are enjoying having people in our home and getting to know them better.

Lindsay, Elijah, and Lenaya are in the full swing of school, learning about everything from the capital cities of the US to the ministry of missionary Gladys Alyward in China (a great story!). It’s been fun to have the opportunity to take “field trips” to places like the Pacific Science Center, and to spend an afternoon at the Soup Kitchen (serving meals to the homeless). Elijah and Lenaya also experienced their first “snow day”, when we were blessed with two inches of snow in March. Of course, we had to cancel school due to the bad roads.☺ The kids were THRILLED! Building a snowman, making snow angels, sliding on iced-over puddles…it was quite the day! Besides speaking in a couple of churches and sharing about our ministry in some local Christian schools, Aaron is also co-teaching a married’s Sunday school class at our church. One of our main desires for our time on home assignment is to reconnect with our families and strengthen our relationships with friends, and those who support our ministry. We don’t want our time here to come to an end and regret that we didn’t spend more time with people. Please feel free to stop by, or get in touch with us! We would love to see you!

Future Plans
We will be in Washington State until early June. At that time we will head back to Little Rock, Arkansas and will spend most of the remainder of our furlough there. We will have a few trips “sprinkled” in there, though – Houston, Texas and Charleston, West Virginia. We’re looking forward to seeing “y’all” ☺

Home…where’s that?
When we lived in [Africa], home was our cement-block house on the outskirts of the village. When we stayed in the capital city...from time to time, home was the mission guest house, surrounded by a tall cement wall. When we arrived in the States this past December, for six weeks home became Grandma and Grandpa Hefner’s house. And now, here in Washington, home is our church’s mission house. When we move again in a few months, home will be in another location. This can be confusing to a 5- and 7-year old child. We’ve been asked more than once, “Dad/Mom, where is our home?” Rather than cause us to think, “Oh, poor things, they don’t even know where home is”, these questions have been wonderful opportunities to teach Elijah and Lenaya that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20), and to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2) Our everchanging home location has been a good reminder to us as well, to hold loosely the things of
this short life, and to keep eternities values in view.

Prayer and Praise:

• Due to the fact that Lindsay’s health is greatly improved and every test that she has undergone these past couple of months revealed nothing, we have decided to not pursue further medical testing. We are still unsure of the cause of her prolonged illness in Senegal but are resting in the fact that the Lord does. He was faithful to strengthen and sustain Lindsay these past 2 ½ years, and we know that He will do the same in the future, should her symptoms arise again, when we return to [Africa]. We are SO thankful for the good health and energy that she has right now!
• Please pray for our co-worker. She has a very full schedule in this upcoming month preceding her own home assignment. Pray that she would rest in the Lord’s goodness and strength.
• Remember the man who placed his faith in Christ right before we left...and came to the States? Well, our co-worker has reported that he is still holding onto Christ, is reading further Bible lessons and Scripture portions, and continues to ask questions about what he is reading. This is exciting! If you choose to pray for only one request in this newsletter, let it be this one! {He} needs your prayers. Pray that the Lord would strengthen his spirit to withstand the persecution from others in the village. Pray that he would remain steadfast in his new faith in Christ. Pray that the Spirit of God would be teaching him and giving him understanding as he reads Bible lessons. And also pray that he would be a bold witness for Christ.
  

Hefner Update 11/26/08

We got our tickets last week and I should have contacted you guys right away. We will be home the 16th. We just got word yesterday that Mayo refused Lindsay application because she is not presently seeing a doctor that can do the follow-up after they treat her there. Rick Houk has been a big help and I'm waiting on his advice before we proceed further. We are planning to get the medical things taken care of first thing. If the treatment is in LR it will probably take longer than if we get into Mayo so I really cannot say how long we will be in LR before heading to Washington. We are resting in the fact that God is in control of all this.

As far as expenses go, I'm really not sure what to expect. Our insurance through the mission organization will give us some help and from the brief reading I've done it looks like the maximum that we'll pay on our end is $6,000 even if the bills get up into the 6 digits. We have someone buying our vehicle here in Senegal and that should take care of those expenses (we would be selling the vehicle regardless of Lindsay's medical situation). I really do not feel that BCLR needs to help us financially at this point. We would rather see that money go to a missionary with greater needs. If needs do arise that are beyond our financial ability we feel the freedom to communicate those to you. You have been very gracious towards us in this regard.

Thanks to you and the entire church for your prayers for us. We can honestly say that we have felt the Lord upholding us each step of the way, without Him we'd have fallen for sure. This is a testimony to your prayers. We are glad to be serving Him and trust that He will accomplish His work in and through us in His time.

