Off the Cuff

Titus is discharged!

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:58:28 -0400

Thank you all for your constant prayers for our family and especially Titus. God has answered above and beyond. This afternoon we received the call that Titus was to be discharged this evening instead of Monday. They still do not know what caused the entire ordeal and all of the tests came back negative. The only thing that we can think of is that the cold which swept though our family also infected Titus. Whereas everyone else’s bodies were able to fight it, Titus’ was not and sequentially succumbed to it. It is similar as to how most people are able to come down with the flu and be alright whereas to others (such as elderly and young children) the flu is a life-threatening illness. The doctor said that Titus has exceeded their expectations for recovery and was ready to be back home with his mom and dad. He is doing very well, as you will be able to see from the photos. He is a able to breathe well, hold his own body temperature, and is eating 2-3 times what the doctors expected him to be able to hold down after such an ordeal. Having Titus come home is the best birthday gift I could have gotten.

I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, support, and letters that you have sent to us. It is through you and your prayers that we were able to bear up under this trial.

May 9th - Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:09:06 -0400

Day 3

Thank you all so very much for your prayers for our family and especially for Titus. Today, Titus crossed three more milestones. At 11:30am the doctors felt Titus had made enough progress in order to remove his ventilator tube. During the night he did not have any periods of respiratory cessation. There were times where his respiratory rate dropped, but this was due to the excessive amount of secretions in his lungs. When this happens, the doctors have been able to successfully suction his lungs clean and Titus’ breathing returns to normal. The second milestone is in regards to his body temperature. He is now able to once again maintain his own body temperature without the assistance of a heat lamp and is regaining his normal pinkish color. He is now able to simply be swaddled as a baby normally would be. Finally, Titus is off of the IV’s and is able to eat normally again. Tonight Ashley was able to nurse Titus for a full feeding. He was able to eat about 2 ounces. His appetite is back and in full swing!

The doctors still are not sure as to what initially brought about this incident. All of the lab tests for bacterial infections came back negative as did the viral tests which they ran. The possibility of any form of cancer was also ruled out. With that being said, the doctors are very pleased with the rate of his recovery. He will continue to remain in isolation in the Natal Intensive Care Unit until he is released, but it would appear that the worst is behind us and now we can look forward toward recovery.

Please continue to pray for him as he strives to regain weight he lost through this ordeal. Being a preemie, he did not have much weight to lose to begin with.

From the Photos, you will be able to see how much better he looks. We praise the Lord for his recovery and again thank you all for how you have been upholding and how you will continue to uphold both Titus and the rest of our family before the throne of our Mighty God!

If you have missed any of the updates, we have also been posting them on our blog so people are able to catch up.

May 8th - Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:46:45 -0400

Day 2

Titus made it past the 24 hour mark which is considered a milestone by the doctors. During the night he continued to stop breathing for periods of time. So far this morning and early afternoon, he has not had any such episodes. The lab cultures for the meningitis have not grown anything indicating that he most likely does not have bacteria in his spinal fluid. So, now the doctors are back to trying to find what is ailing Titus. The next probable cause is a respiratory viral agent. Last night they gave him, in addition to the multiple different antibiotics, a broad spectrum anti-viral medication. This morning he began to expel a yellow fluid and mucus-like substance from his lungs. When he does this, his respiratory rate drops very low, but does not stop. So far, the doctors have been able to suction his lungs clear during each episode. Their hope is that this indicates the medications are beginning to take effect. The doctors have him set to stay hospitalized for no less than 5 days, maybe more.

Through all of this, God’s grace has been overshadowing. The hospital was gracious enough to provide housing for the first two nights at one of the hotels across the street. The hospital would like for us to stay close for Caleb’s sake.

I want to say a special thank you to all of you who have been in earnest prayer and to all the churches that have been holding our family before the throne of grace. Thank you for all of the encouraging e-mail and letters. They have been a real sense of encouragement.

We have a couple of photos of the twins on the way and at the hospital. Click here to view them.

or go to http://www.kovachministries.com/photogallery/album/2008/Family/Titus%20at%20Cincinnati%20Childrens%20hospital/index.html

We will do our best to keep you updated as we are able.

!!Urgent Prayer!! Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:44:47 -0400

Dear Friends and Supporting Churches,

We are requesting urgent prayer for one of the twins, Titus Luke. I am writing to you from the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati. This morning, when Titus awoke he was bluish grey and very cold. We tried to wrap him even warmer and keep him next to our bodies. It was then that we noticed that he was taking 3 or 4 shallow breaths and then not breathing for 10-30 seconds at a time. I took him to the local hospital. Saturday, we had to take both Caleb and Titus to the hospital because of illness and a thick yellow substance which was covering their eyes. The diagnosis of that trip was a rare form of bacteria. The doctors believe that the bacteria had gone into Titus’ blood and is now systemic. The main concern, which may be causing the natal apnea, is meningitis. While we were at our local hospital, they called a Natal Intensive Care Unit from Cincinnati to pick him up. We followed it to the Children’s Hospital where Titus has been admitted. They believe that he will have to remain here for about a week or more. He currently has to be on a ventilator due to his inability to breathe on his own. We may be taking Caleb to the ER to have him checked in since he has had the same bacteria and is still not doing well himself. Please pray. I will try to keep you updated as I am able.

Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Sat, 03 May 2008 17:43:42 -0400

Our family wanted to thank you for your diligent prayers for our family throughout Ashley’s pregnancy. God has been gracious and answered your prayers as we were all praying that she would be able to carry the twins at least until 34 weeks, which was April 15th. It is awesome how God answers direct prayer as Ashley went into labor and delivered Titus Luke and Caleb Joshua at 6:38am on April 15th. Ashley did have to have the children via cesarean since both were breech at the time of labor.

