I have many reasons to praise the Lord! To start off, I am back in Quito and have been able to reconnect with many of my friends. I am still in somewhat of a waiting pattern as I begin to meet with the church leaders here and we begin to pray and discern God's direction for my time here.

I will continue with more information about this later this week but I wanted to share some amazing news first.

TODAY!, This morning, for those of us in the West, last night, right around the time that I was begging the Lord for my friend in the Sudan....

SHE WAS RELEASED!

The Captors said that they released her to the Sudanese Govt for no ransom but demanding that hospitals and schools be improved in their region.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Continue to Pray for Flavia and the post captivity process.

He has set the captive FREE! Praise the LORD!

Thank you so much for your prayer and support during this year. It has been a long road to get here but I am finally on my way.

I have my ticket and will be traveling on the 25th of August. The excitement is surely mounting as I look forward to new opportunities for ministry. Your involvement in my life and in this process has been an amazing blessing and I look forward to continuing to share with you about the things that the Lord is doing and that I will be able to be a part of in Ecuador.

It really is hard to believe that I've been in the states for almost a full year. What a blessing it has been to get to travel to so many different parts of the US and visit friends and family as well as get to share of God's work in Ecuador at so many churches.

Please continue to pray for my support. I have reached the 80% mark which allows me to travel but I will need to continue to raise the additional 20% (about $9,000) that is missing from my two year budget. Thank you for your faithfulness in this.

I also ask that you continue to pray for my good friend Earl (Man on the Street) as he seeks to move off the street and into housing and continues to grow in the Lord. He has been an amazing blessing to me this year and I look forward to sharing with you as he continues to journey in his walk with the Lord.

Finally, I ask that you keep my friend in the Sudan in your prayers. As you read before, her situation has worsened with time. In the beginning she was developing friendships with her captors and teaching them English. They were treating her well and feeding her but as time has dragged on and their demands have not been met they are becoming more and more dangerous to be with. In an interview via satellite phone she expressed the conditions in which she survives on rain water and is threatened physically on a daily basis. Sources state that they know where she is being held but the Sudanese government who is in charge of the negotiations has made no attempt at rescue. Keep her and her family here in the states in your prayers as well as others who work in the Sudan providing aid work.

Blessings

Come see me in Ecuador - The door is always open.

I just received a link from a friend leading me to an article related to my friend who was abducted in the Sudan. I will paste the article below. Things have turned sour and she is now being mistreated by her captors.

by Guillaume Lavallee – Mon Jul 26, 3:28 pm ET KHARTOUM (AFP) – An American aid worker abducted by gunmen in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur on Monday described the "nightmare" of her situation in a telephone call to AFP.

"In the past it was okay, but now it is not. They are threatening me, my life, my health," the woman, who works for US aid group Samaritan's Purse, said.

She was kidnapped in mid-May in the village of Abu Ajura, south Darfur, along with two Sudanese colleagues who have since been released.

"I am not safe now. I don't have clean water, the situation changed very quickly into a nightmare. There are 20 men around me now," she said. "I want to go home, I just hope they will release me." The woman's identity was confirmed to AFP by Samaritan's Purse, but the aid group has requested that her name not be published.

It is the first time a Western woman has been held alone in Darfur.

Her abductors have asked for a large sum of money in exchange for her release. "We have had talks with the Sudanese government, but nothing was reached. We have been holding her for nearly three months now," one of the kidnappers, identifying himself as Abu Mohammed al-Rizegui, told AFP via satellite phone.

That name has been used several times by armed groups committing abductions in Darfur, notably in the kidnappings of two aid workers for French group Aide Medicale Internationale (AMI) in April 2009, and two employees of the French Triangle GH in the Central African Republic in October 2009.

Darfur has been gripped by civil war since 2003 that has left 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced, according to the United Nations. Khartoum says 10,000 have been killed in the conflict. The vast western Sudanese region has also seen a wave of kidnappings of foreign nationals since March 2009, with 17 foreigners including 10 Westerners seized there.

All were later released unharmed except two employees of German group THW, who were abducted by gunmen from their offices in Nyala in June, and the Samaritan's Purse employee.

The US organisation, which works on projects to improve access to drinking water for small farmers in Darfur, is headed by influential American evangelist Franklin Graham.

