Date: February 27th 2008

February, 2008

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Trenton, Georgia! This year has begun like no other in our ministry. Much has happened since our last report. The ministry is going well and our meetings have been fruitful.

Meetings - 1. We conducted our first Fantastic Saturday in Hampton, VA. There were 128 in attendance from 19 churches. Many were excited about the new meeting location. 2. There were 65 people (most of whom were Deaf) at our Deaf Day in Columbus, OH. A Deaf lady who was saved in the meeting last year is now engaged to a Christian Deaf man. 3. I spoke at the annual Deaf Christmas Banquet at Grace Gospel Church in Huntington, WV. Three people made salvation decisions. 4. Thirty-seven men from 9 different states attended our annual Deaf Men's Retreat here in Trenton. Many were encouraged by the preaching. 5. Several people from our local area came to the annual SWM Community Sign Language Class we conducted in January. 6. We just returned from our Central Florida Fantastic Saturday, where 138 attended from 19 churches. Praise the Lord for 6 salvation decisions made there!

Ministry - As reported in our January SWM letter, which some of you may not receive, SWM reported 944 salvation decisions during 2007 in all areas of our ministry. Class planning for the new Teaching and Training Institute is continuing. The Silent Word Newspaper Online Email Version is now available. This was a big step and requires constant work. At this time we need someone with technical expertise to assist with our website design and improvements. There is much more we could do with more help.

Upcoming Missions Trip - In a couple of weeks I leave for a mission trip to Simferopol, Ukraine, to preach in a Deaf Bible Conference and to challenge the Deaf there to serve the Lord. The tickets have been purchased, but there is a still a need of $875 to cover the costs. If you would like to contribute to this project, designate gifts for "Barr - Ukraine."

Other Upcoming Meetings - Fantastic Saturday season has started and over the next two months we will be in West Virginia, Arizona, California, and South Carolina. Also we will have a missions conference in Virginia and will help start a new deaf ministry Florida in April. Please pray for travel safety and results in these meetings.

Sad Personal News - Often our supporters and prayer partners ask about personal prayer requests. Normally we report about the ministry, but at this time I would like to share what has been happening in our extended family. Some of you already know that my father, Joel Barr, passed away on February 1. When I got the news of his heart attack the previous week, I went to Florida to care for Mom and to assist them. Mom is no longer able to care for herself. My brothers and I located a very nice assisted living facility, where she is now living. The transition required me to stay in Florida for a month. I am thankful to have had a little time with Dad before he passed away. I will miss him. It was good to be able to help Mom during such a traumatic time. Your prayers for our family are very much appreciated, as we have several challenges still before us. Pray for adjustments Mom must make and for wisdom concerning decisions regarding Mom. I am now back in Trenton and a gain focused on ministry. Thank you for your support and prayers during this time!

For Deaf Souls,

Jon, Diane, Rebekah, & Joshua Barr

PS - Sign up for the Silent Word Newspaper Online Edition at www.silentwordministries.org/swnp/online.html.



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