Life Update

We are excited to share with you the latest updates on what we are doing. We have had adoption on our hearts since we were first married. We always knew that one day we would be adopting a child, but knew we just needed to wait for the Lord’s timing. For a good portion of our marriage, we weren’t even sure we wanted to have biological children, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago we began to have a desire for a biological child. Again, the timing was all in the Lord’s hands. We knew in 2019 the Lord said it was time to pursue adoption. As you know, that process has been slow due to Joanna being so sick last year. We began moving forward with adoption this year and then SURPRISE! We found out shortly after our last update that Joanna was pregnant!!! After one of the hardest years of our lives, we received an incredible blessing! One of the verses that helped carry us through last year was Romans 8:18 AMP “For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!” 

At our first doctors visit, the doctor was not very hopeful after the ultrasound. When he met with us he told us that he was 99% positive Joanna was going to miscarry the baby. They could not find a heartbeat. We told the doctor that we were going to believe for a miracle. Amazingly, the doctor asked if he could pray for us right then and there. So with our doctor, we prayed for a miracle. We were scheduled to leave the next day for Texas for a ministry opportunity. After praying, we felt like we were supposed to go to Texas and anticipate a miracle. During that week, we both started having dreams that we could hear our baby’s heartbeat. We sensed that God wanted to do something extraordinary. We prayed all the way to Texas, and we received amazing ministry from our friends Bobby and Hannah Morrison while we were with them in Texas. We prayed all the way back to Georgia believing that a miracle was going to happen. The day after we returned, we had a follow up appointment. When they started the ultrasound the nurse yelled and said, “Oh my gosh, there is a baby with a heartbeat!!!” We started crying and when we met with our doctor, he teared up and said he had just witnessed God do a miracle!! So, now we have not just one baby on the way, but two! Our little girl will be arriving after the first of the year, and hopefully our adopted baby will not be far behind! We are finishing up the home study and will be ready to be matched with a mom!

As mentioned above, we took a team in June to minister with us at an event in Texas. It was an incredible time. It was an all day outdoor worship event called On Earth. Joanna led worship, Jon spoke and our team did an amazing job of praying and ministering to people. People were healed and set free! One man had his elbow healed after years of pain when he received prayer from our team. So many were deeply touched by the Holy Spirit, set free from bondage and filled with joy. We never stop being in awe of the love of God, and how He will always meet people right where they are. 

We have continued to lead our church and the renovation of our coffee shop. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the Lord in this season. We are very close to expanding our coffee shop hours throughout the week! The Lord has been so faithful leading us on this journey! We continue to meet people in the community through serving coffee and the doors the Lord has opened have been amazing! We continue to have opportunities to minister to those who are coming for a cup of coffee, but leave being filled with so much more as the Lord touches their lives! We recently had a man come up to us on a Free Coffee Friday and he didn’t even ask for a drink! He just asked that we would pray for him. We were able to minister to him. A few days later on Sunday, we had a church picnic in the park near our building. The same man we ministered to came, and we were able to give him food, spend time with him, and love on him. He left saying that he did not have a lot of friends, but that he felt like he had just made a bunch of friends in one day! It is in those moments we remember “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Just stopping for one and showing them the love of Jesus carries such extreme power. It is the key to even the hardest heart. 

We continue to ask for your prayers! Pray for us as we are expecting two littles ones! Please pray for Joanna and the baby for a continued healthy pregnancy and continue to pray for our adoption process and the birth mom and baby.

We also ask for your support. We continue to be humbled and in awe of your incredible generosity. We are so grateful! We are raising $1500 to help us prepare for the arrival of our little ones. You can donate online at paypal.me/babygurr.  You can also shop our baby registry at babylist.com/babygurr. If you would like to donate to our ministry, you can go to iwellspring.org/give and choose “Missions - Jon and Joanna” from the list. 

If you are interested in having us come and minister at your church or ministry in 2022, please email us at jonandjoannagurr@gmail.com.

For the most current updates, you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram or here on our blog.

Again, thank you for your continued prayers, love and support!

Love,

Adoption Update

Hi everyone! It has been a while since we have given an update on our lives, but we wanted to share the latest news! Last year we shared how the Lord called us to adopt. Because of your generosity, we were able to raise the money needed for phase one of the adoption! Last March, just before we submitted our paperwork, we went on a ministry trip to New Orleans. Joanna was invited to be a part of a worship tent at a music festival.

Unfortunately, we both contracted Covid-19 in New Orleans. Jon recovered after a few days, but Joanna became very sick. Joanna’s symptoms continued to persist, and we ended up going to the Mayo Clinic to meet with specialists to help in her recovery. It has been a long year of being in and out of doctor’s offices and hospitals, but we are amazed and in awe of His constant faithfulness. There is so much the Lord did for us during this season, and we plan to be writing more of this story later. 

Because of all this, we had to put the adoption on hold. We have been learning A LOT about trusting God and His timing! We are happy to report that we are moving ahead with the adoption! Even though Joanna is still dealing with some effects of the virus, she is feeling well enough for us to continue forward. We are currently working on completing our home study and getting information needed for our agency to match us with a birth mom.  We are also beginning to raise money for the next phase of the adoption.

We have been working this year with our church and non-profit coffee shop. Leading a church in this season has not been without its challenges, but again, the faithfulness of the Lord has left us in awe of Him. 

Last year, due to restrictions, we began having church in our parking lot. The Lord began to speak to us from Matthew 9:36-38, “When he saw the vast crowds of people, Jesus’ heart was deeply moved with compassion, because they seemed weary and helpless, like wandering sheep without a shepherd. He turned to his disciples and said, ‘The harvest is huge and ripe! But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in.  As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to thrust out many more reapers to harvest his grain!’” 

The harvest was ripe outside the walls of the church! People began to come to our parking lot to receive ministry. People came to be healed and some came saying they just needed a hug. We have seen countless people healed and set free this year! Our church is located across the street from our government buildings. We have been praying, praising and declaring the name of Jesus over our city as the sound of our praises echoes on the buildings!

We are excited to be doing ministry trips again! We are going to Texas soon to minister at a worship event and are planning some other ministry trips later this year! 

First, we are asking you to pray. Pray that the Lord will guide us through the adoption process. Pray also for baby Gurr and his/her birth mom that the peace of the Lord would be over her during this time. 

Secondly, we are asking for your support. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity. It is truly humbling and we can not thank you enough.  We are raising $15,000 for our next phase of the adoption. You can donate at paypal.me/babygurr.  We are raising $5,000 for upcoming ministry trips. If you would like to donate to our ministry, you can go to iwellspring.org/give and choose “Missions - Jon and Joanna” from the list. 

Now that we are moving forward with our adoption journey we will be updating a lot more. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Again, thank you for your continued prayer, love and support!

Love, 

A road trip to the beach after being quarantined for 7 weeks

Parking lot ministry