Blessings is the Name of Jesus         We (Daniel and Melissa) will soon be hurdling through space at 40,000 feet high!  We fly back to Mozambique this Monday, January 30th. Who is where? We'll greatly miss our children and grandkids here. Elijah will stay here and continue working at Vetter's Collision Repair - Great Job! Esther will stay here continuing her music training with Phil Rogers Foundation for music (par excellance and Christian!), working part-time 4-6 days a week with Brown Button Estate Sales, and primarily helping Hannah with home and young ones (1 & 3yrs). How is Hannah? We praise the Lord that Hannah's Lupus is being contained and that she is off of kidney dialysis with 25% kidney function. Thank you so much for being behind us here during Hannah's health crisis. There is almost no way she could have made it through without all the extra support given in the home while she was down. It's been rough. It's been stressful many times. Thanks for holding us up with your prayers. She has made great progress, but still has a long ways to go - at least another year or more of Cell-Cept... Due to the immuno-suppressant drugs, she gets every cold and flu that comes along, with the ensuing sinus infections and fevers, and so has been in bed much of the time. She's better and up more today. Please pray she can come into a sick-free time and be able to get the consistent nutritional support to heal completely and to maintain good health. Ready for Mozambique Also while here, we've been able to continue language practice (Melissa-Portuguese & Daniel-Makua). Amazingly, the following resources were also completed: 1) The rest of the dialogue questions for the Bible storying from Exodus on through the life of Christ with the accompanying Makua Bible text for all verses! 2) Sixteen Bible Narrative lessons for new church plants and young Christians with beautiful Gospel pictures in an African context, and 3) several other smaller pieces. These are all in Portuguese. In the next months, pray we find all the help necessary to translate them into Makua and for more "laborers for the harvest" to spread the Word of Jesus. We've been greatly encouraged by the book, "In Heaven! Experiencing the Throne of God" by Dean Braxton. As with any book, eat the meat and spit out the bones. After reading it, we see even more of God's grandeur in John's Revelation. While @#!*% is a reality, Jesus is actively sowing the 'Good News' of forgiveness of sins and a forever relationship of love with Him. He is AWESOME! What Now? Well, we're back to the land of heat, rats, spitting cobras, corruption, bribes, high inflation, thefts, harrasments, fewer resources, time in lines again and again, fears, confusion, hate, greed, much sickness, grinding poverty, demonic activity... BUT where there are also beautiful sunsets, where _everyone_ is a beautiful creation of God... AND the LOVE and GRACE of JESUS is covering us and bringing HIS PEOPLE through to streams of living water flowing from His throne. (John 4:10-11; 7:38; Revelation 7:17) Love you, Daniel and Melissa Maddux www.beatoday.org 913-871-6490 - You can call this Kansas phone number to ring on our computer in Mozambique and speak with us. P.S. Melissa had a GREAT birthday Jan. 15th with her Dad and Mom and sisters from Iowa.

Makua Update Hello Dear Friends, Here and HEAVEN:  What a great God we have to gives us what we could never deserve - the breath of life, family and friends, and an eternal friendship with Him through Christ!  I just read through '90 Minutes in Heaven' and am again amazed at how indescribable the simplest things in heaven are - pure radiant self-less love from everyone, bodily beautiful perfection, warm intense light - everywhere!, music from the heart by myriads of angels, humans, and heavenly beings, the heavenly city.... and then there is the ..... triune God!   What a HOPE we have! HANNAH'S Health: In light of that great hope, these "light and momentary afflictions" of accompanying Hannah through Lupus recovery are minor.  She still has a VERY low immune system. (She caught shingles twice & has had several bacterial lung infections in the last couple months.) Besides her current extensive regimen of meds and dialysis, a doctor is going to look into her hormone levels.  We also are trying some alternative things - low-dose naltrexone...    Please pray we see much recovery before we head back Mozambique.  Airfare has just been re-booked for January 30th. SURPRISE Eye-wear:  Before we left Mozambique in August, Antonio's (evangelist) wife, Rabia, came to visit Melissa and pray for her return to care for Hannah.  Before Rabia left we shared a favorite verse with her and asked if she would like to read it in Makua.  She tried but said it was much more difficult at night with indoor lighting.  So, as an experiment, we pulled out a pair of +1.25 reading glasses.  She couldn't believe the improvement! She read!  Praise the Lord!  Now she uses them all the time.  On our return, we will be taking more reading glasses to share with the Makua believers as a gift from our dear brother optometrist, Tom Hobbs, and the Warrensburg Christian Church. Blessings and have a happy day of Thanksgiving and also soon a wonderful time remembering Christ's Birth!!! Daniel and Melissa Maddux www.beatoday.org  -  Daniel and Melissa Maddux c/o Thomas and Linda Ledford  31625 Summit Ridge Dr. Crystal Lakes, MO  64024       816-630-0918  Daniel and Melissa Maddux 616 Walnut St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 Email: mission@beatoday.org   -  Ph: 913-240-1887