For the statistic enthusiasts, Caleb was firstborn at 6:38am. He weighed 4 pounds 7.6 ounces and was 16 ½ inches long. Titus, born at 6:39am, weighed in at 5 pounds 1 ounce and was 17 inches long. I will post photos as I am able and time permits.

We praise the Lord for his wonderful answers to prayer. Both children, even though being born at 34 weeks, were very healthy. One main concern for children born this early is that their lungs will not be fully developed. We are excited to report that both Caleb and Titus had fully developed lungs and their blood oxygen saturation level was at 100%. The second main concern is regarding their ability to eat properly. Again, both Caleb and Titus have hearty appetites and have been eating well and without incident. By the day after their birth, Caleb had dropped to 4 pounds 2 ounces and Titus to 4 pounds 10 ounces. They have since regained their birth weight.

The past two weeks have been very busy with adjusting to a new norm for our family. Caleb struggled with jaundice initially and had to be on a billirubin blanket at home through last week. I have been busy caring for Ashley, who has been recuperating from her cesarean. Unfortunately, she had a minor complication from the surgery. After the operation, Ashley developed a spinal fluid headache which is a result of spinal fluid leaking from the point of the epidural. Those who have experienced migraines and latter had a spinal headache say that there is no comparison of pain. Spinal headaches directly affect the central nervous system. By the third day, the doctors were able to perform what is called a “blood patch.” It is a process whereby they take 15cc’s of Ashley’s blood and inject it into the point of leakage in the spinal sac. As the blood clots it allows the membrane to heal and retain the spinal fluid.

Thank you for all of your prayer support for our family and especially during Ashley’s pregnancy and the healthy delivery of the twins. God used your prayers to bring all this to pass and we cannot thank you enough!

Saved by the Power of Prayer

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:34:08 -0400

Life around the Kovach home has been a little topsy turvy lately.

In the middle of March we had a large snowstorm. Because of this, we had to reschedule that following Sunday’s ministry presentation since the majority of Churches were cancelled and roads were extremely dangerous.

Ashley's pregnancy has been progressing along very consistently. We had a little bit of a scare last Thursday. Ashley seemed to have picked up a stomach bug or ate something which upset her stomach. This in turn caused her to spontaneously go into intense labor contractions every 2-3 minutes without warning. We were concerned, due to the intense pain and suddenness of the onset, that this might be a miscarriage. Ashley is 30 weeks along; much too early for the twins to be born, and the survival rate by this time is not much better than 50-60 percent. We got to the hospital as quickly as possible. As we got situated into the room, nurses began flying around the room and medications began to flow. I would like to say a special thanks to all of you who have been praying for her safety during this pregnancy and to those who were part of the numerous prayer chains through this incident. The doctors gave her multiple shots of brethine in order to slow and stop the contractions as well as a steroid to help encourage the twins’ lungs to develop a little bit quicker. In their minds, they said she had a 50/50 chance. By God’s Grace, the doctors were able to get her contractions down to 1 per hour, which is within tolerable limits for a pregnancy. The children were saved by the power of your prayers interceeding on their behalf. Currently, Ashley is on strict bed rest. Please keep me in your prayers as well as I strive to be Father, Mother, and nurse, as well as continuing to line up future meetings for deputation. Thank you again for all of your prayers for Ashley and for you understanding as communication on our end may be a bit slow during this time period.

Two more supporting churches

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:56:14 -0500

We are excited to report the addition of two more churches to our ministry partnership. One church partnered with our ministry in the end of January and another church in Michigan voted to partner with us this past Sunday! We praise the Lord for this increase in support. At the beginning of the year we were at 42 percent, and this now puts us up to 47 Percent. Please continue to pray as we will have another church which will be voting this Sunday and some others will be voting throughout February. So far, we have had church meetings every Sunday and Wednesday. Both the Wednesday of the 20th and this past Sunday, the Lord really moved in a powerful way in the lives of the people. We had a tremendous time of fellowship and were deeply encouraged by the missions heart of the people!

Ashley is doing well and the twins are growing well. Thank you for your prayers. They are both in and around the 80 percent tile for where children should be. Please continue to pray for her as her pregnancy begins to enter the third trimester soon and the pregnancy becomes more difficult and for the twin boys as they grow. The doctors have classified her as a high risk case.

Just turned 100,000

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:37:06 -0500

Well, we did it! The Van now has 100,000 miles on it. Whew! We had a wonderfully restful Christmas and New Years. Interspersed, we celebrated three birthdays and are now getting ready for Bryanna's birthday. Emilianna had a nice simple 2-year old birthday. Isaiah's was very Spidey with a Spiderman cake and spidersapien robot. Ashley had a hot tamale time with church friends over for fellowship. Bryanna is gearing up for her tea/slumber party. This time of year is most full of activity! A special thanks to all the churches which have sent birthday cards to the various members of the family. You truly do not know how much that means as you consistently stay in touch. Now we are in the full swing of our 2008 schedule with having already been in 3 churches with one missions conference. A main consumer of time at present is preparing for that inevitable day and I don’t mean death. That’s right; TAXES! Thousands of receipts to scan in and tens of thousands of miles to add up. Oh, the joys! Preparing for tax time causes my soul to echo, ever loudly, the sentiment of John, Even so, (quickly) come, Lord Jesus.”

Please continue to pray as we are waiting to hear from many of the churches we have been in as they vote over this winter as to partnering with our ministry!

Where do I sign up?

