As you read this, Kim and I are on a plane to lead a medical team to Mongolia. It has been a crazy and amazing month for the Jones family. We had a wonderful team in Thailand to finish up July and kick off August. We had a multi-national team as 2 ladies from Brazil joined us. It’s not often we utilize translators within our team. We started with a VBS in Bangkok with the Salmons. It was a fast paced start to a trip. We jumped in to help with the VBS, ate lunch real fast, then hopped on a plane to western Thailand.

We worked in MaeSot again and got to serve there twice in the same summer. It rained the entire time! But that helped with the heat. Part of our team built a new kitchen for the school and boarding home. Fortunately, we were located under a roof. It was a huge need for the school, and they were very excited to have the upgraded space to help feed the 240 kids every day.

We took advantage of our teenagers and spread 10 loads of sand all over the field to help with the mini ponds that were forming from all the rain. It should really help with mosquitos and drainage. Everyone got to help with the morning songs and devotions it was great to see the engagement from the kids and the joy on their faces. We hosted a youth night and a lady’s night to encourage and engage the community. One afternoon we delivered food to refugee families in the area. We were soaked, but nobody cared. 

After an epic field day in the rain and swampy field, we had to say goodbye to everyone for this year. We got the team back to Bangkok and while they flew home, we flew to Vietnam to meet up with Kayli and the ministry partners there. As we were working in Thailand, Kayli went to Vietnam and spent the time teaching in a school. It was awesome to get to see how the Lord used her. Our time in Vietnam was spent working with kids at our nutrition center and attending fellowships with other missionaries in SE Asia.

We made it home just in time to pack our girls up and get them moved back into college last weekend. Then, we spent this past week prepping for our medical team to Mongolia, and we are now on a flight to Seoul. Please be in prayer for our team and favor with customs and that we would be used greatly. We will be out in the Gobi Desert about as far from civilization as you can get. Thank you for your prayers and support.

After 57 days on the road, 12 flights, and 23 different hotels/places to stay, we are still alive, and we have a ways to go. The month of July has been packed with teams. We started in Thailand, then went to Japan. Now, we are back in Thailand to pick up another team here. The Lord did a lot of amazing things with these past two teams.

In Thailand we served at our orphanage and school in MaeSot. It is on the western border of Thailand and our project cares for Burmese children. We were able to teach in the school, play soccer, host a field day, Ladies’ Night, Youth Night, preach in church, deliver food to families, and just spend time encouraging and fellowshipping with everyone. We have seen children grow up in the school and become teachers! We have seen them get married, have children, and be used in great ways. This project has been ongoing for 20 years and each time we go back it is like a family reunion for all of us. 

After we said goodbye to MaeSot, we got the team back to Bangkok. While they were flying home, we were flying to Tokyo to pick up another team. 

Japan is one of the most difficult places in the world for church planters. We love getting to go and come alongside them, encourage them, and help how we can. We spent the week working at a camp in the mountains in Japan. Each year we take a team to help get the camp ready for the Japanese kids to get out of school for their summer break and for the camping season to begin. 

This year we built a climbing wall, which was Kayli’s favorite part as she has been taking climbing classes in college. We also helped roof an outdoor kitchen area and replace lights in the chapel. Speaking of the chapel, thanks to this group it got a brand new coat of paint and looks great! Another part of the team spent the week cleaning out and organizing the basement tools and supplies. I’m glad it was them and not me. Lastly, we had an amazing time at a cookout with Japanese churches.

To cap it off, we took the team on a tour of Tokyo and got to see Mount Fuji. Not a bad way to end. We are now back in Thailand getting ready to pick up our next team. Thank you for your prayers and support. I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

It has been an epic month here in Europe. I’ll try to be as concise as possible. I’ll leave out the lost luggage debacle. We found extremely cheap flights to Budapest, rented a van and drove into Romania where we worked with our ministry partners in some Gypsy villages. This is where MANNA’s work started in Romania and we got to have Austin, MANNA’s marketing manager join us for this trip. He and I visited Romania together exactly 10 years ago. While in western Romania, we were able to visit our new medical clinic and observe the progress on the renovations. It will have a huge resource and serve the Gypsy communities. We met with some key doctors at a local hospital in the main city. Be in prayer as we work with the government on approvals. 

