Our Prayer Letter

PENNER'S PARABLES

The Penners (Irv,Mari,Leah,Jaxon)

Box 2772 Swan River M.B.

Canada, R0L 1Z0

pennersparables@gmail.com

204-734-5745

You know that fear you get when you are about to step into a job interview, you drive up to the
place of business gleaming with confidence, you step out of your comfort zone, which for the time
being was your car and some of that confidence slips away. You begin to walk up to the door and as
you pull the door open there comes a slight shiver of fear that tingles in your spine. You enter and see
three other people sitting on the couch waiting for their name to be called, and you start to doubt if you
should have come in the first place. That confidence that you had in your car as you drove up has
turned into fear and doubt and you begin to question if you are even qualified for the job any longer.
You want to just turn around and walk away, but you can't because deep down inside you know you
were meant for this position. That is how I had been feeling about being accepted as a missionary, we
filled out all the paper work, had everything in order and then, fear set in, what if I am not good enough
and I fall flat on my face.
The concept of falling flat on my face is not the attitude that shows the faith I need as God leads and
provides our needs. God is always reliable, no matter the circumstance; all I need to do is open my eyes
to what God has done in our previous mission trips to Mexico.
Our first experience in missions was going to an orphanage in Mexico, and even before we left God
exemplified His compassion for the orphans through the heart of our daughter Leah, as she organized a
coffee and dessert evening where Leah and her friends used their musical gifts to play while others ate
dessert and had coffee, no admission was charged but a love offering was taken. That evening they
raised $1,000.00 for the orphanage.
There were groceries purchased, medications purchased, and when we went to drop off all the
supplies we were told that the orphanage had emptied their shelves and were praying that God would
provide for them. Through Leah obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit their needs were supplied for
another month. Even at this time our hearts were being prepared for a return to Mexico.
Last summer when we were in Mexico helping with the church plant, teaching ways of using our
friendships to evangelize in our everyday lives, and doing the evangelistic outreach, we knew that God
was calling us to Mexico.
Like the example I used in the beginning of this letter, fear and doubt set in, but all of our thoughts
were towards Mexico, and our hearts yearned for the people of Mexico. We knew we were meant for
this task, this ministry. We have been praying for confirmation of that as we had applied to become
missionaries with YUGO Missions.
I have worked in a high school over the past few years as an educational assistant, and my
supervisor had told me that my ministry was in the high school, and that I should stay and not go to
Mexico. I will admit I was confused for a time, I was getting opportunities to teach morals and ethics to
students and that felt good. But my heart was still in Mexico. One day I was so confused that while at
work I just cried out to God, “I am willing to give up on Mexico and stay in the high school if that is
what You want, please either close the door to Mexico and open the door for the high school so I can
see it clearly.” About seven minutes after I had called out to God I received a text message from Leah
to call Mari when I had a minute. It was lunch break so I picked up the phone and called Mari, and was
told that YUGO Missions called and said we had been accepted and we can move into the prayer and
financial support raising in our preparation for going to Mexico. I hung up the phone and said “thank
you God, I will go to Mexico in obedience to You, please find the people we need for our prayer
support and for our financial support.”
The door has swung open, We are now beginning the process of raising both spiritual (prayer
support) and financial support so we can move forward into the work we believe God is calling us to.
We have been learning about ourselves more and more over the past few years, and one thing we
have learnt is God's timing is everything.
We have been praying that God would direct you in the path you should take as you pray for His
guidance in deciding how to support us. I know that everyone can support us in prayer, and recognize
that our God is a wealthy God and could supply all our needs on His own, but God wants us to do the
work together, to be His hands and feet in the world as we minister together. So thank you in advance
for teaming with us in Mexico, your gifts of prayer and finances will make a difference in God's
kingdom!!
In Christ

Donations

Irv, Mari, Leah and Jaxon Penner

YUGO Ministries

PO BOX 231

St. Albert AB.

Canada T8N 1N3

yugoministries@cruzinternet.com