Raymond and Carol Simon

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

We are approaching the end of a very full two-year home assignment. This second year is an extension of the normal one-year home assignment, during which we have served as missionaries-in-residence at Simpson University. For Ray, this role involved teaching two classes each semester, being very involved in missions-related events and working with the student-led Mission Task Force. One of the highlights for him this year has been being on campus on a regular basis, which allowed him to build relationships with students while interacting with them one-on-one. We have had many opportunities to have students into our home, in numbers ranging from 1 to 70+ at a time!

How can we sum up nearly two busy years?! We have been so grateful for the time that we have had close to all three of our children here in Redding. It has also been a great blessing to be a part of a caring body of believers. The following is a brief r�©sum�© of some of the highlights of our time here in the U.S.:

* Fall 2004, spring 2005: Ray shared about the needs in France, speaking in several churches in Ohio, Kentucky, Washington and Oregon. He thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the many new friends that he made, as well as renewing old friendships along the way.

* Carol has also had opportunities to share about our ministry and the needs in France to various women�s groups, rallies and retreats during our time here.

* In the spring of 2005, our whole family (six of us) was able to make the trip up to Canada to visit some of Carol�s family there.

* Good friends from France stayed with us for about 2 weeks, and we were able to travel with them locally and up into Oregon, showing them some of the amazing sites along the way.

* Our son, Tyler, and daughter-in-law, Wreth presented us with our first grandchild on July 22, 2005!! Isaiah Ray Simon is now 10 months old and Carol has had the joy of caring for him while his parents work, since he was just a few weeks old.

*February 18-25, 2006: Ray and Carol flew to Louisiana during spring break as part of a group of 37 people, mostly students, whose mission was to help hurricane Katrina victims in whatever way we could�.quite an adventure! We were involved in interacting with some of the most needy people there, meeting some material needs and lending a listening ear. Part of the time was spent gutting and cleaning houses for people who couldn�t do it themselves. Hopefully we left the imprint of Christ�s love in our endeavor to serve.

What�s ahead for us?

Our visa applications for returning to France are being processed at this time and we are working toward an early August departure. Spencer, who is finishing 10th grade here in Redding, will return to Black Forest Academy this fall. Whitney will be living at the Gatehouse here in Redding (what a blessing!), and plans to continue her studies toward a degree in nursing.

Our last term of service in France was spent helping to start a church in the city of Poitiers, in the west-central part of the country. This church is functioning well under the leadership of Pastor Norbert Cl�©ment, with whom we teamed to help form the body of believers in Poitiers.

We have been asked to return and live in another city, Limoges, in this same area of France which is so in need of Christian witness. Limoges, well known world-wide for its fine porcelain, is the principal city in the Limousin region. This region is probably best-known for a breed of cattle by the same name. It is an area that is strongly rooted in superstition and magic. There are only a handful of protestant churches in this city of close to 200,000 people, and none that resemble a C&MA church.

One young French lay couple awaits a pastoral couple to move to Limoges and work as a team with them in reaching out to the spiritually needy people of that city. We hope to be the ones to join them this summer.

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

Requests for your prayerful consideration:

* Pray that our visas will come through quickly.

* That the Spirit of God will be working in hearts of individuals with whom we will come in contact, even before we arrive on French soil. We are keenly aware that we have no power to convince or to convict. That is the work of God�s Spirit, without whom our efforts would be in vain.

* Pray against spiritual strongholds.

* A need for a suitable home in Limoges, which can be used initially as a place of worship as well.

* Purchase of a suitable vehicle upon or before our arrival in France�funds still needed.

* Pray for quality time with family and friends in the months that remain for us in the U.S., and for safety as we travel many miles.

*Praise God that Whitney will be able to live at the Gatehouse, home for MK's here in Redding. Pray for her adjustment.

*Pray for Spencer as he makes the adjustment again to boarding school at BFA.

We are so grateful to those who have continued to faithfully pray for us, not only while we were overseas, but during these past two years of home assignment. Some of you have continued to give to our car fund, work special fund or outfit fund. These gifts are appreciated very much, and are a great help to us, particularly as we move back overseas to settle into a new place.

France

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