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Trip Update

I have a pretty good connection here in India, so I can put a new post on my blog…

I’m thankful for how the Lord has been answering prayers on this trip. He has blessed me in so many ways. My time in the first country was filled with answers to prayers. He has kept me safe and healthy and has helped me to arrive with my luggage safely at each destination. I’ve also had some good witnessing opportunities, though most of them have not been with nationals. They can’t seem to understand my English. But I can usually give them a tract that I wrote myself, so the Lord can use that.

I was able to speak at a school chapel, in two churches, and at a children’s home. I was also able to lead two translation workshops. We covered only 3 chapters in one and 2 chapters in the other, but at least we covered some material. It gets us that much closer to finishing the work!

I was also able to see many sites and, most importantly, meet many people. I was particularly challenged by a national who is basically a modern-day George Mueller. He is almost completely dependent upon the Lord for all of his support (i.e., he has almost no commitments from churches or individuals for his financial needs), but he runs several ministries, in which the people in those ministries are dependent upon him. And as with Mueller, he sees the Lord provide for all of his needs all the time! What a challenge to me!

My time in this country has also gone quite well. The only uncomfortable situation was riding in a taxi from the airport to the final destination. I liken the driver to a chihuahua. He’s a small dog (i.e., drives a small car), but he is a big dog in his heart. He wasn’t afraid to take on the largest of vehicles. It seemed like he was playing chicken with almost every oncoming vehicle. Thankfully, they gave in and moved out of his way and he dodged their bumper in the nick of time!

Otherwise, my time here has been quite pleasant. I’ve met some wonderful, gracious people, been able to see what God is doing in this country, and seen some nice sites. I’ve also been able to get to know our work better by observing our team in action. There were around 16 expatriates when I first got here. One has left, but the rest of us along with the national believers are one big happy family.

I look forward to preaching at a local church tomorrow, speaking in a college chapel on Monday and in a youth hostel two evenings next week. Most of the children in the latter location are not saved, so please pray for the Lord to work especially during that time. Of course, I covet your prayers for the other opportunities as well.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

Thanks for your prayers for my ministry on Wednesday evening. The Lord helped the Powerpoint presentation to flow smoothly. My delivery wasn’t quite as smooth, since it was my first time giving the sermon, but I believe I was able to communicate the main point.

I leave at 8am for my trip to SE Asia and India. I’ll be flying through Bangkok, Thailand, and hope to meet a friend and fellow BMM missionary Duane Scott, while passing through that city. I’ll actually go through Bangkok three times, but this first time is the best opportunity to see him.

Then I will fly to my final destination in SE Asia, where I’ll be for a week. I’ll be spending much of my time getting to know the various people, organizations, associations, and churches connected to our ministry. I hope to do some translation checking as well. I will be speaking at least once in the churches and hopefully more.

On February 2 I’ll head back to Bangkok on my way to northeast India (Silchar). I will spend a little less than two weeks in India, strengthening relationships and building new ones. I’ll also spend time getting to know the various organizations, associations, and churches connected to our ministry there. I also look forward to meeting up with a team of BI personnel, who will be working with the Indians on our current translation projects. I’ll be preaching at least once in the churches.

Please pray for the following requests:

  • For a safe and timely arrival of me and my luggage at each destination
  • For safety, both physical and spiritual, while traveling by myself and while in these countries
  • For health and restful sleep (my back still wakes me up each night at around 3 am, and I’ll hear many new sounds)
  • For the ability to communicate clearly so that my ministry is effective; for liberty and blessing as I preach and teach
  • For a warm reception of my ministry
  • For wisdom as I do translation checking and as I work through various issues with the BI personnel
  • For grace to be an encouragement to my fellow believers
  • For wisdom to learn all that God wants me to learn on this trip
  • For opportunities to witness for Christ
  • Thanks so much for your prayers! I look forward to reporting on how the trip went!

    Busy Days

    The time finally came last Wednesday to leave the sunny south for the snowy north. I headed to Morgantown, WV, for a meeting at Faith Baptist Church. Though the auditorium was cold because of heating problems, the welcome was very warm, and I’m thankful for the chance I had to minister there. That area is basically recession-proof, so I’m hoping they will be able to support me.