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:06:58 -0500

"Where do I sign up?" As I pointed to our prayer letter signup sheet, I instructed this middle-age gentleman to put down his information and he would be signed up to receive our prayer letters. He looked at me blankly and then replied that he meant he wanted to know where he could sign up to be a missionary and be able to take the gospel to other countries. He wanted to know how he could become a missionary. Observing him, his body had some form of physical ailment which required him to maneuver about with a cane for support and stability. From a human standpoint, one would look upon his appearance and question his ability to rise to the challenge, but God looks upon the heart of a man and this heart was tender and willing. As we talked, he thought out loud of how he may not have much to offer, but he knew how to give the gospel and wanted to see about doing so as a missionary. I encouraged him to talk with his pastor and seek the counsel of godly men in the church as to his fist steps down such a path of life. With a twinkle in his eye he thanked me and walked off. As I talked with others around our display, I noticed he was off in a corner talking with his pastor. After about 5 minutes or so, I turned and was surprised to see him standing right next to me. He said that his pastor had instructed him to find out about a short term trip, so here he was, asking he how he could go down to Brazil to see the ministry there and see if this is where the Lord would have him. As we talked about possible trips, my heart was elated to find such a soul which was tender and willing to go. Who knows? The Lord may or may not direct him into full time missions, but he is sensitive to the Lord's work and was simply willing to say, "Here am I Lord, what would you have me to do."

Pluggin along

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:37:24 -0500

Over the past several weeks is feels like our family have been living in our van. We have been able to take part in 4 mission conferences and a Sunday meeting. God has been so very good in meeting our travel expenses and needs. This was a concern for me as I knew the number of miles we would be traveling and hotels we would be staying at. Communication has been a challenge as we have not really had consistent internet access over this period and where we are now, the connection is sketchy, at best. We had a conference in middle Indiana, a Sunday in Lansing Michigan, two conferences in Pennsylvania, and a conference in Holmen, Wisconsin. All said and done, we have traveled thousands of miles over the past month, and God's protection has been there every mile of the way! God would also put little bright spots along our journeys as well. At one hotel we met another missionary family. How often does that happen? At one point we needed to pull off at a gas station and found that they were giving our free coffee for the day!

Thank you for all of your prayers for us and for our safety! Please continue to pray as our schedule does not slow down. Pray as well that we will see fruit for our labors as we have been in so many great and wonderful churches over the recent months. I know we would be proud to have any one of them partner with our ministry. Please pray that the Lord enables them to be able to do so. So many of the churches we have been in have their missions budget and voting time during the months of November and December. Lastly, please pray as I begin to call pastors again now that we are home. Pray that we will be able to find churches which are still having missionaries come and also in a position to partner with missionaries in their work. These are the churches we are looking for right now. We praise the Lord that we have a full schedule through March. God has been good.

Conferences and Museums

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:16:42 -0400

The past couple of weeks have been replete with activity as we have been part of a mission conference, a Sunday meeting and a VBS Sunday. The other week we were able to take part in a mission conference in the Dillsboro area. I really appreciated the format the pastor had for the schedule. It truly allowed us to get to know the people of the church as well as provided several opportunities to share our burden and testimonies. There were also several opportunities to relax as well. We, along with the pastor and another group of missionaries had the opportunity to visit the Creation Museum in Kentucky. There were several times I was brought to tears at the sheer splendor if God and His Creation. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly and emphatically encourage you to visit the Museum. Pictures just don't do it justice! On that following Saturday, the women had a shopping trip while the men did a golf scramble. This was my first time in a scramble and found it to be quite different. Following both event s we all took part in their international dinner. We found the people to be very loving and hospitable. CLick here for more photos of the Creation Museum and Conference...

Nearby there is a local pastor with whom I enjoy the privilege of knocking on doors. We go out every Tuesday and Saturday when our family is not traveling. This Saturday we had the opportunity to present the full gospel to a gentleman in the area. He seemed to have a clear understanding, but just was not ready to receive Christ yet. I am praying that the pastor will continue to have the opportunity to water the seed planted. If you think of it, please pray for this man. I always enjoyed these times for they keep me fresh and in remembrance of the privilege of my own salvation.

Yesterday, my wife and I had the opportunity to help a church with a local outreach to the community of children and families. It was a community carnival, held after church services. Ashley had the opportunity to face paint while I did balloons. There were over 300 children and I don’t know how many other families and adults. Throughout the day, the gospel was given and many decisions were made for Christ.

Increase in support

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:42:37 -0400

While we were on vacation we had another church take us on for support. That now puts us at 42%. Thank you for your prayers and keep praying. We will be at a missions conference all week this week and into the next.

Family Vacation at Houghton Lake

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:36:18 -0400

The family vacation was a great success. Our whole family had the privilege of spending Labor Day weekend and the following week at a cabin on Houghton Lake in Michigan. It was a much needed break after a hectic summer and a nice transition as we move into our fall/winter schedule. It felt good to come away feeling refreshes and relaxed. Do you remember that new windshield I mention a couple of entries ago? Well, after only a mile down the road on the way to the cabin, we came across I69 (which was just patched) and a semi threw a rock and cracked our windshield. At least we had the new windshield for 24 hours. Other than that, there were no other altercations as we pulled in Friday night.

Saturday night, our family was awakened by an explosion followed by a hissing noise at about two in the morning. We awoke to find that our hot water heater has blown a few pipes and flooded the kitchen. Needless to say, it was a chore to stay alert Sunday. With the cabin flooded, the owners moved us to a larger cabin across the way. The owners graciously allowed me to use their jet-ski and give all the children rides that afternoon. One of my favorites was the opportunity to have my quiet time with the Lord on the dock while the sun was rising. Please pray for us as we return to a very busy schedule with many mission conferences for this fall. We have included some photos below, but for more photos, see the PHOTO GALLERY

This Windshield is on the Lord!

