“He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen.” Deuteronomy 10:21

Our eyes continue to see things that inspire awe, and someday I pray that we will look back on our years here and will see this verse as a fitting description.  Since our last letter, I’ve had some good news and some “please follow up at some point” messages.  My liver enlargement is due to an anatomical variant, though they found some things in the labs that need to be followed up with non-urgently.  We plan to do that here.  I had the procedure to break up my kidney stones and it went well.  Overall good news.

Fred had a wonderful visit with his friends in Japan and at the family wedding in the Philippines.  The kids took turns being sick while he was gone, which meant that I got a lot less done than I’d hoped.  But we did drive north from January 20-23.  Our flights could not be scheduled when we had hoped, they were confirmed for February 6.  So on January 25 we had our commissioning at Peninsula Evangelical Friends Church with our home congregation and several out of town family.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and a wonderful weekend of visiting.  Then I got sick, which turned into asthma, and again we were slower getting things done than hoped.  But God was faithful, and despite the delays we were able to visit with several dear friends, pack, and leave on time.

We moved a bunch of suitcases and bags, a guitar and baritone ukulele, two cats, two kids, and three adults (my sister, Jennifer, traveled with us), arriving in Split, Croatia on Saturday, February 7th.  Minus half of our bags, which ended up being a blessing in that it let us move things in stages.  They arrived two days later.  God provided an apartment the week before we left that we were able to move straight into.  The landlords are friendly and helpful, the neighborhood is bustling and quiet.  We don’t have a car, but using public transit and ride shares is going pretty well.  We have been attending a Croatian church and are hopeful to be at home there.

Our first few weeks have been packed.  Jen got sick our second night here and was out of commission for several days.  My asthma got a lot worse the day we left the US, it is finally mostly better.  After multiple visits to several government and business offices, we are registered with the police, have Croatian ID numbers, have internet and local phone numbers, and our apartment is coming together.  Fred and I have finished three weeks of language school and are enjoying seeing pieces start connecting, even as it feels a bit like a fire hose.  We were unable to find a preschool with openings for the kids, but God provided a nanny for school days and that seems to be going well.  Jen was here for three weeks and the emotional stress of transition seems to have started after she left.  The kids, especially Jael, had a pretty rough couple of week, but now we are seeing steady “settling” in all of us.  There is still a ways to go, so please continue to pray for peaceful hearts and grace with each other.

Croatian Adjustments

We have found some familiar foods, which has been helpful for the kids, but even those have slightly different flavors and textures which has been especially hard for Jael.  A surprise for the rest of us was that our address is just our building, and then visitors call up or the post office puts our mail in the box with our name on it.  We are still getting used to the rhythm of life here, especially that almost everything closes on Sunday.  Many ingredients that we are used to are available, but figuring out the Croatian names was a bit of a challenge.  Having said that, we are enjoying trying new foods and finding new favorites!

The Kids

Alex and Jael are excited to be home, though they miss friends and family from the US.  Having the cats has been helpful.  Jael is often seen carrying one then the other around, frequently telling us: “I need to hold the kitty!” She has been singing the alphabet song “H, I, P, T, H, I, P, T, …” and was thrilled to go to the beach.  Alex sings “the Croatia song”, that his grandma wrote, all the time; notably while we were walking around the old city of Dubrovnik, to his Sunday School class here, and on several walks around town.  He will walk up to random strangers and start with “Hi!  My name is Alex, I like dinosaurs!”  He gained a new scar on his eyebrow when he split it open on the corner of the table less than a week after we arrived , then the next week got another on his side when he tripped on a sidewalk while running at full tilt.  We’ve had some tears about missing home, and also statements of “I like it here” and “I’m glad we live here!”