Madduxes for the Makua God has done amazingly! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done! Ps 118:17.   You've got to see the VIDEO Hannah put together!  http://youtu.be/DLufGUFWd5E Today we saw Hannah's main doctor.  He said he is very positive about her recovery, as all the health markers from labs are going in the right direction up or down. While in the hospital, her active lupus level indicator, which would read below 5 for a normal person, read 634!  Today it is only 10!  Because of the overall improvement, the doctor is lowering the dosage on some of her blood pressure pills and steroids (prednesone...).  The $4000/IV rituxin(sp?), which she received twice by IV, is still coursing through her body continuing to work for another 6 months.  She still will be on CellCept for a couple more years, helping control the Lupus autoimmune response.  But, the doctor is also quite hopeful Hannah could be off of kidney dialysis within 6 months.  She'll see the doctor again in two months.   Thank you  for your prayers!  We praise our heavenly Father for watching over us! So, how much longer will we be here in the U.S.?  Elijah and Esther will stay this time.  Elijah had quite a test, gearing up to go to Mozambique, selling and purchasing things, getting there and buying a motorcycle to get around the city and help others, then having to sell it for a much lower price to recoup some cash.  Elijah will now stay here and continue to work at Vetter's Autobody where he is being trained - another PRAISE the LORD.  Esther will stay on after we leave to help Hannah manage the household. We're grateful that, while we weren't long enough in Mozambique as planned to save up for Esther a car, the extra funds from you all will take care of this big need and enable Esther to be a great support to Hannah. We'll miss Elijah and Esther tremendously!!!  God took them through a test, as they both on their own decided to return to Mozambique to serve, and yet, the Lord had other plans and it is obviously best they stay here now.  Melissa right now is doing a phenomenal job helping Hannah around the house, as Hannah's energy level isn't fully back yet.  We're enjoying the grandkids like never before!!!  Melissa and I are considering returning to Mozambique in early January.  By that time, Lord willing, Hannah will be much more able to take care of things. Another piece of GOOD NEWS is that during this time Melissa and I are continuing language training.  Each morning Melissa reads from her Portuguese Bible and I help her with pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar...  She's progressing marvelously.  I'm also studying Makua and loving it - just wish I could speak fluently!  More GOOD NEWS is that each day I'm completing the Portuguese training resources we need for church planting/discipling and will have them translated once back in Mozambique.  Among other things, I had previously completed all the questions in Portuguese and Makua for the key stories of Genesis.  I'm 80% done with all the rest of the questions on into the life of Christ!  By November, Melissa and I hope to be back working on the marriage training for the Makua, providing a simple way pastors can circulate this encouragement throughout the churches.  So please pray for our spiritual vitality in the Lord as we pour over these things. Finally, we thank God for His generosity through YOU.  Extra beyond our airfare came in and has made it possible to cover all our other extra expenses in the U.S.!  Praising the Father for His Dear Son - our Lord Jesus! Daniel and Melissa with Elijah and Esther www.beatoday.org Ph#: 913-240-1887 (U.S.)   Ph#: 913-871-6490 (U.S. & even Mozambique via internet Skype.) Donations can be sent to:  B.E.A. c/o Thomas and Linda Ledford 31625 Summit Ridge Dr. Crystal Lakes, MO 64024 816-630-0918 Your prayers are a sweet incense rising to the throne of our awesome Father.  May the Lord Jesus receive the Glory!