From here, we drove to Bucharest and picked up a team from Texas. It was a great team. We spent most of our time in Severin visiting churches and working in our nutrition centers. One day we had a construction project where we finished out several rooms at the church in Severin for women’s ministry and for youth. It was a dream of Cathy Gonciulea to have a room like this and we were able to pray over it and dedicate it in her honor. The team put on a carnival at two of our nutrition centers in Rogova and Lupsa. The kids loved it! T-Rex even made an appearance. Ha! The team taught Bible lessons and did crafts with kids at 3 different churches and really invested in the community. We also were able to visit Father’s House in Campulung, Romania. MANNA has been able to house Ukrainian refugees here.

After we said farewell to the team we headed to Greece with Austin. We have a ministry partner in Athens who is doing an unbelievable job with their church and reaching refugees from Iran, Syria, etc. We had a Father’s Day service in Greek at the first service. Then, after lunch, we got to attend a Persian service that was in Farsi, reaching Iranian refugees. It was amazing. To make it even better, we got to meet with some refugees one day, 4 decided to follow Christ, and on another day, we took part in the baptism of an Iranian man. Truly incredible. 

The trip has been great, and the Lord continues to go before us. Sometimes, He likes to something special. We were able to connect with some of our best friends from Pennsylvania while in Athens. We have not seen each other in 15 years. We have tried, but it hasn’t worked out. I guess we just had to wait and connect in Greece of all places. Our last day happened to be their first day and we got to meet for lunch. I am grateful for the small things that are bigger than you know. 

Thank you for your prayers and support as we head to Bangkok to connect with another team. Here are some pictures for you in the meantime.

We had a great team to Thailand. It was a long trip and a hot one. Officially it was the hottest weather they had seen since the 1950’s, and I’d believe it. Several of us started in Singapore. I spoke at the missions conference for a church in Singapore and we got to visit a missionary family that we love dearly. From there, we hopped over to Thailand and began building a playground.

With the help of Kids Around The World, the playground was disassembled in the States and shipped over to Thailand. We got to put the puzzle back together. As far as we know, it is the largest playground in the province, definitely in the village. As we were building it, many families would stop by to check on the progress in anticipation. It is going to be a great tool to help engage the community and bring families to the church. As we were trying to not die of a heat stroke, the other half of the team was leading a VBS and engaging the kids directly. It was great to watch the impact they had on these kids and see them teaching the Bible.

We had a fun surprise as part of the trip, we got to help distribute Operation Christmas Child boxes to Thai children on the Saturday after the kids club. They loved it. We had a huge dedication for the playground and it was immediately swarmed with kids. They show up before the sun comes up and don’t leave until it is dark, even now.

Next we traveled to northern Thailand to work with the Lahu tribe in one of their villages. MANNA is working to start a project in that village to help tutor the kids and give them a chance to break the cycle of poverty. We put on a VBS in the village and had time to fellowship with the church with a large cookout. They taught us a traditional dance and we made a lot of great friends. The really wonderful part came a week later when we found out 4 people accepted Christ as their savior after we left and 6 were baptized last weekend. If you ever wonder whether or not short term missions have an eternal impact, they do!

Thank you so much for your support for our family. We head out next week for 75 days as we work to minister in Romania, Greece, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to updating you on our travels.

We had a great team to Guatemala right after Easter. It was great to take a team of youth and watch them serve the people in Guatemala. We worked in a Mayan village for several days. The team washed the kids hair and feet, built stoves for families, delivered food and water filters, and put on a carnival at the church. We were able to teach Bible lessons to the kids and their families.

We also worked at our Children’s Village where we help care for teenage boys. Our group repainted the home they live in. Kim did a great job of painting, unfortunately, I spent more time cleaning up my painting messes. I promise, I did get some on the walls.

It has been a whirlwind since Easter. I went from Guatemala to Ohio for our annual meetings, then from Ohio to New Mexico. It was another case of delayed flights, changing airports and getting in at 2 in the morning. But, we made it in time to watch Kayli compete at Nationals in gymnastics for Texas A&M. We get home Sunday evening and have Monday and Tuesday to prepare for our team to Thailand on Wednesday. I look forward to giving you an update in May when we get back from that team. That you for your prayers and support. Enjoy the photos.

Happy Valentine’s Month! It has been a fast and furious start to the year. Kim and I headed to Asia in January. Our first stop was in Vietnam, where we spent time in Hanoi with church planters there and got to work with the young adults. I love to see what the Lord is doing in Vietnam.

