Praise and all Glory to God! We began moving into our new home today. We will finish moving this weekend and will have our dogs with us once again.

Some prayer concerns:

1. Friends who need to keep properties rented and sell or rent an empty building.
2. Wisdom and discernment as we work on our budget for 2009.
3. Praise as the final portions of a West African Bible come to completion.

This list is created weekly (usually) but not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service,
Richard and Josi Ingram

Even though Thanksgiving has just passed by, there are many things for us to be thankful for:

1. The dogs are behaving at the Graves home, even tho’ they are in the presence of children (one very small). They are running the house, and the house’s dog, but they are as gentle as can be with all the kids-and that is a miracle for Corgis!
2. The way we have been welcomed here at PBT and Southwest Christian Church; less like new people, and more like people they have been waiting for! It has been such a blessing. For old friends who have been brought back to us in surprising ways and new friends who have made us “part of the gang” right away! Both are precious and a constant delight!
3. That God continues to call us to new and interesting things as we get older, even tho’ we may think we are comfortable and settled. It is very exciting to step out of our comfort zone and follow God on a new adventure!
4. That we have a roof over our heads. As we continue to look for the roof we want, and a permanent one, we are so grateful to have a place to stay that is safe, warm and dry (kind of a big deal here).
5. Just being here! We waited a long time (9 months) to move here to Texas, and we are so glad to be here! Yes, we miss “home” and family and friends, but this is where God has brought us, and it is so wonderful to be where you know God wants you!
6. For our families who let us go with grace, but who still hold on to us in love!
7. For our partners who have followed us with their support of prayers, finances, notes, calls, and love! Each one of you is a very special gift to us from our Lord, and we can’t do without you!
8. The way we can look back and see how God has been working all thru’ our lives to bring us to this place. And for the faith and strength that gives us to know that He is still working in us for all He has planned for our future.
9. For each other. Thirty-one years of marriage have gone by, and we pray there will be many more. We are so comfy together, but we still have so much fun!
10. Most of all, for our Father who gave His Son, Himself, to pay the cost for our sins, and make us His own spotless child and heir to eternity in Him. All praise to You, Lord. If You did nothing else, that would be more than enough! Thank You!

Prayers and praises:

1. We are applying today for a rental house. We finally found one that has what we need to bring the dogs home for Christmas.
2. Praise that Amy Carter was able to come home last week. We got to see her at church and she spent time with her family on Thanksgiving. She still has a long road ahead of her.
3. Josi’s niece Andrea has health issues that are plaguing her with pain and fatigue.
4. Richard’s sister Sharon is the doctor this week regarding her kidney transplant options
5. We still need more partners to come alongside us.
6. We need wisdom and discernment while working on our budget for 2009.

This list is created weekly (usually) but not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service,
Richard and Josi Ingram

Boy, once you get off track, it’s hard to get going again. We’ve missed several weeks this time. Pray for me to have better consistency.

Since our last update, several things have happened:

• Richard attended a Men’s Retreat and was blessed
• Richard was sick twice with the flu
• The Pioneer Bible Translators Second Annual Banquet went spectacularly well
• Financing for the house we were trying to buy fell through
• We are now searching for an appropriate rental home
• We’re once again living in the Guest House on campus

As we look back at our adventures trying to buy a house, we are disappointed. However, we praise God for the blessings He has given us and know that His timing and His plans are always better than ours.

As this is being written, we’re attending the National Missionary Convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is an anniversary for us! A year ago we attended the Convention in Cincinnati and began our relationship with Pioneer Bible Translators. Now we are attending as representatives of PBT! God has brought us a long way.