Shortly before the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir, Graham said he feared any such arrest would create chaos in Sudan, after a peace deal signed in 2005 put an end to a decades-long north-south civil war.

Writing in March 2009 in the New York Times, Graham also said he had three times met Bashir, who has recently been charged with genocide in Darfur in addition to the earlier charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Observers say the spate of kidnappings in Darfur since last year is linked to Arab tribes who have in the past fought with Sudanese forces against rebels in the region.

The Sudanese authorities have repeatedly blamed the kidnappings on "bandits." Britain's Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham, visiting Khartoum on Monday, expressed London's concern at the abductions.

"We urge the government of Sudan to take these kidnappings very seriously and to do what they can to ensure that those people who were responsible are apprehended and brought to justice," he said. "I think it would greatly improve the standing of the government of Sudan in the eyes in the international community," Bellingham told reporters.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HER SAFETY!

I will keep you updated as I find out more.

First of all, thank you for your prayers both for me and for my friends in the Sudan. The status has not changed yet so please continue to pray for safety as she has been in captivity now for over 40 days. Please also continue to pray for her supervisor and my good friend who is still under the stress of negotiations and feeling like his hands are tied in this process.

This last week I journeyed to Minneapolis where I was commissioned as a missionary at our annual meeting. It was a very special time during which not only were we presented before those gathered but we were also surrounded and prayed for. It is such an incredible blessing to feel lifted up before the Lord and interceded for as so many of us prepare to head out to our various countries. If you are interested in seeing the service it can be found at http://vimeo.com/12618765. If you don't want to see the full worship service, I believe the commissioning begins at about minute 38.

At the annual meeting I was able to connect with a couple of the leaders of the denomination from Ecuador and it was very encouraging to spend time with them dreaming and visioning so many options for ministry when I return. They are very excited about my arrival and I too am anxious about my return.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Continue to pray as I seek support. It has been an incredible year during which I have met some amazing people and encountered incredible opportunities to share the Love of Christ with others. I have been blessed in so many ways by so many people this year but I am ready to be back in Ecuador. I am hoping that all of my support will be in by the end of July so that I can travel no later than the beginning of August.

2. Pray for Joey as he is only a week away from Suicide Greek. No, Suicide Greek is not the official title of the class, it is a term commonly used by seminary students who take a year long Greek course compressed into six weeks during the summer. Joey has been spending a lot of time studying the alphabet as well as memorizing around 80 words so far. Pray that he will have the energy and endurance to sit through the many hours of class as well as the discipline to put in the time he will need to invest in homework.

3. Pray for Pedro in Ecuador. He visited us here in Chicago a few weeks ago and I had the privilege of some very good conversations with him. We have agreed to do a comprehensive Bible survey when I arrive in Ecuador. Pedro is interested in continuing to get to know the Lord deeper so I told him I would love to read through the Bible with him from beginning to end.

Dear Friends,

I recently got word that a good friend of mine who has been working for Samaritan's Purse in the Sudan was abducted. It has now been over 15 days. Due to the sensitivity of the situation I have been asked to keep names out of this post. The following is the official story from Samaritan's Purse.

"Two Sudanese Samaritan's Purse workers abducted in the Darfur region last week have been released. A third staff member is still being held. Please continue to pray for continued safety and a quick release.

The three aid workers were abducted on May 18. The Samaritan's Purse team was traveling in a two-vehicle convoy and stopped by a group of armed men 25 miles southwest of Nyala in Sudan's Darfur region.

"I have visited Darfur several times, and it is one of the most difficult places in the world to work," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse. "Please keep praying for the safe release of our third team member."

Samaritan's Purse has provided assistance to Sudan since 2001, including medical relief, clean water projects, food distributions, agricultural projects and the rebuilding of hundreds of churches destroyed in the country's civil war."

I have been informed that my friend is being treated well and has not come under any form of physical abuse.

According to experts, there is an expectation that this could last six months or more. Please join me in prayer for her and her family as well as the various SP workers there in the Sudan who are involved in the rescue/negotiation process. One of these is also a very very good friend and is under a lot of stress because of this situation.

Thank you for your prayers and your hearts for the work that is being done around the world. To God be all glory. May his name be exalted in and through all things.

