Clay Pots ~ Healing

The new one!

Have you ever noticed that things break down in three's? Our van, our laptop, and another thing all gave us problems in one week. It has been one of those stretching times for us as we trust God to provide for our physical needs and not allow ourselves to worry. We didn’t do too good of a job of it this past week, but as always, God has started to intervene despite our lack of faith. When our first van started pouring fluid all over the driveway, our family prayed around the dinner table for God to provide for us. We need a reliable vehicle for all the traveling we do. That night we went on a bike ride. We went to a used car dealership thinking that it would be closed for the night. But it was still open. (He normally would have closed two hours earlier, but had to finish something up) Well, in the lot was a van of same make and model as the one with fluid problems, but it looked a lot newer and nicer for a good price, $4,000.00. So yesterday we picked it up praying that God would provide the money for it. That afternoon our church dropped off a $1,000.00 check. Also, this past weekend someone gave us $600.00, and to top it off the man from whom we had bought the first van gave us all our $ back, $1000.00. So within 24 hours God provided for over half of the vehicle! And we know He will continue to provide for the rest because we have already seen him pay off our medical bills from all those surgeries.

Also, this next week our family of 5 will be leaving for a 2 week primitive camping trip up north. We ask that you pray for our family as we go. In many ways, we all are still dealing with and processing all that happened to us while living in the tribe. Our children have been through alot in the past years. As a first response it is easy to say we are okay and doing fine; but we have come to realize in the past weeks, that we are struggling and need some emotional and spiritual rest. Kellie has actually had panic attacks when she thinks about going back to the tribe and I have been dealing with high emotions as well. We want to take this time camping to pray and talk as a family. We are going to make lists of what we have seen or gone through and take time to talk to God about those things. So we ask that, as you think of it, you pray for our family. Pray that we will heal completely in this next year so that we can finish well.

We thank God for every one of you and how He has uses each of you in our lives,

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Memorable Moments

Grandma, Aunt Whitney, and Mommy taking Sophia to the American Girl doll store in Chicago for her 7th Birthday (June 7th)!

Jen Knievel/Knapp, our new sister-in-law getting baptized

Going on the paddle boats with Grandpa.

Malachi’s First Fish with Uncle Kyle (Pederson)

All dressed up for Jeremy and Jen Knapp’s wedding!

The Bride with flower girl and ring bearers!

The kids did awesome in the wedding except for the end of the ceremony when Malachi all of a sudden burst into tears because he realized that “his” aunt Jen was going to marry Uncle Jeremy instead of him. She promised to still love him though, so it was a ‘happily-ever-after’ for everyone, even Malachi.

The Bride & Groom!

Thank you, Jeremy and Jen, for glorifying God through your wedding and for displaying the wonderful picture of Christ and the church. It was a neat time, as a family, to have Jason perform the ceremony, Jen Pederson singing in the wedding, and to have Kyle and the kids all stand up in it. The wedding ceremony was a memorable experience; and no, not because of the tornados and sirens going off during the wedding, but because of the incredible picture of Christ’s servant hood displayed within marriage.

4 Generations

God answered our prayers in keeping our Grandparents healthy so that we could see them again!

Not to gross you out or anything but just in case any of you E.R. fans want a look at the incision on Kellie’s arm where the melanoma was.

For her 30th birthday, Jason surprised Kellie with a night out with her “old” high school friends whom she hasn’t seen in a very long time!

Gone Fishing!

These are just some of our highlights from the past couple of months. Jason’s sister and brother-in-law, Kyle and Jen Pederson and their son Noah, returned to Papua New Guinea just a few days ago. Jeremy and his new bride, Jen, will be living in Waukesha until they go on with the missionary training in Missouri with New Tribes Mission in January. Kellie’s brother, Jonathan, hopes to visit us next month from California; and Kellie’s sister, Whitney, will be returning to college in Chicago this fall. For us, we will be hanging tight here in Waukesha close to our churches and enjoying the summer with more fishing and camping. We would love to share with your church or small group some time this fall or winter…so please give us a call or drop us a line!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

(cracked) Clay Pots ~ Kellie

For as unpleasant as all the doctors appointments and surgeries have been, things have gone really well. We are praising God for his faithfulness and constant watch-care over our lives. We are also praising God for competent doctors and wonderful medical facilities here in the States. I wanted to update you all on how Kellie is doing right now.

Kellie went in on Wednesday and the doctor removed some more skin from around the area on her right arm where they had previously found the melanoma cancer. It was quite a large cut, and he had to go pretty deep, but was able to bring it all together and stitch it up. So she will only have a line scar across her whole arm instead of a huge round area. We are thankful that this cancer was caught in the earliest stage it could be, thus there will be no need for further treatments or procedures. She is unable to type until they remove her stitches (in about a couple weeks) so wants me to apologize for her lack of communication with any of you who might have written lately.

She went to the dentist the following day and will be getting a filling and a cap put on in the next couple of weeks, God has provided our family with a dentist who does all of this for free…what a blessing! Also her colonoscopy went well, she will be going for follow up appointments and taking some medications to take care of some minor problems. So all in all, she is doing well, and we are just glad that God has allowed us to be able to get these things done and “out of the way with” before summer sets in. We are greatly anticipating going camping and fishing with the kids and enjoying some of these long malaria-free Wisconsin summer nights.

We want to thank you all for all your prayers and concern for us. We truly feel loved and accepted by the body of Christ. You all truly are our brothers and sister in Christ.

Please continue to pray for our co-workers, the Williamsons and the Mankins. Williamsons have had their first language and culture evaluation and they are progressing very well. Pray that the language continues to come quickly for them. You can read their updates at www.handsandfeet.net. Also, Chad and Janeene Mankins (and kiddos) should have arrived in Madang. Pray for them as they re-adjust to PNG life and prepare to return to the tribe. Read their updates at www.reachestotheskies.com. And finally, please continue to pray for the Tobo believers, that they would grow in grace and in the knowledge of their God and Savior Jesus Christ, and that the gospel will spread through them to those around them.

In Christ,
Jason for the Knapp family (Wedding pictures will be coming soon!)

Thank you

I wanted to stop and thank all of you for praying for me. I was overwhelmed as there were people whom I had never even met praying for me and then calling to ask if everything was alright. Thank you.

The procedure went very well. I went to Waukesha Memorial Hospital early in the morning, got prepped and then was wheeled into the surgical room. That was a little intimidating with all the monitors and all the “stickers” they put on me. I think that my back and front were completely covered in stickers, but with these they were able to see a three dimensional view of my heart on the monitors.

Anyway, after they put me under, they stimulated my heart and were immediately able to find the problem (praise the Lord because sometimes things like this just don’t show up when you want them to). So they cauterized the electrodes that were causing a problem in my heart and then they stimulated it again to see if the problem would re-occur. It did not. So everything was a success. Again, thanks for your prayers on my behalf.

I have been a little groggy due to the anesthesia, and a little sore in places; but I really feel pretty good and just waiting for the entrance points to heal. I will not really be able to see the effects of the procedure until I am able to exert myself and get my heart going faster. Before the surgery, that is when I would have the problem of a racing heart; but that should no longer be the case. Which will be a nice peace of mind on those long hikes in the mountains of New Guinea.

Thanks again for your prayers,
In Christ,
Jason