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:26:32 -0400

We kick out so many miles in a year that it is hard to keep track of them. We praise the Lord for a dependable vehicle. One of the problems we have from time to time is a cracked windshield. Invariable it is from a truck or some construction vehicle in front of us as we tool down the road. Once, the windshield got cracked a week after I just had it replaced. This time, I have no idea how it cracked. It just cracked as we were driving. No stone and no other vehicle was on the road. I have not been able to get it replaced because of the cost of the deductible. While at my parents, we found a glass repair shop that actually pays your deductible for you. Today I called the insurance company; they called the glass company, and presto! I have a new windshield and did not have to pay a penny of deductible! God is so good!

The Lord brought the circus to us.

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:18:17 -0400

While we were at home in Madison Indiana, there was a circus which came to town. We were planning on attending and even had some coupons for the children. By the time the day cam, we did not have enough money to take the children as we were only half way through the month and needed to make sure we had enough finances to last to the end. The kids were pretty bummed, but had good attitudes about it. This week we came up to visit with my parents as head up to Houghton Lake. While there, we found that their neighbor’s son was having his first birthday. To celebrate, the father blocked off the entire street and hired a circus to come to the block. There was everything there from kangaroos to elephants. Since it would affect the entire block, the families of their block were invited to attend. Before the event began, the police showed up to block off the roads and redirect traffic. The kids just had to get their picture taken with one of the officers and his motorcycle. After the photo-op, he pulled out some plastic badges for the children and made them honorary deputies. When the festivities began, the first thing on the children’s agenda was to go camel riding. Each had a turn. I think it was a little bumpier than they thought it would be. The animal display that we had seen years ago at the Escanaba State Fair was also there. Isaiah especially liked the panthers. There was a full display of crocs and reptilian species, including scorpions. I think there were over 40 different kinds. We moved along and found an ice cream truck camped out at the end corner and found he was handing out free ice cream. Everyone was thrilled as it was near 100 degrees. I think one of the main highlights of all this for the kids was the elephant rides! ...more below...

For more Photos click here

As I began taking in all the sights I found myself a bit overwhelmed. I began to think about what was happening. Here I and my family were, at a birthday celebration for a baby whom I had never met, much less had any idea who the bill-paying father was. I could not help but think how this event mirrored Christmas time. Christmas, an event to celebrate the birthday of Baby Jesus. People around the world, celebrating the birthday, making merry, all-the-while not knowing who in the world this Baby (who paid the ultimate bill) even is much less having any idea of His Father (who made the ultimate sacrifice). They wander around at Christmas time enjoying the party, but never seek out the child of honor, content simply to enjoy the Fathers festivities. I found it thought-provoking anyway.

Helping churches and vice versa.

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:35:45 -0400

Today was a very encouraging day. The sequence of events began on Thursday when a local pastor called and asked if we were available to help in their teen Sunday school class since their teacher was gone for the weekend. Further, he inquired if my wife and I would be willing to do the junior church as well and make balloons for them. We had a tremendous outcome. While I taught the lesson, and made balloons, Ashley gave the missionary story. After the service, the pastor asked me if I would return that night and present our ministry presentation to the church family. In the evening service, I had the opportunity to present both the video presentation as well as our personal testimonies of God’s working in our live to direct us to Brazil. After our presentation, the pastor took a vote right there and the church voted to partner with our ministry! What a blessing to find a church so on fire for missions!

Hanover VBS

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:21:39 -0400

Over the past several days, Both Ashley and I have had the privilege in helping a local church ministry in their VBS. Tuesday, the pastor and I were able to make several contacts in relation to children. We were praising the Lord that nearly all the children that we saw that morning showed up at the VBS that evening. We saw nearly 20 children come to Christ over the period of the VBS. Ashley was able to contribute on Tuesday by painting all the faces of the children. I was hard at work making balloons for each of the average 75 children. Each night I tried to make sure that I had at least two special, larger balloons for quite seat. See if you can guess what the balloons are!

Refreshment and making contacts

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:11:16 -0400

It has been a very active week, but the Lord has been close beside through it all. We spent the week at a revival camp meeting for three days in MO. Ashley and I came away very refreshed and spiritually recharged. I was wondering how I was going to pay for the fuel, but a local pastor was encouraging our family to go. Suffice it to say, the Lord provided an excess of extra finances needed for the fuel costs both to the camp and to the next meeting on the following Sunday. Through this meeting, we were even able to make a good number of contacts for presenting our ministry. Pray that I am able to catch up with these pastors and that I will be able to line up quality meetings.

Mother's Day Conference

Mon, 14 May 2007 11:12:07 -0400

This past mother’s day I was asked to be the guest speaker at a lady’s banquet at Grace Baptist in New Castle IN. I was to share my testimony and incorporate the topic of aprons as well. I received this call on Saturday and spoke on Monday. There was not much time to prepare so I knew the Lord would have to perform some miracle overnight for me. On top of the time crunch the whole family was down with the stomach flu, so that added a fun twist to everything. Well despite all the surrounding circumstances we arrived Monday night on time. While Bryanna and I went into the church the rest of my family stayed in the car and waited for us. Poor Paul had such a high fever that night. I knew that the Lord was going to have to give the peace of mind that I needed in order to be a blessing to these ladies.

The night went well, everything was beautiful and the food was great. I divided my testimony into three different kinds of aprons: first the woman that does not wear an apron which represented an unsaved mother, a half apron which is a Christian mother but she often times attempts to raise her children and govern her home in her own strength instead of the Lord’s and lastly the full size apron which is a mother who builds her home on Biblical principles and fully surrenders her life to Christ. I believe that the Lord received the glory that night even though I was so weak. This was a strong reminder that God does not need only our strengths but also our weaknesses.

I once was where they now are.