Praise & Prayer Requests:

• We’re here!  God answered so many prayers for specific things about the trip, the apartment, the kids’ adjustment, in the last few weeks.  We are thankful for all your prayers to that end.
• The body of believers here has already been encouraging.  If you remember a few months ago, I wrote about Fred and I crying during the song “Holy Forever” at yearly meeting in Ohio.  We longed to hear the Croatian church singing that song, sharing that prayer.  Our first Sunday at the church here, that was one of the songs they sang.  The next week they sang “Christus Victor,” which was another song that was something of a them the last few months.
• We’ve been praying, as have many of you, about what the kids should do while we are in language school.  None of the preschools that we’ve talked to have any openings.  But Jen’s last Wednesday here the Lord gave me an urgency to post on a Facebook page for foreigners in Split, asking for recommendations for a Croatian nanny.  Someone connected us to one and she started the next Monday.  We are thanking God for His provision!
• The kids are still having sleep disturbances and emotional stress.  Please pray for their hearts and minds, for wisdom as we take care of them, and that they will pick up Croatian easily from the nanny.
• Please pray also for our language studies, that we will learn quickly.  We are also looking for a language helper to supplement our formal study, please pray for someone who can also become a friend.
• We are starting to connect some with people in our class, please continue to pray that God brings friendships with people who need Him and with people who already know Him.  Pray that we will be a faithful witness, even in this transition period when stress levels are high.

The post The Liddell Family | March Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Preparing to Join God’s Work in Croatia
Please Pray for the Liddell Family

Fred and Jonelle Liddell, along with their children Alex and Jael, are preparing to move to Croatia in early 2026, stepping into a calling shaped by prayer, patience, and deep trust in God’s timing. They are joining God in what he is already doing among the people of Croatia, long before they arrive.

During recent prayer walks through Croatian cities and towns, Jonelle was struck by the image of an old house, weathered, cracked, yet still standing after generations. It became a powerful picture of the spiritual landscape they are entering. In a place where religion often exists as cultural identity rather than living faith, the Liddells are praying that God would do something new and that the knowledge of him would no longer be distant or abstract, but personal, present, and transforming.

Their preparation season has been full and at times heavy. Training, travel, meetings, and international planning have been layered with unexpected health concerns and logistical hurdles. Yet through each interruption, the Liddells have continued to sense God’s steady invitation: Will you notice what I am already doing? Will you join me? With open hands, they are answering yes!

In the midst of transition, family life remains central. Alex eagerly talks about Croatia, while Jael fills their days with songs, coloring, and imaginative play. Together, the family anchors their hearts in simple truths: Jesus is strong and kind, he calms the storm, and is near in seasons of change.

As they look toward their move in early 2026, the Liddells are asking others to join them as supporters and as prayer partners. The work ahead will require language learning, cultural humility, spiritual discernment, and endurance. Above all, it will require listening closely to the Spirit as they seek to walk faithfully among the people God loves.

God is already at work in Croatia. The Liddells are preparing to join him!

Please pray:

• For health, strength, and clarity as ongoing medical needs are addressed.
• For peace and focus as preparations and logistics continue.
• For language learning and cultural understanding once they arrive.
• For open hearts in Croatia, that many would encounter Jesus personally.

The post January 2026 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“Do no call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.  Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.”

During one of our prayer walks in Croatia last month, an old property jumped out at me.  Like the spiritual strongholds we were praying against, this house had stood there for generations.  It was in disrepair, yet still holding firm.  And this is the verse that God brought to mind, with the prayer that this time, when religion is an identifier, not salvific, when God is a nebulous entity not Immanuel, that this time would be a vague memory.  God is already doing something new. He has already formed a people for Himself, in Croatia and in your neighborhood.  Will we not be aware of it?  Will we not join Him?

Stateside Busy

We continue to be so grateful for your prayers!  Since our last update we: finished our training at MTI, visited friends around the midwest and southwest, shared at Argonia Friends Church in Kansas, had three weeks of most of us being “home” in San Diego, Jonelle flew to WA for a dear friend’s memorial service, we had another friend visit us in San Diego.  We started gathering documents for visas and did a lot of preparation for our November trip.  In early November, Fred and Jonelle flew to Ohio for some EFM meetings and a commissioning at the annual missions banquet. Then we spent a few days in Salem, Ohio visiting Salem First Friends Church and spending time visiting some dear people from that congregation. The kids stayed with Fred’s parents in San Diego.  Being in the same place for more than a few weeks was a gift for them.