    After spending a few days in Lancaster, PA, I trekked across a few states for a meeting at Grace for Life Bible Church in Aurora, IL. It was such an encouragement to hear Pastor Schroeder explain that the motorcycle my dad donated to his ministry years ago was the seed money he used to purchase the house that he now lives in. You see, he sold the motorcycle and purchased a camper. He eventually sold that camper and purchased another one and even made some money on that sale. When it came time to move to Aurora, his only capital was what was in that camper, so he sold it and used that money to purchase a house. And that’s the house he and his family are living in as they build this new church in Aurora! The story almost brought tears to my eyes as he told the congregation in the worship service.

    I had to leave Aurora immediately so that I could be back for some strategic planning meetings at the office in Grand Rapids. Because of Hantz’s unexpected trip to Haiti, however, those meetings were cancelled. But I was able to use my “free” time to do many other things.

    I spent yesterday and today preparing a sermon for a missions conference that Hantz had to step out of. It is located in Plainwell, MI, about an hour from Grand Rapids. I preached an “old” sermon yesterday but will be delivering this new one tonight. The Lord gave much grace last night, so please pray that He will do the same tonight. I’m a little anxious about this one since I have never given it, but I claim the promise “Be anxious for nothing….”  The theme is “Motives for Missions”, and I will be using a Powerpoint presentation. Please pray for no technical gliches.

    Now that I’ve finished writing that sermon, I need to begin catching up on other things and making plans for my three-week trip to SE Asia and India. I leave early on Saturday morning and will not be back until February 13. The main purpose of this trip is to form and strengthen relationships and to become familiar with our ministries over there. Please pray for wisdom in preparations.

    During one of my multiple trips across Pennsylvania this past fall, I took the time to stop by The Banner of Truth Trust in Carlisle, PA, to see what kind of deals they had in their scratch/dent section. I noticed William Gurnall’s The Christian in Complete Armour for half price–$24. I quickly snatched it up and have profited from reading portions of it this Christmas. I wanted to pass on some of these blessings in a blog post.

    Beginning on p. 234, he shares how a Christian can determine if he is in a state of declining grace–i.e., if he is backsliding. Before guiding the Christian in this exercise, he shows them what marks are not an indication of this declination.

    1. Christian, do not judge grace to be fallen weaker, because thy sense of corruption is grown stronger. Often, we can think that an increased awareness of our sinfulness is a sign that we are not experiencing the grace of God as fully, but Gurnall counters this with this point.  He says, If it be thus, thou hast rather a comfortable sign of grace growing than decaying.
    2. Take heed thou thinkest not grace decays, because thy comfort withdraws. Sometimes God does not give a felt sense of His grace, but this does not mean that His grace is not evident. Some graces thrive best, like some flowers, in the shade, such as humility, dependence on God, &c.
    3. Take heed thou dost not mistake, and think thy grace decays, when may be it is only thy temptations increase, and not thy grace that decreases. I’ve found my temptations to be greater now that I’m in missionary service, but Gurnall has encouraged me by his counsel. Temptation lies not in the same heaviness alway upon the Christian’s shoulder.

    Now he counsels the Christian on how to conclude that grace is declining. First, in reference to temptations to sin…

    1. When thou art not so wakeful to discover the encroachings of sin upon thee as formerly. It’s so easy to get desensitized to sin and not even realize it.
    2. When a temptation to sin is discovered, and thou findest thy heart shut up that thou does not pray against it, or not with that zeal and holy indignation, as formerly upon such occasions… 
    3. When the arguments prevailing most with thee to resist temptations to sin, or to mourn for sin committed, are more carnal and less evangelical than formerly.