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:05:47 -0500

This past Monday I had the privilege of speaking to the students at Brentwood Baptist School. I shared my testimony with them. I believe that many hearts were challenged towards excellence in the Christian walk. I started of by asking them if they believed that God loved them no matter what came into their lives. Most raised their hands but there were some that seemed unsure. I went on to explain that God’s love does not always mean that we will only receive good things at His hand but also difficult things. God sometimes allows us to fall flat on our faces or even suffer at the hand of sinners; yet His love is always there. I challenged them to set goals for themselves as to where they want to be with the Lord. We must always be striving for purity and growth!! My prayer is that God will use my simple words and His great message of love to remain in their hearts and cause a great revival between the student and faculty body. Once again I was greatly blest to be able to be an encouragement to these students.

As Christs, Ashley Kovach

A weekend in IL

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:30:58 -0500

We have just finished with a couple of weekends in IL. They have been full and fulfilling. We started off the stint with a meeting at Bethel Baptist in Schaumburg. It was a blessing to see a growing and thriving ministry which has not compromised to be so. Being there was a true refreshment to our souls. That following week was spent at Brentwood Baptist's Manor house. I had the privilege of holding weeklong revival meetings at the school. It was a blessing to see the Word of God soften hearts and change lives. Please keep these children in your prayers. Pray for Salvation and Sanctification of these potentials.

Kids Klub and Balloons

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:34:46 -0500

Tonight we were able to minister in a local church which was starting up their Kings Kids club again. It was good to break out the balloons again. Ashley had a good time face-painting. The day prior, the pastor and I had the opportunity to do some door-to-door and we came across a young girl and her family. It was a blessing to see both her and her brother there as well as on Sunday! We have been gone almost every Sunday presenting out ministry in different churches during their services. It felt good to be able to minister to children again in this fusion.

Brazilian Church Construction Update

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:03:26 -0500

We have finished the last missions conference for the month of November. Jeff Thibaudeau Just arrived from Brazil yesterday, November 15, and is planning on being in the States for about a month. He brought back some much-needed supplies, namely Brazilian coffee! We were able to have wonderful time of fellowship over lunch at McDonalds as our children played on the play area. He also brought back some exciting photographs of the church's progress with their new auditorium. They have just finished pouring the roof of the building and are now working on the inside. Please pray as they work on finishing this part of the building. They are at standing room only in their current auditorium and greatly need this addition.

Last Missions Conference of November

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 14:06:19 -0500

We have just finished the last missions conference for the month of November as we are in the midst of our final push before we wrap up the year. Our last meeting for the year is in the middle of December. We had a wonderful time at the missions conference in Lake Mills. While there, Ashley and I orchestrated the Children’s conference during the week. Each day we visited a different country represented by each missionary at the conference. We started off the night by placing John 3:16 in each child's passport, written in the language of that night's country. Then we all climbed inside a plane as we informed the children about the country we would be flying to. I had also asked each missionary there to send at least one representative to share their country with the children and to tell them what the children were like in their country. One of the more interesting ones was Korea where the children enjoy a nice meal of dog for dinner. When we had the children draw pictures in their "passports" of what they remembered most about Korea, one girl drew a dog on the table with an apple in it's mouth! It was such a blessing to be able to work with these children. Ashley and I could not help but remember that these children are the next generation's missionaries. Please continue in your prayers for us as we head into UP country with snow on the way! The first lower photo is that of Ashley teaching the missionary story for the week and the other is that of one of the misionaries showing the children what children in their own country eat and wear.

If It Were You

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 14:08:41 -0500

If you were lost in Darkness and night
With no one to show you the way,
Would you want someone to bring you a light?
And wouldn’t you want it today?
If no one had told you of Jesus at all,
His love, His compassion, His death,
Oh, wouldn’t you want the message to come
Before you had drawn your last breath?
If, sinking in evil traditions, you were
Bound by what you believed,
Hopeless and hopeless, oh, wouldn’t you want
A chance, at least, to be freed?
Would you want them to wait while they built a new
Home, and paid for a “still better” car
Or while making the home base an elegant place
Before sending the message afar?
Would you want them to table the plans that were made,
To expand on missions this year,
Because of conditions around the world,
And the days of uncertainty here?
Would you want them to wait with the message of hope,
While you were dying and lost?
Oh, I know that your answer would ring through the gloom
“Please send it at any cost!”
So let’s send it out to the missions in need,
The light that will show them the way!
For if it were you in darkness and night,
You’d want it! You’d want it today!

Brrr....It's Getting Cold

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:41:20 -0500

I am beginning to notice how my blood is changing as I have been adapting to the Indiana climate. I notice the drastic difference when we make long trips to the UP or to the east coast. Speaking of, we just got back from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We had two absolutely wonderful meetings out there. We came away very encouraged. We had such wonderful fellowship…a rarity on deputation. When you are on the road so much, it is hard to get quality fellowship time, so we were enthralled to have so much of it on this leg! At our last meeting in the east coast, we were part of a missions conference. This was a special conference because some dear friends of ours were being commissioned by the church and are planning on leaving for Africa at the beginning of next year. We made a change in plans and made the trip home in one day. That afforded us some extra time at home to resupply and repack.

Now we are preparing to make a four week trip through Wisconsin, the UP, and Middle Michigan. I am not looking forward to the cold. There was a time when 60 below did not bother me, but now I am finding 60 above to be chilly. Can’t wait to get to Brazil. Please keep us in your prayers as we may face the possibility of snow as we are coming into November. We covet your prayers for safety, health, and that we will be able to be a blessing to the churches as we keep missions before them.

Don't Quit before the Harvest

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:00:34 -0400

The past few weeks have definitely been some of the most interesting, as well as the most blessed. We have been seeing the Lord work in powerful ways in the churches we have been in. As I sit here, looking out my window, I ponder the harvest season now upon us. It seems like, up till now, it has been toil, toil, toil. Now it is a joy to begin to see the fruits of our labors. We are excited to see our support top that 30% mark as we are now at 31%. We praise the Lord for this milestone in our deputation. I believe we have been witnessing the Lord raise up a mighty prayer army for this ministry and I am deeply humbled and greatly excited!

