Dear Praying Friends, Happy New Year! We praise God for bringing us through another year by His grace and in His strength alone. Like everyone world-wide, we are happy to see 2021 in the rear-view mirror! The year 2021 ended with a bang as I spent the week after Christmas at the annual Mano/Gio conference in Tappita. Preaching, teaching, a graduation, and other activities filled my time. The theme, “Come Now Let Us Reason Together, Saith the Lord,” (Isaiah 1:18) was a reminder of the necessity of making the right choice—the choice for life that comes through surrender to Christ. 
 
If you remember, back in 2016 Samaritan’s Purse and MAF widened and lengthened the airfield on our mission property in Tappita. As part of that we had to take down the existing Bible School building and build a replacement. Since then the books for the library have been in storage. I spent a few days after the conference working with Pastor Peter Sehkpor and his family to take those books and others we had sent recently, out of storage and arrange them on the shelves in the new library space.  
 
Our Bible school year at Jake Memorial Baptist College ended on December 18 with a Christmas party. We are so thankful for the grace given to complete another semester. The last quarter I enjoyed teaching a class on Christian home. It is always exciting to teach something that has immediate application to the students’ lives. We are enjoying a few weeks off during the break between semesters to prepare for next semester and attack other projects.
Nancy’s sister, with whom she has worked extensively on the English 70-Story Reading Comprehension and Grammar Course during Karen’s three-month visit, finished the necessary re-recording of the stories in Tennessee. We thank God for Dennis Schermer, who did the recording. Nancy, Karen and I are now finishing up the last “tweaks” before this project can be declared completed.  
One of the biggest change for us in 2021 was when, after 33 years of home schooling, Nancy’s life took a dramatic turn as a door opened for us to enroll Jonah as a seventh-grader in a local school. While we had heard about Cyber-Ed Christian School of Excellence in the past, logistically we did not see how it could work out. Several important things had changed in our lives, making it possible for him to attend a regular school. We enrolled Jonah, who turned 14 on January 1st, and he is rising to the challenge!  
Our son John-Mark and his family traveled from their home in Voinjama and spent a week and a few days in Monrovia during the Christmas season. So in addition to the other ministry-related Christmas events, we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with them. We feel so very blessed to have some grandchildren to hug.  
Our biggest Christmas gift this year was the birth of son Micah to Nathan and his wife Kelsey at the end of November. That brings our grandchild count to nine! Amelia and Clara are thrilled to have a baby brother!  
Please pray for the following requests: Increased enrollment in our Bible schools of students who are totally surrendered to God. John-Mark is nearing the completion of the Mandingo New Testament. Pray for grace as he continues to review what has been written. He hopes to be done by March. Jonah’s continued adjustment to his new school. The last “tweaks” to the English 70-Story Reading Comprehension and Grammar Course program.
In His service, Mark, Nancy and Jonah Sheppard
Serving with:
Baptist Mid-Missions
Box 308011
Cleveland, OH 44130-8011
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