Greetings from Minnesota,
...which will soon no longer be the place we call home.

As of September 1, 2006, Jon will be serving in the position of Associate Pastor at Evanston Bible Fellowship (www.ebf-church.org) in Evanston, IL.

We are very excited about this next chapter of our lives as we follow God's leading back to the local church. Jon will be serving in a variety of areas including shepherding the church staff, pastoral counseling, program oversight, some preaching, and on-going development of the Deacon Board. A member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, Evanston Bible Fellowship (EBF) is part of a group of churches whose mission statement includes being within walking distance of a university or college. In keeping with this vision, EBF is located just one block from the campus of Northwestern University. With many college students integated into a vibrant congregation, we are excited to see our sovereign God combine our love for the local church and college students in this new chapter of ministry.

While we have been grateful for the ways in which God has orchestrated the details of this transition, we continue to commit the sale of our home here in Waconia to Him in prayer. Humanly speaking, we probably couldn't have chosen a worse time to put our home on the market (the current status: 9 homes for every buyer). Having just lowered our price significantly to help sell more quickly, we continue to trust that God will bring the right buyer in His perfect time. We greatly appreciate your continued prayers for us in this particular need.

Our current plan involves Jon moving to Evanston and beginning his job on September 1st. In the meantime, Laila and the girls will remain here in Minnesota for at least the month of September in hopes of selling our home. Elizabeth will begin Kindergarten here on August 28. Once our home sells we will pursue "official plans" to relocate. While it can be difficult to have so many details "up in the air", we are seeking to rest in God's sovereign plan. With this in mind, we would greatly appreciate your prayers that we would remain confident of that plan.

As soon as we have a new address and phone number we will make that available. For now you can reach us via email at lailabechtle@hotmail.com, or Jon at the church at jonbechtle@ebfchurch.org.

Again, we would treasure your prayers during this time of transition.

Because of Jesus,
The Bechtles