From there, we picked up a medical team in Cambodia. It was incredible. The medical providers saw over 500 patients alone! The dental, physical therapy and vision team saw over 500 as well. It was truly amazing to see people from 6 states and 13 different churches come together in one place for one purpose. That’s a lot of logistics! The travel agents we work with are the unsung heroes behind the scenes helping make it all happen.

We got to see patients come back from last year. And, we met a lot of new friends in the process. Kim was very excited to have an occupational therapist join the team so that she wasn’t alone in the physical therapy department for the first time ever. They saw 200 patients between the two of them.

I enjoy seeing the impact we are able to have in the field alongside our ministry partners, but it is also encouraging to see the impact each team member has on each other as we work together and spend hours on buses and planes talking. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord knows exactly who we need on our team and how He has prepared them with a perfect skill set to be used. We had several non-medical people on our team, and it would not have functioned without their help. We even had a MANNA Trustee and Christine O’Neal, MANNA’s Medical Coordinator on the team.

As an added bonus, we got to watch Kayli compete at the University of Texas Invitational via a Facebook live feed. The Aggies came in first, just saying. 

Our trip home was quite the adventure. Our flight out of Siem Reap was delayed because a forklift operator damaged the plane. They had to bring in a new one from Vietnam. We barely got the team back to Phnom Penh to catch their flight home. Then, on our flight home we got stuck in Tokyo for over 20 hours, from what started as a mechanical issue, and ended as a revolt by several passengers refusing to fly. Fun times. But, we made it home in time to hit the road out to West Texas.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Enjoy the following pictures.

It has been a busy and amazing October and November. In October Kim and I took a team to Thailand to work with our ministry partners in Baan Nam Khem, where the tsunami hit. It was a great team with a lot of moving parts.

Part of the team build two pickleball courts. Pickleball is quickly becoming the fastest growing sport in Thailand with no court within 2 hours of this village. Now, they have 2! It will be a huge open door to engage the community and parents of the kids at the school we partner with. Another part of the team put on a Kids Camps where they taught the kids and had games, songs, and engagement. We even got to deliver food to the village at one point.

We got home in time to visit our girls in college, work on the new MANNA offices, visit a church and then I headed to Guatemala to help with a team. While in Guatemala we did construction work and outreaches in a Mayan village. Then, we went down to the coast and worked in a fishing village where we got to release sea turtles with the kids! We took some of the kids from our Children’s Village to hike a volcano, then played soccer, and finished with helping build a house for a family. I love it when you have a framer, 2 electricians and a plumber on a trip and they all get to use their expertise to help multiple communities!

I made it home the middle of this past week and we are excited to have our girls home for Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for, especially for you, your prayers and support for our family. We appreciate you all and pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. 

Enjoy some pictures from around the world.

It has been a crazy August. We got our girls home and had their wisdom teeth out. While they were recovering, I took a team to Mongolia. While I was in Mongolia, Kim and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, 13 time zones apart. She is an amazing and loving wife to put up with me! I made it home in time to move our girls into college. Kim and I head to Kentucky this weekend and then lead a medical team to Mongolia next week, and then on to Cambodia. Other than that, pretty uneventful. LOL. 

I had the privilege of taking a homebuilding company, their employees, and families to Mongolia. As soon as we landed, we got to visit an orphanage we work with. It was rated the #1 orphanage in Mongolia! Over 250 kids have been adopted out of it over the years. Seeing these kids being loved on after being abandoned is truly a blessing. 

After visiting the orphanage, we replaced the siding on our feeding center in Ulaanbaatar. It was great to work with the kids and fix up the building. (Even the doghouse got an upgrade.) This building has seen so much. We have seen people saved and ministry leaders grow up in this building. A girl grew up in the project, played the guitar for church as a teenager, and is now married to a pastor. I love seeing the fruit from these projects. 

Once the siding was completed, we put on a carnival for the kids in the community. It sounds simple, but watching the impact on the kids was amazing. From face paint to balloon animals, and hamburgers, it was a blast. We even got to deliver water filters and food to families in the community. This gave us the opportunity to share the Gospel and pray with these families. To get home, we had to fly through Seoul and spend the night. Of course, a typhoon decided to hit while we were there, so that added a little excitement to the end of our trip. But our flights still made it out and we got home, mostly dry. 

Mongolia is a hard place to get to, and I am grateful for those who are willing to go. I am excited to be back there next week with the medical team. Please be in prayer for our travels and team. Kim and I will be overseas for almost a month. I appreciate your support and prayers for our work and family, they are felt.