January 2023 Update
There is something about January that is energizing and exciting…a new year, a new beginning, new plans, new goals…and Peter’s newly “refurbished” heart/eyes/knee! As we begin the year with 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, we’re excited about setting new harvest goals for the Kingdom and dreaming new dreams for Discipleship in 2023!
But first, we want to recap some of the Christmas celebrations made possible by your generous donations to the missionaries and indigenous pastors we regularly support.
1) In that war-torn country that-must-not-be-named, our wonderful pastor invited the neighboring villagers so that they might have a taste of Christmas and the gospel. In the pictures, you can see them coming in droves up the mountain road to attend. (Forgive me for not naming our rescue pastor directly, but it’s just not safe for her.) She set up a tent beside where she normally conducts both her teaching and her Sunday services…and 300 extra people showed up! They prepared a feast (part of which was the pig!) which all enjoyed. The “Littles” went home with a gift bag containing a gospel coloring book and some special goodies. The children from the Rescue Home performed skits and dances they had practiced to the great delight of the invited audience! (P.S. Pray for her as she’s since suffered a deep vein clot in her left leg which is excruciatingly painful.)
2) On the border of Northern Thailand, Hannah Immigrant School celebrated Christmas in a similar way, inviting local villagers and parents to enjoy what the students in their Learning Center had practiced. The gospel was shared and the parents, who are Burmese illegals, took home a Christmas gift of food as well as a gospel coloring book. The pastors ministered and prayed for the requests of each family, so they had a true picture of the Lord’s love for them. God continues to calm the violent and threatening neighbor.
3) In the Dominican, a sister mission, Restoration Ranch, celebrated Christmas with teachers and students in a local impoverished school with whom they work on a regular basis, often bringing mission teams. Imagine being able to go into schools, be welcomed to preach the gospel, and teach the kids about the Lord! The work they do is quite remarkable, and we were glad to be able to help with their Christmas celebrations.
4) Also in the Dominican Republic, Jackie and Jaime, our Discipling partners, held a Christmas party in the newly constructed Haitian church (a great deal of the building completed by an American mission team, led by the father of our precious translator, Emily). Again, the Gospel (that’s Jackie with the storyboard of the nativity) was presented along with tons of fun and food. Jackie continues to work with these Haitian children week after week, introducing them to the one who gave His life for them.
5) And, of course, Discipling continues on schedule. Here is yet another Haitian church anxious to learn how to share their story and the story of Christ. Jaime battles to keep the number of participants to a reasonable number so he can train effectively…but it’s a losing proposition. Participants practice in pairs and groups until they are confident to tell what the Lord has done for them and discover low-risk, biblical ways to engage others in conversations about what truly matters. As we tabulate the results of last year’s training, the concrete success measured by new, baptized disciples, is wonderful.
As for us, we celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary on American soil for the first time in 8 years! Our Christmas celebration was joyfully spent with Peter and Patty in Texas and while we didn’t get caught up in the Christmas-Airplane-Cancellation-Madness, we did have some excitement navigating Charlotte’s airport en route to Goldsboro for the New Year. As Peter was still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, we reserved a wheelchair but failed to consider the logistics of a V-E-R-Y tight connection and a paucity of attendants. The result was, by default, I had to undertake a frantic, full-speed wheelchair dash from Terminal D to B with the luggage piled on Peter’s lap obscuring my vision. Peter, in his inimitable way, shouted warnings to potential passenger-roadkill as we barreled through the crowds, arriving barely in time for boarding! All I can say (pant, pant!) is my conditioning at the YMCA while Peter rehabbed paid off in spades!
But Peter, thank the Lord, is up and prancing around on his own two legs now, ministering and tying up loose ends as we prepare, God willing, to leave for Thailand next month. Our goal there is to encourage those who’ve continued Discipling in our absence, giving them additional training, and our dream is to select, train, and support more Disciplers to continue when we leave for Swaziland to do the same. We’ll also be visiting the Learning Centers and Children’s Rescue Homes that have been part of our mission-support ministry since we first went to Thailand five years ago.
As C.S, Lewis said, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. "So, we ask for your prayers as we set big goals and dream big dreams for expanding the Kingdom, knowing we have a big God to meet these needs. It will require His wisdom and His provision. As I mentioned, the results from the discipleship training in the Dominican are thrilling; the trainers are effectively training disciples to make disciples, with many coming to the Lord and being baptized. This success, we feel certain, is because God led us to choose the right people as trainers. We pray for God’s guidance to lead us to others who will be capable trainers, and for His provision to help us support their ministries.
As always, we are grateful for your encouragement, prayers, and your support. It amazes me that our God, who can by His own power accomplish ANYTHING, still commissions us, His children, to carry out the very project that is dearest to His heart…the making of disciples! We are grateful every day we get to train people how to spread the gospel.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31