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Find Jerry
March 8th, 2015
Not too long ago, someone who prays for Jerry regularly told me that I needed to read about St. Patrick because his story reminded them of Jerry's situation. As I read the story on CBN, I was touched how God used something awful to bring an unsaved people group to Christ. I hope this history lesson on St. Patrick will open your eyes, as it did mine, in the many ways that God works as you pray for Jerry and the people group who is holding him.
CBN.com – Before all the festivities focused on shamrocks and leprechauns and good luck wishes, there was truly something to celebrate: a man willing to stand in the gap for Jesus Christ. Reporter David Kithcart reveals the inspiring true story behind this courageous and fervent Irishman we all know as Saint Patrick.
Ireland was a beautiful island shrouded in terrible darkness. Warlords and druids ruled the land. But across the sea in Britain, a teen-ager was poised to bring this nation to God.
"Patrick was born into a Christian family," says Philip Freeman, author of St. Patrick of Ireland. "His father was a deacon; his grandfather a priest. But Patrick says that from a n early age, he didn't have any serious interest in religion and that he was practically an atheist when he was a teenager."
Around 400 A.D., Patrick was abducted from his village and thrown onto a slave ship headed for Ireland.
"He saw that as God chastising him, first of all," says Rev. Sean Brady. "That was the first view. He says (he) deserved what (he) got."
Patrick was sold to a chieftain named Milchu. He spent six years tending his master's flocks on the slopes of the Slemish Mountain. Patrick recounts his time as a slave in his memoir entitled The Confession.
"He says, 'I prayed a hundred times in the day and almost as many at night,' " says Rev. Brady, the Roman Catholic Archbiship of Armagh and Primate of All of Ireland. "Through that experience of prayer and trial, he came to know another God — God the Father, who was his protector. He came to know Jesus Christ in those sufferings, and he came to be united with Christ and he came to identify with Christ, and then of course, also the Holy Spirit."
One night during a time of prayer and fasting, Patrick wrote: "I heard in my sleep a voice saying to me: 'It is well that you fast. Soon you will go to your own country.' And again, after a short while, I heard a voice saying to me: 'See, your ship is ready.' "
Patrick escaped and traveled 200 miles cross country to the west coast. He found a ship ready to sail, but was refused passage. After a desperate prayer, he was allowed aboard.
Patrick eventually returned to his home and family. His experience of God's grace and provision solidified his faith. He began to study for the ministry.
Freeman says, "One night, he had a dream. There was a man who came from Ireland with a whole bunch of letters. And he opened up one of the letters and it said 'The Voice of the Irish.' And then he heard a voice coming out of this letter that said, 'Holy boy, please return to us. We need you.'"
Patrick struggled in his soul. Could he return to Ireland and minister to the same people who had enslaved him? Once again, he turned to God in prayer. He received the answer in a dream.
"He talks about how he, in this dream, is trying to pray and yet he can't," says Freeman. "So he hears a voice coming from inside of him which he realizes is the voice of God praying for him."
Patrick knew he had to go and convince his church that he was called to be a missionary to Ireland. He set sail in a small ship.
Patrick landed at the mouth of the Slaney River. When Patrick set foot on this shore, a new era dawned on this island.
"The Ireland of his day really wasn't much different from the Ireland of a few years ago…," notes Most Reverend Dr. Robert Eames, Church of England Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland. "It was an Ireland of tribalism, an Ireland of war, an Ireland of suspicion, an Ireland of violence and death. Here he came as a virtual stranger to this country of warring factions."
"They worshipped multiple gods of the sky and the earth and the water," says Freeman. "And so that was his first challenge: to convince the Irish that there was only one God and that his God really did love them."
Patrick came face to face with the chieftains and their druid priests. The showdown came on the morning of his first Easter in Ireland.
Monsignor Raymond Murray, parish priest of Cookstown in Northern Ireland explains further: "Part of the pagan worship of fall to spring, from the beginning of the summer, was that a fire was lit, and first of all, the fire on the hill of Tara and no other lights at all in Ireland."
This monastery on the hill of Slane is where Patrick — in direct defiance of the high king of Tara — lit a forbidden fire.
Notes Rev. Brady, "He was summoned before the king, and he explained that he wasn't a threat, because he was bringing the new light, the light of Christ, the Savior of the world, the Light of the world."
"The first light of Easter day was dawning. Patrick brought the hope of Easter day to Ireland," says Rev. Eames.
The weather can be absolutely brutal here in Ireland. But just imagine how it must've been for Patrick in the 5th century as he trekked across the countryside bringing the Gospel to the pagan Celts.
"People sometimes made fun of him because he said that God often gave him a message there was danger ahead," says Freeman. "But, he said, 'Laugh at me if you will. This is something that has protected me in Ireland.'"
Listen to Patrick's poem of faith and trust in God, "The Breastplate":
"Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."
Myths and legends have grown up around this hero of Ireland.
As Monsignor Murray explains, it is sometimes difficult to describe the triune aspect of God. So, according to the story, to better illustrate the central teaching of the trinity, Patrick took a shamrock and pointed out the three leaves on it. Interestingly, it is only in Ireland that you find this shamrock. Therefore, the people believed.
In 432 A.D., Patrick built a church on the site of the present day St. Patrick's Memorial Church in Saul — the first ever Christian church in all of Ireland. It's considered the cradle of Irish Christianity.
"Preaching the Gospel, of course, baptizing converts, confirming them, appointing clergy," continues Calvert.
Patrick's ministry lasted 29 years. He baptized over 120,000 Irishmen and planted 300 churches.
"What Patrick did was really lay the groundwork for Christianity," says Freeman.
To this day, no one knows where Patrick is buried, but many believe that it is somewhere beneath the church on the hill at Down Cathedral.
Rev. Earnes concurs, "I honestly feel that what Patrick taught Ireland was that there is a cost to discipleship, but it's a cost worth paying."
Gina: Following Christ has a cost. For our family it has been this 1 year and 11 month of Jerry being a captive. I believe that God is shedding His light in a Land that is dark just like Ireland.
Please pray:
1. For God to uproot the Evil and the men that are coordinating it. Countries are fighting against Boko Haram at this moment.
Psalm 37:9-11 …9For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. 10Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.…
2. For God/Jesus to send dreams so that the people recognize that it is God/Jesus who is freeing them and that they will turn to Him.
3. That the captives will be set free.
4. Jerry to have courage and to see the Holy Spirit moving around him.
February 18th, 2015
I believe that prayer works. On January 26th, when I asked you to pray, I had been reading in the news that Maiduguri, Nigeria, a major town of 2,000,000 people was being surrounded by Boko Haram. Considering that Boko Haram slaughtered around 2,000 people in a village not too long ago, I was praying for God to intervene. He assured me with examples from His Word that He stepped in.
First, He gave me Psalm 55:9-11.
Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.
Next, I Samuel 14: 15: Then panic struck the whole army (the enemy of Israel)…. And the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.
Vs. 20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords.
Then Joshua 10:1-13, where God says that He will defeat them (the enemies), throw them into confusion, then send hail storms. The sun stands still until the battle is finished. (v8-13)
Judges 6-7: The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: 'I did it myself.'" (7:4). Army reduced to 300 men (7:7), God sends the Midianites into a panic and they attack each other (7:22).
Since then, Boko Haram attacked Maiduguri twice and I believe that by prayer they have been repelled. Continue to pray. The news says if Boko haram attacks, it will be a blood bath.
From the beginning of Jerry's disappearance, God has always said the same thing: Jerry is on a mission. He is a light in a very spiritually dark world. God's goal is to bring salvation and His Word and Truth to an area that does not know Him. He hears the cries of the people and sees the Fear and Slavery that this organization is doing.
Several times God has reminded me that when Jerry is free, so will others be freed. I believe this means there will be a destruction of the Evil kingdom. I believe that Evil will be conquered by the name of Jesus.
So my friends, pray for:
1. Boko Haram's leadership to fall into confusion and fear.
2. Pray for Jesus to give dreams to people on how to Win this War. (He has done this before. Look at II Kings 6:8-24). Pray for dreams to be given to the hopeless so that they have hope.
3. Pray for Evil to be seen in this war and that the people recognize it for what it is. The Bible says you will recognize Evil and people by their actions.
"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit" Matthew 7:15-17
4. As Evil falls, pray for the freedom of all the slaves and that they will recognize that Jesus is the Son of God.
I really don't know how God is going to free Jerry. He has His plans, but I know that we are to join Him in His work. God has always had people join Him in His work. Look at scripture. Abraham to become the Father of the Jewish Nation, Moses to free the people from slavery, Esther to preserve the Jewish Nation and many more. It is God's way for us to join Him and see His Power.
Thanks for being a part of this. I am amazed by how God has provided dreams and woken so many people up to pray for Jerry. Thank you. We are a part of a mission and I believe our prayers are being heard. I hope it will be soon that Evil falls and the enslaved can return to their families.
January 26th, 2015
Urgent! Please take time to Pray for the downfall of Boko Haram. I believe that God has heard the pleas and tears of the people in Africa. I believe that we have the Power through the name of Jesus to change the direction of Boko Haram. But are we willing to stand up? Are we willing to stand up in the gap for Nigeria and pray for them? I keep praying that God will make this country come "to attention" and that they will resolve as a nation to proclaim a fast and pray to God for deliverance just as Jehoshaphat did in 2 Chronicles 20. And I believe that the battle will be won by God. Please join Franklin Graham's message and pray for the next 6 days for God to open the eyes of Nigeria and that God will stop this massacre of people. They have been attacking a large town since yesterday.
Franklin Graham
Boko Haram Islamic militants are the scourge of Africa. They have burned hundreds of churches, taken young Christian girls as sex slaves, killed thousands and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Already, they have conquered an area nearly the size of territory ISIS has seized in the Middle East. All this done in the name of Allah, seeking to impose Sharia law. I want to take the next few days and expose just how wicked and evil these people are. I hope you will join me each day and pray together for this horrific violence to come to an end.
January 9th, 2015
A year and 9 months since Jerry's disappearance… God has continued to send dreams and tell people to pray. We have had 3 dreams in which people have had dreams of Jerry telling them that he could have escaped, but didn't because he did not want people to die because of his escape. We recently had a dream that said that when Jerry comes, it will be swiftly.
God has impressed me so often to pray for the wicked men in control of this business of human trafficking. Every time I pray for Jerry to come home, God reminds me that Jerry is on a mission and to pray for the men. People are suffering and Jerry is caught in their web, but God has heard their cries and He sees the pain the evil men are doing. We have a God who is stronger than any god or "witch doctor". And one day all knees will bow down before Him. Pray for these people to have dreams of Jesus. Pray for them to have an "experience with Him" that will be life transforming.
So Lord, In the name of Jesus Christ we ask you to make your Presence known to the men of Boko haram and the men who have Jerry. Let them fear You and see that their path is leading to destruction. We ask Lord God that you will wipe out the Evil and free those imprisoned by them. We ask that you give refuge to those that have fled Boko Haram. Lord, raise up Men and Women of God who will join in prayer and fasting to have YOU bring down this Evil that penetrates Nigeria and other countries. Rain havoc and confusion on Boko Haram and the Evil men. Let the Chaos and Fear that they started turn on them, so that they can no longer carry out plans of killing or taking over areas. May God fight this war! Bring your Holy Spirit to this land so that they will come to know you and the people will turn to You.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Our Creator God is the only way for Africa to have peace.
December 16th, 2014
From Alyssa:
The month of December is always the hardest on our family as we celebrate not only my dad's birthday, but Christmas without him. We continue to trust that God is in control and is covering him in the shelter of His wings. Today and tomorrow we specifically ask that you pray over my dad as he celebrated his birthday today. I am constantly reminded that God loves his children. As I was praying for my dad God gave me the following verses:
Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:14-15
May my dad find refuge under God's wings.
For more updates, please visit www.facebook.com/HelpFindJerry
December 5th, 2014
From Gina-
My heart has been heavy for Africa. Not only has it been hit with the Ebola crisis, but Boko Haram is still killing people whether Muslim or Christian. For Jerry, it is about an evil kingdom that crosses the land. It is about the wicked and criminal behavior and the oppressed people who live there. They like Jerry have been caught in the web and harmed by this evil. God is tired of the hurting people crying out to Him.
I pray for the land where Jerry is and for Nigeria like Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 4:37, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble."
Lord, we ask that You bring Your hand against the wicked in the land where Jerry walks. We humbly ask that you give dreams, like you did with Nebuchadnezzar and bring these wicked men to their knees. Let them see that their wicked ways is at an end and that they need to (Daniel 4:27) "Renounce (their) sins by doing what is right and their wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. (So) It may be that then (their) prosperity will continue.
Lord, we have seen wicked people come and go. We have seen Hitler rise and fall. We ask God that you bring this evil to an end. May Boko Haram fall and may it be your hand that brings it down. We ask that the Evil Kingdom fall wherever Jerry is. The people suffer. But Lord we ask that you send the Holy Spirit so that the people know that it is You who will not let the wicked stand.
We remind you, that it was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm and the Light of your face, for you loved them. Psalm 44:3
Lord, I ask for the Evil Kingdom to fall so that ALL the oppressed will be free and that you will send your Spirit to minister to the people so that this Kingdom will come to you. I ask for Jerry and others to be returned to their homes and loved ones.
Lord God, hear their cries and raise your arm in victory and crush Satan's dominion on the land. Lord, we are asking for the end of the Evil Regime. Let them be like Your Word says, (Psalm 1:4) They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1:6) For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.
Lord, I pray the wicked will bow their knees to You. But if not, may You let them feel and know that You are God and judge them.
For more updates, please visit www.facebook.com/HelpFindJerry
November 11, 2014
From Gina:
It is becoming hard to write Find Jerry when there is information that I cannot write on a public forum. I will ask you to please contact those who know our families or friends to ask for the latest news.
It has been a roller coaster. I was hoping and praying that he would be home by now. But I know that Jerry is in God's hands and his return will be in God's timing. I keep asking God, "When?" As we hit a year and 7 months, I was discouraged. I have had to dig deep into my faith and tell Him—I trust YOU. I can't trust in men, but only Him. I am thankful for the knowledge that Jerry lives even though I don't know where… God knows.
Please pray for Jerry to continue to find favor with the men who hold him.
Pray for God to do miracles to demonstrate that He is the only God. (This week a man in the States had a dream where he was told NOT to go to court. I laughed out loud because we had been praying for him to not go through with it). God works things in His own way.
Pray that they will ask Jerry about his faith in God, that the Word of God implants itself on their hearts, and that they will desire to stop being wicked but to follow Jesus.
Pray for the evil men to have dreams and realize that Jesus is the Son of God. Ask God to shake up their belief system and find the TRUTH.
Pray for the kidnapped victims that Boko Haram has taken, that they will be freed and that God will give the soldiers eyes to see so that these women and men can return to their families. Pray for the destruction of evil.
Pray for Ebola to be stopped. I have had several people write me on this. So I am including it. Pray that God will raise up people to help the orphans.
I will end with Psalm 146. I changed a part of it to pray.
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
My GOD I Pray that
7 He (YOU) upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
(I pray that YOU,) The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 (I ask for YOU,) the Lord (to) gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner (JERRY)
and sustains the fatherless and the widow, (Ebola and kidnapped victims)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
October 19th, 2014
From Gina:
This week as I was praying God brought me to Nehemiah 1:4-11. Nehemiah prayed for Israel as they returned from exile. He had a great job, serving the King, but he heard that the Jews who had returned to Judah had no walls to protect themselves. Here is what it says,
"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. " 5 Then I said: "LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed against you.7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. I was cupbearer to the king."
Please join me to pray:
Lord, You are a great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of love with those who love You and keep Your commandments. Lord, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servants across North America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia for Jerry and for the people who are suffering in Nigeria and also in the land where Jerry is.
We confess our sins and my own sins and the sins that my father's family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward You. We are selfish and there are times that we have not obeyed your Word.
Lord, we come to you with our concerns about your servant, Jerry and for the men who have him. We also pray for Nigeria and the evil force of Boko Haram. Lord, let your Hand be upon Nigeria and bring the wicked men of Boko Haram down. They have killed many of your servants and their Leader laughs and enjoys the wickedness and pain that he causes. We pray that Your hand raises up to let this people group know that You are God. We pray for the kidnapped girls and young men be returned to their families. We also pray for the men who have Jerry, that their eyes might be open. That they will see their wickedness and bow down to you the True God. We that You give Jerry success and favor with the Evil King and that he may return to his family. We pray for protection around the men and women who know Jerry and want him to return home and seek for that. May You give dreams and awaken the land that they turn to You and Your Son, Jesus, who paid the cost of sin.
God, we thank You that You are working in a way that will glorify You. We thank You that Jerry is not dead and that your Hand is on him. Protect him and keep him well. May You be glorified in this.
September 29th, 2014
Tonight as I was driving home I was telling God that it's almost been a year and a half since Jerry disappeared. My hope was fading and I didn't know what to do. I trust Him, but it was harder to pray. God reminded me that Jerry was chosen to do whatever Jerry is doing, but my job was to remain stubborn and continue to pray. And then the words of the radio broke through my prayer..
Even when it feels like the light is fading
And I've lost my way
Still I'm holding on to the One who's making
All things possible
Even when it feels like my heart is breaking
Hold on, there is strength
Knowing I belong to the One who's making
All things possible
I know mountains can move
I've seen what You can do
In my weakness
So my heart will believe
If I wait I will see
My God doing, what only He can do[Bridge:]
My God is strong and mighty
My God is faithful
My hope is in the Lord
For He is able
Song: All Things Possible by Mark Shultz
So, my friends in Christ. Tonight as I write God wants us to praise Him. He is working. Your prayers have been effective. How? Do you remember in May I asked you to pray against the evil of Boko Haram? Here is what I wrote.
Pray for the Evil to stop in Africa. That Boko Haram and those connected to him will fall. I believe he knows his end is soon. His last video says, "May Allah protect us." The battle is already at hand. Ask God how long will evil prevail, with the killing of the innocent—Muslim and Christian. This man slaughters and laughs. He puts men and children into churches and then kills them. There is no justice. BUT our God does see.
God is answering our prayers. The man that was in the news who "crowed" that he would make the girls into prostitutes" and then slaughtered hundreds of people all in the name of "Allah", appears to be dead. Many of the rebel soldiers are fleeing the area or turning themselves into the government authorities. God has heard the cries of the people as well as your prayers. The stronghold is breaking.
Continue to pray that this group is not able to come back under new leadership. That if they try, that they will slaughter each other and abandon it. That Evil will be consumed and destroyed. Pray for God to send His Holy Spirit into this area and that the spiritual darkness in the land will flee and that God is able to put his Banner on the land and that the people's hearts will turn to Him.
Pray for Jerry in the following way:
1. Pray that the Evil King who has Jerry, comes to know Jesus, as well as all the men around him. May the Holy Spirit, send dreams, visions and make His Presence known. Pray for the Darkness to flee as the Light of Jesus comes into the land wherever Jerry's feet are.
2. Pray for Jerry to have courage and good health… clarity of what God wants him to do.
3. Pray for Jerry to come back to his family. Pray for his deliverance to be in God's hand and He will shield all involved.
God has promised and I trust him. Because he loves me, says the Lord I will rescue him and I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; Psalm 91:14 and 15
August 27, 2014
From Gina:
I am glad that God has prayers written through His Word. For the next week, I would like you to add verses that you are praying for Jerry in the comment section below. This will give us verses that the Holy Spirit is leading people to pray and for us to join them.
Please specifically be praying this weekend, that the doors would open for Jerry to come home.
Here is what a friend sent me.
Psalm 55 New International Version (NIV)
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
and assail me in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[c]
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm."
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide…
15 Let death take my enemies ( who will not repent and love Evil) by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God…
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.
August 17th, 2014
From Gina-
Faith is an amazing thing. As Jerry and I hit a year and 5 months, I told God that I hadn't heard from Him in quite a while concerning Jerry. I keep praying for Jerry's release and I pray for the Evil King and those around him. But what do I say to you who read this article and to people who ask?
This morning I was praying and God led me to Luke 24:13-35 where Jesus appeared to 2 believers traveling on the road after Jesus's death. I found it interesting that their faces were down cast. I mean, the women told them the body was not there and they had seen angels who said he was alive. Peter and John even agreed with the women that the body of Jesus was missing…but still the long face.