We have just finished a 4 day mission conference. As tired as we are afterwards, we come away greatly refreshed. It was an unusual week for many reasons, but most notably because our children had developed the chicken pox. The Lord answered prayer and brought a babysitter across our path who would be able to watch the children for the duration of the conference. Our thanks to those of you who were praying that we would find someone. God answered your prayers!

This week we embark on our 6-week journey. We will spend a couple of weeks in the east coast and then loop up through Wisconsin, through the UP, and then down the heart of Michigan. We covet your prayers for safety, health, and that we will be able to be a blessing to the churches as we keep missions before them.

What is a Missionary? -Author Unknown

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:45:40 -0400

A missionary is one who is sent-but too often forgotten! A missionary is one who is sent primarily because he loves the souls of man enough to want to go. However, he is sent out the same person as he was when he was with you. Did you think there was some magic formula that made him different? No, he goes to the field with the same human frailties as you who outfitted him, promised to support him, and to pray for him, to write him, and never forget him. He goes with your promises and blessings ringing in his ears and these will remain with him for quite some time; however, in his heart, he knows that you will not forget him, but will be there with encouragement and help when he needs them most. A missionary, then, is one who goes with the Lord, goes for the Lord, depends on the Lord, but is looking to you to “tarry by the stuff”.

The full force of the great challenge hits our missionary soon after his arrival on the field. He sees the desperate spiritual and physical plight of men-the terrible darkness of engulfing paganism. He spends his strength willingly and gladly, because he loves the Lord. However, distressed, he finds he must pray daily and fervently for more compassionate love for the people around him; therefore, a missionary is one who is not always endowed with the all consuming love for the people to whom he goes. Did you think that love came automatically? He works and prays with his people, he is often the only help for their physical ailments; and yet knows little of medicine.

He trudges the hot, weary trails on foot because his jeep breaks down and he is reluctant to send back word to you the he needs parts; they are too expensive there, should they even be available. Did you think it was enough when you helped him buy the jeep? He walks the trails, too, seeking, always seeking those for whom Christ died.

A missionary is one who labors for years, perhaps, before he can see much result; then suddenly the Holy Spirit brings conviction to hearts, and God brings the increase! Did you think it would come without labor, without tears, without intercessory prayer? What were you doing while he was laboring? Were you praying on your comfortable bed at night or while you were doing the dishes, or did you thing someone else was praying? Perhaps you hadn’t given it much thought, or maybe you didn’t think you had time to pray?

A missionary is one who doesn’t write what he thinks, feels, or needs for fear you might think he is complaining or is not a good missionary. Have you asked the Lord to help you read between the lines of his letters?

A missionary is one who writes of victory and of souls being won. Do you feel sure that it was your prayers that helped move the hand of God, or can’t you share in the harvest? When he writes of Satan’s attacks, are you then remorseful and fearful lest you left the praying to others, who perhaps, were leaving it up to you.

-Author Unknown

UP Tour of Duty just about Complete!

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:41:36 -0400

The past couple of weeks have been grueling, but awesome! We have been in 7 churches in the past 2 ½ weeks. We have used this time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to not only present our ministry to new churches, but also to report back to currently supporting churches. It has been good to become reunited with familiar faces, share what God is doing through us on deputation, and hear what God is doing in the churches that we visit.

Ashley has begun home schooling Bryanna and Bryanna is like a fish in water. Every day she asks to do another lesson and she is really excelling. She is so excited to be able to read, she says, so that she can read her Bible! If that does not make ones eyes well up with tears to hear their child say that, than I don’t know what would.

This October the team is working on bringing two of the national pastors with whom we work with, to the states. We need to do some team planning and instead of trying to fly both of out families to Brazil, it is more economical to bring the men to the states for the month. Please pray that the Lord will bring in the finances needed and that the time spent will be well profitable. The Lord is doing some tremendous things in Brazil and we are endeavoring to seek his face as a team how to go about His business. The two pastors to be in prayer for are Pastor Wilson and Pastor Ernesto. If you would like to specifically help with their expenses, you can send funds to Baptist Pioneer for the Kovachs, but specify that it is designated for the Brazilian pastors expenses.

- Pastor Ernesto

Brazilian Fruit

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:10:40 -0400

We have updated our prayer letter to reflect a new portion which we will be incorperating. It is called Brazilian Fruit...which abounds to your account. It is recent photos of the ongoing ministry from Brazil. The link will save a copy directly to your computer. BRAZILIAN FRUIT

It's Here!

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:12:09 -0400

You have been asking for it and we have been promising that we were going to get a new one. It is finally here! We are happy to announce the arrival of our new family photo and prayer card! We have also updated our photos on the children's pages as well as our own. The new individual pictures and picture of the children can be found under the "Family" portion of the website and the prayer card can be found under the "Brazil/Downloads" portion. We also have a new number on our contact page. It is our number through Skype. Even if we are in Brazil, you will be able to call us and not have to deal with international rates. It will be no different than a call to the States.

Click here for the new prayer card

Comming Soon!

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:04:23 -0400

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to finally take a new family Photo. Hence, we hope to have a new prayer card ready in the next month! We will make it available on our web site as soon as we have it made. Also, we have been using a little pice of technology called Skype. http://www.skype.com It is a program which allows one to make free phone calls anywhere in the US and Canada. It further only costs 2 cents per minute to call a phone in Brazil. We have been blessed to be able to use this program to stay in touch with our team in Brazil. If the other person has Skype on their computer as well, the call is free. One feature they offer is a SkypeIn number. We will be able to pick up a US based number which anyone in the states can call and the call will be directed to our phone in Brazil without the hassle of international rates, charges, or delays on the line. If you either have Skype, free long distance on your phone, or the number turns out to be local to you, then the call will be free. Otherwise, it is simply a long distance call. We praise the Lord for yet another avenue to stay in touch with His people back in the states.