We are in communication with the other churches that support us trying to work out a schedule for our year on furlough. We would like to spend at least 3 months there in LR with BCLR doing whatever it is we can to connect with the folks there during that time. We desire to visit our sending church in Washington State first and we are tentatively planning to be there from Feb - May.

Hefner Photos

Aaron and Lindsey have given us permission to share these photos with our blog readers.


















Aaron spends a day in a tribe in PNG and helps with the building of the missionary’s house.














Aaron visited the village, where literacy is an important part of the church.















The kids with Falai and Jata, some good friends, sitting in a hut they made.

To quote Aaron, "What happens when Dad is supposed to be watching the kids."













Susannah, our family’s donkey, is being trained by Aaron and Wiye to work in the fields.

Hefner Update Sept-Oct 2008

We Hefners are homebodies. We like to stay put. Just thinking about packing and going to and fro on rugged roads and hanging out in airports makes us tired. We would much rather stay in one place – preferably home! In spite of those preferences, the months of August, September, October, and November have been and will continue to be filled with a lot of traveling – across Senegal, into Guinea, and even across the ocean to Papua New Guinea! Here’s a little peek into what the Hefners are up to…

August – At the beginning of the month Lenaya spiked a very high fever that continued for 9 days. We suspected malaria at first, and tried treating it with malaria treatments two times with two different medicines. Her fever persisted. On day 9, Lenaya still had a fever of up to 105 degrees, so we called an emergency medical flight and flew to Dakar as a family and immediately saw a doctor and had some tests run. Through wisdom given by God, the doctor prescribed a special antibiotic for Lenaya, even before the results of her tests were in! It was really neat to see the Lord so obviously watching out for her and guiding the doctor’s decisions. She was diagnosed with e-coli and we spent 2 weeks in [city] while she recovered. Many of you back home were praying for Lenaya, and for that we are incredibly grateful. We went back {home} for 2 weeks, and then…

September – Aaron flew to Papua New Guinea for a church-planting workshop. This was quite a lengthy trip (3 ½ weeks) and because of Lenaya’s recent illness we didn’t feel comfortable with Lindsay and the kids staying in the village alone. So, once again, we packed up and ventured on the rugged roads. Aaron had a wonderful time in PNG visiting different tribal works, talking with other church planters, and being taught and trained by experienced missionaries. He was greatly encouraged by seeing how the Lord is building His Church in other parts of the world. We trust that things that he has learned during his time there will be very beneficial to the entire NTM West African team. After...spending a couple of weeks at home…

October – Aaron will pack his bags yet again, this time traveling to Guinea, W. Africa (just below Senegal) along with a few other members of our NTM Senegal team. While attending a conference there, Aaron will have the opportunity to share the things that he learned while he was in PNG. This will be a shorter trip – 1 week – and after he returns we will be going back{home}…and hopefully staying put for a while!

Prayer and Praise

We are so very thankful for the Lord’s protection and healing of Lenaya. His care for our family was evident in very tangible ways – providing the right doctor, the kindness and care of our support team, health and strength for dad and mom in spite of very minimal sleep. Thank you to everyone who was praying for us during that time.

Aaron’s trip to Papua New Guinea was not only a beneficial time of learning for him, but also a time of refreshment and encouragement. We are thankful for the friends he was able to spend time with and the blessing he received through seeing first-hand the work that the Lord is doing there in PNG.

Being able to homeschool the kids is such a blessing to Lindsay. She loves watching the kids learn, and also learning along with them. It is a joy to be able to give Elijah and Lenaya an education based on the Word of God. We thank the Lord for this opportunity!

Please continue to pray for the young man who began meeting with Aaron in August to hear Bible lessons. When we return to the village (beginning of October) our desire is to continue these meetings with him and continue on until he hears the full message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In our absence, {our co-worker} has met with him a few times (upon his request!) and gone over some of the Bible lessons. Pray for continued interest and understanding.

Pray for Lindsay’s health. She is still struggling with regular spells of unwellness. We hope to have thorough testing done when we are on furlough this next year. Please pray for strength as she continues to care for the family and do language and culture study.

Please pray for us as we seek to raise Elijah and Lenaya according to God’s Word. Pray for wisdom, consistency, patience, and humility.

As we come to the end of our first term on the field, our hearts are heavy for our friends {here}. Things are not as we desired that they might be, yet we trust in the goodness and wisdom of our great God. Please pray for the people {here}…and the other 110,000 {tribal} people of West Africa.

Hefner Update - August 2008

Hi all,

Lenaya has a clean bill of health. The lab work came back negative, so we are clear for take off tomorrow. Thank you all so much for your prayers for her.

We give all the praise to the Lord for giving us access and ability to use good doctors and meds.

