End of December 2023 Update
Here’s my tip for 2024:
If you MUST have knee replacement surgery… there are worse places to recuperate than Hawaii! I’m just sayin’…perfect weather, ocean breezes, breath-taking mountains, unparalleled sunrises and sunsets, spectacular beaches on every side of the island, surfers and kite sailors and para-sailors racing to catch waves or updrafts, gigantic banyan trees and flowering shrubs, friendly residents, our dear children with whom to stay….what’s not to love? Thank you, LORD!
Seriously, if you’ve not been to Oahu, there aren’t enough superlatives to describe it. There are looming lava mountains, crashing waves, and dense vegetation everywhere you look. “Jurassic Park” was filmed close to here…do you remember the scenery in that movie? You can easily imagine a Tyrannosaurus Rex crashing through these jungles to chase prey into the ocean! From Liz and Aaron’s home on the military base, we walk (no kidding) five minutes down the hill to a beach we can see from their front porch. Peter’s knee and spirit are responding like a flower turning its face to the sun; he’s walking well and without pain, rebuilding his cardiovascular stamina, and is primed to get back to disciple-making.
While in Hawaii, we celebrated the birth of our Savior at two innovative outdoor churches that involved the whole community in Christmas events and luau’s. Wonderful! Our missionary partners in Thailand, Cambodia, M_____, and the Dominican Republic likewise invited surrounding villagers to celebrate the Good News with them. As in the USA, Christmas is a time of great harvest. Often villagers come to the celebrations out of curiosity, share the meal, listen to the Gospel presentations, and receive small gifts. For many, these Christmas encounters become a “bridge to evangelism,” their first step in coming to faith in the LORD.
Of course, the combination of kids and Christmas is exciting everywhere, certainly in the Children’s Rescue Homes in M______ and the Saturday Kid’s Clubs in the Dominican Republic. The pastors manage with little extra, stretching already-at-capacity budgets just a little further to make things special. It’s amazing how balloons can make a place festive!
January is always a period of reflection, a time to examine actions and weigh the past year, to count “fruit,” pray, and make plans. God has multiplied our small starts in a hundred ways. Many of those we’ve trained have been faithful to go forth and train others; some training a few, some a number, some a multitude. We are deeply grateful for the help…financial, emotional, prayer support, and encouragement…that enabled us to help and train others. We’re blessed, too, that we’ve been able to keep our mission pledge; every cent you’ve donated goes to designated causes, as we pay our expenses personally.
As we begin 2024 with Hope (and a brand-new knee!), we ask you to join us for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, beginning January 7th. If your church doesn’t participate, tune in to Church of the Highlands which has daily services, prayer guides, a helpful app, and fasting resources. https://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/. I guarantee it will be a great start to your New Year.
And our plans? God willing, we’ll leave Oahu rested and strong (our daughter is something of a drill sergeant, so Peter has had relentless rehabilitation supervision), spend a short period in each of Dallas, North Carolina, and the Dominican Republic ministering, and then head to Thailand and Cambodia. Our focus word for the year is multiply: pray the LORD of the Harvest will straighten the way for us.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope." Romans 15:13