Prayer/Planning Trip

We flew from Ohio to Split, Croatia, joining up with several teammates on the way.  Over the course of the next few days we met with: a representative from our language school, an immigration attorney, a realtor, and a local pastor.  We found out that the visa path we had planned on would not work at all (it wouldn’t let us bring our kids) and found another way that should be a really good fit for our first couple of years.  We spend time getting a feel for the city and scouting out both what is available in local stores and how much things cost.  We prayed around several neighborhoods in the vicinity of the language school.

Then one more teammate joined us and we shifted gears to a prayer trip.  We moved to Orebić, visited the closest church and renewed our acquaintance with the pastor.  We prayed around the center of Orebić.  Then half of our team went home, one person leaving early due to respiratory issues.  The rest of us moved to Ploće, spend time praying around town there, and got a bit of rest.  We visited friends across the border in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then moved south to Dubrovnik.  Lunch with missionary friends there, a visit to the local Baptist church and renewed acquaintance with the leaders there, a respiratory bug in our remaining teammate, and a prayer walk in the Old City.  Our last afternoon, as we were debriefing our prayer walk, I started to feel some back pain.  It got worse, I ended up in the ER diagnosed with my first kidney stone.  Thank God for our missionary friends, they helped us navigate the ER and the urologist the next morning and helped us get to the airport on time to make our flight.

Getting Ready to Move!

Since we got back, life has been a blur of doctor appointments and exams, two ER visits, time with the kids, continuing to get our visa documents in order, meetings.  The first kidney stone has passed, but there are two more in my left kidney.  While they were looking for the stones, they found that my liver was enlarged.  Turns out there is also something there, as yet undiagnosed, that needs to be addressed.  We also had a memorial service for Fred’s uncle, who died while we were in Ohio.  And got a brief visit with Fred’s brother, who came home for the service.

The current plan is to continue getting through doctor appointments, visa things, packing/sorting, until the end of December.  Then drive to Sequim, Washington.  Fred will fly to the Philippines for his cousin’s wedding (he’s a groomsman) while Jonelle and the kids enjoy family time and work on packing there.  We’ll have one week all together, and a commissioning at our home church.  We hope to fly to Split on January 23 and begin language school on February 23.

As you can probably guess, these plans feel a bit hectic and uncertain.  We are trusting that God is not surprised by these inconveniences and His timing is good.  Please pray with us for continued peace in the process, for energy and focus to get all the things done, for clarity if/when we need to adjust.  Our hands remain open, our plans held loosely.

The Kids

Alex talks frequently about moving to Croatia.  He continues to be our social butterfly, ready to talk to anyone and ask them all about themselves and their opinions on dinosaurs (Where do you live?  Do you have kids?  Do you like T rex or Ankylosaurus better?).  Jael loves coloring, swings, and singing.  Her current favorite game is bathing her toy animals in a tub on the back deckThey play trains and dinosaurs, family and cooking together and it’s really adorable!  Their theme song for this season is “Jesus Calms the Storm” by the Gettys, followed closely by “Jesus, Strong and Kind.”  They continue to love the book “found: Psalm 23” by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and we’ve added “It Will be Okay” and “He Always Hears.”  Reinforcing the lessons they learned at MTI, the things we’ve been talking about in the car, with stories and songs has been helpful for all of us.  If you also find yourself in a season of changes, of goodbyes, take a listen and feel His balm “There’s a Rock where I can go, keeps me safe and this I know, deep within my troubled soul, Jesus calms the storm.”

Prayer Requests:

• Please continue to pray that we will draw near to God and find rest for our souls in this time of unknowns and transition.
• Pray for our kids that will know God’s peace and will grow to love Him deeply.
• For physical healing and health, for protection from spiritual opposition in any form it may take.