Aaron

Hefner Update - August 2008

here is an update:

Briefly, Lenaya is not better
They had the plane come and fly them to Dakar

Please pray...it is hard to be so far away!
But God's grace is sufficient and new every morning
this man needed it this morning as I read this email

PTL for all his hand on my son and his family
PTL for all the people of New Tribes who are helping Aaron and Linds and Lenaya

Thanks for your prayers

Hefner Update - August 2008

From Mike Hefner:

I usually do not send emails on personal stuff but as one father to another (and one grandfather to “some”) I would appreciate your prayers

On August 1, I got an email from Aaron stating that Lenaya has malaria chills, shaking really bad and with a fever of 105
They put her on meds

On August 3, I got an email that she was doing better (they were finishing the malaria meds (3 day course)
Her temperature was down to 101 and the day before she slept a lot and had a good night sleep

This morning I got an email stating that Lenaya has had a relapse…her fever spiked again…she is very tired and weak and her stomach is in pain

Please pray for Lenaya and wisdom for Aaron and Linds as to what to do for Lenaya Also, pray for Aaron and Linds as they deal with this very difficult situation

Thanks so much for your prayers

Mike

From: Aaron Hefner [mailto:aaron_hefner@ntm.org]
Subject: Update on Lenaya

It seems that Lenaya has had a relapse. She spiked another fever yesterday afternoon, and whatever it is that she has appears to be cycling again. The fever continues (although not as high as at first, thankfully) and she is very tired and week, and has some stomach pain. We are trying to determine what it is that she has – something very difficult to do in our situation (locale). The Lord’s wisdom is much needed. We are thinking that she might possibly have “relapsing fever”, as her symptoms match those of that illness. We don’t want to be hasty though and put her on yet another course of medication if it’s not the right one. Please pray with us that it would become more clear what the illness is (if it does follow the pattern of relapsing fever that we have been reading about) so that we can give her meds if she does need it.

Linds

Hefner Update - July 2008

Greetings from Senegal.

If you would like to see our blog for ministry history and recent updates go to: http://hefnerhappenings.blogspot.com/

Its nothing fancy and we won’t be able to update it from the village, but when we come out ot to town we’ll be sure to post our most up-to-date news.

For the King,
Aaron

Hefner - March 29, 2008

Dear praying friends,
 
This is the last update you will receive before this phase of the teaching is complete.  We’ll send another update to you all at the conclusion.  
 
Our teaching schedule is as follows:
 
Saturday:  Rich man and Lasarus
Sunday:  Blind Bartimaeus and triumphal entry
Monday:  The last supper
Wednesday:  Betrayal and trial
Thursday:  Crucifixion
Saturday:  Resurrection
Sunday:  Great commission and ascention
Monday: Concluding lesson
 
You can see from the teaching schedule that we are coming to the climax of the story, how Jesus, God in the flesh, would actually die as a result of man’s sin.  But as we all just celebrated last Sunday, death and sin could not hold him.  He rose again!  There is hope. 

Man can be reconciled to God.  He can have fellowship with the holy God.  All of this because of Christ.  Pray that our friends would see the glory of God through the testimony of His Word about who he is and what he has done.  
 
Our hope rests in God alone.  My speaking ability is far from perfect.  My lessons leave much to be desired.  This is why we all must pray that his Holy Spirit would use God’s word to penetrate dark and hardened hearts with the glorious light of the gospel.
 
We love you all and appreciate you standing with us.
 
For the King,
Aaron 

Hefner - March 8,2008

Dear praying friends,

We are now entering the final month the teaching program.  We have introduced Jesus Christ and the nature of the work through the prophecies of the OT, the words that the angels spoke to Zacharias, Mary and Joseph, and Zacharias’ prophecy.  We are excited to now begin sharing about the ministry and message of John the Baptist and Jesus.  
 

Our teaching schedule is as follows:

 Saturday: John the Baptist’s message of repentance

Sunday:  The baptism of Jesus and John the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus

Monday: The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness

Wednesday:  Jesus’ ministry begins

Thursday:  John 3

Please continue to pray that we will communicate effectively the critical truths related to Christ and his ministry. Pray that God would be merciful and open blind eyes so that they may see the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ.

We thank you for your prayers for our health.  We have not experienced any major illness during this time.

For the King,

Aaron

Hefner - The Dialonke are now the Jalunga

No, we didn’t start working with a new people group!  We’re still in the same place, working with the same people.  The language was recently codified (declared an official language) and the pronunciation and spelling of the tribal name was changed.  In future newsletters we will refer to the people and the language as “Jalunga” (juh-LOON-gun).

Hefner - Praise & Prayer

First and foremost we are praising God for His Word, which knows no language or cultural bounds and is presently being taught to our friends here in Madina Bafé.  Please pray that the “living and active Word” (Hebrews 4:12) would penetrate their hearts, that they would see their need for Christ as Savior, and that they would turn from their sin and embrace God’s Truth.