Here are some prayer concerns for you:

1. Richard’s sister Sharon was in the hospital and had some surgery done. She did not react well to the anasthesia and spent several days there. She is recovering now, but it has been no picnic. Her doctors are looking at a kidney transplant for her in the next year.
2. Josi’s niece Andrea has been having some serious health issues. Please lift her up in your prayers for healing and God’s will in her life.
3. We are working on our new budget for 2009. Please keep us in prayer for wisdom and discernment. Also pray for God to bring us more partners in our ministry.
4. We are seeking rental housing. Please pray for God to lead us to the appropriate home.
5. We will be traveling home from Tulsa on Sunday, November 23. Pray for safe travel for us and all of the others who will be traveling home from the convention.
6. Praise! Pioneer Bible Translators signed the papers for the new property. Interior walls for the new office were constructed last night by teens at the National Missionary Convention. They will be transported tomorrow to Dallas. We’ll let you know when ground breaking and construction begins.
7. Praise! The Second Annual PBT Banquet went off without a hitch. Many people stepped up to the plate to support PBT.

Keep in mind our mailing address here in Texas:

445 E. FM 1382
Suite 3 PMB 204
Cedar Hill, TX  75104

This list is created weekly (usually) but not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service,
Richard and Josi Ingram

Good grief! I’ve missed a week, somehow… Things have been moving on.

The trip to Galveston was good. Philip and Heather (the couple Richard helped) lost a lot of stuff, but their house was not destroyed. Pray for them to recover. They are in an apartment while they wait for their house to be repaired and continue med school in Galveston.

Praise the Lord! Our search for a house has come to a conclusion! We sign papers today on a new home. It’s a great looking house, priced lower than what we paid for our house in Globe! Pray now for a good inspection. We are looking forward to doing the little bit of fix-up (painting, carpeting, and the like) and moving. This home will be dedicated to the Lord’s service. This is His house and He has given it to us to the caretakers.

By-the-way, we moved this past weekend from the one-room Guest House accommodations to some friend’s house while they are away for three weeks. (Yes, they know we are here.)

There was one scare we had yesterday. We were notified that there had been a fire in the building where one of our storage units is located. Turned out to be no danger to our stuff (smells a little smoky, but will be fine), but eight other units were totally destroyed by the fire that was determined to be arson. Pray for the people who lost everything in the fire.

We are keeping the PO Box address:

Richard and Josi Ingram
445 E. FM 1382 Ste 3 PMB 204
Cedar Hill, TX  75104

This is a long-term address. Please send all correspondence to us here.

Here are some other prayer concerns:

1. Richard’s sister Sharon begins the process for a possible kidney transplant. Pray for the right donor-Richard and her children are the most likely candidates.
2. Amy Carter has been moved to Kindred Hospital for therapy and continued radiation treatments for the brain tumor. She is recovering, but it is very slow.
3. Our friend Vickie in Albuquerque had surgery yesterday to recover the joint in her hip. She will require four months of healing before therapy can begin.
4. Now that we are here, our finances will be taking a hard hit preparing a new home. Pray for more partners to come alongside us to help us with our monthly expenses and support us in prayer.
5. Josi’s niece Andre is having serious health concerns. Doctors are working out treatments.

This list is created weekly, not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

Keeping this short because I’m (Richard) heading for bed at 4:30 in the afternoon. Keep a group of us from the office in prayer tonight and tomorrow. We are leaving at 11:00 pm this evening for Galveston to be there in time for the lifting of curfew at 6:00 am. We are helping a newlywed couple who are med students there to try and salvage some of their belongings off Galveston Island. We have one day to get as much stuff as we can. The wife of the couple is the daughter of Josi’s boss, Marsha.

Also, the house we made an offer on went to a higher bidder. We will continue to wait on God’s will for a new house here in Dallas and keep looking.

We are both adjusting to our new jobs here at Pioneer Bible Translators and having a great time!

Like I said, keeping this short.

In Christ’s Service,
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

445 E. FM 1382 Ste 3 PMB 204
Cedar Hill, TX  75104

Well, Hurricane Ike was a no-show for us. If you were worried and praying for our safety, thanks. Your prayers worked. Ike flew by to the east of Dallas and dropped only a little rain and brought minor winds. We’ve had worse in the monsoons in Arizona. However, your prayers for those who were struck by Hurricane Ike are greatly appreciated. There were some families of some of the people who work with us at Pioneer Bible Translators that were seriously affected by the storm.