It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since I returned from Ecuador. I've traveled quite a bit throughout the last year, spoken at a few churches, been in many homes and have had an amazingly blessed year. It has been such a blessing to get to visit with so many friends and family and hear how the Lord is working in your lives. I am so thankful for the privilege that it is to share in those works and blessings with you. Thank you!

Well, after a short jaunt through the South, North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky I am back in Chicago and back to the work of helping my parents with some of the work on their remodel as well as time at the warming center and with Earl. Earl surprised me yesterday by showing up at my parents house and hanging out with me for the day. Earl was surprised when that meant painting. On Wednesday we will again be walking the streets of Chicago together. Please join me in praying for the various men and women that we encounter, that the Lord would give us his eyes to see them and his heart to love them in whatever way he would allow us to participate in their lives.

Prayer Requests;

1. Continued prayer for support. I am slowly getting the support that I need in order to return. It has been such an amazing blessing to see God's involvement in this process as so many have expressed a desire to both pray for the work in Ecuador, pray for me and provide the financial backing that doing missions in Ecuador requires. As of today, the official % on my monthly report puts me at about 64%. While in a previous report I had mentioned being above 70% that was based on verbal commitments that are not yet officially counted by Covenant World Mission. So what does this mean? As it stands right now I am $20,000 short of my full two year need. Once some of those other pieces are put on the books it will cut that number in half. Thank you for your continued prayer.

2. Continued prayer for Earl and the warming center as well as the men and women that the Lord puts in my life as Earl and I hit the streets.

3. I would like to ask a favor of you. I don't see our relationship as a one way street in which you pray for, and support me. I desire to be praying for you as well. At any given time when I am speaking to you via chat, e-mail, phone etc I will ask how I can be praying for you. There is no need to wait for us to be in conversation to tell me how I can pray for you or your family. Would you please, at any time, respond to any of my messages and just share with me how I can be lifting you up, interceding for you and bringing you before the Lord. It is such a privilege to be able to go to my savior in prayer so don't hesitate to share with me.

Finally, I wanted to share two things with you. 1. The Covenant finally was able to get my online giving option up and running. The link is http://covchurch.kintera.org/give/swenson. I will also be updating the give button on the website so that it includes this option. 2. I was asked to preach at my home church in Chicago on mission Sunday. The sermon was recorded and as a few people have asked to hear it I put it on the website as well. It can be reached via Clicking HERE.

Blessings from Chicago.

Josh

This week Earl and I decided to mix things up a little and by mix things up I mean really shake the dynamics of our weekly encounters. This week we hung out on Wednesday rather than on Tuesday! It was a little unnerving at first but going to, "The Window," for breakfast brought a nice sense of comfort that helped me get through the day.

After breakfast Earl and I headed to an office that provides services for the homeless of Chicago. In addition to help obtaining legal documents people can also get some clothes, a shower and at times get medical attention. After his shower, Earl met with a nurse practitioner. As I had mentioned in the past Earl's legs have been swelling and causing him quite a bit of discomfort. Upon inspection the nurse told him that he had likely damaged the vessels in his legs due to his many years of smoking. Earl doesn't smoke any more but the damage is potentially done. In addition the the possible vessel damage, his lack of rest and constant walking have exasperated the situation.

Earl was told that in order to better assess the situation he would need to get some blood work done as well as be very agressive about losing weight. The weight issues gravely affect all of the concerns. If they do determine that there is extensive vessel damage Earl will have to undergo surgery to graft vessels into his legs. When Earl came out of the office he was visible shaken by the news and the need to take immediate action.

After the clinic we took a trip down to the church where we met with Pastor Aaron. Earl shared his news with Aaron and I shared my concern. Earl is normally a very self sufficient man. He is always looking out for others but rarely seeks help for himself so I asked Earl if he was willing to allow us to help him. I think his initial reaction is NO but I believe he understands the gravity of his situation and he accepted our offer to find ways to help him. We shared with Earl that we feel it is our responsibility as his church family to participate in proactive ways to help him.

That night Earl stayed at the church where he said he didn't sleep but was at least able to stay off of his feet for an extended period of time. I hope to be able to continue to seek options through the church so that we can help Earl be reconciled to his health.

I share this with you because I asked Earl if I could and I know that you will pray for him. He welcomes and desires your prayers for his health.