We have Moved Back in!!!

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:14:41 -0400

I think the title says it all. We are officially back in our "new" old apartment.

They finished the carpet the week before I flew out for the funeral of my grandmother, so we had not had a chance to begin moving things over yet. While on the plane home, my parents offered to come and help us move back in. I arrived home on Thursday and spent all day Friday and Saturday moving things back over to the apartment. After having spent so long in appartment 2, we now sit in our apartment and feel like the other end of the room is sooooo very far away.

It will be nice to be back "home" and get back to our family schedule. Our kids, over the past few months, have occasionaly cried wanting to be able to go home, even though we were just next door to the appartment. There is just something about being back where you know you belong. We will be going up north for a little over a week for a meeting as well as to celebrate my father's 50th Birthday. When we come back, although we will have church meetings, we will be stationed in the Madison area for at least a few months. One of the first things on my adgenda is to get the next prayer letter out. I know it has been late, but all the upheaval has made it near impossible to accomplish. Bear with us, it is coming....now....where did I put my office???

Notes from the Team in Brazil....

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 23:11:38 -0400

CONSTRUCTION of AUDITORIUM

On July 8th the men had a workday Saturday morning. They poured cement in the wooden frame for the beam in the back of the new auditorium. We are making progress on the church auditorium. The walls are up on all four sides. We hope to get the roof on in the next few months. Please pray for the needed funds for the windows and doors. In our present location we are filled to capacity for most services. Afterwards, the men had a barbecue; it was a great time of fellowship for our men. We will be putting the roof on the auditorium soon.

VBS

July 17th through 21st we had Vacation Bible School. We had a missionary story, 2 games, a snack time and a Bible story Monday through Friday. There were 55 children on the first day. The highest attendance was 85. On Friday after the Bible story, almost half of the children (about 35) said they were interested in hearing about salvation. God knows how many of them understood and really got saved. This Sunday night after V. B. S. there were 8 children that came that had been coming to V. B. S. but had not come to a regular church service before.

PRAYER REQUESTS

A couple of weeks ago Dani, a teen, trusted Christ as Savior. He has been attending church for several months now. Please pray for his spiritual growth. Please pray also for our church as we prepare for vacation Bible school in mid-July. Various young people and adults will be involved. Pray also for God to prepare hearts in our neighborhood.

National Church Planting Conference

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:44:35 -0400

This past week, we had the privilege of attending the first annual National Church Planting Conference in Mentor, OH. It was hosted and sponsored by Grace Church of Mentor, OH; pastored by Tim Potter. Guest Speakers included; Dr. Matt Olsen, Dr. Bruce McAllister, Dr. David Doran, Pastor Ralph Colas, and Dr. Ed Nelson. It was an extremely encouraging conference and was refreshing to my soul to see such a large effort to "re-seed" America, as Dr. Mc Allister phrased it. I recall, while at the IFBF conference, Dr. Dafoe had mentioned that one of the largest hindrances to missions is the decline of churches being started in America. This is a fact which I have noticed for some time now and was excited to here it being articulated at such a conference. Thus this conference was especially meaningful to me as a missionary to see a visible front to the groundswell I have been sensing over church planting for some time now. I am very excited to see how God works through this conference. If you did not have the opportunity to attend, mark your calendars for next year. It will be the same week next year. See you there, unless the Lord allows us to be back in Brazil by that time! Below you will find a link to the seminar audios. I believe they will give a good sense of the heart of the conference.

http://www.gracechurchmentor.org/2006_conf.php

Missionaries Return.....but not completely

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 17:55:45 -0400

Another update on how things are going...

We have returned to our area in Madison, Indiana, but much to our dismay, the house lay in the gutted state which is was when we left. The original crew never returned. We decieded that, like it or lump it, we must return home because we were having Indiana churches canceling meetings because we were farther away now. About the same time which we returned, the pastor had found a local gentleman to do the drywall work. That phase has been completed. Now begins the task of cleaning and painting the walls. That job we will be doing ourselves. Once this is complete, we should be able to get carpet in and fix the shelves and so forth. Please pray for strength and grace as we continue to keep our family "squeezed" in the adjoining, but smaller apartment. Pray also for the expediency to complete the work.

Temporary Move

Sat, 06 May 2006 24:17:01 -0400

Just an update on our situation. The night of and the day after the damage was discovered, we had to move all of our belongings to the empty apartments next door. The lack of space tied with the multiple chemicals (anti-mold and mildew sprays) and hazards for small children which come with construction made us conclude that we needed to go somewhere for a temporary time while reconstruction occurred on the house. Hence, we have moved up North to my home area just above Troy, Michigan where we will be staying with my parents for a few weeks. They are going to be gone off and on for a week here and there on business and medical and therefore, the house will be empty for our family's use. Even in all of this, the Lord has all the arrangements worked out. Thank you so very much to all of you who have been praying for us through this time period. God's grace has been abundant! In a time when a person could be the most discouraged, I feel a joy and assurance that God is in control and actively in charge. It is a joy which surpasses anything which the world could give, and discouragement has been almost non-existent. Events like this make you sit back and say, "God is about to work...I can't wait to see what He is going to do!" Your notes, e-mails, and phone calls have all been such a blessing and encouragement! Please continue to pray for the soon finishing of the reconstruction so we shall be able to return home and resume "normal life and schedule."

Displaced Missionaries...

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 24:22:08 -0400

Greetings Praying friends and Supporters, The Kovach family is going through a very difficult time right now and needs your prayer. Please follow the link for all the details and photos.

http://www.kovachministries.com/displaced.htm

Ashley Goes To Prison!!!