We are thankful that Lindsay’s tooth is in “remission” right now.  After nearly two months of continual pain/ discomfort, she is experiencing some relief.  We know that this is due to the prayers of you at home.  Thank you!  At this time, we are planning on waiting until after the teaching is done to have her tooth worked on.  Please pray that this would be possible (i.e., that it wouldn’t become infected/abscessed or the pain make the waiting unbearable). 

“The Battle of the Colds” – that’s what we’ve been fighting lately!  Even with good sleep, vitamins and a good diet we just can’t seem to fight off the germs that are running rampant in the village.  Please pray for patience during this season of illness and for the Lord’s protection, especially over Elijah and Lenaya.

Please pray for Aaron as he writes Bible lessons, reviews them with his helpers, prepares for the evening Bible teaching, and spends time with people in the village.  Pray for physical strength and health, mental sharpness, and wisdom. 

Pray for us as a team – for unity in decisions, open communication, and consideration and encouragement of each other.

Pray for us as a family – that our marriage will be unified, strong, and focused on the Lord, that we would raise Elijah and Lenaya according to the Word and not neglect them or be inconsistent during this busy time, and that we would be flexible and considerate of one another. 

Hefner Update - March 1, 2008

Dear praying friends, 

This week we will reach the halfway point of our evangelistic teaching in Madina Bafe.  We thank you for your faithful prayers on our behalf.  They are having an effect.  One of our major goals during the first half of the teaching is to communicate the truth that all men are sinners and therefore separated from God.  In judging from feedback we have received, this point is being communicated.  Whether or not it is believed is up to the hearer, but they are understanding this important truth that is contradictory to their former beliefs about the nature of man.

One man asked me the other day, "Is there medicine for my sin?"  I replied that there was indeed "medicine" for his sin and that we are going to be talking about the remedy in the future.

He looked at me with disbelief and said, "I've never heard of this before."

I simply smiled and said, "That is why I said at the beginning that this is an important talk.  You haven't heard this talk before and you need to keep coming to hear all of it."

The religion they are presently practicing does not have a "medicine for sin".   There is no remedy available, only the feeble line, "do good works, fast and pray, and maybe God will accept you."  But as people compare their daily lives against the holiness of God as revealed in his Law there is no hope to be found in such reasoning.  Christ is the only hope.  And fortunately we get to teach about his birth this week.  Please be praying that they would see in the coming weeks, "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ."

Our teaching schedule is as follows:

Saturday (3/1): the message of the prophets concerning the Messiah

Sunday: Luke 1

Monday: the birth of John the Baptist

Wednesday: The angel appears to Joseph, birth of Christ

Thursday:  Jesus' childhood

 

For the King,

Aaron Hefner

Hefner - Senegal

Dear praying friends,

We have now starting our fourth week of teaching in Madina Bafe. We have now taught through the story of the flood. Attendance is holding steady, thank you for your prayers in this regard.

We greatly appreciate your prayers. You play a critical role during this time. As Paul told the Corinthians, 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Your prayers do make a difference, God’s Word must be preached in order for His sheep to come to him.

The following week’s teaching schedule is as follows:

Saturday: the tower of Babel
Sunday: Abraham
Monday: Sodom and Gommorrah
Wednesday: Abraham offering Isaac
Thursday: Isaac’s life

We will be teaching the themes of: man’s goal in life is not his own advancement but to glorify God, God is pleased with the faith of his people (as exemplified by Abraham), God judges sin, God is merciful and saves people, God provides a substitutionary sacrifice (Isaac and the ram).

Please pray that God would help me to clearly communicate these important concepts.

Please pray for Bakari Kamara and his family. He has been out of town working since the teaching started, but his 3 wives have been attending regularly.

For the King,

Aaron Hefner

Hefner - Senegal

We are emphasizing prayer for the Hefner’s teaching ministry as the Dialonke people hear God’s Word for the first time.

1. That the Dialonke will understand God's Word

• That they would listen without the distractions of village life
• That there would be no unrest (religious, cultural, familial, political, economic, crime, etc.)

2. That Aaron will clearly understand the Dialonke culture and language

• Communicating the content, context, and the proper understanding of those truths

3.

That that the Dialonke will understand

• That God is their Creator and Judge
• That their sin violates God’s law
• That they need redemption and a Redeemer

4. That God would grant repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

5. For Lindsey as she serves and supports her family

• For physical/ spiritual health and stamina
• For protection from harm
• For Aaron’s family time during these demanding days

6. That Aaron will be able to quickly deal with the inevitable practical challenges that will come his way

• Housing, supplies, power, water, sanitation, etc.
  

7. That all their support needs will be met