So today I want you to know that I am not down cast. When I tell all the things God has done to allow me to know that Jerry is alive, I get excited that I serve a Wonderful and Caring God. And yes, we know things that we can't write publicly. If you know family members you may ask.
God likes to explode "borders". These men could not get excited about an angelic encounter with the women. They could not get excited that the body was not there. Even Jesus said to them "How foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"
I know all of this is in God's hand. I get tired of being without Jerry, but I TRUST in my God. I am going to ask you to rejoice with me that Jerry is alive… As these men could not see beyond their borders, I want you to praise Him for guarding Jerry's life and for all the events that have kept us praying for Jerry. Rejoice with me and praise Him, who will "reveal all".
Even though you don't have the information that I hold, I am going to ask you to please join me in fasting, any type of fast you are able to do, until September 5th. We will pray that God moves His Hand or gives wisdom to those who hold the information. Please be in prayer.
My prayer will be that God:
1. Moves and that the country where Jerry is will have no doubt that God/Jesus exist.
2. Gives wisdom to the people who have the knowledge of Jerry.
3. Will perform miracles in Jerry's deliverance- no one dies or gets hurt, that Jerry walks straight out of the lion's mouth.
4. Touches the hearts of the Evil King and all the men who know Jerry. That they have seen Jesus and must acknowledge that He is the Son of God and turn to Him. don't know where Jerry is. I don't know what these people worship… a demon god or Allah. But I know my God and I know the Power of Jesus.
5. Will send the Holy Spirit and His Angels to manifest the presence of Jesus and make the demonic hold flee the area and God will have pastors ready to reap the harvest and fill the void.
I believe that in His Timing my husband will be set free. May He finish the work He has started. May men come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. And one day, I foresee Jerry and my family standing in front of God's throne with these men and praising God.
I look forward to that day.
July 31st, 2014
From Jessica-
Just a quick note. Today is my parent's 32nd wedding anniversary. I'd appreciate extra prayer support for both my mom and dad, that they'd have courage as they continue to face life apart and that God would clear the way for my dad to escape. May what God brought together no longer be separated. May the day come where the weeping will turn to laughing and the mourning to dancing.
July 15th, 2014
From Gina-
Isaiah 59:1 "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor his ears too dull to hear".
This has been my favorite verse from the time of Jerry's disappearance. I was hoping that Jerry would be home soon. And it still might be… God is an unknown. His ways are not our own. But He loves to see people's lives changed from reeking with sin to pure before His throne. God wants to wake up His people. I believe part of this "Find Jerry" has been a walk for many of us learning to trust God and also learning how to pray. God loves His people to pray. He enjoys answering prayer and most of all He wants us to become a part of his Work.
This is what we see in the Bible. There are many stories of how God worked through farmers who became prophets, shepherds who became kings, a born slave becomes the Prince of Egypt and also leads the Jews from slavery. God takes ordinary people and connects them to other events and situations to bring people to Him.
As the Jews cried out under slavery, God heard them and reacted. Prayers move God. Sometimes the answer is not what you expected, but it is His answer.
So here is how God is leading me to pray:
1. Pay for the Evil King to have a Saul-Paul conversion, with a miracle that will knock him over. He needs to see that God is All Powerful and that he is no longer a Ruler. God is.
2. Pray for the Evil to stop in Africa. That Boko Haram and those connected to him will fall. I believe he knows his end is soon. His last video says, "May Allah protect us." The battle is already at hand. Ask God how long will evil prevail, with the killing of the innocent—Muslim and Christian. This man slaughters and laughs. He puts men and children into churches and then kills them. There is no justice. BUT our God does see.
3. Pray for the girls to be returned to their families. Pray for each girl to have an experience with Jesus during this hard time.
4. Pray for Jerry to have the wisdom and knowledge to follow God and to be a Light in a dark world. Pray for the Holy Spirit to minister to him and that he will have courage when he does not see "hope" of returning to his family.
Some selected verses from Psalm 37:
Do not fret because of evil men… for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord… Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow, to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts and their bows will be broken.
(His desire is for them to) Turn from evil and do good, then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was not more: though I looked for him, he could not be found.
June 29, 2014
From Gina-
God has an interesting sense of humor. Thursday night BBC wrote: The Nigerian Army is struggling to flush Boko Haram Islamist fighters out of their forest fastness, but it seems snakes may be doing the job for them. Two suspected Boko Haram gunmen captured by local volunteers in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria, said they had fled the Sambisa Forest because of "incessant snake bites". http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-28034240
The terrorists believe it is the ghost of the people they have killed or that it is witchcraft called Juju. I laughed and said that with so many Christians in Nigeria and across the world praying…. It is God. Why? God has done the poisonous snakes before. In Numbers 21:5-7 The Israelites sinned against God and he sent poisonous snakes and they repented. He also sent the plagues on the Egyptians because they would not liberate the Slaves (the Israelites).
Pray that God continues to mount the pressure on Boko Haram and the terrorists. They need God and they need to return the kidnapped girls plus the 60 young women and 30 young men that they took in the last 10 days. Also pray that God will raise up a pastor to speak TRUTH.
Continue to pray for the Evil King (in the land where Jerry is) to have an "experience with God". King Nebuchadnezzar would not listen to God so God made him lose his sanity for 7 years. It says in Daniel 4:34, "At the end of that time, I Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most high: I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His kingdom endures from generation to generation…He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him; 'What have you done?'" Later in verse 37 he says, "Everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble."
Pray for the Evil king and those in power to be humbled by the Lord God Almighty. That he/they will be so STRUCK by God, that people will see an immediate change in character.
I am praying Colossians 1:9-15. Here is the prayer. Lord God, I ask You to fill this Evil King with the knowledge of Your Will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I pray that the Evil King may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please You in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that he might have great endurance, patience, and joyfully giving thanks to You… for You have rescued him from the dominion of darkness and brought him into the kingdom of the Son in who we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Pray for Jerry to be bold and have courage. That every word he speaks will draw this people to Him. For when Jerry is done with his Message, he will be returned to his family. Let it be soon.
June 7, 2014
From Jessica & Gina-
It's been a couple months since I (Jessica) have written anything on here. I'm in a period of transition, ending my schooling days and moving on to my working days where I'll be moving to Thailand. As part of my preparation, I've had training, a class, and fundraising keeping me busy. I simply want to make it clear that my lack of writing has not been because of a lack of hope in my dad returning nor has that been the reason for our lack of updates in general. In fact, in the last couple of months our hope has only been increasing. God is moving, but there are things we cannot write on Facebook.
The last few weeks God has not changed my (Gina) prayers or directions, so I have not written because the prayer is the same.
1. That the Great Evil that goes from West to East Africa falls to ruin. I don't know where Jerry is in this Evil that runs across Africa but I KNOW that God wants to bring it down. As we have been praying for months for the Evil to be brought down, the news has picked up a story line. I look at Boko Haram (the man who kidnapped the 276 Nigerian girls) and had to smile. We started praying for the land to be cleared of evil. Now Boko Haram is slaughtering as many people as he can before the spiritual and physical war throws him out. My prayers for where Jerry is and against Boko Haram are the same. Pray for God to enter the land and peace to reign and that the evil business will fall and be destroyed completely. Pray for the area to have God's peace and that emptiness is replaced by His people who love justice. The fall of Boko Haram will start the unravelling of evil as one part of the network will crash. Pray for the fall to continue through out the East to West and that it is "No More".
2. Pray for an "Evil King". I have no name to put on this man. God has just laid him on my heart and several other people who have written me across the States. The fall of the business will shake him up. He could very easily be arrested and killed in the process of the fall. His only way out is by God. As God has done through kingdoms in the past, He reaches out to Kings and they too have choices to make: to follow Him or continue in their destructive paths of selfishness and hurting the people who are under them. Manasseh was such a man. 2 Chronicles 33: 10-20. He was an evil king and finally God had had enough that God allowed the Assyrian army to over run Jerusalem. In his distress he called out to God. He humbled himself and God heard him. He was brought back to Jerusalem and became a good king. This is God's desire for the "evil king".
As I watch the events of Boko Haram, I ask God, "How long will You see these people suffer? Hurry God and don't let the Evil have his way. Save the people. Send your army. Let the people see Your Mighty Hand. Deliver them.
And then I ask for the heart of the Evil King to be softened by the Holy Spirit. Help this man to see Your face and know that You are the Great I AM. Change his life and let him be a blessing to others. May he be like Manasseh.
And Lord, give Jerry the wisdom of Daniel. Like the prophets in the Old Testament, let his message be clear and let the Holy Spirit minister. When done, let him fly home to be with his loved ones.
Sunday, May 18th, 2014
From Gina-
I have just started working in jail ministry. The book we are using for the Bible study is: You'll Get Through This by Max Lucado. The title alone made me smile. I am learning a lot from this year of tears. When I feel like I can't sink any lower….I go lower. BUT God is still there. It doesn't stop the tears and frustration and I am glad that He understands my complaining and tears. Joseph felt the same way when his brothers sold him into slavery. He had nothing to hold on to, but dreams. His brothers sold him and told his father that Joseph was dead. No one was looking for him. But before his brothers sold him, God had given him dreams. Dreams that someday his brothers would bow down to him and another dream where even his parents bowed down to him. It says that his father… although not too happy about this, pondered it and stored it in his heart.
I, too, know that Jerry lives. He has given me promises through scripture and so many dreams from my own family as well as friends and even strangers. In the past few weeks, several dreams from Wisconsin to Texas to Indiana have all had the same messages. Pray for Jerry to finish the "mission", that hearts are prepared to hear about Jesus and lives are changed. "Mission", the same word that God brought to my heart for the last Find Jerry update.
Psalm 94 God is going to punish the wicked business and their down fall is near.
1. Vs 1-3 O God who avenges, shine forth… Rise up. How long will the wicked be jubilant?
2. Vs. 5 They pour out arrogant words; full of boasting. They oppress Your people. They slay the widow and the alien. They murder… They say, God does not see.
Psalm 94 He is not forsaking his people who suffer.
3. Bless is the man that you discipline. You grant him relief from days of trouble…while you dig a pit for the wicked.
4. He has not forsaken his people (a people group in Africa) (or Jerry)
5. He hears.
Psalm 18
6. Vs 13. God thundered from heaven and he shot his arrows and scattered the enemies. He reached down and took a hold of (Jerry) (and released the people group) He rescued them from a powerful enemy. For God was their support. He heard their pain and suffering and He had had enough. God's way is perfect. He is a shield for those who take refuge in Him.
7. And people will cringe. They will come trembling from their strongholds. For Our God reigns and He is exalted. He will subdue a nation and the head of nations will know that My God Reigns. MY GOD REIGNS.
As I have gone back to the beginning of promises that He has made to me. I also tell those of you who are going through turbulent times and pains to ask God to give you a verses that are His promises for you. It is a powerful thing to quote them as you pray. Thanks for praying with me. I believe that one day soon you will read… Jerry is coming home.
May 1, 2014
From Gina-
This last week, God keeps saying the word, "mission". I have noticed the word as it pops up in my reading and praying time. It is not a word that I use. This morning as I opened my Bible to turn to read some scripture, the word popped up again. Jonah 3. The title is "Jonah fulfills his mission". God gently reminded me that Jerry is on a mission and it too is nearly done. Jonah warned the evil city of Nineveh to turn from their wicked ways or in 40 days they would be destroyed. The city did. They cried out to God and God who is compassionate did not bring disaster upon them.
God reminded me that Jerry is sharing the gospel where he is. His message will sometimes be hard to hear. We need to pray that hearts are prepared to hear the gospel and that they turn from their evil work and do what is right instead of evil. Pray for the demonic holds to be broken and that the demonic stronghold goes into confusion, so that God can talk to the people. Pray for Jerry as he finishes the "mission" that God Has called him to do and that we as a body of believers pray for those lost souls to turn to Jesus.
I am praying that this will be over soon. I feel like my life has been on hold for a year and a month. It is always filled with choice: to chose God and do what is right or continue in a path that will lead to destruction.
On the side: pray for the 190 sixteen to 18 year old girls that were kidnapped in Nigeria and sold into sex trafficking or forced into marriages with militants. This has touched my heart and I am praying for the evil of Boko Haram to end in that country.
Thursday, April 24th, 2014
This morning, I was reading and came across a news article about Pastor Saeed Abedini. I copied parts of it below:
The American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith has sent an Easter message from his hospital bed to his family of supporters across the globe, reminding them of the importance of faith. Saeed Abedini, the 33-year-old Idaho resident who has served one year of an eight-year prison term in Iran for practicing his Christian faith.
"Some times we want to experience the Glory and Resurrection with Jesus without experiencing death with Him. We do not realize that unless we pass through the path of death with Christ, we are not able to experience resurrection with Christ.
We want to have a good and successful marriage, career, education and family life (which is also God's desire and plan for our life). But we forget that in order to experience the Glory of Christ we first have to experience death with Christ and to die to ourselves and selfish desires.
Jesus said to His Disciples: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)"
Pastor Saeed has had revelations from God during this past year. At the same time, he has been physically abused by the jail guard to the point that he is now hospitalized. His story reminded me that the reality of your faith is demonstrated in how you handle the dark times. And thankfully, Christ walks with us in those valleys. Pastor Saeed has experienced Christ in ways that you and I have not experienced Him. But he has had to go through deep valleys. Is it worth it? Yes. You see God in different ways and you also see the Power and the Authority of Jesus.
I have been asking God about how we need to intercede for Jerry. So here is how I prayed.
Lord, I ask that You be with Jerry and protect him. Grant him favor with the men who guard him. Give him his daily needs. Give him hope and courage. Remind Him you have not forsaken him. Bring him home soon. For you, God, are a Re-joiner of families.
Lord, I ask that You would be with those who have taken him hostage, that You would speak to their hearts. That You would open their eyes and ears to spiritual understanding and that they will clearly see You and turn to You.
And for the business that has taken Jerry and other victims: May the You, Lord God, look and be displeased to find that there is no justice. May You be appalled that there was no one to intervene so that You, oh Lord, put on Your armor and put on Your garments of vengeance and cut down the business like an ax cuts down a tree which does not have good fruit. From East to West Africa, may men fear the name of the Lord for they have seen the Destruction of this great evil. For You Lord God have pity for the innocent and You see their violence and the shed blood of the innocent. (Isaiah 57 shortened)
And last, I pray for the men/women that are victims that God will let them know their rescue is near and it is accomplished by His hand. I also pray for the men and women God uses to bring the destruction of this Evil, that He protects them.
And I trust in You. The God who can easily bring down Kingdoms and raise them up. For You are worthy of praise.
Thursday, April 10th, 2014
From Gina-
The last two weeks, the dreams have restarted. It is like the beginning, when we had so many dreams. I sense the time is close at hand. Some dreams are saying that Jerry is very tired and discouraged. He does not see a way out without getting killed in the process or others getting killed because he escaped. Another dream had his hands tied and they were leading him somewhere and he was frightened and cried out to God, "save me! Save me!". Even in my own life, the Holy Spirit is saying pray for his protection and that God will deliver Jerry from the evil.
I was discouraged January through March. God kept saying soon…. Well, I complained to God that in the human minds…"soon" is a couple of weeks not months. Starting in January, He kept saying, "Not yet."
So today, and this week, pray this scripture and whatever God lays on your heart.
Parts of Psalm 17
Hear, O Lord, my plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer—It does not rise from deceitful lips.
May my vindication come from you;
May Your eyes see what is right.
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
Give ear to me and hear my prayer
Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
Hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my enemies who surround me.
They close up their callous ears,
And their mouths speak with arrogance.
They surround me with eyes alert to throw me to the ground.
They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.
Rise up, O Lord, confront them, bring them down;
Rescue me from the wicked by your sword,
O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world who reward is in this life.
And I – in righteousness I will see Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Pray for protection on the men whom God has chosen to help deliver Jerry from evil, that their lives are preserved as well as their families.
Continue to pray for God to reach into this dark area and minister to the people groups. That they will also gain freedom from this evil.
Thursday, April 3rd, 2014
From Gina:
A few days ago I was reading Anne Graham Lotz's devotional. It spoke to me. It was a poem.
More to Life
There is more to life…
Than being healthy
Than being happy,
Than being problem free,
Than being comfortable,
Than feeling good,
Than getting what we want,
Than being healed.
There is more to life even than living!
God didn't mean for us to live our lives for our enjoyment. I think we sometimes forget that. We are here to love Him, to share His Love to others, and to love others. As we live, God tries to develop our character and teach us lessons. We are never too old to learn with God. I believe that even in heaven, we will always be in a learning mode. It seems to be a part of who God is. He loves to teach and to see us grasp and comprehend His Nature.
As we come to a year that Jerry has been missing, God keeps telling me, "patience". The end of the story is "not yet". I am waiting for the return of Jerry. In the end, it is God's story. He has sent so many dreams and reminded you to pray for Jerry. As Jessica has said, "Hunting for Jerry is like a needle in a haystack. When God decides to free Jerry, he will be freed."
This morning as I write this I thought of Peter. He was in prison and God sent an angel to wake him up and the chains fell off. The angel led him straight out of prison. He thought it was a dream until he found himself outside the prison. His reaction is found in the following:
Acts 12:11: When Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting."
I am now expecting God to bring an end to this story. I am praising Him, because He is in control.
Wednesday, March 26th, 2014
From Gina-
Answers: That was what I was wanting. In the ISV, Luke 11:9, it says,"So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you." So this week, after we received so many notes saying that many prayer warriors felt Jerry was in danger… I prayed. God, if Jerry is in danger, let me know through a dream and if not, no dream: I dreamed of 2 African water bulls. They wanted to charge me. They were angry. But something on the right kept them from coming to me. When I tried to move, they would come toward me then something on their right side would move and it would stop them.
I believe I represented Jerry and the buffalo represented demons who were angry and could not get to him. God had his protection there. I knew Someone was there though unseen.
On Sunday, a former missionary at the church where we go told me that he had a dream. It showed that Jerry has had the opportunity to escape, but doesn't. Later in the dream, he understood that if Jerry escapes that the 2 men that are assigned to him would be executed. So Jerry won't escape because of the lives of these two men. I actually smiled. That answered the question of why he hadn't escaped yet. He is totally the man I married. I wouldn't change him.
It also made me realize that these guards live in another type of bondage. God is tired of this bondage and this people group living in fear. Pray for the territorial demon to be broken and the business to collapse under the hand of God. And like Paul who had men safeguarding him. Pray that Jerry has the opportunity to share the gospel and stories with them.
Pray with me for a large circle of protection to surround Jerry. Pray that anyone who enters the circle that any demonic attachment will fall asleep. No demon can enter the circle and stay awake. This allows the person in contact with Jerry to actually hear the Gospel and to freely make a choice to God.
I have discovered as a missionary that so many times we present the gospel but the person doesn't actually hear it. I have seen eyes fog over as I start to talk about God. One time an American Indian actually went into a daze. Another time I saw a man's eyes turn with hatred when I started to tell him about Jesus. And I realized it wasn't the guy, but a demonic strong hold on this man. This is a part of spiritual warfare.
God's Word says that He wants all men to come to Him. He loves Mankind. As Christians we have tools, the Word of God and prayer. Through the Bible and Prayer, we can bring down demonic strong holds in the name of Jesus. Unfortunately we cannot take them off of non-Christians, but His Word says that people should be able to freely CHOOSE. This is why I am asking you to pray for the circle of protection around Jerry as well as all demonic strongholds to sleep. I want these kidnapers to hear the gospel and make a decision from their own Will, not what the demon decides is relevant. The name of Jesus is powerful.
I am asking God to wipe out the business that is destroying lives and causing fear. Those that are in leadership need to be held accountable for what they have done. This is for God to do. And I trust Him to bring freedom to the people in this area that are doing evil because they also are captive in their own way.
Pray for God to raise up pastors and evangelist to reach this people group once the strong hold is broken. May God do what He has promised. May our eyes see His hand and rejoice in the Power of the Almighty God and His Son, Jesus.