I saw Earl at the warming center on Friday and he looked refreshed though it was obvious that the burden still weighed heavy. He had spent the night at the penthouse which is better than the EL but still not a good solution.

Please pray that we his church family will be able to care for Earl during this time. He is in need of a place where he can recover as well as a diet that doesn't consist of carb heavy nutritionally empty meals. Those are not options that exist on the street.

Please continue to pray for Woody and his friends. I did not see him at the warming center on Friday but his buddy Carrey was there and he said he had not seen him in a few days.

Finally, thank you for your continued prayers for my own process as I continue to seek support. Your prayers are always an incredible source of encouragement. I am now up to 70% of my needed 2 year budget. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in prayer and support. You are a constant source of blessing to me.

(Image of Earl working on Eyes on the Street)

It's been a couple of weeks since I last wrote. There were some things I needed to take care of last week so Earl and I didn't meet. As usual, I've got people wanting my help with their website and last week provided some time for me to do that.

Right now I'm sitting inside of an ingDirect Cafe with Earl. We spent most of the day running some errands up and down the EL, having breakfast at the Window and lunch at the Greek Orthodox church, with a quick trip to our church to pick up some clothes. As you know, Earl and I have been brainstorming a website that will be a resource for the homeless of Chicago. That is the reason for our current location. Last week and this week I spent a little time putting together a basic website with a control panel that will allow Earl to begin inputting some of the information. Right now he is learning how to add new pages / links as well as edit their content. Next week we will focus on inserting images so that as people see the resources they can also match them visually. Earl says's that he has access to a camera so he is going to start taking photos of the various locations as he visits them.

If you want to see the site and some of Earls postings please visit http://www.fcunited777.com (remember this is in progress)

The photo is of Earl at the Harold Washington Library downtown Chicago...we were working on Math for his GED.

Prayer Requests 1. PRAY FOR EARL: Earl is has been dealing with some swelling of the legs. In addition he has not been sleeping well. THe lack of sleep is affecting his legs because he doesn't really ever stay off of them long enough. He is getting some medical assistance by way of water pills but please pray for Earl's health as well as some rest.

2. PRAY FOR WOODY: Woody is another friend who comes to the warming center on a regular basis. He has been on my heart a lot lately as I have bumped into him on the street a few times as well as had some conversations with him at the warming center. Woody is a really good guy who can't seem to shake alcohol's hold on him. This is an issue he acknowledges but he is surrounded by other guys who spend all their time and money drinking. I believe Woody wants to live a different life than that but finds it difficult to break the pattern. Please pray for Woody and his friends as well as the volunteers at the warming center as we seek to share the love of the Lord with them. May the Lord reveal himself to Woody in a mighty and gracious way.

3. SUPPORT; As you know I have reached 50% of my needed funds for the two year commitment. I has been an overwhelming blessing to watch as so many people have come along wanting to be part of the work that the Lord is doing in Ecuador. Your prayers and commitment to the Gospel in Ecuador is inspirational and sustaining during my time here in the states. Thank you for your generosity of time and resources.

Please continue to pray with me for the second half of the needed funds. My hope is to be able to return to Ecuador by June. MY friend Chet and his family are again leading a team from California into the town of Zancudo (Libio and Sixto) I love Zancudo, it's people and the team that is coming down and I would very much like to be available to again translate for them this June. In order to be able to travel at that time I need to have 80% of my funds in. The remaining 1/2 comes out to about $1000 a month that I need to raise. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

Blessings.

Joshua

Thank you so much for all of your prayers this last week. I pray that you have been well as we enter into this Lenten season. Lent is such a great reminder to do some self examination and reflection. It is through reflection and self-examination that we can journey through our own brokenness with the confidence that we belong to the God of hope who conquered death to bring us life everlasting. Do not be afraid to walk through that darkness and into the light.

This week I had the pleasure of traveling the streets of Chicago with my friend Earl again. As the weather was a bit nicer we were able to visit a few more of his hang outs. We started out eating breakfast at the church on the DePaul campus again and then went downtown to the Harold Washington Library. Many of the homeless here in Chicago spend their days, networking with each other, finding out about the various goings on of the street and getting online to stay in touch with some family and friends.