We are settling into our room in the dormitories on campus and still looking for a house. The house last week was sold to a higher bidder, but we have made an offer on another home yesterday. Pray for God’s will in this house-it’s great, but if it’s not God’s will for us to buy it, then so be it. We waited many months for our house to sell in Arizona, we can wait awhile for the right house to come along.

In the meantime, we have gotten a post office box for our mail, instead of using the office address. This will get mail to us faster. The new address is:

Richard and Josi Ingram
445 E. FM 1382 Ste 3 PMB 204
Cedar Hill, TX  75104

This is a long-term address. Please send all correspondence to us here.

In the meantime, here are some prayer concerns:

1. Amy Carter is still in the hospital. They are beginning other treatments for the remainder of the growth. Pray for the doctors to have skill and knowledge through the Holy Spirit to bring her back to health.
2. Our friend Vickie in Albuquerque is having a lot of pain in her hip and is looking at having a resurfacing job or hip replacement. Pray for her healing and the doctors to be quick in deciding what to do.
3. Jean, who helped us move to Dallas, is having knee surgery tomorrow. Pray for her quick recovery and, again, God’s healing hand with the doctors.
4. Praise! Richard’s niece passed her board exams! She is still dealing with a splinted wrist, but at least some of the worry is gone!
5. Pray for God’s favor on the house we have made an offer for. It is in great shape and at a really good price. May this be the home He has chosen for us.
6. Now that we are here, our finances will be taking a hard hit preparing a new home. Pray for more partners to come alongside us to help us with our monthly expenses and support us in prayer.
7. We are adjusting to being back at work. Praise to God for His blessings on us here. We are having a great time getting to know everyone and looking forward to using the talents He has given us in our work..

This list is created weekly, not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

We are both in agreement-we have found the house to put a bid on. Located in Grand Prairie, it is only 5 miles from the offices of Pioneer Bible Translators.

Please join us in prayer. We want to be sure that this is the house God has chosen for us. If it is, the negotiations will go smoothly and we will be able to move soon.

In Christ’s Service
Richard & Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

Well, did you make it? That’s the question we’ve been fielding on our cell phones the last couple of days.

Yes, we have arrived in Dallas, Texas, and are settling into our temporary accommodations in the Guest House at Pioneer Bible Translators. Most of our possessions are now residing in two storage units here, as we look for a new house to purchase and set up our new home. The dogs are staying with a PBT family here.

The trip from Globe to Dallas, was uneventful. The dogs had a great time, while Josi and I and Bill and Jean Cook motored our way across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

For the time being, our current address is:

Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators
7500 W. Camp Wisdom Road
Dallas, TX  75236-5629

Our phone numbers will stay the same for now; Richard’s is 602-920-0215 and Josi’s is 928-200-2227. Our email addresses are still the same; richard[at]omrisson[dot]com and josinoe[at]omrisson[dot]com. (I’ve done our addresses this way for anti-spam reasons.)

As soon as we have a permanent new address, we will keep you updated.

In the meantime, here are some prayer concerns:

1. Amy Carter, sister to Rusty Howard, and wife of Ed Carter, was diagnosed August 29 with a malignant brain tumor. She went into surgery on Sunday, August 31, and the doctors removed most of the growth. However, there remains parts attached to the brain stem that they cannot remove surgically. They will be treating it with chemotherapy while they are doing physical therapy to help her recover lost motor skills. Pray for her and her family while she recovers. Pray that the treatment will remove the remainder of the growth.
2. We have been prequalified for a new home in Dallas. Pray for us to find the right house. Our new home will be dedicated to the Lord’s work.
3. Pray for us as we live in a single room in the Guest House for a month. Pray for us not to trip over each other, not to get cabin fever, and to find a house SOON.
4. Pray for us to adjust to new weather, new working conditions, new people, new EVERYTHING. We are excited, but adjustment is always hard.
5. Now that we are here, our finances will be taking a hard hit preparing a new home. Pray for more partners to come alongside us to help us with our monthly expenses and support us in prayer.
6. Richard’s niece broke her wrist last weekend. Pray for healing as she adjusts to having it in a cast while doing school work.