Monday, March 17th, 2014
From Gina-
This has been an interesting week. Several of you have mentioned the missing Malaysian airplane (if you search missing Malaysian airplane you will find plenty of news articles about it). The plane seemed to have disappeared just like Jerry's. What is more astounding is that it had people aboard it- and not just one pilot. And still it disappeared. It was also remarkable seeing the process that they've gone through looking for the plane. They are doing many of the exact same things we did looking for Jerry. By God's grace, it seems like we did the right things without even having the credentials to know how to look for a missing airplane. I continue to pray for God to reveal where the people are and the plane.
God reminded me last night that He is stronger and able to bring back Jerry to his family. He is in a dangerous area and it will have to be His hand that frees him.
One prayer warrior wrote, "even though we don't know Jerry's whereabouts, we have NO DOUBT that God knows where he is. We need to recite scripture as we pray telling God that just as His Word says… ('And I will do whatever you ask in my Name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son' – John 14:13, 'If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it' – John 14:14, 'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive'- Matthew 21:22).. We are praying in the holy and precious name of Jesus Christ asking you Father to intervene on behalf of Jerry Krause and rescue him from the enemy – bringing glory to yourself Father as your servant Jerry is returned to his family".
As I read these word, I agreed with it. I believe that God hears our prayers. His timing is important. So I pray that God will keep encouraging Jerry with His Word and that the Holy Spirit will touch the lives of these men who don't know Him. May the LIGHT of Jesus shine in this dark area. May God set to order the chaos these men have caused and that the people will see Christ.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
From Jessica-
Tomorrow will be 11 months since my dad disappeared. Sometimes 11 months seems short, other times, it feels incredibly long.
Time hasn't stopped. Life hasn't stood still and waited for my dad to return. We are in a phase of life right now where we have a lot of decisions to make. And it is an odd balance, trying to hold on to my dad coming home yet having to move on because life doesn't stop.
Please pray for wisdom as we make decisions.
Lately, I've been thinking through what it really means to have faith. We think that we have faith when everything around is going easy. And yes, to some degree we do have faith. But real faith doesn't happen until we are thrown into challenging situations. Faith is not a feeling. Feelings change depending on our situations. They switch from one extreme to the next in an instant.Faith is a choice. It's a submission of my will to Gods will. It's knowing that I don't have all the answers but I desperately cling to a God who does. It's trusting in His promises to love, to hold, to be merciful despite the pain, hurt, and doubts we have. We don't have to feel those promises, we have to trust them, even if we don't see the outcome tomorrow, this year, or even in this lifetime. Life may not feel good, but it's knowing that He is good.
Please pray for my dad to have faith.
Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
From Gina-
The last few nights I have been wallowing in self pity. No job. No purpose. I was feeling worthless to humanity.
My second cousin called me up and was shocked that I was so depressed. She tried to encourage me. In the end… she reminded me that it was my faith in God that has made me strong.
My daughter, Jessica, listened to me. I realized that my eyes were on a job and not on Him. I wanted a job so that when Jerry comes home, we would have financial stability till he was ready to work again.
And then my other daughter, Alyssa, said a bit of wisdom as she was leaving this morning, that maybe God did not want me in a job right now. It left me pondering. And then I wrote the following.
What do you do when the storms of life overwhelm you? I had a pity party. Did it help….No. From my life's experience, I know better than to turn my back on God. Because I believe that God wants us to face the events in our lives with Him walking beside us. Turning away from God prolongs agony and life only gets worse. (Been there and done that!)
Irenaeus was a man born sometime around 140 AD in Asia Minor. He was a bishop of Lyons. I was reading a chapter about his life and he made some comments concerning adversities, answering the question: why do Christians need to endure them? He said that hardships are there "in order to purify them, and to teach them brotherly charity". We were not made to suffer alone and on an island. We need to use our needs to come together with others in the same need. This causes the group to have reciprocal comfort and endurance; but most of all to keep them "always vigilant and strong in the faith." The whole chapter on Irenaeus dealt with spiritual warfare. We don't take it seriously.
Let me give you an example: When a Christian says that they are having suicidal thoughts…what do you do? Most of us are religious enough that we will say, "I will pray for you." But let us cut through and go deeper. Stop and pray with them. Right there. Satan is a liar from the beginning, so pray, "In the name of Jesus, the voices that are telling John Doe to kill himself, stop it. He belongs to Jesus and those thoughts are not from John nor from God. They are from Satan, who is a liar." Then teach John Doe to pray the same prayer. Why don't we stop and pray right there? There is power in prayer. And when two or three are gathered to pray….watch out.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I believe in the power of prayer. I am praying every 2 weeks with three friends. We pray for our families, friends, jobs, and hurts. God is helping each one of us to endure our hardships.
Last night I talked to a friend from Mali. She has done the same thing. Her family has started breaking apart because of unforgiveness and selfishness. She has joined a couple of other mothers to pray once a week for God to intervene in their families.
Jonah said in 2:7 "When my life was ebbing away, (no hope) I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. (This is when life gets tough and people turn their backs on God at their greatest need and forfeit God's grace.) But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. (Even though life is bleak and over powering me, I will sing to You.) What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.
I encourage those of you who are in situations that seem impossible, find others who are also struggling. Join each other every 2 weeks for a potluck and then share and pray together. It is amazing how God will strengthen you and you will realize that you are not alone.
One day, I believe my husband will be freed, because of our joint prayers. One day, his plane will be found and he will be rescued. God is almighty. Today it looks bleak, but I stand on His Promises. He has never let me down. I will trust Him no matter what.
Monday, February 17th, 2014
From Gina & Jessica-
This weekend, the Krause family had their annual winter get together. At one point, we stood, held hands, and prayed for Jerry. We joined our hearts together, crying out to God to hear our pleas that He would send Jerry back home to us soon. I realized once again that it isn't just our immediate family, but the extended family and our community that have felt the pain as well.
Lately, God has been reminding me that life isn't about making me happy and comfortable. It is about loving God and being willing to give up my time for others. Jesus gave up heaven to come to this earth and sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins. It is what God wants from me, from all christians… a denial of my selfish attitudes and giving myself to Him and what He wants from me.
We have to be willing to put ourself out there for Christ. To walk like Jesus, to sacrifice our time, our money, and everything for God.
We are thankful for all of you that read find jerry and pray for him and us. Thank you for following Him and carrying someone's burdens. We have felt your love. Each one of you are a thread woven into this story that God has woven together. We don't know the end yet, but we trust God to finish this tapestry.
This week as you pray for Jerry, pray that Jerry's life will be a fragrance that touches the people around him. That they ask him about the God who lives in him. Pray for courage for Jerry. That He speakes words of Life to these people and that their hearts are open to hearing, seeing, and believing.
Saturday, February 8th, 2014
From Gina-
On FindJerry, a woman recently wrote me the following, "Our pastor is doing a series on fear. (You can listen online at www. Westoverchurch.com) As I listened on Sunday, the Lord kept placing Jerry and you all on my heart. It was as if he was speaking about Jerry's situation. The verses that I wrote down (and put Jerry's name beside) were 1 Peter 5:8b-10
8B Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
In Exodus 14:14. "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
I found this to be true in the last three weeks. We also had several dreams. One woman dreamed that 2 times Jerry had come close to being rescued, but it failed.
In the past few months, I have been writing Jerry short messages on Skype. I have written over 55 messages that have turned into red circles meaning undelivered. Most the time they start with swirling gray arrows that say, searching for his Skype destination. After about 3 weeks they turn red. For whatever reason, my message on January 9th started swirling and by the 15th of the month, I was shocked to see that the message had found Jerry's computer. Talking to Skype, they could not help us. They are not able to trace Skype to Skype texting. I only know that I have never had a message say it was delivered unless it made the box. I believe that someone has opened Jerry's Skype account on the computer and it downloaded. It gives me hope.
During this time, God has reminded me that warfare praying is necessary…so I am adding a new one from a Catholic book I am reading. I have done some tweaking to it.
Warfare Prayer
Dear Father, King of the ages, omnipotent and almighty, who created all things, and to Jesus, who died for our sins and is sitting on the right hand side of God,
We thank you that You are all powerful. You are the God of Joseph who was able to set him free from slavery and prison. You are the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who kept them safe when they were thrown into a furnace. It is You, God, that I trust. You are the Shepard who loves his sheep.
Lord, I beseech You and implore You, Jesus, to remove, banish, and expel every diabolic energy, every satanic attack and every plot, every wicked curiosity and harm, and the evil-eye of mischievous and evil- minded people from your servant, Jerry Krause, and his family.
If evil had happened to him because of (bravery or good fortunes), because of jealousy and envy, we ask God, who loves us to extend Your powerful hand and Your mighty arm and as you look upon everything, look upon this. Send a powerful angel who will remove and expel from Jerry every wicked intention, every witchcraft and the evil –eye of ruinous and envious people. (African's are notorious in using witchcraft and sacrifices to do harm to businesses and people because of jealousy. This Catholic Priest said that he has had the hardest time with African sacrifices/sorcery. So this is the reason for the prayer.)
For Your Word says,
The Lord be my helper and I will not fear, what will any man do to me? I will not fear bad things, because you are with me; because you, O God, are my Strength.
Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
From Gina:
I have always loved teaching Old Testament stories. I believe that God is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. He enjoys making interesting stories with twists and turns. And then you see His Hand guiding the whole event. But it isn't fiction… these were living people just like you and me. And the Bible was written so that we understand how God moves in people's lives. Even in harsh circumstances.
For some of you, this will be an old story, for others….it will be the first time. Thanks to one of my MAF friends for sharing this with me. It all starts in chapter 6 in the book of Daniel. There is a new King call Darius. Daniel was working in leadership and doing very well. Other men became jealous. They wanted to find something to accuse him of doing wrong, but they could not find anything bad to say about him; his reputation was perfect. So they trapped Daniel on "religious" grounds. The jealous men talked the king into passing a law that for 30 days all people had to worship Darius and not any other god. With that law, if you broke it, you would be thrown into the lion's den. Daniel continued to pray to God and his enemies brought him to court. But even King Darius couldn't "save" Daniel, yet King Darius trusted that God could and would save Daniel. "The king spoke and said to Daniel, 'Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.'" "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet ring." Verse 18 says: "Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night in fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him."
Daniel was enclosed as tightly and as securely as he could be, yet God changed the "sure tomb" for Daniel says: "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime." In v. 23 & 24, "the king was very pleased…Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God"…
I told Jerry's Mom last week, that I have stopped even asking God if Jerry was alive or dead. I can't ask Him. He has told me so many times that Jerry lives. So I simply trust and wait for the day that God returns him to me. I do believe that he has been kidnaped for his plane. I believe that there is a demonic force behind this as well. BUT I KNOW my GOD is POWERFUL. And in the end… people will acknowledge God like King Darius:
"…the God of Daniel;
He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.
He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
So God, I trust You too, to deliver and rescue Jerry and take him from the lion's den. I ask you to pray for protection for anyone who helps him. My God is able to rescue the captives. And pray for those around Jerry to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
From Alyssa:
God is good. It has been a week of many ups and downs and yet we continue to praise his name. I was reminded this week to fully surrender this situation into God's hands. I have a tendency to want to control situations and God continues to remind me to let go. As I was struggling to let go I stumbled upon this by A.C. Snead:
Fully surrendered, Lord, I would be,
Fully surrendered, dear Lord, to Thee.
All on the altar laid,
Surrender fully made,
Thou hast my ransom paid;
I yield to Thee.
Fully surrendered-life, time, and all,
All Thou hast given me held at Thy call.
Speak but the word to me,
Gladly I'll follow Thee,
Now and eternally
Obey my Lord.
Fully surrendered- silver and gold,
His, who hath given me riches untold.
All, all belong to Thee,
For Thou didst purchase me,
Thine evermore to be,
Jesus, my Lord.
So here I am Lord fully surrendering this situation into your hands.
From Gina:
As I review the last week, I will say it was a very HARD week. Unlike Alyssa, I didn't quite handle it as well! Smile. I did the typical "Gina" routine, and cried and talked to God. And God let me know that it was OKAY. He, of course, sent a dream. Not to me, but someone who never had felt led to pray for Jerry. Here is what he wrote to a former MAF pilot who told his friends about Jerry and asked them to pray. "Till now God has not laid Jerry's situation on my heart as something to pray about. Till last night. He woke me several times to pray for Jerry. Nothing specific or clear. Just saw Jerry's plane at a distance enveloped in light. Not sure if it was the plane also in the light or just Jerry."
As I read the dream, I knew God was telling me that He has Jerry in the palm of His Hand. He is still alive and with the plane. Later that week, He encouraged me to continue to pray warfare prayers. He keeps saying soon.
Thursday, January 16th, 2014
From Gina-
His Promises.
I am thankful for His Promises. His Word is always true. When life gets messy, you can always hold on to His Word. Recently I was talking to a friend who is going through her own struggles in life. I told her to ask God for a Promise. She needed a promise from Him. A few days later, God reminded me of some of the promises He gave me for the journey on FindJerry. One or two days after his disappearance I was reading in Psalms when I looked up and told Usen, a Christian pilot, who lived with us, that God had just said this would be the biggest challenge for Jerry and me. It would be a time that our suffering would be a battle scar that would demonstrate our loyalty to Him: our trust in Him. I wrote it in my Bible and dated it. As I look at the past 9 months, I smile.
I was reading Acts 27. For those you who don't know the story, Paul was arrested and had appealed to be tried under Caesar instead of the Jews in Jerusalem as a Roman Citizen. It was winter and going by ship was dangerous. The ship that they were boarding decided to head to Crete and stay there for the winter. Paul had warned them that the voyage was damaging to the ship and cargo, but also of lives. Nevertheless they carried on with the voyage and ran into a hurricane. They realized they had a problem and began to throw the cargo in the water and then the tackle. Hope was abandoned and the crew was starving due to the lack of food on the ship. Finally Paul stood up and said to them. "I urge you take up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of God, whom I serve stood before me saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' Therefore men, keep up your courage for I believe God and that it will turn out exactly as I have been told."
God reminded me that He sent an angel to Salif. That angel told Salif that Jerry would return to his family. Between God giving me His Promises and the dreams, this has kept me and my family going 9 long months. Recent events have also been very promising. I hope I will be able to share with you what God has been doing soon. It amazes me.
Trust. Fourteen nights later, they came to an island. Paul encouraged them to eat and give thanks to God. Paul and 275 men lived because of intercessory prayer.
Tonight praise God with me. He is trust worthy. Continue to pray for the demonic control to break and for Jerry to be set free, as well as the Holy Spirit to minister in an area that has no Hope in Him.
Psalm 18
Vs. 2 The lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer…in whom I take refuge
Vs. 3 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.
Vs. 4 The cords of death entangled me, the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…
Vs 6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice;
Vs. 7 The earth trembled and quaked….they trembled because he was angry.
Vs. 9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
Vs 14. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies.
Vs. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
Vs. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
I prayed these verses, trusting God to rescue Jerry and scatter the enemies.
I am thankful for His Promises. His Word is always true. I trust Him.
Monday, January 6th, 2014
From Alyssa-
We are coming up on the ninth month of my dad's disappearance and we have not lost hope. God continues to bring us to Him even in the midst of our despair. He continues to touch our lives in ways we would never have thought possible. This past week I was reminded of God's promise to bring my dad home through three different ways. The first was brought to my attention through a dream where my dad surprised us at my aunt's house. This is the second dream I've had where my dad has been rescued.
Secondly, as I was reading my bible I stumbled upon 2 Corinthians 1: 8-11:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
When I read this verse I instantly felt like these were my dad's thoughts and feelings. He has been under great pressure in Africa to the point where he has despaired of life itself. BUT my dad and my family have learned to rely on God who is not dead but ALIVE and ACTIVE. He will deliver my dad from this deadly peril. He will come home to us.
Thirdly, the lyrics of a song, Always sung by Kristian Stanfill – again reaffirmed that God will come through and rescue my dad from the hands of his enemies. You can also go to YouTube and read the words while he sings it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzJH4YeqfuQ
My foes are many, they rise against me,
But I will hold my ground, I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way
Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
God is moving in mighty ways. "Rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Pete 4:13). And his glory will be revealed in his perfect timing!
Monday, December 30th
From Gina-
God is faithful.
I had to smile the other day as someone told me that she could never do what I was doing. I smiled because God didn't really give me much choice. He reminded me later that when I gave myself to Him as a young girl of 10 years old, I had told Him that I was willing to follow Him wherever… and however. So as I trod this path, there have been tears of frustration, grief, and joy. There have been times that I have asked Him, "How long before Jerry returns?" and even "Will he return?" But God always reassures me. This time He sent another dream.
She dreamed of Jerry being in a tent. As my kids and I were discussing this, we saw the irony of the first month of dreams that were all in caves. Thick caves that were dark and cold. Unreachable. And now, a tent. Do you know how thin a piece of material is? He is still hidden behind the veil of a tent, but he is closer to being seen.
Pastor Keith was reading Mark 4:35-41 on Sunday. It touched me because the disciples were with Jesus travelling on a boat going to Gerasenes on the Sea of Galilee. The sea of Galilee is pretty wide and the waves can be high. What is the first thing they say to Jesus when the waves from the storm broke over the boat? "Don't you care? Don't you care if we drown?" He rebukes the wind and it dies down and it was calm. He looks at them and says, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
Their reaction: they were terrified. They asked each other, "who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him."
Sometimes, I ask God, "Where are You? Don't You care about Jerry? He has been gone nearly 9 months!" And He reminded me that as He was in the boat with the disciples, He is with Jerry who is on the harder path.
The question is: "Do I trust Him? Do I trust Him with Jerry? Do I believe that He cares about the tears shed for my husband. "
Yes. I trust Him. I will continue to pray for Him to break the silence on the wherabout of Jerry. I continue to persist in asking Him to break the Demonic fortress that conceals Jerry. I ask for Jerry to be returned to his family. And I also thank Him for the road we travel. I look foreward to the veil coming coming down and seeing Jerry, but I rejoice in viewing God in a new way. For what was lost, will be found. And some of you might be a bit terrified of this God who answers prayers in His Own Way. For we cannot understand Him completely. But we can trust that He is in the boat with us.
Thursday, December 26th
From Jessica-
We were all really hoping that Christmas day was going to be the day that my dad was found. Unfortunately, we are still having to wait, pray, and walk in obedience until my dad does come home. I am once again reminded that it's not just about the destination, but the journey to the destination.
While reading the Christmas story as a family yesterday, a verse stuck out to us found in Luke 1:37. When the angel is telling Mary that she will give birth to the Son of God, the angel mentions that even Elizabeth is going to conceive at her old age and then says, "For no word from God will ever fail", or in another version, "For nothing is impossible with God".
We have been promised that our dad, my mom's husband, will be returned to us. God keeps His promises. And God can do the impossible. Though sometimes it seems like God's about 8 months too late, we are trusting that His plan is greater than ours.
We feel like the silence on my dad is breaking. So continue to pray that peoples eyes are opened and ears can hear the truth. And that someone will turn in where my dad is.
Thanks for walking with us in this journey.
Wednesday, December 18th
From Jessica-
We are still in that position where we can't really give you any information on what we have going on, but we are feeling encouraged. Not only are we (my immediate family) feeling like the day is coming soon, but a number of people have written us about dreams and promptings they have had from the Holy Spirit that are also leading us to believe that the day is coming soon.
Some prayer requests:
-We feel like there is some danger, so please pray for safety for those that have my dad or that help him.
-Please also pray for my dad. We also feel like he may be discouraged.
-Pray that God's mercy would reign wherever my dad is.
Let's pray with urgency!
From a brother in Christ:
"When he (Samuel) had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord answered, 'There he is, hidden among the equipment.' So they ran and brought him from there … "
(I Samuel 10:21-23 NKJV)
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38, 39 NKJV)
Saturday, December 14th
From Gina-
Psalm 40:1-3: I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
We told you three weeks ago that we were waiting on news. Well…we are still waiting! So continue to pray. We believe Jerry will be coming soon based off of some impressions that we have had. This week, we've also been feeling an extra burden to pray for Jerry. A man from Senegal said that God impressed on him 3 words to pray, "Pull him out". We do know that God is moving and the hold on the silence about Jerry is breaking.