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 22:03:41 -0400

Eilianna is 2 !!

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 22:43:12 -0400

Today we celebrated the 2nd birthday of Eilianna Mekenna. It has been such a blessing to see her grow and mature. I have to say that she is a little spitfire! You can see it in her eyes. Along with this memorial day she has also learned to get out of her crib all by herself! Look Out!

Revival and Refreshment

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 22:57:50 -0400

It has been a very exciting past couple of weeks. We have been able to be blessed by two revival services. One was at a local church near us and another was in the church were we are ministering. While on deputation, a lot is taken out of you as you travel to so many churches and give of yourself. We thank the Lord for these times were we are able to be ministered to! It's a time of spiritual recharging, in a sense. The revival meetings at Grace Baptist were done by Todd Sivnksty. The theme of the whole week was that of faith and grace. At times deputation can be difficult, and it was a real blessing to be reminded of the grace of God to make it through!

Current workings of God in Brazil

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 21:59:47 -0500

As we keep in touch with our team in Brazil, we would like to pass along the news of what God is doing over there. The Lord is continuing to bless the current church plant in Mirante. We currently have 15 people in the baptism class. We praise the Lord that He is continually adding souls to His church! The baptism is scheduled for April 30th. Please pray for those being baptized as well as those visiting that there may be some saved even though that service.

Tomorrow (3-31-06) we will be starting on the construction of the new auditorium. It has been exciting to see the church outgrow 2 meeting areas already! It is a joy to see how excited the church congregation is about helping accomplish this phase of the church. Please pray that the Lord will continue to bring in all of the finances needed for the construction and that there will be safety and expediency in it's construction.

Men's Conference in Indiana

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:01:24 -0500

Today I had the opportunity to attend a men's purity conference in Indiana. The key speaker was Rand Hummel from the Wilds Camp and Conference. It was a very good reminder of the age in which we live and that there is not a man alive who is not capable of falling. It was a very sobering time. For me, some of the key points are the nugget statements.

* "The question is not "Do we know what is wrong?", but "Do we desire what is right?"
* "Don't think of how sin affects you, but rather think of how it affects others."
* "A true friend is one who cares enough about you to make life miserable for you when you are in sin."
* "Make it hard to sin and easy to do right."

I think that last one is one of my favorites. Things like these pithy statements have a tendency to stick in my mind longer. The overarching principle of the conference was upon meditating upon God and His word. I would surmise the conference in yet another pithy statement by another pastor of old; "Either this Book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this Book!" I found it interesting how much of his material tied right in with a similar series from Central Seminary. (http://www.centralseminary.edu/index.asp?m=763 ). Probably one of the most frank discussions on the issue.

Lunch was provided by the church. A friend of mine and director of Shepherd's Bethel , Mike Weiss, prepared a fabulous prime rib meal for all the men. Nothing was missed!

While there, the Lord did allow for some opportunity to distribute some of my information to some of the 15 pastors there. Please pray that I would be able to see at least 1 meeting arise out of this opportunity.

Bryanna has Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, and Nose Cauterized

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:49:58 -0500

Today, Bryanna underwent the surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. It was actually a quick appointment. For years she has been struggling with her tonsil constantly being swollen and infected and for years doctors have said to wait. Finally we took her to a local doctor and he agreed that they needed to be removed. The office called me the next day and said they had an opening for today. It all happened so fast! I think the cutest thing was when they gave Bryanna "bravery" medicine right before the IV and surgery. Within 5 minutes of taking the pink fluid, she was more giddy then someone on funny gas. When the nurse came to the room, Bryanna exclaimed, "Why do you have so many eyes!" The surgery went off without a hitch. It was the recovery time which was difficult. I just could not seem to get here to stop crying...she was in so much pain and could not understand what was going on. The disorientation from the anesthesia seem to take quite a while to wear off. We actually did not get released until late into the evening because we could not get her to stop vomiting (another side effect of the anesthesia). Praise the Lord that we were able to come home and did not have to stay overnight! Please pray for continued recovery.

Women's IFBF Meeting

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 23:11:47 -0500

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Indiana Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Ladies retreat in Indianapolis. It was refreshing to get away with just ladies for a whole weekend. The best part of it was being able to spend the weekend with my mother n' law. We don't get to do that very often so it was an especially nice treat!! The theme of the retreat was on being an example of the believer. Our theme verse was 1Timothy 4:12, "But let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." The most challenging thought that I walked away with is that whether I like it or not my life is always an example. Whether it is at the grocery store or at home in front of your family our lives are always being examined by someone. So with this thought in mind I must strive to leave a sweet taste in peoples minds of who our Lord Jesus Christ really is. He is humble, meek, loving and holy just to mention a few. Once again I'll emphasize that this was an encouraging weekend for me.

"Off the Cuff" Introduction

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:17:43 -0500

Greetings Family, Friends, and Supporters,

I want to first of all thank you for your interest in our Ministry. It is my belief that missionaries should do as much as possible to stay in touch with the people of God. As most of you know, we do publish a quarterly prayer letter. For many of you, that is sufficient. However, there is so much that goes on in between that gets missed in those letters, as well as there are many out there who would like to be even more up to date on our ministry. This is why we have developed this portion of the site. We like to make sure that our prayer letters are as polished as we are able to make them. That, however, does limit us as to how often we can produce them. This avenue is designed to be a casual, informal method for posting events and occurrences as they occur. It will also have RSS feeds so you can stay up to date as soon as something is posted. After the next prayer letter (scheduled to be out the end of March/beginning of April), the front page of this blog will revert to posting most recent entries first so you do not have to scroll through them. I pray that this will be a blessing to you as you keep our ministry before the Throne of Grace!

As Christ's
Paul Kovach
Philipians 3:10