God is Faithful and Super Gracious! The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works! Ps 145:13 People all over the world have been praying for our daughter Hannah - from the Makua Bush, to China, to Brazil, elsewhere, and all over the U.S.  Thank You! We are so grateful for each one of you who gave to Hannah while in the hospital.   John and Carole Winter (Hannah's in-laws) have done a phenominal job taking care of theirs and our two grandchildren (Adonia and Creed), coordinating things for Hannah, keeping people updated...  Amy Dickey accompanied Hannah through the myriad of things in the hospital...  Melissa's sisters visited and her sister Amy stayed for days in Melissa's absence...  Our church family are giving in so many ways...  Flowers, cards, gifts, hugs, cheer, blessings, prayers... Thanks! We've just landed at KCI today.  Several churches substantially gave toward getting us back and it has sufficiently covered our airfare and lodging costs.  So, we send you a big warm hug and thanks!  We've also now been blessed to see our granddaughter, Shiloh Heston, born while we were in Mozambique. The great news is - the doctors let Hannah out of the hospital yesterday!  Her blood count went up to 9.7 yesterday (12-14 is normal). Yeah!!! Thank you Jesus!  She has dialysis 3 days a week, where they'll also take blood samples to check her levels.  She is still loosing a some blood and will probably need some transfusions.  She has 20 different meds (about 40 pills) to take throughout the day.  Five of them, alone, are treating blood pressure.  We're so grateful she can be home again!  Hannah has a special diet to minimize how much her kidneys have to process.  For now, we'll be staying with them and helping her take care of herself and the family so that she can get her rest.  Being the busy beaver Hannah normally is, we'll see how that goes. God bless you all, Daniel and Melissa with Elijah and Esther www.beatoday.org

Coming Home Unexpectedly

Madduxes for the Makua God is Good All the time! The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works! Ps 145:13   Thanks for all your prayers for our daughter Hannah Grace Winter.  While the doctor said that he could get a call that Hannah is in ICU on life-support, they are hopeful her body will begin responding to one of the new treatments to stop her body from attacking and eliminating red blood cells/hemoglobin.  Nothing has worked so far.  Her kidneys are now at 10% and she is starting dialysis regularly. The doctor strongly urged us to return there for support and encouragement in her recovery.  Daniel David, her husband, is doing an unbelieveable job, but can't take off work much.  His parent's are an amazing help with the children, but his mom has some health concerns as well.  Once Hannah is home, the doctors are saying her energy level for the first months will be low, much needing our help in their home.   After talking with the doctor today, knowing we needed to return, we noticed an e-mail from our home church saying they would fly Melissa and I back.  Thank you Jesus!!!  We also need to pay for Elijah and Esther's tickets.  Airfare alone is $2676 per person along with other travel & lodging costs.  With the blessing of 9 churches supporting us, we are asking and trusting the Lord through you to help cover these unexpected airfare expenses.  Donations can be sent to the address below.    We will have extra expenses living in the U.S., and helping Hannah, while maintaining a home back here in Mozambique.  In addition, we have been shocked with the marked increase here in Nampula in costs for food (butter-$8/lb, oats-$4 for 4 cups, hamburger-$4.50/lb), electricity (tripled), gasoline ($6/gal)...  While we're certain God will always care for us and feed us, would you also prayerfully consider increasing your monthly support?   We're returning on the earliest flight we could get out of Nampula, leaving the 26th and arriving in Kansas City on the 28th.  We booked the ticket for six months out but will be allowed to adjust that according to the need.  God has really been blessing my vision and work here on the materials for the fledgling churches in the bush. The evangelists are excited about the gospel presentation/training being translated into Makua. Please pray with me, that I would continue to have some time to devote to writing more while in the U.S..   God is constantly testing us in trusting Him for His timing.  We were overjoyed in having Elijah and Esther here with us, as they both came here to serve.  Now it seems they may not return to Mozambique with us.  What stories will they tell of God's faithfullness?   God bless you all, Daniel and Melissa with Elijah and Esther www.beatoday.org Donations can be sent to:  B.E.A. c/o Thomas and Linda Ledford 31625 Summit Ridge Dr. Crystal Lakes, MO 64024 816-630-0918 Your prayers are a sweet incense rising to the throne of our awesome Father.  May the Lord Jesus receive the Glory!