1. Pray for wisdom and eyes and ears to see where Jerry is.
2. Continue to pray for Jerry's health and encouragement. That he is a blessing to those around him.
3. Pray for God to "pull him out" safely , that no lives are taken.
Tuesday, December 3rd
From Jessica and Gina-
I wasn't planning on posting tonight. I wrote something but I told my mom I wasn't sure if I should share it. I was nervous. What I wrote is bold. But after sharing what I had written with my mom, we felt like it was God's leading for us both to write.
First, I want people to know that if any rational person were to look at any and all information we have about my dad's disappearance, they would conclude that my dad is dead. We literally have nothing to go on other than the fact that there was no material evidence of my dad's plane crash. We literally have no more evidence of my dad's whereabouts today then we did about 7 months ago.
Sounds discouraging right? But no. I am not discouraged. I want you all to clearly see that what is at work and what is about to come to fruition is solely the work of God. The reason that we believe that my dad is alive is completely because of God's leading. Seriously. God has provided dozens of people with dreams of my dad. He has woken up dozens of people in the middle of the night to pray for my dad. He has informed over 100,000 people (on Facebook alone) about this situation. He has provided a consistent 15,000 people to read and continue to pray for my dad on a weekly basis. And He has not stopped continually providing my family with hope and encouragement.
And it is that last statement that leads me to a feeling of expectancy. It is with confidence that I can tell you that I really believe, by God's grace and love, that my dad is coming home soon. There are too many signs.
Last week, I was talking to my sister in-law's brother in Minnesota. He was sharing what he had been learning from John 11. As he shared with me, I knew it was going to be the next Find Jerry update. In John 11, Lazarus is sick. He and his two sisters were great friends with Jesus. So Mary and Martha send word to Jesus in hopes that he would come and heal him. But that was not God's plan. The plan was for Lazarus to die for God to receive glory and Jesus to be glorified through it. As I read those words this week, God reaffirmed again that Jerry's disappearance was not an accident, but preplanned by God Almighty.
Several days later, Jesus finally arrived in Bethany. The scene opens with the women weeping for the loss of their brother. I could relate to it. Barely a day goes by that I don't shed a tear. I love that man, but I TRUST GOD. He has a plan. I can smile each day knowing that I am loved by God. He will see me through the loneliness. I love to read the words, "Jesus wept". Why did he weep? Because he understood the human emotions of pain and sorrow. So Christ understands my pain.
The lesson is in verses 41 and 42. He said to God, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I am saying this for the benefit of the people standing here so that they may believe that you sent me". Then Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!" And out came a man wrapped in burial strips. This is drama at its best!
I can honestly say, "Thank you God. I know you hear me. But I will thank you now, because I know that Jerry will be coming back". Only God knows the timing. So like Jesus, I want you all to praise God with me for what He is doing. Praise Him, because He is trustworthy.
Thursday, November 28th
From Jessica-
We don't have much to update on as far as my dad's whereabouts, so today is dedicated to my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.
Today, I choose to be thankful for this situation, for how God has continued to shape each member of my family, for how God has brought my immediate and extended family together through it, for the support we've had through all of you, and for God's continued encouragement and faithfulness in providing my family with hope.
It's definitely been a hard and challenging year, but overall, I really can't complain because of the way God has sustained us and continued to pour out His love in evident ways.
Enjoy the time with your family and friends, you never know where life will take you next. Let's continue to give praise to whom it belongs.
Tuesday, November 19th at 19:30 GMT
From Gina and Jessica:
We are still waiting for some news, we still have something going on that we can't really share. Keep praying hard with us. "Ask of God like much is at stake, like somebody's life depends on it" – Beth Moore.
Gina- The past couple of weeks as I drive to work and come home at sunset, God keeps reminding me that weeping remains for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Surprisingly, I just read it in Psalms 30!
Jessica- On Sunday during a Bible study on James by Beth Moore, I wrote this (some of it is her words but I'm not sure what parts): James 5:7 "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm". God wants to do something in our lives where everyone looks and sees that that must have been God. Elijah knew that a heavy rain was coming when there were only blue skies. Seven times, he bowed down and prayed. Each time he told his servant to see if the rain was coming yet. Finally, on the 7th time, his servant come back and said there was one tiny little cloud in the sky. Elijah knew the rain was coming.
I am looking for one small cloud, Lord. As surely as the sun will come up tomorrow, the rain is coming. I have to keep being faithful between the rains and trusting that the small cloud will come. And when it does come, the rain will pour down heavy.
Some specific prayer requests:
Pray for God to cut through and that the silence is broken on Jerry's whereabouts.
Pray for eyes to see and that the wicked are captured.
Pray for Jerry to be freed, as well as others who are caught in this corruption.
Pray for God to give dreams and that people will connect to Him in this area of darkness.
Pray for Jerry and other Christians to be the light and that people will make choices to follow Jesus.
Pray for those who are fasting. It is not easy. It is sometimes a spiritual battle.
Tuesday, November 12th at 09:25 GMT
From Gina-
The last few days I have kept returning to Psalm 25. Here is one section that seemed to jump out at me. I prayed this for Jerry.
"The Lord confides in those who fear him. He makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied….Guard my life and rescue me ; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you".
I truly believe that Jerry is in a snare and that God will have to release him. I started fasting again. So it wasn't a shock when we found out some encouraging news. We can't specifically publicize what the news is, but we do want to request that everyone pray especially hard this week and next week until we have some more information.
I really believe God is moving. And I have confidence that He has been hearing all of our prayers.
I am continuing to pray that the demonic fortress be broken and that the evil ones are forced to flee. I pray that the humans involved will be caught in the act, especially the top officials and the ones who do the planning. I pray for the people around to see God's mighty hand. And that God's Hope begins to reign in the land so that the people see God as their Redeemer. May those who love evil and evil practices by recognized for who they are.
Pray for discernment and wisdom for the direction that is being taken. Pray for people to find Jerry and anyone else who has been kidnapped. Pray for the people to find freedom and recognize that only God did this. For God has promised in Isaiah 49: 25 "Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you and your children I will save. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob".
Tuesday, October 29th at 13:45 GMT
From Jessica-
As many of you know, my family has not had a lot of leads to investigate the whereabouts of my dad. We are continually in prayer, asking God to give us a clear direction to investigate to help bring my dad home or to open the doors to allow my dad to escape. Last week, a door opened. Now, I am cautious of the doors I try to break down in searching for my dad. With not a lot of clear insights into where my dad is, there are dozens of places and things I could spend my time researching and investigating. But, I don't want to be caught chasing after the wind. Therefore, I am cautious because I want my time and energy to be spent where God wants it.
Last week, I felt like God was telling us to look into this situation where a couple of captains were held in prison in Sao Tome under false accusations. So, I followed God's leading, and looked into it. First, I'd like to say thank you to Stena Oil for all of the information they provided me with. They were extremely helpful and gracious. They informed me that the captains held in prison in Sao Tome never saw or heard of my dad.
Now, as the primary investigator in my family, pretty much any information in regards to my dad comes through me. This means that I when I discover information like the above, I am the one who has to inform the rest of my family. When I first started trying to contact the captains, I had a conversation with my mom one evening where she told me that she would be very discouraged if this new lead did not bring us any new information. So, when I found out that the search did in fact not lead to anything, I was nervous. I was nervous that my mom was going to be really sad.
I contacted my sister and told her to come over so that we could both be there when I shared the information with our mom. I shared it, and to my great surprise, she smiled back at me. I was very confused. She told me that it was okay, because another person had a dream today and she was feeling encouraged! I had to smile. Because this situation is exactly how God has been working this entire time. Every time some type of bad news comes or someone is discouraged, God keeps providing!
I don't know why I felt like I needed to search this last week, my only thought is that now my dad's situation has been shared to another group of people. And now, this group will also have the opportunity to see God's miraculous work when He does bring my dad home.
So we are not discouraged. We are continuing to pray fervently for my dad, for his captors, and for God's love and mercy to be poured out wherever he is.
On a different note, an unexpected opportunity came up last week. Many of my closest friends know that I have a tendency to say yes to any situation that comes my way that is crazy, unexpected, and that I did absolutely nothing to bring about. This is one of those opportunities. I was contacted by Mary Beth Lodge from Voice American (a global internet radio station) to share my families story. Our conversation is going to be broadcasted live tomorrow morning at 9 AM ET and then rebroadcasted again 12 hours later. It will also be available on demand and through iTunes. If you could pray for our time tomorrow that would be great. I am praying that my words would be glorifying to God and that He would receive all of the honor. And pray for whoever hears the story, that they would be moved to open their hearts to Him and join in the fight to prayerfully bring my dad home.
Here is the link to the radio broadcast I will be on tomorrow morning: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/73764/find-jerry
Wednesday, October 23rd at 09:43 GMT
From Jessica-
Just a quick update, I was able to get in contact with the director of Stena Oil today. Stena Oil charters their ships therefore they do not own the two ships in Sao Tome. My message was passed on from the director to the owners of the ships in hopes that will either contact the captains themselves or provide me with information to contact them. A special thanks to the Higgins family for gathering information for me in Sweden. Praying that something comes of this or that God would provide the right area for us to search.
Monday, October 21st at 20:24 GMT
From Gina-
This past week, I have been having long conversations with God….telling him that it is hard after 6 months to keep the faith in believing that Jerry is alive without evidence. Every morning as I read new passages from scripture, He keeps talking to me about Faith. Hebrews 11 was quite interesting to read. I understood with all my daily reading…which just happened to all be on faith, (remember God likes to tell me in threes…to get it through my stubborn will) that He expects me to keep my faith and to continue to trust Him and know that Jerry is alive.
Then Sunday someone sent us this article. It is from the Swedish newspaper. The full article is here:
But to summarize the important findings,
"The West African republic of São Tomé e Príncipe is trying to sell cargo valued at USD 7,5 million which they wrongfully confiscated from Swedish company Stena Oil…The two oil tankers have been wrongfully detained by São Tomé for nearly eight months… Following international pressure the two captains were recently released from prison, having received a presidential pardon. They are now repatriated to their home countries… High ranking São Tomé government officials have apparently, despite an on going legal appeal, sought to sell the cargo to international interests… Fortunately their illicit actions have so far failed and the cargo valued at USD 7,5 million remains on board for now… The São Tomé coast guard commanding officer in charge actually purported to send messages in the name of the captain to lure the M/T Anuket Emerald to come alongside but failed in these attempts".
I have always questioned the integrity of Sao Tome. We know that Sao Tome would not let us in the country for 3 days after Jerry's plane was missing. The Sao Tome Coast guard had to be encouraged to look for a plane. The man responsible to talk to fishermen and to put out a $5000 reward for plane parts that first week, never bothered. So…I have always wondered about Sao tome. Living in Africa and seeing the corruption even from our own staff in Mali, I have realized that things are not always what they seem.
Jessica is going to write and call Stena Oil this week. Please pray that they will allow us to contact the captains or they themselves will ask the captains if they ever saw Jerry. We will send pictures. If anyone knows of anyone in Stena oil or that is Swedish that could help us in this contact, please give a helping hand.
Is there a possibility that Jerry is still there? Was he imprisoned so that they could take the plane? If they can do this to a ship… than yes, one pilot alone landing on a Sunday with only 3 people at the airport… knowing the facts above? Possible.. Maybe.
A prayer for the week,
Lord, be with us this week as we search this possibility with Stena Oil. Help us to hear if they saw or heard about Jerry. Wherever Jerry is, allow news to come to his family. Break the silence. Lord we ask again that you break the demonic fortress that are allowing Jerry to be held, but also permitting his captors to succeed. We ask that you demolish their work from the top down. We ask that they be punished and that they will know that their stronghold was toppled by the Might God. He sees into the darkness and brings Light and discovery in the path of his righteousness. May the demonic force flee as God's Holy Spirit floods the land bringing the Truth of Jesus. We ask again for Jerry's freedom.
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.[b]
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
Tuesday, October 15th at 18:15 GMT
From Jessica-
It is because of God's intimate relationship with us humans that my mom and I have something to write each week. We would not be where we are today if it weren't for God's persistent involvement. Week by week, God provides. Day by day, God provides. He has sustained, comforted, and led us. He has not been far off. So thanks be to God as He deserves all of the praise for anything ever posted.
This week includes the day that I have been dreading for many months now. Saturday is our last regular season home game. Therefore, it is the game where we seniors are recognized. I have dreaded this day not because of its implications for the end of soccer season, but because I was really hoping my dad would be back before it. This is a game, out of all of the games during our season, that I know my dad would put everything on hold for. I just know he'd come. And he'd feel so honored and proud of me and my sister. He loved watching us play.
And as I've been praying and thinking through things this week, God has been giving me peace. I don't have the same anxiousness and fear for this saturday that I've had in the past weeks. I have been reassured that my timing is not God's timing, that God has been hearing my prayers, and that He will carry this whole thing out to completion. Though saturday may bring me disappointment if he is not back by then, I completely believe in this verse from Habakuk 1:5, "Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told."
I have to cling to His promises, through the ups and the downs that this journey has brought. I have to trust that every detail around my dad's disappearance is in His hands and that His plan will come out even greater than what I could ever wish for. So I take my eyes off of the little disappointments, my petty problems, and keep my eyes focused above, on God and His love and His sovereignty.
Thank you to everyone who continues to walk this journey with us. Let's keep on praying my dad home!
Thursday, October 10th at 09:25 GMT
From Gina-
A prayer warrior wrote me a few days ago with this, "I just read Joshua 10 as part of my reading this morning and felt like this was another word for you. Verses 24-25 say 'And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings." Then they came near and put their feet on their necks. And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. FOR THUS THE LORD WILL DO TO ALL YOUR ENEMIES AGAINST WHOM YOU FIGHT!".
The victory is God's!
There have been times that I struggle with "no news from Jerry". But messages like the one above hit me and say, "Woman, where is your faith?" And I smile at God and say, " Ok… Ok!" I have to put my struggle behind me and start saying my prayers again.
I believe that God has raised many of you to fight a demonic stronghold. Others of you may be asking, "What is that woman talking about?" To give a brief explanation, when Satan and the fallen angels were thrown out of heaven, they set up a kingdom of their own. This kingdom has Satan as god with princes (demons) established over countries…then you have generals, officers and so forth. Daniel sheds light on this in Daniel 10:12 and 13. Daniel had a dream and fasted for 3 weeks. On the 21st day an angel appears to him and says, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God , your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me…." This was not a human prince of Persia, now Iran, but a demon prince.
God demonstrated to me that this is a spiritual battle—over people groups by nations. So join with me in prayer.
Dear God,
As scripture says, "Although I live in the flesh, I do not war according to the flesh for You have given us weapons of warfare that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses". Thank you , Father, for sending Jesus, who died for our sins so that we can be forgiven and have the right to sit in the heavenlies and to pray. I ask today for God to destroy the fortress wherever Jerry's feet are. We rebuke Satan in the Name of Jesus, who died on the Cross and was resurrected by the power of God and now sits in the heavenlies. We trust You God, who says, "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise. I will protect them."
God we trust in you. So we cry to YOU for help. Our Prayer is three- fold.
Under the name and authority of Jesus, we rebuke the demonic fortress and the activities of Evil in the land. We ask that they be crushed in His Name and the power of His Name. We set the banner of God on the land and we praise God that it is His Will that all men come to know Him and we ask the Holy Spirit to touch the lives of the people.
And we praise You, knowing that You hear us and Your timing is always perfect. Accomplish Your Will and bring the people to you. Let the old men and young men have dreams. Let them know that You exist. Raise up evangelists to speak the gospel so that a whole people group comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
And God, bring Jerry out so that he may return to his family who long for him. Open his mouth so that the people around him hear of Your Goodness.
And God, Thank you for raising up people who have learned more about intercession and may we become like Daniel and learn to "set our mind to gain understanding and to humble ourselves before you". We Praise You. We raise our voices and say, Thank you.
Tuesday, October 1st at 06:23 GMT
From Gina-
Today's message is not for the light-hearted Christians. It is for those who are willing to stand in the "gap" and willing to take a position. Too often we pray for God to be with the person when we should be praying, "God hedge in this woman and under the name of Jesus I rebuke Satan's hold on her. Let her be touched by you so that she can see you, God."
In the last 48 hours, I have sensed God's leading. God speaks to me in three's, especially if he wants me to do something. I am fairly strong willed and I have given God permission to "hit me over the head" when I am not listening. So He has over the years developed a strategy that has worked with me.
This week I have had 3 messages in 24 hours. I had to smile. Then I looked at another message that was given to me at the beginning of the week. So I will start with that message.
"Learned in a conference this weekend that eagles do not flee a storm like most birds. An eagle is unique. It actually flies straight towards a storm and waits to catch the harsh winds with its wings. The eagle spreads out its wings to be lifted above the storm. As believers we have to face the storm. If God designed eagles to face the storm and rise above it, how much more will He do that for you?"
As I pray warfare prayers daily, I smiled and said, yep… I am not hiding. I even tell God to make my voice ring in the demons ears when I say, " I rebuke you, Satan and demons, in the name of Jesus. Let my husband go." Can you imagine their ears when 15,000 (the number of people who continue to read these updates) voices rise up and say this?
During the week, I especially took time to ask God to not allow demonic sacrifices to be answered. What is a sacrifice? The people will kill an animal to a "god-demon" to have a request answered. I believe that this is the case for Jerry and the airplane to be hidden for these many months. I have sensed a definite battle in this area.
But I have been getting discouraged, because it is close to 6 months now and my husband is still not home. So I have been whining about this to God .
And then starting Friday, God started impressing Obedience and standing up and making a stand during my Bible and devotional readings. This was the first sign from God.
Then I received a note from a friend that wrote a quote from Waler Wink, Engaging the Powers. "History belongs to the intercessors. Intercession is spiritual defiance of what is, in the name of what God has promised. Intercession (imagines) an alternative future to the one apparently fated by the momentum of contradictory forces (demonic). It infuses the air of a time yet to be into the suffocating atmosphere of the present." The second sign.
Then it was topped off with a dream of a prayer warrior. "I am not sure if this means anything but I have been asking God at night when I pray where is Jerry. I kept having dreams of Indians. I kept asking why I was having dreams of Indians what are you trying to tell me. The last dream I had was Natives dancing around with paint on them and spears in their hands." The third sign.
So within 24 hours, God kept talking to me about the importance of praying that they see God more powerful and that the sacrifices/demon worship have a zero return. This is a power struggle. And praise be to God. He has already won the war. So join me and pray aloud.
Thank you Jesus that you sit on the throne. Thank you that we can proclaim your name and know that there is power in the name of Jesus because of your death and resurrection. In the name of Jesus, I petition that you nullify all sacrifices made to a demon(s) to hide their evil doings and that they lose their gain in their stealing. I nullify the sacrifices because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice and I am petitioning that Jesus do this so that His Name is glorified and that the power struggle in this area will come to an end. Those that sacrifice will see that my God is GREATER than the demons. So I rebuke you Satan in the Name of Jesus. Under the name of Jesus, I bring the power of the Almighty God against the fortress and that it breaks and crumbles. May you send dreams to the people so that there is an awakening to the love of God. Thank you God for your Greatness. You broke the strong hold of Baal with Elijah, may you again break a strong hold in Africa so that the people will turn to you and see the Goodness of God.
Psalm 31:14-16, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; rescue me (Jerry) from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me (Jerry) in your steadfast love!" Then a little further on he says, "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city….""
Tuesday, September 24th at 10:08 GMT
From Jessica-
I never really know what the update is going to be till it's about time to write one and then God seems to provide something. I also never really know who the update is going to be for. Sometimes, we get replies about it touching someone's life, other times it seems like it's actually just to encourage my mom, and for the most part, it seems to be written to encourage people to continue to pray. I don't know who tonight is for, but I'm going to share a little more from my heart. Not that the other's haven't been , this one just goes a little deeper.