The post The Liddell Family | December Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

To the Kitchen and to Croatia!

At one of our stops this summer, Alex was playing with some animal and dinosaur figures and a toy shopping cart. He loaded all the toys into the cart and announced “Bye Mommy!  I’m going on a walk!” “Where are you going?” “To the kitchen and to Croatia!”

We’re Fully Funded!

We laughed at Alex’s remark, but were also struck by how fitting that answer is. Where are we going today? Probably somewhere mundane, like the kitchen or the classroom or the store. But in a few months? We’re going to Croatia! Because, praise God, we’re fully funded! Thank you to those of you who have partnered in prayer and those who have partnered with their finances, God has been using you and we are a major step closer to going!

Our Summer of Travel

A lot has happened this summer: We moved out of our house in June, put it on the market in July, closed in August! We drove east then west, visiting churches and lots of friends in Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Kansas, ending in California. We visited museums with dinosaur bones, national monuments and national parks. We shared 16 times at churches, small groups, annual sessions/yearly meetings, and VBS’s. We drove through 26 states (I think) going one direction or another, ending up most recently in Colorado for a month long training at Mission Training International (MTI).

Sharing at Evangelical Friends Church -Eastern Region’s Yearly Meeting Sessions

Mission Training International

All four of us are in class all day, 5 days a week, learning strategies and techniques to learn a new language faster, tips for adjusting to a new culture, techniques to help with the emotional roller coaster of moving overseas, and spiritual practices to help keep us grounded throughout. This program has been even better than we hoped! We’re making friends, loving our classes and trainers, already seeing progress in some things as we implement the tools we’re receiving. For instance, I have never been able to trill an “r” and I need to if I want to speak Croatian well. Last week one session was working on “r’s” and I was able to trill for the first time!  Sounds minor, but it felt major!

Still to Come

In October we will be doing a bit more visiting in the mid-west, then driving back to San Diego for some downtime with Fred’s parents.  In November, Fred and I will fly to Ohio for some meetings with EFM, then will fly from there to Croatia for two weeks.  This trip will start out focused on pre-move logistics, then will shift to a time of focused prayer in several key locations. We will be joined by a few people from across the country, including two potential teammates!  Language school in Split, Croatia starts at the end of February, so we hope to move by the end of January.  It’s coming fast!

The Kids

Our kids have been blessed by quick connections everywhere we’ve gone. They’ve gained extra grandparents and an awful lot of friends. This has been a great blessing, but the goodbyes are hard. Through the summer we’ve seen signs of increased emotional stress in both Alex and Jael, peaking right as we got to Colorado. Being in one place for more than a week has helped with that. But within the first few days of training, we also learned more of the early indicators to watch for, as well as a steadily increasing number of tools to use. It has been empowering and encouraging to see the differences as we use things they have taught us mixed with things we figured out on our own. Please keep praying for them though, their world is already shifting and their hearts hurt for the people and places we’ve already said goodbye to.

The next few photos are the kids with their bonus and real grandparents!

Please Pray

• For these next few months, that we would be drawing near to God and finding rest for our souls, even as we do all the things that need doing before we can leave.
• For the kids, that they would know God’s nearness as a constant.  That we would have wisdom and patience as they deal with the stresses of this time.
• For our potential teammates, that God would guide their process and draw us together in unity even before we reach the field.  Pray for clear discernment and peace as they seek to follow His leading.

The post Liddell Family: September 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The Liddell Family | Preparing to Serve in The Balkans

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” Hebrew 10:23-24

In June, we moved out of our house and left for Idaho, visiting several churches there in July and enjoying sweet fellowship with individuals. Then we headed east and were encouraged by our time at the yearly meeting sessions for Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region. As we were driving east for those sessions, our house went on the market, we accepted an offer, and we are now under contract. The next few weeks will be spent visiting seven churches and several loved ones around the East Coast. It is easy to get caught up in the busy, but we opened with this passage and close our presentations with it for a reason.

