Dear Faithful Friends and Family,

Today is a big day for me: so was yesterday, every day, in fact! I feel so good that I rarely do sit-down jobs. The computer has bungled my life. When it works, it gobbles my time: when it doesn’t, I am severely hampered.

I have had three “crashes” since my last newsletter which destroyed all my addresses. If you receive this, it is because you have not changed your address since 2008 – the last hard copy I have. I should make more hard copies, but no one ever plans on a lightening bolt!

My pastor, Modesto Hernández returned on May 7th from a four-month long preaching tour in the USA. It was an unforgettable experience for him. He did well. The four men he left in charge here carried the work forward.

I still occupy a position of un-official secretary for the church and the Bible institute, prepare breakfast on Mondays for the weekly pastors’ meetings. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, I teach two classes each night in the institute and four courses on Wednesday mornings to a young lady who cannot come to institute in the evenings. Thursdays I have the music classes for 3rd – 6th grades in our Christian school, after which I go to lunch with our third son, Missionary Byron Willis, my friend and counsellor. Fridays I have three more classes in the Bible institute.

The Lord has allowed me win a few souls along the way as well as enjoy a ministry of helps.

I am thankful that you pray for me and help me stay here by sending financial support, much of which goes directly into the work so that Panamanian men and women can do the work I cannot do. I am conscious that every penny I spend comes from people who work hard for what they have and have shared with me. God bless each one!!!

Soon we will be expanding our church building. Please pray it will go well.

Thank you. Love, Elaine

P.S. My two boxer dogs, Dallas and T.J. are well and great company. I used them to tame a class of 4th graders last week by letting the children see dogs that obey better than they! It worked! We had a good, productive class this week. The children were transformed!

Dear Praying Friends and Family of Supporters,

As many of you know, I send out a year-end report every January and am pleased to do so in this newsletter. Due to extenuating circumstances such; as more activities than usual in the work and a death in the family in Texas, this will be mailed late and from Garland, Texas, after I am already back on the field.

We are also dealing with the changes involved in the merger of our dear home church of 42 years, Miller Road Baptist Church with Open Door Baptist Church of Mesquite, Texas, as of February 28, 2010. We will have the same pastor, Brother Matt Jarrell, who has been our part-time pastor for 2 ½ years.

This change will involve you also as you remember us in prayer and address the envelopes with monthly support. The new address is as follows:

My e-mail address also changed when our server ceased to function. Now it is jewillis@cwpanama.net .

Each week as I post the support that comes in, I stand amazed in the presence of the Lord and thank Him that He does not abandon the widows of His servants, in my case, James T. (Jim) Willis. He has also allowed me to continue to function as a profitable missionary. Of course I cannot plant churches, but each month one-half to two-thirds of everything I receive goes directly into the work to help support nationals who are planting and pastoring churches. This past year we have added four new mission works and two new missionary families (one to a new area in Panama and one to Colombia).

My activities include regular church work as an instrumentalist, playing guitar in the services, teaching guitar; in our school, teaching basic music to third - sixth graders. In our Bible institute, I teach home economics, workshop, including puppet making and financial liberty for which I am compiling the course along with compiling one on Sunday School Administration; secretarial duties for the fellowship and my pastor round out my schedule. I plan to continue making breakfast for the weekly pastors' meeting every Monday morning.

Thank you for praying for me and giving so faithfully as God has lead all through 2009.

Received_____________monthly and __________for Christmas.

Love, Elaine Willis

As I walked on the rocky make-shift road inviting children to attend our VBS Club, I was impressed, still impressed after 34 years here, by the living conditions in the rural areas. The better houses are made of cinderblock and finished out very nicely. Others are not finished-out, just “finished”, there others made of homemade mud blocks and still others of bamboo or sheets of tin on all sides. Many have dirt floors, others concrete; all the roofs are of tin, but some have dropped ceilings to insulate them. The demand for water outgrew the supply long ago, but they still get by on what they can collect in buckets for each day’s supply. But they seem happy and grateful!

Thank you for praying about my own water situation. As of Valentine’s Day I have water in the pipes constantly for the first time in two years. I’ve been living out of buckets too! Not all bad. The situation must change because of the lack of supply, but my neighbors and I have been granted a nice time of refreshment. Please continue to pray that water purification will achieve its rightful importance in the eyes of the government and that adequate provision for all will become a reality.

The busy-ness of 2008, ended in the skirmish of the busy-ness of 2009. A summer softball league among the churches, children’s and teens’ camps, Vacation Bible School Clubs and different kinds of conferences have provided opportunities for fellowship and drawing in new people to be saved. Excitement is running high as we are in the softball championship playoffs this week. School and Bible institute begin in three weeks. Lots to do to be ready and still more activities are planned.

The winds, typical of our summers, are very strong and constant, not gusty like in Texas. We had 50 to 60 mph winds our first day of outdoor Bible clubs. Thanks to those who heard and prayed they subsided for the next three days, returning after we were done! Our church, alone, had about 400 in attendance to the twelve clubs we had. Many children made professions of faith and good decisions. One got baptized the following Sunday! Praise the Lord! Pray for them if the Lord reminds you.

I made two trips to the USA in January. One was to attend my granddaughter’s wedding and the other to a funeral in the family. I was already planning to visit some family and churches in the month of June since three years have passed since I last did that. How I would love to visit all my churches, but time and distance have to be considered. I will be on leave from a heavy schedule in the two Bible institutes. Our eldest son, Larry is a Delta pilot, so, as a parent, I can fly! I thank the Lord for that and also Larry, for his generosity! He still claims me!

Love and Thanks,

Elaine