You never know what you're going to get in life. One of the things I've probably been learning the most in this situation is just to let go of all of the control I want to have. Tonight, my mom and I found ourselves discussing a "what if" question. As you would probably suspect, we have a lot of "what if" questions that float around. What if he comes back tomorrow? What if he comes back with a lot of problems? What if he comes back a year from now? But the biggest "what if" we addressed tonight was what if my dad never comes home. It's something I've thought about hundreds of times. But it's probably not the exact "what if" you are guessing I'm thinking about. I'm not thinking what if my dad actually crashed and didn't make it out alive. I'm thinking what if my dad fulfills his purpose here on earth and he is shot or dies in some other manner. I have full confidence that my dad is still alive. I believe that God is continually prompting me, my family, and thousands of you who continue to read these updates to keep praying for my dad! I truly believe that. And as I've thought through the idea of my dad not coming home, this is my consensus. God has continually provided my family with assurance that my dad is still alive and I believe He will continue doing so until my dad comes home here on earth or until God calls him home to heaven. I believe that God will not leave my family in the unknown. I believe that He is a merciful God, that He will continue to comfort us, and continue to provide us with the hope of my dad still being alive until God's purpose of us praying for my dad is fulfilled. I'm not writing this to say that I don't think my dad is actually going to come home. I'm writing this to tell you that I believe that whatever does happen, God is going to help my family get through this. God has taken me further than I would have wandered on my own, but, I know that I could be taken further. And if He does take me farther and deeper into the unknown, I have to stand and find my strength in God. So as we wait for God's leading, I am fulfilling my purpose right now, praying my heart out for my dad. So please join me with this prayer:
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Lord give strength to Jerry in his weariness and increase his power in his weakness. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but Lord help Jerry to hope in You and have renewed strength. Help him to soar on wings like eagles; help him to run and not grow weary, and help him to walk and not be faint. (Psalm 40)
May your prayers tonight draw my dad closer to He who loves him the most.
Wednesday, September 18th at 09:23 GMT
From Jessica:
God allows hardships in our lives to transform us. Yesterday, I listened to my sister share a devotional to our soccer team on how God has been changing her since my dad's disappearance. Then in the evening, my mom started telling me how God has been transforming her, making her more sensitive to people and building her self-esteem independent of my dad. I loved it. I love being able to witness people growing closer to God despite the hardship.
Through searching for my dad- I learned that my hardest, deepest pursuits won't always get me the results I want but I cannot limit myself in what I am capable of through God. I've learned what it means to fight against the spiritual forces of evil, to be persistent in prayer, to believe that prayer changes things, and to believe that God still performs miracles.
Say yes when the opportunity for transformation comes. Though the journey has been hard, and though it would have been easier to say no, I would have missed out on a tremendous journey of growing closer to God as my Father, Jesus as my Savior, and the Holy Spirit as my Interceder.
A friend of mine texted me this: "I was praying again for your dad and before my prayer I opened my Bible in the dark and when I turned my light on this was what was highlighted in my Bible". The following verses are what she sent me. By God's grace, I received this text the morning after an evening of feeling discouraged. Please join me in praying it out loud. God wants us to rise up against the wicked and take a stand against evil (Psalm 94: 16). We do this through prayer. Count your voice in God's challenge of standing against evil and praying. Let us be music to God's ears. He loves to hear His people pray.
Psalm 10:12-18.
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"? But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
And on an encouraging note, received this two days ago: "Woke up in the middle of the night with the feeling "Jerry is free" No dream or explanation – just a feeling. Felt like I should tell you. Praying with and for you, Jerry and the family".
The day of celebration is coming, might be tomorrow or a couple months from now, but I know it's coming .
Monday, September 9th at 20:38 GMT
From Gina:
This past week I have prayed the verses below. The first passage is from Psalm 94. It reminded me of the dream that I wrote about earlier from the 7 year old- when the men laughed because the child was unable to find Jerry. The Isaiah passage mentioned below was sent to me this last week. I found it interesting that I had these verses marked in my Bible as I had used them in Mali with a woman who had a demonic stronghold.
Please join me and pray them vocally. There is strength in repeating God's words in prayers. You can look at these verses in two ways: Against the men who have taken Jerry or the stronghold that is holding him. I believe the business holding Jerry there is having problems (I had a dream) and I am asking God to break it completely down. We have a God who is Mighty.
Come let us come before Him with thanksgiving!
For He is a God who avenges. Oh God, SHINE FORTH.
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
Pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long will the wicked, O Lord,
How long will the wicked be jubilant?
But blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law.
You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.
And God says:
Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.
Yes, captives will be taken from warriors.
And plunder retrieved from the fierce.
I will contend with those who contend with you. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and Redeemer.
(Psalm 94 and Isaiah 49:23-26)
Wednesday, September 4th at 09:29 GMT
From Jessica:
Being the nerd that I am, I like to look up the definitions of sometimes fairly simple words to ensure that I have an accurate understanding of what it is I'm trying to say. So, dictionary.com writes that expect means: to look forward to; to regard as likely to happen; and to anticipate the occurrence or the coming of. It's synonyms are to anticipate, hope, and await. Each of these words look to a future event.
Expect implies confidently believing, usually for good reasons, that an event will occur. Anticipate is to look forward to an event and even to picture it. Hope implies a wish that an event may take place and an expectation that it will. And await ( wait for ) implies being alert and ready.
August and September have been months of expectation. I'm not really sure why the expectation has increased. My only explanation is that God has put this sense in my heart.
Almost every single day, I think that today is going to be the day that my dad returns. I picture him returning. And I look at my phone, hoping and eagerly anticipating one phone call that will surely bring me to my knees in the most relieving joy I will have ever experienced.
I'm expecting God to bring my dad home. And I'm praising Him because He has already won the battle.
"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
Tuesday, August 27th at 21:22 GMT
From Gina:
This past week I've learned more about what it means to be persistent and how to stand firm. Today we have somehow lost this in our culture. We live in a world where we want everything "NOW" and we like to "conform". I, too, fall into this cultural problem. We don't want to fight and stand firm in our commitments and/or our beliefs: whether it is marriage or doing what is right, or continually praying for God to resolve a problem in our lives. We stop and give up hope BUT God tells us to be persistent and stand firm, don't waiver… STAND and PRAY.
God gave me 2 examples this week:
1st example: Moses had to go to pharaoh to ask for the people to be set free. Not once, but several times. Pharaoh at one point made the lives of the people even more miserable than it already was. For example they had to go and find the straw themselves, but still keep up with the quota of bricks. In demonic warfare it always gets dark, before His light shines through. You feel attacked at all ends and you wonder if you will ever be free, but God says, "Persist". (This is how I have been feeling this past week.)
The 2nd example is found in Luke 18:1-8 where Jesus tells the Parable of the persistent Widow. I hope you take time to read it. There was a widow in a town that persistently approached a judge and asked for him to grant her justice against her adversary. However, the judge couldn't care less. He did not fear God. He refused her several times, but one day, he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!" And then Jesus tries to fill in the understanding and says, " Will God not bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man (Jesus) comes…. Will he find faith on the earth?" Pray and do not give up. God has promised victory over this battle. Our battle is not in the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. I believe this. I believe in this God and I believe in the POWER of Jesus Christ.
Going up against demonic forces is always interesting. There are certain things that happen when God says, "Look Gina. Look at this with spiritual eyes. What do you see?" As I look back at the nightmare I had last week, I understand that Satan was trying to frighten me and stop me from praying as well as build unbelief in the effect of prayer and trust in God. This weekend and week have been extremely tough. I have had to stand firm. Last night I felt like I had been knocked off my feet as I heard the news of the death of a friend who lost his nightmare struggle for the past 2-3 years. I have been praying for him since May and meet with his wife, Lisa on a regular basis. Please pray for her as she picks up the pieces. He lost the physical battle on earth, but it is not limited to earth. He knew Jesus and the battle was crushing him on earth. He is at home with God.
When I updated the blog last week, I wrote a prayer for you to pray. The response of that prayer was seen by a 7 year old girl. Her mother wrote, "Last night she prayed that Jerry would feel "God's love all around him" and "put a hedge of protection around him and send your angels to surround him and comfort him". This morning she came into my room and told me she had a dream. When I asked what kind of dream she said that it should have been a scary one but she wasn't scared. Her dream goes like this: We were at camp and there was a tornado. Our cabin was the only thing left when it was over. You and me were under the bunk beds but there was a man standing at the back door that we kept yelling at to get down. He wouldn't move, he was mumbling (Praying and standing) and we couldn't understand him but he stood there during the whole thing. When the tornado was gone the man told us that we were safe so we got out from under the bed and he was walking out the door. I thought everything was gone but when he stepped outside there was a town all around us with buildings that were gross but I could see big buildings like when we went to Chicago way behind the yucky ones. When the man stepped outside he disappeared and there were 9 men with something in their hands. We started looking for him. We couldn't find him and the other men just kept laughing at us. And then she woke up.
The battle is there. Praise is the key to winning this battle and the destruction of the fortress. I believe that this battle is already won. Jerry's liberty is coming. The demon gods are boisterous and believe they have succeeded just as they did when Christ died on the cross. But the battle did NOT end on the cross. The battle ended when HE sat on the throne.
So with one voice,
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain and sits on the throne,
to receive power and wisdom, honor and glory, and praise!
Send forth your light and your truth,
Through You we push back our enemies through your name, JESUS,We trample our foes For you give us victory over our enemies, you put them to shame.
In God we make our boast and praise His name forever.
We seek Freedom for Jerry to join his family and freedom for the people who live in the
Area where Jerry is.
We praise you—knowing you already paid the price. You already won the battle.
So thank you.
Thursday, August 22nd at 12:37 GMT
From Gina:
My Sunday school teacher from when I was in high school wrote me the following, "I can't help but think that God gives different people different things to pray about for Jerry. Every time I think of him, Psalm 4:8 runs through my mind – "I will lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." And in my Bible I have cross-referenced it with Prov. 3:24 – "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." I'm claiming those verses for Jerry. We continue to pray!!
Another prayer warrior wrote the following, "I've been praying for HOPE for all of you, and that Jerry especially would feel God's presence and have His wisdom and direction."
Someone else wrote: "This verse came to mind today as I read your update. Gen 50:19 – But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them."
And others are praying for his health, his courage, his witness to the captors and for his freedom.
So continue as God leads you in prayer! I can tell you that God has spoken to me about persistence several times this week. God loves people to be persistent. So many times people give up before they gain the freedom that God wants them to have. I have been encouraging several Christian friends to keep praying for their problems and not to give up. God hears it, but there is a spiritual battle as well. Ask God to give you eyes to see things from His spiritual sight. I can tell you that last week's oral praise did shake the spiritual kingdom. For those of you who see me, you may ask me how I know and I will tell you. Many years ago, God allowed me to see and know when He was moving because of prayer. He did so again this past week.
So I ask again that you praise God orally and take a stand on the spiritual battle. The power of the spoken word will hit the enemy's fortress. You can choose your own words or read the following aloud. But I wait in expectation because my God is ABLE and His Arm is not short.
Heavenly Father, I worship You and I give you praise and all glory and honor for the work that You are doing concerning Jerry. I thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me so that I can stand before you justified by the blood and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, even though I walk in the flesh , I know that I do not war according to the flesh, but that you have given me weapons of warfare that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) So in the Name of Jesus I resist Satan's activity to hold Jerry in darkness. Open the eyes of the authorities around Jerry and his airplane, and the business that is using it, so that the business is destroyed and they can no longer steal. In the Name of Jesus, open the eyes of the captors so that they see that God is the only God, and who they worship cannot win this battle. In fact, as the walls of Jericho were destroyed, I ask for the destruction of the Enemy's ground. Open the eyes of the people to see You. A God who loves them and desires their freedom. So I thank you in awe, expecting to see your mighty hand.
Tuesday, August 13th at 20:21 GMT
From Gina:
As I look at Jerry's disappearance, I know without a doubt that my God is in control. I also realize that God wants us to pray. What does prayer do? It releases God's power to work in our lives and around us. God isn't this distant God that just wanted to sit up in heaven and watch the turmoil that sin brings into the world. He wants us to come to know Him and join Him in His Work and watch Him as He helps us through the events. It is our prayer that changes events. So many times Moses stopped God from destroying the Israelites through prayer. God even extended a life of a king for 15 years because the king begged him. So God changes the course of a life because of prayer and the "IF" prayer fits into His Plan. I believe that Findjerry was God's way of getting prayer to free Jerry, but also to liberate the people and the land who are living under the stronghold of thievery and wickedness.
I had to smile at a friend of Jerry's in Minnesota, he committed himself to fast on soft drinks. I heard from his wife that he is quite the addict! He started his fast back in April and he continues to this day. He was thinking, as well as myself, that Jerry would return in a couple of weeks. I am touched by his dedication (four months later) and decided to join him, but I am fasting on coffee and some other things that I am fond of. Another friend of mine, is not listening to music in the car, but uses it to pray for others. And I believe that God hears us and will respond.
Today as I close, I would like you to verbally praise God for Jerry's disappearance, but also praise Him for the work He is doing to Glorify His name. I am asking you to do this orally. I want God to hear the praise and that it resounds in the Heavenlies. I believe the Evil one will tremble, as the walls of his fortress begin fall and the business of the thieves begins to collapse. If each person does this orally, it will be 30,000 voices praising God.
That is a praise to the Almighty God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, August 6th at 21:30 GMT
From Jessica:
The support we still have four months after the initial disappearance is something I can only attribute to God. He has a plan!
Tonight, I'd like to share a section from a Bible commentary on Hosea that my aunt Sheila shared with my family on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
"It is difficult to imagine Hosea's feelings when God told him to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him. Hemay not have wanted to do it, but he obeyed. God often required extraordinary obedience from his prophets who were facing extraordinary times. God may ask you to do something difficult and extraordinary too. If he does, how will you respond? Will you obey him, trusting that he who knows everything has a special purpose for his request? Will you be able to accept the fact that the pain involved in obedience may benefit those you serve, and not you personally?"
We are undergoing an extraordinary and difficult time, but we have to choose to obey and trust Him. And God didn't ask Hosea just to marry a prostitute, He asked him to love her daily as his wife. Similarly, God isn't just asking my family to believe that my dad is alive. To be honest, sometimes that's the easy part. He is asking us to live out each day believing and trusting in Him. It's trusting in Him as we face daily circumstances that are now consequences of my dad not currently being here. It's having patience and showing love when we are all hurting. It's trusting in him as we face birthdays, anniversaries, and for my sister and I, soccer games, that pass on without my dad present.
It's the little things that are the most challenging. And it's in the little things that we truly learn whether or not we are trusting and obeying God.
And God has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace (2 Tim 1:9),
So we forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead, we press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14).
Tuesday, July 30th at 22:20 GMT
From Jessica:
Tonight's post is an email that my mom received a week or two ago. I loved it. It is from a missionary we knew in Congo and Mali. With their approval, I've taken out some of it.
Hi Gina and family,
I really don't know why, but some time ago God impressed upon me to pray for Jerry and you. The last time I spoke to Jerry was by phone during the coup in March 2012. I remember that after speaking with Jerry on the phone, I felt impressed on my heart, and sensed it was the Holy Spirit, that Jerry was going thru or about to go thru a very tramatic/life changing time in his life. I had no sense of specific details or timing whatsoever. But that particular conversation and feeling kept coming back to me and I felt the need to pray for you and Jerry, especially Jerry. During this incredibly, nearly unbelievable incident, from the very start, I have had a sense that Jerry is still alive, that God is doing what God is doing, both for HIS purposes and of course Jerry is a tool in HIS hand. I have no basis to predict anything about the outcome nor any details. I just want you to know, for whatever it is worth, that I believe with you that Jerry is alive, that he is being used by God for a "God purpose". That Jerry of course will come out of it with a new perspective on life that God will also use to further HIS purposes. I am still impressed in my spirit to continue to pray for Jerry. I have no sense of foreboding or anything at all really, neither good or bad. Just simply that God is accomplishing HIS purposes and we need to trust HIM for that.
So let me just offer to each of you, my words to encourage… for you to hang on, stand firm, trust God, AND find rest for your souls (Matt 11:28-30 & Jn. 16:33). Jerry will find God to be enough and you must also. I can't understand or relate to what you are going through, but I believe God wants you to find rest for your souls, even as He leads you through these "troubled waters" (even the most difficult time of your life).
God is enough. Believe in HIS eternal purpose. I pray you can remember what the sunshine looks like above the storm clouds.
The end.
Though this email was written for my family, I hope each of you are able to get something out of it as well. Let us rejoice in Him no matter what situation we face.
Tuesday, July 16th at 21:40 GMT
From Gina-
As we were thinking about what to write, I was rereading some of the dreams and thoughts that people have had in the last three months. I would like to share two from Texas.
When this woman heard that Jerry was missing back in April she had a reoccurring dream. In it, she could not see Jerry, but she knew his voice. He was praying, "God, help me to get out of here. How will they ever find me?". She had this dream for over 2 weeks.
Another woman from Texas wrote me and said, "June 15th at about 3:00 a.m.. I awoke with tears as I pleaded with God to protect Jerry at the very moment and prayed against the demons of panic and illness. God answered me with his words to Jacob at the end of Jacob's dream about the ladder to Heaven teeming with angels as they watched over Jacob. Genesis 28, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying".
Continue to pray. I believe that your prayers are being heard and that Jerry will one day be free!
– against the darkness that holds a grip on the land.
– that God will show Himself to the people in the land
– that God will raise up Christians and evangelists to spread the message of His Love.
– for Jerry's health.
– for him to have hope and that he can praise God even when it is hard.
– for him to hear God's voice and to speak to the people about Him.
– for the eyes of the military to be open and that they see the airplane and Jerry.
-for someone to have eyes to see Jerry and the plane and to turn it in to the American Embassy.
Wednesday, July 11th at 09:38 GMT
From Jessica-
Today, I write to tell you, that though my dad has been missing for over three months now, don't lose hope. I feel like through each passing day this last week, I have been reassured, over and over, that my dad is still alive. Three months later and dreams keep rolling in. Three months later and God keeps saying my dad is going to come back, you just have to keep trusting and praying. And half the time, when I really think about it, I think, "Is this real life?". Because I would never imagine that God would reveal the fate of my dad through other people's dreams. I would never imagine God using people to give us hope when we are feeling hopeless. But He has been! God has been using YOU to help us believe and to remind us of His love for my dad and for each of us.
I will forever be thankful for all of you that keep praying. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people have wrapped their arms around my dad and my family for the last 3 months. And I write this today to say that we aren't giving up, we honestly can't give up with the ways that God is revealing himself to us, so don't give up either! You see God when you believe God. So let's wait in anticipation. Let's pray. Let's believe. And I cannot wait to be able to share with all of you that my dad has returned. Because I know that his return is going to mean something more than just a lost dad returning to his kids, or a lost husband returning to his wife, or a lost son returning to his parents. My dad returning is going to be a day that, without a doubt, God displays that He reigns and deserves all of our worship and all of the Glory! Because He will have performed a miracle! So thank you for joining me as we embark on an unknown adventure and get to be a part of God revealing Himself to His creation!
Tuesday, July 2nd at 18:20 GMT
From Alyssa-
Perseverance. What does that really mean? I can tell you that through this experience perseverance has taken on a whole new meaning. It isn't just about holding on to the faith that my dad will come home, but it's about living out that action. I don't want to be just a person of perseverance but a person of acting perseverance. The question is what does that look like? To me it's getting into God's word and seeking after his desires and not mine. It's the act of continuing to pray and trust God completely. I'm not going to lie, it's hard. I mean I have so many things going on in my life that it's hard to come before the throne of God with an open heart. Most of the time my mind is on all the things I need to get done during the day. I constantly have to remind myself to quiet down and just listen. My desire is that when my dad comes home I can say without a doubt that I persevered. Not only did I persevere, but I did so actively instead of passively.
I've also been thinking a lot about my dad's faith this week. I can't imagine all the things he has been going through and on top of that going through it without any of us. I mean I have my mom, brother and sister here with me, but my dad has absolutely no one in the physical form. The only thing that he can lean on is God and to be honest that can be hard. My prayer is that my dad's faith is strengthened and not weakened. I pray that he will see God's hand in this whole experience. I have no idea how badly he is suffering, but I pray it doesn't weaken his soul. In fact I'm praying it will only give him more strength to endure whatever comes his way. I want to see him come home with more faith than ever before. So if you think about it please pray that God will encourage him and that he will see God's hand in this whole situation.
As I close this entry I wanted to let you all know that we are heading to Minnesota tomorrow to spend a week or so with my dad's family. We know that this time will be hard but also refreshing. So if you could lift our time with them up in prayer that would be greatly appreciated. As always thank you for your continuous support, prayers and encouragement. We cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for our family.