First, we pray this for each church and person we visit; that you would both hold fast and hold out your confession of hope without wavering, holding to and introducing your neighbors to the faithful one who promised. Known locally for the way you love and the way you live out that love.

Second, we need that prayer. As we visit churches and as we go to the Balkans, we want to live this. Local pastors and missionaries reported that many workers come into this region and leave within two years due to discouragement, but that doors of opportunity open if you stay past that point. We need prayer to hold fast to our confession of hope, holding out the faithful one, living love.

But most of all, we pray this for the people in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, that they will gain a confession of hope and will hold it fast, that they will know the faithful one who promised. That a place known for bloodshed and deep ethnic hatred will be known for the way its people love one another.

“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” May this be true in our churches, here and around the world!

Praise God… In the chaos of moving, I (Jonelle) was feeling quite stressed. Driving a load of stuff somewhere, we passed a field and Alex got excited and insistent until I looked, “Look, Mommy, it’s soft green grass in a meadow by a little stream! Just like Jesus gives! He makes our hearts quiet!” He was referencing a children’s version of Psalm 23 and has applied it a few times, in a few places. Praise God that this little disciple is seeing God’s gifts around him. For the body of Christ with which we have been privileged to fellowship. They are not just loving us well, but we are getting glimpses of the ways that God is using each local body to shine where they are and make his name great. It is a delight to see! For two potential teammates, who are praying about their role in the Balkans and are taking steps to go! Please Pray… We are driving hundreds of miles around the East Coast, then back to San Diego, where we will base with Fred’s parents, then to Colorado for a month of training, then back to San Diego. Pray for safety on the road. For those potential teammates as they continue to discern God’s leading. And if God does continue to lead them to this field, pray for unity as a team. “Jesus, I miss (grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, my house, my cats). I’m sad. Jesus, you stay with me?” We are hearing that prayer regularly from the backseat, as Alex processes goodbyes. Usually followed by “mommy, I prayed, and Jesus is with me, now I’m happy!” Please pray with us, as our kids navigate this season of change and goodbyes, that even when they aren’t happy, they will know Jesus is with them. May we all be so quick to cast our burdens on the Lord.

Download this month’s prayer letter here…

The post August 2025 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Right now, life feels like a whirlwind, and there is too much to describe it all here. Our time with Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting was a lot of fun, making new friends and getting to know some friends better.  This continued with the Future Missionary Retreat, and we are so excited to see how God leads these others who are seeking his direction! We had good fellowship and prayer time throughout this week, extending into the EFM spring board meetings. Then a too brief visit with some of my childhood friends, and a fun morning at Denver Friends Church. Each night, I expected all of us to be exhausted and drained in the morning. Each morning, we woke up with increased energy and excitement. This busy respite was so needed! We topped the trip off with a drive home through western Colorado, a visit to Arches National Park, a night with my brother’s family, and so much beauty throughout the drive that we were amazed.

Now we’re in the last stretch, preparing to list our house and head out on the road. June 27 is our departure date, it’s coming quicker than we’re ready for, but we’re excited too! It has been amazing to see how God is meeting needs through local believers whom we don’t even know, and to receive the help of so many family and friends with various aspects of the process.

One highlight of our time in Colorado was a visit to the Dinosaur Museum with some of the future missionaries. Alex is still telling people about it and can’t wait for the next one we find. He is a good encourager, “Mommy, look at Jael, she climbed the ladder! Good job, Jael!” Jael has finally started answering when people ask, “What is your name?” and has begun asking the question herself, multiple times a day, to everyone around her.  “Mommy, what’s your name? What’s his name (pointing to Alex)? …”. They are both loving warmer weather, with barefoot play in the front yard.

• For God to provide the right buyer quickly.
• For physical and mental energy as we finish the move-out/cleanup phase.
• For peace and protection as we begin this extended period of travel. Pray that we will be encouragers and that God will use us to build up the congregations/believers that we meet.

