Dudeck News and Prayer needed

Greetings to all our friends,

This past week we took a road trip to Indiana from our home in Charlotte. We visited Pam's sister Paula and her husband Bob in Warsaw, Indiana, and took Jennifer for a campus visit at Taylor University where she plans to attend in the fall. It was nice to see Paula and Bob, and Jennifer thoroughly enjoyed her visit at Taylor.

But not all went well on the trip. The engine on our car, a 1996 Camry with 186,000 miles, decided to give out just as we pulled into Warsaw. The car is now in a shop in Warsaw, and we rented a car to return to Charlotte. When a rebuilt motor has been put in I will drive back to Indiana to pick up the car. At least that's the current plan. We would appreciate your prayers that this unexpected situation will be worked out. It takes 11 hours to drive between Charlotte and Warsaw.

For the past 8 months or more Pam has been experiencing severe insomnia. With medication, on a good night, she gets 5 hours of sleep, and 3 to 4 is more common. As you can imagine, she is feeling tired all of the time, and it is causing her to struggle with anxiety and irritability. She has had to quit her job in the law office, and is now helping in the archives at SIM International a couple of mornings a week. This is a real trial for all of us. The Lord has been working in her and each of our hearts through this time. But we really need your prayers that the Lord will restore her health.

We would also appreciate your prayers concerning our financial needs. Our financial support from donors is at about 67% of what we need on a monthly basis. So we need to find some new supporters. We have no plans other than to continue our ministry in SIM for the remainder of our active years, which should be at least 9 or 10 years more.

And speaking of finances, the cost of Jennifer's college is considerable. We have the funds to cover the first year, but at this point, we don't have a clue how the Lord will provide for the rest. We believe that Taylor is a great place for Jennifer, and she is really excited about the school. It is a small school with under 2,000 students. The school has an excellent Christian atmosphere. They offer a major called New Media that combines computer science, art, and communications in a way that is right up Jennifer's alley. We have made friends with some of the faculty and staff, and Jennifer has already been offered a job in the computer services department. But with all the scholarships, grants, and work options, there are still several thousand dollars per year beyond the "expected family contribution" that are not covered. Most students take out loans to cover the shortfall. But we really don't think it is right for a student to leave college with huge loans to pay off. This is one of the factors that causes so many young people to never go on to missions. By the time they have paid off their loans, they are married, have children, have bought a house, and are no longer willing to go overseas. Because of this, we are not willing to take out a large college loan. Pray that the Lord will provide. Unless He does, Jennifer will have to transfer to a cheaper school after her first year.

Of course the repairs on our car are an added major expense at this time. And we anticipate needing to replace the roof and the air conditioner in our house within the next year or two.
So we really need your prayers at this time.

Thanks, and keep in touch.

For Pam and Jennifer,

John Dudeck

jdudeck@zenia.simcsg.sim.org

"Have you ever noticed that God has an awesome way of messing up your plans?" -- Kelvin Smith