Wednesday, June 26th at 12:08 GMT
From Gina:
If I had to come up with a word that best described my relationship with God at this very moment, I would use the word "compassionate". I have had my good days and bad days since Jerry went missing. Sometimes I feel like I havethe faith of Peter when he gets out of the boat and walks toward Jesus (wow). Other times I feel like Peter when he sees the storm and the 5 foot waves and he loses focus on Jesus and starts to sink. BUT Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt.?"
I smile when I read this. Out of 12 disciples, only one had the audacity to walk on water. Leap of faith. I sometimes feel like this. For me, the 5 foot wave is doubt if Jerry is alive. It hits me the hardest when people look at me with pity and wonder if I will live in reality. So to answer their question, "Yes, I do live in reality." I have been taught this very thing. Living in Africa for 25 years, there have been times that I prayed for people in the US. I would keep praying until God would tell me that I could stop praying for that situation. Eventually the person would write me and tell me how God answered it.
So I ask Him on a weekly basis if Jerry is still alive. And He answers through scripture or someone from this facebook page when one of you shares with me what God has told or revealed to you. So thanks to those prayer warriors out there who write and confirm what God is saying to me! Sometimes it is hard to read what you write when I know that Jerry suffers, but your words give me the "push" to pray.
This week I would like you to continue to pray as God leads you, I believe that we are still walking around the walls of Jericho. Now to those of you who don't know the story, please read it. Joshua 6. Just to remind you the date of this story is 1407 BC. Jericho was known for its fortified walls up to 25 feet high and 20 feet thick in some parts of the wall. If you went to Israel today, you could see some of the broken wall. It was considered invincible. But Our God does things in His own way for He wants all the glory and He wants the "logical" men and women to remember…. "not by human strength but by His arm".
The picture below represents how I sometimes feel when praying against demons.
They are so much bigger than me. But this is not our battle. Our battle is by prayer. We are asked just to STAND and PRAY- Ephesians 6:13. I believe this is the case for Jerry. So continue with the warfare praying and then turn the prayer into praise and song. The battle is already won. Our Creator God is already the victor over the god of the land/territory.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I give you praise and recognize that you are the Creator-God. I renew my allegiance to You and Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, was resurrected, and is now sitting in the heaven. I am thankful for the victory that Jesus won on the cross and that I am seated in the heavenlies and therefore I put on my armor (Ephesians 6) and I declare that all principalities and powers and all wicked spirits are subject to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am thankful that the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds and every thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Thus, I pull down the stronghold wherever Jerry Krause is. He was taken against his will and now we have the right to demand the stronghold to be broken and the land to be freed as well as Jerry. We smash and destroy all plans that were formed against Jerry and plane. We ask God that their activities and money are demonlished. We ask for eyes of the military and those who are " just" to have eyes to see the airplane as well as the illegal activities they do. We ask that justice prevail and the business to be destroyed like the walls of Jericho and that those who are in control will be judged and found wanting. May the demon-god be chased away from this area and that you, God, will place your banner on the land. Raise up, God- Almighty, Christians who will be able to share your Truth. Send the Holy Spirit to convict the people of sin. We pull down the strongholds that blind the people from seeing You. We ask that one day we stand before your throne with this people group at our side worshipping you together.
We ask that you protect Jerry's body, will, emotions and spiritual walk with You. We ask you give him hope and courage, as well as favor with the captors. We ask in the name of Jesus, that Jerry be returned to his family. We thank you, knowing you hear our pleas and petitions. We ask that You move quickly.
We praise you, knowing that Isaiah 59:1 The arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses (some trust in what is seen and understood by man) , but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
We praise you for you are able.
Tuesday, June 18th at 20:35 GMT
From Jessica:
My mom doesn't know I'm posting this section of the update… but, this week, due to different conversations I've had, I've come up with a theory as to why I believe God chose my family for this situation (this may not be part of God's reason, but I like to come up with justifications :)).
So, as time has progressed, it seems like God has specifically called my family to two things, faith and prayer. And as I was thinking through both of those concepts this week, it dawned on me, my mom is like the perfect candidate for this situation because of how she demonstrates both of those. I've always known that my mom was a little out of the ordinary when it come to her faith and prayer life, but I have never seen it so clearly demonstrated nor had such profound respect for it as I do now. First, my mom has faith in God, but beyond that, she has faith in who God is and the promises He has made. She believes in the impossible. She sincerely believes that God will move mountains on her behalf, like for reals. Second, she has a mature understanding of spiritual battles and warfare praying. And let me tell you, she prays against the spiritual powers in Jesus' name like no one else I know.
Faith and prayer are two concepts SO crucial to our relationship with God. But, they are characteristics that I think a lot of us Christians lack, including myself. And I hope, by the end of this ordeal, I will become even just a little more like my mom.
From Gina:
People have questioned my friends and family about why we keep believing that Jerry is alive. As my sister says, " We don't have any proof that he is dead". There is that, but for me, it is more than that. I have asked God several times if Jerry was dead, and every time, He has answered, "pray for Jerry". On Father's day, I was discouraged but God kept giving me verse after verse on the subject of the wicked will fall and the righteous will stand.
Prov. 10:24 What the wicked dread will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.
Before I left Mali some friends and I were praying and we all felt God leading us to pray for a wider picture. Not just that Jerry be free to come home, but to pray for the the land where Jerry is. We believe it is under heavy bondage and the people are hurting because of the wicked.
In Psalm 82 it says,
God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the "gods" (demon-gods):
(God says) "How long will you[a] defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?[b]
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Today, I believe we need to pray for the wicked to fall and for the people of the land to have the opportunity to find Jesus. So join me in prayer that the hold upon the land is destroyed. I pray something like this:
Dear God,
Your word says that though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destrusction of fortresses. (2 Corinthians 10:3) So Father, I come to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and as one who has a seat in the heavenlies, I ask for mercy in the situation of Jerry Krause. I ask that you protect him: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually during this time. I ask you to give him hope when he feels hopeless.
Today, Lord I come in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to say that I resist all of Satan's activity to hold Jerry in bondage. Exercising my authority which is given to me in my union with Jesus Christ, I pull down the strongholds which the kingdom of darkness has formed around Jerry but also the people in that land. I smash and break and destroy all plans that are formed against Jerry and the airplane. I break and destroy the financial gain that they receive from illegal gains. I pray that they make no money and that the airplane itself breaks down. Let them feel your anger. Let the people realize that You , Oh God are a righteous God and one who is just. Let the people know your love and that You have come to bring freedom to this people group. How long will the unjust rule? God show your mighty power and cause the darkness to flee as Your love reaches down and brings hope.
Tuesday, June 11th at 18:04 GMT
This update is from Jessica and Gina:
This last week was a challenge. It seemed like everything was going against us. It started with Alyssa washing her car and the front window breaking. Then Gina needing to go to Chicago to pick up a shipment that came in for her from Mali. It was supposed to be an easy pick up but turned into quite the ordeal causing her stress trying to get her belongings home. Then, on her way back from Chicago a window on the car someone lent her stopped working. That is getting fixed tomorrow. Then this weekend, someone accidently spilt water on my sisters computer frying the most expensive part, causing her quite a bit of stress as she is in the midst of taking summer classes.
As we've looked back, we've realized that it is hard to keep praying for Jerry when emergencies and frustrations kept popping up. On Sunday, Gina talked to her sister's Sunday school class and they prayed for us. Life has been less hectic as we've been able to tackle the problems. We realize that God is with us even in the frustrations of life. As we do warfare praying there are times you feel pretty knocked down. That is why Ephesians 6 vs 10 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." He gives us armor to wear for spiritual battle, "and then after you put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then…." And it is why we go to church, because a body of believers can stand with you in the time of need.
God hasn't allowed us to run from this battle. He asks us to stand and pray and commit ourselves to praying for Jerry.
So here are some things we are praying for :
· Pray that they would grant favor to Jerry and that his living conditions would become better and he would be warm and fed well.
· Pray that Jerry will be extremely healthy and no malaria even if he gets bitten by mosquitoes.
· Pray hope into his life. He has no friends or loved ones to encourage him.
· Pray that blessings would fall forth from his mouth and that no matter how dismal the situation looks, that he would continue to look to God. That his nights would turn into songs of praise and that his captivity would become to him a ministry to others. That he would feel God's presence strongly wrapped around him and that he would be able to continue to go on, having faith and trusting that God is there with him.
· Pray that he will be returned to his family.
· Pray that the captors' eyes and hearts will be open…that they will be receptive to God's Word .
· Pray that the stronghold in the area will be broken and that the area will come to know God.
Much love.
Tuesday, June 4th at 18:25 GMT
An assortment of thoughts,
1. As I've previously mentioned, when my family is discouraged, God continues to encourage. On a day of discouragement, my mom was give this devotion from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.
'Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back?…Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says… By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God..'
2. I have been humbled and encouraged by some emails I've received this last week about how this story has personally impacted lives. It was another reminder to me that this story has never just been about my family. God has used it for a greater good than I could ever have imagined or ever thought to be so intimately a part of.
3. Through a sermon I listened to this week, I was reminded that this "struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". I don't think I've ever felt so strongly about this verse as I have in the last couple months. We aren't fighting the captors or any other person we may feel has wronged us. We are fighting the darkness, the perversion of justice, the blindness that has at some point entangled each of us. We are praying for the stronghold that satan has on this situation and this area to be broken. We are praying for freedom for the grace and peace and love of Jesus Christ to break chains.
May God have mercy on us all.
With love,
Wednesday, May 29th at 19:00 GMT
To those we will be forever grateful for,
Just so you can plan ahead in great anticipation for the next update :), I plan on updating once a week, updating on Monday or Tuesday (even though today is Wed) unless something urgent comes up.
My intention for this update is to explain why we believe my dad to still be alive. We are almost at two months since he disappeared. And looking at the evidence, as I've mentioned previously, the most logical perspective would determine my dad to be dead. As time progresses, the easiest solution would be to count my dad dead. That final verdict would end the waiting, the effort of searching, and the perseverance of continuing to pray. I would be relieved to have the test God placed in the lives of my family to have ended many weeks ago, to be in a place where we could just move on. But, God's timing is beyond my understanding and the test has not ended.
As I've thought through the reasons as to why we believe my dad is still alive, I've reread report after report of the investigations done searching for my dad in order to come up with the most logical reasons. But even after making a list of those reasons, I don't think they are the main reasons we still believe my dad is alive. Briefly, the logical reasons to believe my dad to still be alive include (in no specific order): 1. Not finding any piece of the plane, 2. The lack of effort on searching for a crashed plane by Sao Tome, 3. The negligence of the refuelers in Sao Tome in providing documentation of planes refueled on April 7th and 8th, 4. The discrepancy of the facts regarding the last conversation my dad had with the tower, 5. The corruption in the area and the benefit of having my dad (pilot, mechanic, and free plane).
And the list could go on. If you want more specific logical reasons, feel free to email me (Jessica)…
But, the real reason we believe my dad to be alive:
Because God is not allowing us to believe anything else. When we reach a point of starting to believe my dad to be dead, God keeps placing people in our lives and providing us with Scripture that does not give evidence to him being dead (including around 15 dreams). God keeps telling us: Pray, Persevere, and Trust Me. And so we have to keep doing that.
Please continue to partake in this journey through prayer. I know that is an area that God is testing me. And at the end of this, I don't want to be someone who stopped having faith or someone who believed in the logical and not the miraculous. This situation is one where God wants and is going to get all of the glory. And I have to keep asking, seeking, and knocking till God says I can stop.
May God be glorified in me and in you. May we each be able to stand before God and have Him say, well done my good and faithful servant, no matter what situation we each face. For God is good. His Love endures. And He will be victorious.
Monday, May 20th at 16:20 GMT
Hey everyone,
Well, as you probably all realized, this has definitely been the longest time period we have gone without updating. First, I'd like to let you all know that we probably aren't going to be updating as frequently. Second, I just want to assure you that if anything happens, whether it is more information we gather or the most joyous news of finding my dad, you will most definitely be informed! You all have been instrumental in this whole process and we are not out to hide anything.
For new information we have, we'd like to thank Wycliffe for volunteering their time and effort in searching for my dad!
They helped us with the following information:
Four people flew over the last area of Sao Tome that had not been searched. All of Sao Tome has not been flown over and yielded nothing.
The VOA, Voice of America, on the island (who was first contacted by the investigator we had previously sent to Sao Tome) said that they have been talking about Jerry on a regular basis and asking if anyone has any information to please come forward, but still nothing.
They established a contact in Principe, a national, who will be investigating on that island for us!
A pilot has also conducted a number of searches over Principe and has also not found anything.
Though the results did not yield anything substantial, it has closed more doors and for that, my family is thankful!
We'd also like to say thank you to everyone who has financially contributed to searching for my dad! You have greatly alleviated stress from our family. The contributions have thus far paid for all of the expenses of the investigator we had sent to Sao Tome (a decision none of us would ever take back) and for the fly over of Sao Tome mentioned above. We still have enough for the 5,000 dollar reward or if we decide to send another investigator to Sao Tome or a surrounding country.
On a different note, as classes for the spring semester are officially over, my mom, sister, and myself are all living together in a house in Huntington. Its been a joy being with them and also having Erica (my cousin who set this whole fb thing up) visiting from California!
We are continuing to earnestly pray for my dad's freedom. I really believe that God is giving us just enough to keep having hope and giving us just what we need to make it through each day.
Thanks for praying!
Wednesday, May 15th at 07:15 GMT
An update from my mom!
For many of you the 21 days of fasting is coming to an end after today. I wish I could talk to each one of you and hear what God has done in your life. I find fasting to be difficult, but at the same time rejuvenating. God touches everyone's life differently during the fasting period. For me, within 10 days of fasting, I will have a nightmare or people will cause havoc in my life. It is a hurdle that is trying to discourage me from fasting and praying. For me, it is a sign that tells me that I am on the right path. After that, I get clarity in hearing God's voice. I learn my weaknesses and I see problems from His viewpoint and how to take the next step. But God talks to each person differently. He moves in the way He made you. He talks to you in the same pattern. This is how the shepherd talks to his sheep and the sheep know his voice. I hope you have learned to hear his voice during the fasting.
For me, I was knocked off my feet on Monday. Something had moved on Jerry's credit card and I had hoped it was a sign that he was alive. But it was just a monthly charge. I was pretty discouraged, but 2 events happened the next day that God told me to wipe off my jeans and stand up and pray. God gave me 2 Samuel 22. You should take time to read it.
What God has asked me to pray against is the stronghold and fortress that is holding Jerry. This stronghold is an area where it has control of people and finances. This area wherever it is, needs freedom. How best to free them, except by prayer!. Put Jerry in the area and send 100's of prayer warriors to pray for the stronghold to be broken. I am amused how the God of Adam and Eve can also understand our techie world. He uses Facebook to send his prayer warriors to break a bondage.
So my friends….
Continue to pray for the stronghold to be broken and destroyed so that the people have freedom to chose Christ. Pray that the finances that the evil people are trying to gain to be crushed and that they will feel the weight of God's fist. That God will destroy their ill gained profits. Pray for Jerry to be delivered and freed of the evil men who have taken him. Let our God rise up and bring His peace to a land that has need of Him. Let the work that He started be fulfilled and that we join Him in prayer.
Tuesday, May 14th at 21:15 GMT
As my family still feels led to continue to pray for my dad and hope for his return, for today's update, I have a Psalm that was emailed to me this week. Thanks Marty!
Psalm 71
(personalized for Jerry Krause)
In You, O LORD, Jerry has taken refuge; Let him never be ashamed. In Your righteousness deliver him and rescue him; incline Your ear to him and save him. Be to him a rock of habitation to which he may continually come; You have given commandment to save him, for You are his rock and his fortress. Rescue him, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man, for You are his hope; O Lord GOD, You are his confidence from his youth. By You he has been sustained from his birth;
You are He who took him from his mother's womb; his praise is continually of You. He has become a marvel to many, for You are his strong refuge. His mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your glory all day long. Do not cast
him off in the time of old age; do not forsake him when his strength fails. For his enemies have spoken against him; and those who watch for his life have consulted together, saying, "God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for
there is no one to deliver."
O God, do not be far from him; O my God, hasten to his help! Let those who are adversaries of his soul be ashamed and consumed; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure him. But as for him, he
will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. His mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long; For he does not know the sum of them. He will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD;
he will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone. O God, You have taught him from his youth, and he still declares Your wondrous deeds. And even when he is old and gray, O God, do not forsake him, until he declares Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You who have shown him many troubles and distresses will revive him again, and will bring him up again from the depths of the earth. May You increase his greatness and turn to comfort him. He will also praise You with a harp, even Your truth, O God; to You he will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. His lips will shout for joy when he sings praises to You; and his soul, which You have redeemed. His tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long; for they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek his hurt.
Sunday, May 12th at 21:30 GMT
For tonights update, I have a video for you! While my family was in Mali over a week ago, a missionary emailed me about making a video about this whole situation. Following the habit I've picked up throughout my dad's disappearance, I tend to just say yes to any open door that comes not knowing how God could potentially use it. So here it is! Thank you to Ewien and Jeff for the hard work you put into making it!
Also, tonight I was encouraged by reading Exodus 14. I really liked the whole chapter, but the reason I originally went to the chapter was because of these verses a friend had actually written me in a note many years ago: Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today… The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
And then, in the same note, I was taken to Romans 9:14-18:
"What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
I go to bed tonight confident that my God is a very good God.
Saturday, May 11th at 24:35 GMT
My grandparents from Minnesota are here for the weekend (my dads parents). It has truly been a blessing being able to talk and process through things with them. I thought it might be hard seeing two people so closely related to my dad, but it hasn't been at all. Rather, it has been a joy to be able to spend quality time with people who understand and are also seeking to faithfully follow God through out this time.
Tonight, I am specifically praying for my dad, for his spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. I pray that God would reveal Himself to my dad, that he would not be discouraged or dismayed, but would be empowered by the love of God to boldly speak and act in a way that would glorify God.
I continue to look forward to the day that God miraculously brings my dad home.
Friday, May 10th at 23:45 GMT
An update from my mom:
Life has been full of ups and downs. The last few days, I have been working off some information that you have given us on "Find Jerry". We are so thankful to you for giving us ideas and people to contact. This started us in a search for people who live in Annobon, an island south of Sao Tome. We finally had success today, with the result that the plane was not on the island. Although this was a bit discouraging, it was also a closed door. We are asking for God to pierce the darkness so that we know where Jerry is and where he is not. And God did that. We are asking for Truth and we are comfortable with the answers here.
So now what? We are looking at Principe, an island north of Sao Tome. We have a person that just happened to go to Sao Tome on business and he will either try to go there, or send someone he trusts to go to Principe and ask questions. The monetary gifts that you have sent in will be helping us to fund this.
In the end, it comes down to trusting God and that in His time He will reveal where Jerry is or show us a closed door. But for now… we trust Him to lead us.
I was reading some notes from some students from the Nazarene Church in Huntington. My sister told me that Josi is in high school and she wrote me, " The hardest situations are always the easiest times to fully surrender to God and trust that He will get you through this!". I smiled. Where did a teenager get such wisdom?
It is times like this that you understand Isaiah 41:9-10:
I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ' you are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Thursday, May 9th at 23:21 GMT
We have reached a point where I'm just not quite sure what to share anymore when it comes to finding my dad. We are continuing to search for him by broadening our network in that area of Africa and trying to conduct searches on a smaller scale. But we are mainly hoping and praying and waiting. As this situation has drug on, I become more and more convinced that it is going to be solely God's miraculous power bringing my dad home. We have given our best effort, will continue to follow open doors that are brought to our attention, but are mainly fervently praying and will continue to do so until God brings my dad home or tells us it's time to stop.
At my dorm tonight, we had a floor worship reflecting on the past year. One of my dear friends asked each of us to write down 5 areas where we feel like God has revealed Himself to us. I wrote my 5 areas down, looked through them, and realized all 5 were from this past month. Though this past month has been the hardest experience I've ever undergone, I have to be thankful and have to continue to praise God. He has revealed Himself to me in ways I would never had planned. One of those ways was through all of you. My understanding of what God means by community has taken a whole new meaning. Thank you for your continued prayers. I pray that you will be blessed for the love you have shown to my family.