The post Liddell Family: June 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

• West Chehalem Friends (Newberg, OR)
• Crossroads Community Church (Astoria, OR)
• Entiat Friends Church (Entiat, WA)
• Cherry Grove Friends Church (Battle Ground, WA)
• We went to an EFM orientation in Brea, CA
• Jonelle and the kids attended the Northwest Yearly Meeting Pastor’s Conference at Twin Rock Friends Camp on the Oregon coast.

It’s been a lot! A lot of travel, a lot of logistics to juggle, a lot of delightful, encouraging, refreshing time with the Body of Christ!

Upcoming: at the end of this month, we’ll be in Colorado for Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting’s annual sessions, a future missionary retreat, the EFM board meetings, and to share at a church. Then we’re moving out of our house, putting it on the market, selling our cars, and hitting the road in the EFM van. In early July, we’ll be in Idaho, then we’ll drive east and visit some churches on the East Coast. September is COMPASS missionary training in Colorado, for the whole family. Lots to pray for!

One quick answer to a question we’ve been getting recently: EFM doesn’t take a percentage of missionaries’ support for administration costs. Administration and office expenses, etc., come from separate giving.  So, when you give to us or other EFM missionaries, your gift goes directly to our/their expenses.

The Kids

The kids had a rough spell in March when one of our cats escaped and didn’t return. We got a preview of how they might respond to upcoming goodbyes, and while it was hard for all of us, it helped us start practicing some tools that we hope will help in the coming months. They have loved meeting so many friends (or “pwends” to Jael), seeing cousins a bit, and finding playgrounds. Jael has been singing the ABC song, mostly repeating this section, “Q, R, S, T, U, W.” Alex reads books to her, and it is adorable. They love to help with things like loading and unloading the dishwasher, making breakfast, and vacuuming. Last time I told you about Alex thanking us for helping “my sister,” now Jael does it when we help her, “thank you for helping a sister!”

We currently have 278 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 500. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

We are currently raising funds for our monthly needs. We are so grateful for those of you who have already begun supporting us financially and in prayer! We are currently 56% funded! Please partner with us, we would love to share in this ministry with you.

There are four ways to financially partner with us: 

• Online. Visit our personal support webpage here. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
• Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
• Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Liddell Family Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Liddell Family: May 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Great news! Jonelle and Fred Liddell, the first household to respond to EFM’s Five-Year Goal are now halfway to their support raising goal. We celebrate God’s faithfulness and the generosity of his people. Join us all in gratitude for this significant development!

This is a major milestone because they can now join EFM’s missionary community full-time! They will pour all their energy into training for language and culture learning, partnership development, and preparing for the field. Once they finish this training and reach 100% of both their monthly financial need and prayer partner goals, they can deploy to the Balkans.

As you celebrate this benchmark, if you sense the Lord prompting you to support the Liddells through prayer and/or financial support, follow this link [their Classy page]. It would propel towards stepping into this amazing opportunity to share Christ’s love in a place of great need. It will be a great encouragement to them too!

Finally, I am honored to be a part of this expression of God’s relentless love to the world. I am grateful for people like you who faithfully help make it so.

The post Exciting News: The Liddells Reach 50% first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“I thought you had left!” “So, when are you leaving?” We hear variations of this multiple times a week and usually reply with a smile and something about how it’s been going slowly, but we’re getting closer and will leave as soon as we can. That we have to be fully funded before we can leave, that we see how God had been using the “slowness” of the process. All those things are true. There are pieces we don’t usually say, though. “We’re struggling with impatience.” “Yes, it gets discouraging sometimes.” “Even as we feel deeper and deeper confirmation that this is God’s will, we struggle with insecurity and frustration in this indefinite transition time.” I have been thinking this week of a song I grew up singing: “He did not bring us out this far to take us back again, He brought us out to take us into the Promised Land.” He will finish the work he began. Please pray for our hearts in this process. For patience, for hearts in tune to the Spirit’s leading, for souls restored as we follow the Shepherd.