Earl wants to get his GED and is planning on taking a free GED class starting next week. I have been helping him work on his math. This week he was trying to get through a chapter on division so we spent a couple of hours walking through the process as well as backing up and working on some of his multiplication tables. His homework for next week is to know his multiplication tables...it's hard to do division if you haven't memorized multiplication.

In addition to working on some Math Earl and I spent a little time brainstorming a resources website for the homeless of Chicago. I will be putting together a website that he will be able to manage. The idea is that he will be inputting information about food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, medical services and any other resources that the homeless might benefit from knowing about. He will also be spreading the word on the street and we will try to put some fliers up around the various hangouts. In addition we are considering putting together some kind of a job board for day labor type opportunities.

After all the brain storming and studying, Earl took me out to see his "penthouse". The building in the picture is one of the places that Earl stays over night. It is an old abandoned building. Earl will go there after dark and then sneak up to the top floor where he will sleep for a few hours before heading back out to the street. When he isn't staying at the penthouse Earl spends his nights riding on the Elevated Trains. He told me it's about an hour and a half long loop and then he has to get off the train and wait for the next one to depart. Sometimes he falls asleep and the conductor doesn't do a thorough check and Earl wakes up in the train yard.

Finally, after having spent the day traveling around Earl was excited to take me to a church that serves dinner on Tuesday nights. It's called the Dignity Dinner. We met up with Alex there, had dinner and Earl stayed to take a painting class. Alex and I headed out and he rode the train with me toward my house where we parted ways.

PRAYER REQUESTS 1. Ongoing prayer for Earl and the homeless of this City. Winter can be especially difficult. 2. Wisdom as I continue to spend time with Earl and meet many of his friends on the street. I want to know how to love my brothers and sisters on the street. I want to know how to be and embodied Gospel to them. 3. Continued prayer for the support raising process. The index climbed a few points over 50% this week but there is a lot yet that needs to be raised. I am confident in the Lord and his timing and provision. Thank you to all of you who have been called to join as financial supporters. Thank you to everyone who has been praying. Please continue to pray not only for the funds but also for my own mental, emotional and spiritual preparation for the work in Ecuador.

Blessings Joshua

It has been a long sometimes frustrating, sometimes discouraging but mostly blessed journey along the path of raising funds. There are days when nothing seems to be going according to plan and then I hear from someone who has been praying for me and my heart is refreshed and filled with joy. Your prayers and support have been an incredible blessing to me during these months back in the USA. Thank you for continued intercession as travel this path.

During my stay in Chicago I have had the privilege of volunteering at my church's warming center periodically. The warming center is a place that the church opens up on Friday's providing shelter from the cold to some of the homeless of Chicago. It is a time when we share a meal and stories with people who live on the streets. One of our regular warming center guests is a man by the name of Earl. Not only has Earl been coming to our warming center but also joins us in church on Sunday's as well as many of our other community activities. It hasn't taken long for Earl to become a friend.

On Tuesday I got to hang out with Earl on the streets. I had a great time getting to know him just a little better as we rode the trains and buses to and from the various warming centers where Earl spends his days. We started out with breakfast at the DePaul Catholic Church where we met up with our friend Alex (another warming center guest). After breakfast we headed out to another warming center where due to the snow storm we stayed for the rest of the day just hanging out, talking and playing spades with some of his other friends. It was amazing to watch Earl interact with so many people. It seemed that at every turn he was offering help, advice, socks or even just a smile to anyone we encountered. Earl was always the first to help serve others lunch and then just as graciously cleared the table when people were done. While in Chicago it has been my hope to be present and available to God and his work so I am hoping to make this Tuesday a weekly routine where I can continue to get to know Earl as well as some more of his friends. Please pray with me for Earl and his friends as I continue to get to know them and the Lord presents me with opportunities to share his love and the good news of his gospel.

PRAYER / PRAISE REPORT

I first of all want to praise the Lord for his faithfulness and provision. This week my support got to nearly 50%. Thank you so much for your prayer and faithfulness in support. I still need to raise another $1200 a month so thank you for your continued prayers.

Thank you also for your prayers concerning my back and the herniated disk. It has been nearly five months now since I stopped taking pain killers and am thankful to report that most days I have no pain at all while on other days the pain is merely a minor irritation.

Blessings

P.S. Earl is the guy in the gray beard...in case there is any confusion...