And to end this, I have a song I'd like to share that a friend of mine shared with me that I've found to be quite fitting.
Tuesday, May 7th at 22:41 GMT
Well after a wonderful yet very busy time in Mali together as a family, we are all in some ways back to adjusting to our own lives. My brother is back at work in Illinois, my sister and I (Jessica) returned to HU this evening, and my mom is at her parents house.
We left Mali knowing that being in that country wasn't necessary in order for the search for my dad to continue. So we'll be pursuing the questions we still have to answer from the US. As a family, we still feel God leading us in the direction of believing my dad to be alive. It seems like any time one of us begins to get discouraged or feeling hopeless, God brings a person, scripture, or some information that brings us hope.
So our main focus as of now is being centered on Annobon. It is an island south of Sao Tome that belongs to Equatorial Guinea. It is one of the few areas my dad could have potentially landed.
Yesterday was May 7th, the 30th day since my dad went missing which means the guaranteed life of the beacons on my dads plane has expired. I have made calls to company after company trying to find someone who has equipment in the vicinity to conduct a deep water search but came out unsuccessful. I have to trust that God just didn't want us to conduct that search because I'm not sure I could have done much else to try to have that happen.
I believe God is going to open the right doors for my family to be able to find out where my dad is. I'm not sure when that is going to be, but we wait in great anticipation for it.
And to end this update, I'll pass on another prayer that my mom wrote. As Scripture says, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms".
I bring before You and the Lord Jesus Christ, Jerry Krause. It is now 30 days since his disappearance. I am standing for him in intercessory prayer before your throne. I draw upon the Person of the Holy Spirit that He may guide me to pray in wisdom, power, and understanding.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I loose Jerry from the bondage the powers of darkness are putting upon him. I bring the mighty power of the Lord's incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and glorification directly against all forces of darkness seeking to hide Jerry from his family. I bind them in the name of the Lord Jesus. And forbid them to work on Jerry who loves Jesus.
I bring in prayer the focus and work of Jesus Christ to strengthen physically , spiritually, and emotionally Jerry and to help him in during this time. Jesus, help Jerry to remember the things You have done for him and that he would have faith that You are with him in this present situation. Lord, we pray for him to have HOPE. We pray that blessings would pour forth from his mouth. ".
As this happens pray for his captors that they will seek to understand the hope and peace that Jerry has and that they will see You.. Allow the people involved to see Your might Power and have fear of you to the point that they liberate Jerry.
Lord, We pray that you will give wisdom and prepare the way for getting information from Annobon. Please send the right people to find him if he is there or send us information where he is. In the name and power of Jesus, break the silence.
And we thank you, God and Lord Jesus, knowing you are in control and have a plan. Grant me the grace to be persistent and faithful in my intercessions for Jerry, so that you may be glorified when Jerry is freed and reunited with his family.
Monday, May 6th at 14:40 GMT
Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely back to the US! Tomorrow I'll write a more detailed report, but for now I just wanted to let you know that we made it and to ask you to please continue to pray for us. We have many decisions and adjustments ahead, but are seeking Gods direction and waiting for His timing.
Sunday, May 5th at 13:45 GMT
Thanks everyone who wrote back about contact information! I'll be sorting through the emails and messages a little later tonight and will hopefully get back to all of you. I have one possible connection in Annobon, therefore am still looking for more just in case that one does not work out.
This will most likely be the only post for today as we are all traveling back to the US.
My mom and I are actually in Dakar right now, about to relax by heading to the beach for a bit before flying out later tonight.
Thank for the continued prayers and support. We are still hopeful and still holding on to God waiting to see what He has planned for this part of our lives cause it has certainly been quite the ride!
And today was the day that I (Jessica) was suppose to be running a marathon, something that my dad was actually planning to come back to the US to see. But due to having to pack up the house and various other responsibilities, I unfortunately had to miss it. I do have awesome friends though! And I wanted to send my support to them by showing everyone what they chose to wear for the race today :). I wasn't able to load it before the race to have you pray for them during it, but now you can pray for them to have a quick recovery :). Thanks Becca, Sara, and Michelle.
Saturday, May 4th at 15:30 GMT
Good evening, everyone. Tonight I (Alyssa) will be updating on the behalf of my family. Since Nathan and I arrived in Bamako it has been extremely busy and yet refreshing as we have been able to cry, laugh, and rejoice in God's goodness and faithfulness as a family. I cannot begin to tell you how much joy it has brought me to be with my family. We too often take our families for granted and I can tell you I will never again take the relationships I have with each of them for granted. If there's one thing you remember about tonights blog entry it's this: Don't take your families for granted. Hold on to them. Hug them. Love them. And most importantly keep God at the center.
Okay, now on to the things I need to update you on.
1) This week we have been busy packing up our house and getting it ready to leave. We decided earlier in the week that we need to be together as a family. Since all of us kids have commitments in the states we decided my mom should join us until my dad is found. I believe the most important thing we can do at this moment is be with each other. We also think it is important for us to be close to our extended family.
2) We had over 30,000 people look at the new satellite images we posted. We cannot thank you enough for taking the time to look through those images and mark down the potential pieces of aircraft. At this moment we are still working through details on how to get those places checked.
3) I know this is a bit redundant, but we are still looking for contacts on the islands of Principe and Annobon (Equatorial Guinea). If you know someone there, please let us know. We are desperately trying to search those islands. We are also looking for a contact in Nigera that would be willing to have their contact information on our missing reward poster. If you are willing or know of someone willing please contact us through Facebook messages or email. We will provide you with more specific details regarding the poster.
I want to end this entry blog thanking you all for continuing to pray and support my family through this. We especially want to take the time to thank SAS and Erik for everything you have done to support and help us in our search for our dad here in Bamako! Without them we would not be as far in our search efforts as we are now. So thank you!
Thank you for walking through this journey with us. Please pray for us as we leave Bamako tomorrow to head back to the states. Pray that none of our luggage gets lost and pray that we will feel God's arms around us as we say goodbye to our friends and home here in Africa.
Thursday, May 2nd at 17:15 GMT
While we are doing a little behind the scenes to get some answers, we wanted to still leave a status update for the day. We want to genuinely thank those of you who have partnered with us in prayer and fasting this week as we seek continued truth and wisdom in the search for Jerry. The amount of funds raised to help cover the costs of the search has been overwhelming and humbling. We all tend to put God in this little tiny box and don't think He's capable of such miracles in our individual lives, but His mighty hand and works have been evident throughout this entire search! We are reminded daily that we never walk alone and find much strength in this song from Matt Redman:
Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at 17:30 GMT
A couple things for today,
Though we believe that my dad is alive, as a family we have decided to continue pursuing a plane crash and kidnapping, focusing primarily on the kidnapping, but not ending any of our crash investigations. We want to close every door that is still open.
Efforts for a crash:
1. A contact within the Tullow Oil Company has contacted the CEO's with a unit in the vicinity of the Gulf of Guinea to see if they would search for the 37.5 khz "ping" being emitted from the airplane. Please pray that someone will volunteer!!
2. Please check out the website attached! There are recent Sao Tome satellite images that need to be looked through in order to find any points of interest that could potentially be my dad's aircraft in sea and on shore. Once the potential pieces of aircraft are determined, I will be sending those GPS coordinates to someone in Sao Tome to investigate.
Efforts for a kidnapping:
1. Prayer and fasting. Out of anything on here, joining us in prayer is the most important. Praying for my dad: his well-being and his release, for his captors: open hearts to the power and love of God, and the list goes on. May God be glorified in it all.
2. I am trying to find people on the islands of Principe and Annobon (north and south of Sao Tome). If you know someone, please let me know! Or, if you know someone who may know someone, I'd greatly appreciate if you contacted them on my behalf and have them contact me if they do in fact know someone :). my email: email@example.com.
3. Tomorrow we will begin faxing all of the airports in the surrounding countries offering a 5,000 dollar reward for any verifiable information on the whereabouts of my dad, the paper will include a picture of my good looking father :).
So hopefully out of all of that, and with any new areas God leads us, we will in God's timing of course, find my dad!
Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 at 18:30 GMT
This is going to be a short one 🙂
I just wanted to let everyone know that Alyssa and Nathan made it here safely! Though Alyssa's suitcase unfortunately did not make it, so we are praying that it comes very soon (mine took two weeks!).
This is the first time we have all been together since everything began, so it is very joyous but being honest, a little painful as well. Please pray for our time together, as we process with one another and make decisions for the future. And please continue to pray for my dad, that God's angels will be surrounding him in every moment.
Thank you everyone for continuing to lift up my family. I've been encouraged by the number of people walking this journey with us.
Much love,
Monday, April 29th, 2013 at 17:45 GMT
Good evening, everyone. Today we celebrate life and experience bewilderment at the same time. While we are excited to announce that no underwater beacons belonging to Jerry's plane were detected by the unit over the weekend, we are also in bewilderment as to where to begin searching next. Our hope was to disprove one scenario (ocean crash or hijacking) or the other and we feel as if we have done just that. Praying for guidance and direction in the next few days we we still work on uncovering the truth. Please pray for our investigator in Sao Tome who is leaving there soon. We are so grateful for his help in this search and the answers he did find. We are still, however, dealing with the fact that the fueling station won't disclose the fuel receipt information of that Sunday, April 7th or Monday, April 8th as we attempt to find out if Jerry did, in fact, land and refuel there. The fuel station is either not disclosing the facts because 1) they dislike the investigator or 2) not disclosing the facts because they are corrupt but in a way that is completely separate from Jerry or 3) they are corrupt and involved somehow in Jerry's disappearance. Things just aren't adding up there. Again, we continue to pray that the truth be revealed and justice be served.
Alyssa and Nathan, Jerry's two other children in the US, left today to head to Mali to be with Jessica and Gina. Please pray for protection over the entire family as well as for Jerry as we continue to spearhead this search.
We know that the Lord has orchestrated this entire search and we trust that He isn't finished yet. We are just waiting for the next chapter of the search to be revealed. Gina sent this in an email this evening. Please join her in prayer: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bring before You, in prayer, Jerry Krause. I thank you for the leadership you have given this man and I ask that in the name of Jesus Christ that I resist all of Satan's activity to hold Jerry in darkness. I exercise my authority, which is given to me in my union with the Lord Jesus Christ, as I pull down the strongholds which the kingdom of darkness has formed against Jerry. I cover Jerry with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and break Satan's power to hold Jerry. I praise you and thank you for Your answer. Grant me the grace to be persistent and faithful in my intercession for Jerry. May your Name be glorified!
Sunday, April 28th, 2013 at 17:03 GMT
While there isn't much to update regarding the search, Gina (Jerry's wife) encouraged those who are partnering with her in the fast with warfare praying:
"This morning God told me to set my face toward Jesus–that He will break Satan's darkness and Jesus will be seen as Powerful and not just a Bible story. I believe this is the time that God wants to wake up His people and teach them about warfare prayer. He is tired of the Christians who believe in Him, but never understand His power. It is time to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:12-6:3) and for them to become soldiers. May God give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe…(continue reading from Ephesians 1:19)."
How to do warfare praying: It starts with James 4:7-8 and 10. As we ask forgiveness of known sins and unknown sins in our lives, we then stand righteous before God. This is why James 5:16b says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Put on the full armor of God. God is not wanting you to run away. We are to stand and pray and let God MOVE, unless He calls you to move. Read more about the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20 to have a full visual.
Then you pray the warfare prayer. Here is an example:
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, I humbly approach God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise You that I am unified with the Lord Jesus Christ and I come to pray in faith with the help of the Holy Spirit to intercede for Jerry Krause during this time of prayer. I enter by faith into the mighty work of the crucifixion of Jesus and through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the work of the cross that brings Satan's work to nothing. Deliberately, and by faith, I bring all the work of Jesus directly against Satan's working in Jerry's life. I resist Satan and all his demons in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I submit myself to the Lordship and control of Jesus. I bring the power of the Lord's incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension and glorification directly against Satan and all his work against Jerry and his family. I claim my union with the Lord Jesus Christ and I resist you and I force you to flee before the truth of God.
That is a basic prayer. Add and choose what the Holy Spirit tells you. This type of prayer comes from the book, The Adversary by Mark Bubeck.
So grateful to those of you partnering with us in prayer and fasting. It is our hope that your relationship with God will not only grow stronger during the fast, but also more personal. We pray that He reveals His plan for this search and our future during the fast as well. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as we seek His will for this family.
Saturday, April 27th, 2013 at 16:18 GMT
Today has been a remarkable day. Before today, I'd definitely say that God has been moving in my life and my family's lives. But today, I say that God is moving in ways that I could never have imagined; I am in awe.
This journey has been a rollercoaster. My family and I have been thrown in every direction when it comes to the state of my dad. At first, we were at a 50/50 as to whether he was alive or dead. That changed to an 80 dead/20 alive, back to a 50/50, then to a 99 dead/1 alive. But today, I sit here and think, it has got to be a 100/0 for a fully alive father.
We have been praying for a sign. A sign that told us that my dad was alive or that he was dead. We were prepared to accept either; just wanting to know which path God had chosen for our family.
But a sign came today. It started in the morning, when an old family friend came to our house and shared a dream he had. He told us that a heavenly being came to him and told him that my dad was alive, but my dad was suffering. Our friend asked the heavenly being when my dad would return, but the heavenly being would not say.
A couple of hours later, a family member wrote my mom, explaining that her husband had a dream that my dad walked through a door and was able to come home.
Then, yet another couple of hours later, another family member calls and tell us that she woke up very cold, having God tell her that that was how my dad was feeling, and that she needed to pray for him to get warm.
What a day! And the crazy thing is, these are not the first dreams my family has heard about since this situation began.
So, I'd like to have you join my family for sure in prayer. But also, if you feel led to, in fasting. Tomorrow, my family and I are going to start fasting by choosing to eat one meal a day for 21 days. Humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking Him to break down any holds satan has on my dad, his captors, and the evidence to his whereabouts.
If you've never fasted, don't worry, neither have I! Today, my sister and I, on two opposite continents, actually both felt led to fast for the first time in our lives. If fasting from meals is something you don't think you are able to do at this time, then join by fasting from something else! The point is to humbly come before God, committing yourself to Him as you petition and plead. Check out Daniel 6 for more specifics.
And as a last thing, as you may have expected from everything I've written thus far, the equipment was unable to find my dad's plane in the search today.
But PRAISE GOD. God is moving. God is faithful. And God is able to do the impossible.
Friday, April 26th, 2013 15:54 GMT
Tomorrow is a BIG day for the search to find Jerry. The pinger unit arrived safely in São Tomé today and is going to be used to search all day tomorrow. Please pray for safety as divers and our contacts in São Tomé attempt to search for the beacon signals that Jerry's plane would be giving off had he crashed.
Our other request is that you pray for usage of the P3 Orion we have been attempting to get to help in the search for the plane. If that falls through, we are hoping to still get a ship or an oil rig to help in the search.
With there still being the possibilities that Jerry crashed or his plane was hijacked, the above requests are the best two options in disproving the fact that he have crashed. This is a more direct route to finding answers. Please continue to pray for clarity in the situation and pray that closure will be attainable. We desire an answer one way or another. We literally cannot imagine calling off the search without knowing one way or another. Your prayers, your financial involvement, as well as help in making contacts around the world have been such a blessing! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thursday, April 25th, 2013 18:21 GMT
Today's update:
Thank you to the help of many people, the unit from CA will be at Sao Tome tomorrow and be used to search for the plane all day Saturday. Steve even took a pic of the unit being loaded into the plane:) The GPS coordinates have all been mapped out for the search and divers have been hired to go to into the water to increase the depths that the unit can reach.
We have also been in contact with two congressmen/women who are contacting the State Department on our behalf to solicite their help in the search. This is beneficial as we figure out which country has jurisdiction over the case.
Jessica and a few others have also been in contact with the oil rig in the area to see if they would be willing to conduct a humanitarian search and find Jerry's plane had he crashed off the coast of Sao Tome. If we can prove that his plane didn't crash then we can continue to take the search in a different direction. Pray for clarity in this situation as we continue to search for answers to both scenarios. God has brought us a long way in this search and we know that He will continue to guide and direct us in our decisions.
Thankful that we continue on in week 3 of the search not on our own strength, but His. We couldn't be handling all of this on our own. Your prayers are being answered as we find our strength and hope in Him. Thank you!
Wednesday April 24, 2013 12:00 GMT
Our prayer requests for the day:
Please pray specifically for Gina, Nathan, Alyssa, and Jessica who are on week three of the search for their husband and dad. The majority of us will never understand how they are feeling right now. Pray for the strength and comfort that can only come from the Lord. Pray for wisdom and discernment in all upcoming decisions. Pray for an understanding that surpasses any worry, anxiety, or questioning. While evidence is still coming in, it is important to pray for those things before a conclusion can be made as to what happened or where to search next.
Also, please keep the person who went to Sao Tome on behalf of the Krause family and SAS in your prayers. Their trip to Sao Tome has been extended as they continue to search for answers there. The unit that came from CA to search for the beacon in Jerry's plane, had he crashed, is still not to the island yet as a few issues arose before its arrival. Please pray for the unit to arrive safely and that the contact in Sao Tome will be able to disprove one potential scenario or the other (crash vs hijack). No concrete evidence has been found as of yet, still making both scenarios possible. Pray for truthful responses to questions.
I know we thank all of you all the time for your prayers, but it's those prayers that keep the family going day in and day out in the search for Jerry. Pray that no matter what the outcome, closure is found. As a family, we all have peace knowing that the search ends in a win-win for us. We look forward to the day we can celebrate finding Jerry or celebrate his life on this earth while knowing that he has joined our Lord & Savior in Heaven. We couldn't be more humbled by the Lord's presence in the search and how He orchestrated every move daily.
We also want to tell you just how blessed we have been by your donations to the search fund for Jerry. The money will go towards flights, equipment, and for the investigation that is taking place separate from the governments in Africa since it's been an extremely slow moving investigation for them.
**Please note: The PayPal account required that it be a business account be used for the bank account link so Jerry's sister-in-law allowed us to use her PayPal account, but it linked to a separate fund specifically for Find Jerry. So, if you are worried that the funding is going to Grace Anatomy and not the Find Jerry fund, no need to worry. That is Jerry's sister-in-law's business. You can also wire funds or send a check via snail mail. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com if you have questions. Thanks!
Tuesday, April 23rd at 13:45 GMT
Many of you have been blessing the Krause family with prayers, but have also asked how you can bless them monetarily. We have set up a donation app that goes straight into a Find Jerry fund through PayPal to help with flight, equipment, and private investigator fees. Any left over monies will be donated to a charity. We appreciate your prayers and encouragement. Please don't feel obligated to give. Your prayers are more than we could ask for in this search.
***See "Give" button to the right
Tuesday, April 23rd at 04:28 GMT
Dear prayer warriors, letter writers, and supporters, thank you for all you have done! I've had a number of people ask questions in regards to the letter writing to senators so this post will be replying to those questions, if I miss any please continue to ask and I'll try to keep up!
1. Why are we specifically contacting the IN and MN senators?
– Jerry is originally from Minnesota and Gina is originally from Indiana. Jerry has an Indiana driver's license and Jerry and Gina's two daughters, myself (Jessica) and Alyssa attend a university in Indiana.
2. If you are not an IN or MN resident, can you still contact the IN or MN senators?
– Yes, though Senators are primarily focused on the residents of their state, politicians love publicity. Therefore, if people are contacting them from other states, I think it will be beneficial and hopefully cause them to take action.
3. If you are not an IN or MN resident, can you contact the senators of your state?
– I have been advised by the US Embassy to have all efforts focused on the senators where my parent's are originally from, IN and MN. If you feel like you're senators would help in getting us what we need, then no way will I say no. Go for it.
4. Pertinent details that should be included in the conversation:
These are the two generic letters that were created; I'm reposting due to a correction that needed to be made:
-Urgent request.
An American citizen, Jerry Krause has been representing the United States in Africa as a Mission Aviation Fellowship and Sahel Aviation Service pilot for many years. He went missing on his approach to Sao Tome on April 7th.