Briefly, we had a lot of fun visiting two churches in Oregon at the beginning of February, one Friends and one Lutheran. Fred was able to attend and speak at Man Camp in Idaho this last weekend for the Friends churches over there. We thank God for the hospitality of these bodies of believers, for the encouragement of their friendship, and for the joy of connecting with old friends and family on these trips.

The Kids

Both Alex and Jael have recently started talking about things they love. Usually, they are positive statements, as this from Jael when I was putting on her footie pajamas last night: “Feet? I WUB it!” Occasionally in the negative, as this from Alex when I grabbed him to wrestle and he wanted to be still “Mommy, I don’t yuv dat dame.”  They continue to be very thankful children, and Alex has started thanking us for both of them: “Thanks for helping my sister!”  Watching them play chase, alternated with fits of giggles, is a true delight! They fill our house with growls and roars, as they are often various kinds of dinosaurs.

Prayer requests:

• For more monthly financial partners so that we can reach the nearer goal of going full-time with EFM and the slightly farther goal of getting to Croatia and starting language school.
• That God would already be drawing a people to himself in the Balkans and would strengthen the believers and workers in this region.
• For faithfulness in the little things and the big things, the study and the friendships, the prayer and the drawing near.

Fred and Jonelle Liddell

Alex and Jael

We currently have 254 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 500. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.We are currently raising funds for our monthly needs. We are so grateful for those of you who have already begun supporting us financially and in prayer, but we have a ways to go. We are currently at 35% and need to be at 50% funded before we can transition to full time ministry. Please partner with us, we would love to share in this ministry with you. There are four ways to financially partner with us: Online. Visit our personal support webpage here. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift. Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person. Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month. Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Liddell Family Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Liddell Family: March 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.”

This time ended with a week and a half in San Diego, visiting Fred’s family and childhood friends and sharing at the church he grew up in. We expected joy together, but God gave far beyond our hopes. Family time was sweet, fun, restful, and active. We played at the beach, visited the zoo, and went to a dinosaur museum/play place that may be Alex’s favorite place ever. We spent time with friends who we hadn’t seen in months to years and had such a good time catching up. We saw Fred’s old home church in such a healthy place, with a lot of new faces and a lot of dear friends.

That visit started our next season of travel. We have two visits to churches in Oregon as a family coming up, and Fred will end the month with a weekend at Man Camp in Idaho, with men from the Friends churches there. We are very thankful for our new partners, in prayer and in finance, and appreciate your continued prayers for us to reach full partner support.

Kids Moments

Alex has a dual obsession with letters and dinosaurs. At the dinosaur place, he was completely delighted to walk around the corner and see a T rex model. Arms in the air, “A TYRANNOSAURUS REX!!! RAAAAHHHRRR!!! DINO DANA!!!” (Dino Dana is a kids’ show). He gets excited whenever he sees letters on our clothes, signs, or in books, and often sings the alphabet song. Jael was delighted to hold her baby cousin and loves wearing her stuffed animals in a baby carrier or “wrap” (a scarf) the way I wear her. We rode a miniature train in San Diego, and Jael was snuggled next to me, just watching the things going by, until we came around a corner and saw the bear statue. The whole train could hear her yell, “BEAR!” But they couldn’t see her beaming face when she saw it! Both kids love praying: Alex tells Jesus all about his day with its highs and lows. Jael isn’t always intelligible, but she is always excited to pray.

Prayer Requests:

– For our preparation, that we will be learning what we need to, sharing what God wants, and will be faithful in this waiting stage.
– For the kids, that their hearts will draw near to God and will find peace in the changes as we prepare and as we move.
– For the Balkan people, that the Spirit will draw them to him and that they will find the true rest that comes with letting go of control and hatred and turning to the one who is love.

The post Liddell Family: January 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.