In Christ’s Service
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

We are now just days away from moving to Dallas, Texas. Escrow on the house is closed, and we are as packed as we can be while we are still here. We pick up the truck on Tuesday morning, and head out Thursday morning. It’s a little hard to believe that the time has finally come for us to go, and after waiting for so long, the last couple of weeks have gone by so fast.

When you follow the Lord the enemy throws things in your way to try to trip you up. They are things that, if you let them, will cause a lot of stress, anger, fear, and trouble. We find, however, that if we hold on to our trust in God-the faith that He set us on this path-the problems will either be overcome, or will go away. He has not failed us yet. We have had more costs than we expected in the sale, but were able to save about the same amount in moving costs. The U-Haul dealer up here was not going to have a truck available for us, even though we had one reserved, but by calling the corporate office we got the truck AND 30 days free storage in Dallas. Every time something that looked bad has happened, it has worked out as soon as we let go and trusted in our Lord. These are good lessons for us to learn now, and take with us, because the enemy never stops.

Our next prayer list may be a little off schedule, due to travel and settling in at the new place. We will have our friends, Bill and Jean, with us for awhile, and we will be looking at houses and getting started in the offices. So please forgive us if we run late, and keep us in your prayers. Thank you so much that we can count on your faithful prayers.

Praise and Prayer needs

1. Praise that the house has closed and we are ready to go.
2. Praise that we will be able to spend the holiday with Josi’s family in Phoenix, and her sister and brother-in-law from Las Vegas.
3. Pray for travel mercies as Richard and Bill drive a moving truck towing the Jeep on a trailer, and Josi and Jean drive the mini-van with the dogs.
4. Pray for us to get pre-qualified for a new home in Dallas. We have applied with a couple of places and are waiting for word.
5. Pray for us as we live in a single room in the Residence Hall at the International Service Center for a month. We will be eating in a cafeteria, have no TV (horrors.), and limited computer space. And the dogs will be staying elsewhere. Pray for us not to trip over each other, not to get cabin fever, and to find a house SOON.
6. Pray for us to adjust to new weather, new working conditions, new people, new EVERYTHING. We are excited, but adjustment is always hard.

This list is created weekly, not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old, the elders, received their commendation”. Hebrews 11:1-2

A year ago, August 2007, God told us to “pack our bags” and that “this time next year, everything will be different.” We were not thinking in terms of leaving our ministry with Arizona Reservation Ministries. In October, God removed us from that ministry, leading us to Pioneer Bible Translators just a couple of weeks later.

Escrow will close on our house August 29, and we will move the last things out on September 2. We will be in Dallas by the 6^th. With God’s leading, we will soon be in a new home, finally working out of PBT’s International Service Center.

It has been hard, waiting on the Lord this long, but our faith, weak as it is by some standards, has led us to this point in our lives. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) He has called us, and we have answered.

For our friends and family here in Arizona, it’s time to be saying “goodbye.”. But this isn’t really a goodbye, it’s a “See you later.” We’ll be back on occasion. For old friends and new friends in Texas, we will soon be saying “Hello!”

There will be new challenges in the weeks, months, and years ahead. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We have faith that He will give us the strength, discernment, wisdom, and talents to meet all of the challenges that are ahead of us.

Prayers and praises for this week:

1. Praise! The house is sold, the termite inspection is clear, the house inspection was done and a minor repair has been made.
2. The septic inspection will be in the next couple of days, but pray that there are no problems.
3. Pray that the final packing and preparations will be uneventful.
4. Pray for the friends that will be helping us pack on the 2^nd and 3^rd of September.
5. We still need to raise new partners in our ministry-individuals and churches who are willing to stand alongside us in our ministry with Pioneer Bible Translators.
6. Pray for everyone at PBT-they’re going to have to get used to us “foreigners.”

This list is created weekly, not necessarily on the same day. If you would like us to pray for any of your concerns, please send us a note.

In Christ’s Service
Richard and Josi Ingram
Pioneer Bible Translators