There are two beacons on Jerry's aircraft that are capable of giving off signals known as 37.5Khz pings. The Navy believes that if Jerry's plane crashed in that area, it would be at a depth of 12,000'. P3 Orion, which is currently located in Rota, Spain, has the sophisticated equipment capable of hearing the pings at this depth.
You can help by getting in touch with the Department of Defense (Security Defense and Navy) and ask that they send the P3 Orion to help find Jerry. Time is running out. We have until May 7th before the signal is lost.
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent request,
-Honorable ___________,
I have been informed that you are aware of the search for Mission Aviation Fellowship alumni and Sahel Aviation Service pilot, Jerry Krause who went missing during a ferry flight from South Africa to Mali on April 7th, 2013. There are two beacons located on Jerry's aircraft that will be giving off signals until May 7th, 2013. The Navy has reported that they believe Jerry could have possibly crashed into a body of water with a depth of 12,000′. Therefore, Jerry's family needs sophisticated equipment capable of detecting 37.5Khz pings at 12,000′. P3 Orion, a US Navy aircraft located in Rota, Spain has capabilities of detecting 37.5Khz pings at 12,000′. Jerry's family needs to get this aircraft to conduct a search. It is the family's last effort in finding Jerry's aircraft and finding Jerry if he crashed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is my hope and prayer that you are able to help with the urgent need in getting some answers for the Krause family.
5. Once again, the specific contact information for the Senators is below, this is the contact information for these senators in their DC office. In order to save space, I have not included information for their other offices.
Minnesota senators:
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3244
Fax: 202-228-2186
The Honorable Al Franken
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5641
Fax: 202-224-0044
Indiana senators:
The Honorable Dan Coats
United States Senate
493 Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5623
Fax: 202-228-1820
The Honorable Joe Donnelly
SR-B33 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-4814
Fax: 202-224-5011
6. The findjerry.com page will get updated today for those of you sharing this information with non-facebook friends.
7. Someone mentioned another aircraft capable of conducting this search. We are focused on the P3 Orion because that specific aircraft is relatively close and was requested at the beginning of the search for my dad. The US Navy would not commit the aircraft to come at that time, though they did provide other services. We just need the sophisticated equipment. If the US Navy committed a different aircraft with the same capabilities, then great!
8. Someone asked about the other equipment we had sent to Sao Tome, that equipment is instrumental in conducting shallow water searches (we are actually still running into problems in getting it to Sao Tome, ones that are really out of our control, so please pray for a miracle in order to get that equipment to our contact in Sao Tome ASAP). But we still need equipment capable of conducting deep water searches.
9. Advice from others: Fax is the better choice due to the screening process of US Mail.
10. Media coverage: I know the media has kept up with various aspects of the search for my dad, but I'm unsure of how broad or extensive it has been. Please feel free to contact more media. I know in IN someone had it covered by Channel 13.
11. I have made an official request on the behalf of my family through Dan Coats website.
12. If you need a specific contact person for more information, please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Monday, April 22nd 13:24 GMT
For the previous update, here are two generic letters that can be used. They were actually written by Carolyn Holmgren and Meredith Boyles. So thank you both of you for doing this, it lightened my load as I've had trouble keeping up.
Urgent request.
An American citizen, Jerry Krause has been representing the United States in Africa as a Mission Aviation Fellowship and Sahel Aviation Service pilot for many years. He went missing after takeoff from Sao Tome on April 7.
There are two beacons on Jerry's aircraft that are capable of giving off signals known as 37.5Khz pings. The Navy believes that if Jerry's plane crashed in that area, it would be at a depth of 12,000'. The only equipment sophisticated enough to hear the pings at this depth are located aboard the P3 Orion which is currently in Rota, Spain.
You can help by getting in touch with the Department of Defense (Security Defense and Navy) and ask that they send the P3 Orion to help find Jerry. Time is running out. We have until May 7 before the signal is lost.
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent request,
Honorable ___________,
I have been informed that you aware of the search for Mission Aviation Fellowship alum and Sahel Aviation Service pilot, Jerry Krause who went missing after a ferry flight from South Africa to Mali on April 7, 2013. There are two beacons located on Jerry's aircraft that will be giving off signals until May 7, 2013. The Navy has reported that they believe Jerry would have possibly crashed into a body of water with a depth of 12,000′. Therefore, Jerry's family needs sophisticated equipment capable of detecting 37.5Khz pings at 12,000′. P3 Orion, a US Navy aircraft located in Rota, Spain has capabilities of detecting 37.5Khz pings at 12,000′. Jerry's family needs to get this aircraft to conduct a search. It is the family's last effort in finding Jerry's aircraft and finding Jerry if he crashed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is my hope and prayer that you are able to help with the urgent need in getting some answers for the Krause family.
Monday, April 22nd at 10:30 GMT
A WAY TO HELP- IN and MN residents!
There are two beacons located on my dads aircraft that will be giving off signals underwater for a guaranteed 30 days, May 7th being the last day. The signal these beacons are giving off are called 37.5Khz pings.
The Navy reported that the area they believe my dad would have crashed has the depth of 12,000′. Therefore, we need sophisticated equipment capable of detecting 37.5Khz pings at 12,000'.
P3 Orion, a US Navy aircraft located in Rota, Spain has these capabilities. We need YOUR help to get this aircraft to conduct a search. It is our last effort to finding my dad's aircraft and finding my dad if he crashed.
There are two senators in MN- Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. I know that Amy Klobuchar is well informed about the situation, I'm unsure about Mr. Franken.
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3244
Fax: 202-228-2186
The Honorable Al Franken
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5641
Fax: 202-224-0044
There are also two senators in IN- Joe Donnelly and Dan Coats. I also know that Joe Donnelly is aware of the situation, and am unsure about Mr. Coats.
The Honorable Dan Coats
United States Senate
493 Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5623
Fax: 202-228-1820
The Honorable Joe Donnelly
SR-B33 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-4814
Fax: 202-224-5011
Our request is that you contact these senators and ask them to put pressure on the Department of Defense (Security Defense and Navy) in order for P3 Orion to come do an investigation for us.
We have been informed that HANDWRITTEN letters get more attention than emails and phone calls, whether it be snail mail or fax.
We NEED the aircraft there before May 7th. Preferably before Friday while we still have someone in Sao Tome.
Sunday, April 21st at 19:21 GMT
As we begin another week of the search, we hope and pray that we are able to conclude with concrete evidence and answers that we receive from various sources throughout the week. Please continue to partner with us in prayer as we attempt to get more sophisticated equipment to be able to conduct a deep water search for the airplane (oil rig or US Navy aircraft in the area). A helicopter search is being conducted tomorrow morning over the approach end of the runway and some of the coast line around São Tomé. We pray that everything will be aligned in obtaining that equipment that is still on its way from the US to detecting the plane's beacon in shallow water. Also pray for Gina and Jessica as they try to extend their plane tickets tomorrow for a future date at a reasonable price. With a new week comes new answers. Just praying for closure at this point for the family.
Please check back again tomorrow to see how you can help. We may need your assistance to gain attention of the US government. I will have more details for you tomorrow.
Thank you for you prayers. The family was able to relax a little bit today and is ready for a new day in the search tomorrow. Praising the Lord for His goodness and mercies.
UPDATE: 20 April 23:00 GMT
Today has been a day of waiting. Unfortunately, we don't receive many answers over the weekend. The unit that came from Irvine, CA to Kenya got delayed until Wednesday because of flight times. Please continue to pray for it to arrive safely and in a timely manner for us to attempt to use it. Pray for more government input as we try to convince an oil rig in the Gulf of Guinea to use their equipment in the search. Our family has been realistic during this entire search, not leaving any rock unturned. As we close in on two weeks of searching, pray for wisdom and discernment in our upcoming decisions, whatever they may be. We can earnestly say that we feel your prayers. We wouldn't have gotten this far without them. We know that the Lord has orchestrated this entire search and His presence has been evident in EVERYTHING.
We needed to wait to post this, but the equipment that we have coming from Irvine, CA wasn't a cheap piece of equipment. Our family was prepared for that. However, when Jessica talked to the VP of Underwater Acoustic and Diver Products at RJE International, he said that it was FREE. His statement was that he, "wanted Jessica to find her dad." We couldn't be more overwhelmed by RJE's generosity and, again, His presence in the situation. You have been our prayer warriors and we couldn't be more grateful. Words can't express our appreciation.
UPDATE: 18 April 21:00 GMT
Update from Jessica:
Friends and family, I feel like we say thank you every time we have an update, but once again, the first thing that comes to my mind is to say thank you. I am continually in awe of the support we've been given. And I sincerely believe that the progress we've made on searching for my dad would not have been as effective without each of you. God is continually revealing His Sovereignty over this situation and I have never felt more confident in His love for me and my family as difficult as the past week and half has been.
Progress is being made! Please keep praying and staying involved, God is working!
UPDATE: 17 April 2013 20:00 GMT
It has been a busy day for all of the family from newspaper and radio interviews to meetings and creating more contacts in Africa to continue raising awareness on Jerry's disappearance. Below is an article written by the Associated Press for various news networks. AP will writing a new story for tomorrow now that they have more information and a few corrections:
1) The power going off in Sao Tome is new news. That was never reported previously when Sao Tome was contacted by the US Embassy in Gabon early last week. They are either stating this now to cover their tracks since they didn't follow protocol when a plane went missing or they are involved somehow with the disappearance. It would have made sense had they come out and said that from the beginning, but such thing was said last week about electricity going out.
2) The person going to Sao Tome is being funded by Sahel Aviation Service, not the Krause family.
3) Sao Tome air traffic control DID NOT contact mainland airports to check on Jerry's status as they should have, even though they said they did in this article.
**We ask that if you have ANY contacts in Sao Tome that you contact us through private message or email at email@example.com.
UPDATE: 17 April 2013 03:00 GMT
With the help of family in the US, a missing person's report was filed so that National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) can get moving on the investigation as to the disappearance of Jerry. Military personnel is also beginning an investigation there now that the missing persons report has been filed.
She is extremely encouraged to have found someone to go to São Tomé and get the official documentation as to what actually took place there from Jerry radioing in to land to their responses and follow-up. Their stories haven't been confirmed and haven't been consistent.
A meeting has been set up with the South African Embassy in Mali who will be working as a liaison between Gina/Jessica and the South African Civil Aviation Authority. We are glad that this will be moving things along as well.
After much research and digging, there is a 50% chance that Jerry's plane crashed. That other 50% is the probability that he was captured and forced to fly for some drug lords or guerillas members. There is evidence now to support both scenarios.
Prayer requests:
-Please pray for the person who is going to going to Sao Tome on the Krause family behalf. We pray that he will be blessed for his willingness, concern, and effort that he has already demonstrated for a family he doesn't even know.
-Pray for Gina. You can imagine the weariness she is feeling after sleep deprivation and the 9 days of constant searching. Pray that God will continue to speak to her in bold and direct ways. Pray that she will remain in Him and maintain a child-like faith.
-Pray for family here in the US who are waiting and searching from afar. The uncertainty is the worst part. Pray that they will find strength in God and be able to find rest in Him.
-Pray for Jessica as she spearheads the search and encourages Gina along the way. Pray that she will know where to search for information next and lean on God and not her own understanding.
If you feel so inclined, one of our prayer partners created a signup sheet for people to be praying for Jerry, his family, and officials around the clock. She has added more slots since the last signup filled up so quickly! Thank you all for prayers and support. We have made connections with people who aren't even connected to the family through this page and for that we are extremely grateful. We serve a God who can move mountains and whose mighty hand is over this entire situation.
UPDATE: 16 April 2013 10:00 GMT
After a long trip to get to Mali and the electricity in Mali going in and out all day, Jessica was able to send an update:
We found out that Orange Mali cannot track the phone outside of Mali. The last activity they had seen on Jerry's phone was April 5th and he had called Gina on April 7th before departing South Africa. We are working on another route to get information regarding his cell phone.
First thing tomorrow morning, the contact at the US Embassy will be reaching out to NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), who is a federal agency in the US. They are working to get the South African Civil Aviation involved as well so there are two governments represented and working together on the investigation.
The US Embassy found out there is only one fuel provider in São Tomé and the local staff said they did not refuel Jerry's plane. We are working to get documentation of that.
Several emergency locator authorities, including a global one from Montreal, Canada, found no matches in the geographic region or an emergency signal going off during that time period that Jerry was flying.
Jessica also learned today if Jerry did crash, the plane would have crumbled into a million pieces, which is actually a relief because that continues to make it a small chance that he crashed. The pieces would have separated and gone out in every direction quickly with the tide and they would have found the debris on top of the water or getting caught in fishing nets as that areas is highly populated with fishermen.
Since we have had more confirmation that Jerry DID NOT crash, there is more potential that he was potentially ambushed or kidnapped. Again, there is no proof of kidnapping, but it's becoming more of a reality. Please pray for the US Embassy officials to get answers and for other countries to cooperate as we continue to search.
Nothing has come from the $5,000 reward offered as of yet. Keep in mind that pretty much every piece from that plane can be matched specifically to the plane he was flying with serial numbers and the paint color. $5,000 is close to a year's salary in Africa so we know if anyone had found anything, they would have come forward.
Grateful to have received news today and continuing to get the word out in many countries! Pray for rest for Gina and Jessica as they continue the search tomorrow. Pray for a peace that surpasses all worry and anxiety. Pray for continued strength and endurance for Jerry and his entire family.
Please continue to share this update with your friends and family. We have gotten so far in just a few days with making new contacts. We appreciate all that you have done to help spread the word!
UPDATE: 14 April 2013 06:30 GMT
Thank you for your constant prayers and support. We don't want to lose momentum so please continue to "share" this status with your FB friends and church families as we continue to raise awareness. It is through our worldwide contacts that we will be able to find Jerry. We are so incredibly grateful for the outreach! Also, please continue to check back to see how YOU can help us in the next few days. We will have instructions as to what to do when the timing is right. We ARE having an impact and the Lord is hearing our requests!
Latest information from Gina:
We have some indication that Jerry may be alive. Please pray with me that God would bring supernatural clarity to this lead. We have followed up on one tip, and have direction on where to try tomorrow. We need God to continue bringing TRUTH to this confusing situation.
Orange has not been able to give us much feedback. I have been told I will have something by Monday. Pray that this will be the case.
Pray also for God's Light to penetrate Sao Tome. My research has shown that it is a very dark place with lots of problems.
Pray for the flying to resume on Sunday or Monday. They are looking at a different way of searching for Jerry's plane. The Coast Guard is still searching. Nothing has floated to the surface. There is NO evidence of a crash.
God Knows where Jerry is. God gave me Psalm 44 when Jerry first went missing. Today's verse that God put on my heart was verse 33: It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory. It was God's right hand, His arm and the Light of His face, for He loves us. (I changed it a bit). Interpretation: The US Embassy has a lot of power, but the things that have been revealed have come from God's Mighty Hand. I know I serve a God who can do the IMPOSSIBLE.
UPDATE: 13 April 2013 00:00 GMT
Latest update from Gina, Jerry's wife in Mali: She has been in contact with Orange, but no one has gotten back with her as told. With it being the weekend now, we are hoping they continue to work and turn on his cell phone tomorrow to track what towers/satellites his iPhone last used so we can have a better direction as to where he last was. Pray that his battery life will last long enough to find him.
Plane searches came up unsuccessful yet again. Pray for guidance as we attempt to track him via GPS since his 4 emergency locator transmitters on the plane never went off, meaning there was no emergency landing or crash.
While we were hoping to get more information today, we are still hopeful for more direction tomorrow. Please continue to pray for renewed hope and strength of the Krause family, the government officials who are involved in the search and rescue, as well as Jerry to feel encouraged and have a peace that we know only the Lord can provide at this point.
We are doing what we can from afar–and your prayers have been heard! Thank you for partnering with us during this time of uncertainty. Please continue to share with your friends and family.
UPDATE: 12 April 2013 14:00 GMT
As of Friday morning, Orange is now cooperating to help find Jerry Krause via the GPS on his iPhone. Thank you for your continued support; if you could continue to pray for Jerry's safe return to his family, they'd very much appreciate it. At the end of the day, we all serve a sovereign God and trust in Him completely. You can email the family your prayers and encouragement at email@example.com.
American missionary Jerry Krause's plane went missing on an Africa ferry flight of a Beech 1900C aircraft from South Africa to Mali on Sunday, April 7th. Jerry is a former member of the Mission Aviation Fellowship, but when MAF pulled out of Mali in 2009 Jerry stayed on with Sahel Aviation to continue serving there. Jerry has a wife, Gina, and three children. Jerry regularly uses an iPhone to communicate with his family stateside, and the iPhone was on at the time local authorities lost contact with the plane.
French communications organization Orange, who operates Jerry's iPhone, shut his phone off remotely to conserve battery power but have otherwise been unwilling to help in the search and rescue mission.
The first search flight covered the first 50 nautical miles of Jerry's flight path to the island of São Tomé, located off of the west coast of Africa, and the last nine miles out from where they lost contact with him. They also searched the coastline area and near the airport. No signs of the aircraft have been found. There have been boats in the water assisting with the search, but the family isn't certain as to how many or for how long.
Friday morning, a second search flight is scheduled to focus more along the coast and inland. Flight permits for additional aircraft have been secured should they be needed. The black box transponder has not been activated yet, making it unlikely that Jerry crashed and increasingly likely that he was forced to land in hostile territory and impossible to use as a tool for Jerry's rescue.
Orange holds the Krause family's best hope of finding Jerry, but remains uncooperative. Please tweet #findjerry and a link to www.findjerry.com to the following corporate board members of Orange:
You can also show your support by tweeting #findjerry and a link to www.findjerry.com to @orange and @foundationorange, other extensions of the telecommunications firm on Twitter. In the mean time, please keep Jerry in your prayers. Those interested in sending prayer and messages of encouragement can send those to email@example.com.
If a representative from Orange is reading this, please contact email@example.com so that Jerry's family can connect you with the right people on the ground.
Aujourd'hui, le 12 avril, Orange a décidé d'offrir son assistance dans la recherche de
Jerry Krause. Merci, Orange!
L'avion d'un missionnaire américain, Jerry Krause, a disparu lors d'un vol entre l'Afrique de sud et le Mali dimanche dernier (le 7 avril). Jusqu'en 2009, Jerry travaillait pour Mission Aviation Fellowship. Quand ce groupe a quitté le Mali, il est resté dans le pays, pilotant désormais pour Sahel Aviation. Il a une femme, Gina, et trois enfants, Nathan, Alyssa et Jessica. Jerry utilise frequemment un iPhone pour communiquer avec sa famille aux Etats-Unis, et son téléphone était allumé quand les autorités locales ont perdu le contacte avec son avion. L'opérateur de téléphonie mobile Orange a éteint le portable de Jerry à distance pour conserver sa batterie, mais refuse d'aider les groupes qui recherchent Jerry et son avion. Pourtant, Orange est le meilleur espoir qu'on ait de retrouver ce pilote. Veuillez tweeter #findjerry et le lien pour www.findjerry.com à ces adresses Twitter:
- @DelphineCuny
- @BrunoMettling
- @MarcRennard
- @xaviercouture
- @ orange
- @foundationorange
Le premier vol de repérage a suivi le vol de Jerry jusqu'à l'ile de Sao Tomé, sur la côte ouest de l'Afrique, et a retracé les derniers kilomètres de son vol, jusqu'à l'endroit où ils ont perdu le contact. Ils ont aussi survolé l'aéroport, mais sans trouver de traces de l'avion. Les recherches se sont aussi déroulées sur l'eau, mais la famille ne connait pas les détails de cet effort maritime. Un deuxième vol est prévu pour vendredi matin, celui-ci focalisé sur plusieurs kilomètres le long de la côte. Les droits pour plus de vols de reconnaissance ont été obtenus. La boite noire de l'appareil ne s'est pas déclenchée, ce qui indiquerait que l'avion ne s'est pas écrasé. Il est possible que Jerry ai du aterrir dans un endroit hostile. Si quelqu'un associé à la compagnie Orange lis ceci, veuillez contacter email@example.com aussi tôt que possible pour que la famille de Jerry puisse vous mettre en contact avec les personnes sur place.

subset: commoncrawl