Please Join in Prayer
Our hearts are burdened for our daughter Hannah

Our 2nd daughter, Hannah Grace, was admitted to the hospital Sunday night for severe high-blood pressure, swelling…   The doctors just informed Daniel & Hannah that if Hannah had not come into ER last Sunday night, she would have died by Tuesday.  They believe she has the worst kind of 

Lupas for how aggressively it attacks the kidneys.  The kidneys are functioning at only 40%.  She has also been given blood several times because her autoimmune system is also attacking the blood and destroying it.  Though she is not bleeding, this is a critical concern.  The doctors are increasing her steroids even beyond the original amount in an attempt to stop or slow the autoimmune system from attacking the blood.   We're keeping in touch with Daniel David and Jonathan and Chloe, and are prayerfully considering a trip to be with them there.  (This would be an unexpected cost of over $11,000 for four round-trip flights.)  Hannah may be in the hospital for an extend

ed time, so...

So please keep Hannah in your prayers for these four things: her body accepting/creating bloodcorrectly, her kidneys reviving and healing, wisdom for the doctors, and peace, joy and strength for all of us – including Adonia (2 yrs) and Creed (8 months).

THANKS for your PRAYERS!

Our trust is in the One Who said:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, ... Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

Trusting Jesus for His grace in healing and wisdom for the doctors,

Daniel & Melissa Maddux

with Elijah and Esther

P.S. Things are going well here - planted an inaugural bean crop to help 99% rural farmers who never plant this protein rich crop, translation started  for our next training for church planters on what the gospel is, visa's are still processing, and made wonderful contact with a couple other churches.  God is clarifying the vision for the work before us.  Praise Him.

P.S.S. As you are led, please share the prayer request for Hannah with any of your prayer supporters.  May Jesus be Greatly Glorified!

Hi All,


We are doing well, readjusting, seeking how God wants us to love others. The Mozambican workers on our property (some believers) had a welcome back party for us on Friday. The two believers testified to God's loving care over them during this year. One worker's wife gave birth to their 8th child! He and his wife and baby look healthy. One of the part-time workers nearly died after being practically unconscious for five days in the hospital and receiving 8 pints of blood. Apparently he and his wife have AIDS. He's better for now, but needs prayer and attention. For our celebration meal, Melissa made brownies which they never get to eat and love, and the two believing families cooked noodles and in a separate dish goat meat in broth, and chicken in a broth and also separately rice. We sure enjoyed the goat meat! With the prices of beef and chicken being so expensive here we decided we want to get goat meat more often and croc-pot it. Yum! We also hope to see if our missionary colleagues traveling to South Africa can pick us up some less exhorbitantly expensive cheese blocks and a variety of beans we can't find here that we will pressure cook.


Our English worship service was canceled in it's normal location tonight, so Mom offered her place which has a little more room in the living room/dining. We've volunteered for and chosen the music and prepared for it, though the crowd will probably be much smaller. We will also together watch part of the Gospel of John movie (Excellent!) and get some of the message from the book of John. Jesus is awesome!


Another piece of good news is that Elijah and Esther are glad to be back. Esther the other day said, "Isn't it comforting to be back?" We are glad to be back. There is still a long list of things to take care of in transitioning back, both here (getting used to shopping for groceries in different places to get the best deals, new vehicle tires, a new roof for the house next door, car inspection with multiple trips to find it when the line is shorter, visiting some other ministries, ...) and there in the U.S. (confirming all services and utilities were in fact canceled or will transition as soon as our house is rented, order a few last things to be shipped...) So, may God grant the wisdom, peace, and renewed friendships.


You all are such a blessing!


Love you,
Daniel and Melissa
with Elijah and Esther