    Second, in reference to the duties of God’s worship…

    1. If thy heart doth not prompt thee with that forwardness and readiness as formerly to hold communion with God in any duty. He adds, Nature cannot but decay if appetite to food go away. A craving soul is the thriving soul; such a child that will not let his mother rest, but is frequently crying for the breast.
    2. When thou declinest in thy care to perform duties in a spiritual sort, and to preserve the sense of those more inward failings, which in duty none but thyself can check thee of. Gurnall’s next sentence really convicted me: It is not frequency of duty, but spirituality in duty, [that] causeth thriving…
    3. When a Christian gets little spiritual nourishment from communion with God, to what it hath done. He adds, Dost thou hear and pray, and get no more strength to hold by a promise, no more power over, or brokenness of heart under, thy usual corruptions?

    Third, in reference to the frame of thy heart in worldly employments…

    1. When thy worldly occasions do not leave thee in so free and spiritual a disposition, to return into the presence of God as formerly.
    2. When thy diligence in thy particular calling is more selfish.
    3. When thou canst not bear the disappointment of thy carnal ends in thy particular calling, as thou hast done. Here’s a sentence to help make this point more understandable: The time was thou couldst retire thyself into God, and make up all thou didst want elsewhere in him; but now thou art not so well satisfied with thy estate, rank, and condition.

    Now he gives guidance on how to recover from a state of declining grace. First, he gives three duties…

    1. Thou art to renew thy repentance. The following words were particularly helpful for me: … and when thou hast found the sin that has done thee the mischief, then labour to fill thy heart with shame for it, and indignation against it, and so go big with sorrow, and cast it forth before the Lord in a heart-breaking confession.
    2. When thou hast renewed thy repentance, forget not, delay not then, to renew thy faith on the promise for pardon. I really needed to hear this point, because my focus is often too much upon my sin, and that depresses me. He adds, … if faith come not presently with its restorative, the poor creature will never get heart, or recover his strength.
    3. Back both these with a daily endeavour to mortify those lusts which most prevail over thy grace.

    Then he gives the second duty… to apply thyself to the use of those means which God hath appointed for the strengthening [of] grace…

    1. I shall send thee to the Word of God.
    2. From the word go to meditation. He gave some counsel in this section that has been particularly helpful for me and has been a great deterrent from sin recently. How can he be thankful that seldom thinks what he receives? or patient when God afflicts, that wants one of the most powerful arguments to pacify a mutinous spirit in trouble, and that is taken from the abundant good we receive at the hands of the Lord as well as a little evil?
    3. From meditation go to prayer.
    4. To all the former, join fellowship and communion with the saints thou livest amongst.

    I realize I have given only the highlights of Gurnall’s words in this section, but hopefully they are a blessing. Gurnall’s book is full of rich treasures for the soul, so I would encourage you to pick up a copy yourself. But beware, it’s 1200 pages long!!

    I took a quick trip this past weekend to Cheraw, SC, leaving on Sat afternoon and returning late Sun evening.  I greatly enjoyed my time with Pastor David Bradshaw, his family, and his church (Calvary Baptist Church).  My preaching in the AM service went fairly well, but my presentation in the PM service went extremely well.  The people asked many questions, and the Lord enabled me to share a short challenge.  The people continued to show their interest after the service by their questions and also by their extremely generous love offering.  I praise the Lord for how He answered prayers and pray that this church will become one of my supporting churches.

    As I was driving home I decided to stop at a gas station for a drink.  I gave a tract to the girl at the cash register and said my usual words–”Could I give you something to read?  It tells how you can know your sins are forgiven, if you don’t already know?”  I can still see the girl’s sober look as she took the tract.  Even before I finished the transaction, she began reading the tract.  As I drove away, I could see her intently reading it.  Please pray for her soul.  And if you’re ever in McBee, SC, please stop by the Sea Way gas station and follow up with the black girl behind the cash register. 

    My trip to Myanmar and India continues to form up.  It looks like I’ll leave on Jan. 23, spend a few days in Myanmar, and then fly to India (Silchar) for about a week.  I’ll fly back around Feb. 14.  The schedule is still being finalized.  I sent my India visa application in yesterday, so hopefully it will arrive on time.  Please pray for preparations for this trip.

    2009 in Review

    I’ve developed the habit of reviewing the past year on the first day of the new year.  As I look back over 2009, my thoughts quickly turn back to the fateful incident on the dangerous sledding hill in Grand Rapids.  Actually, the hill was quite tame, but a unique concurrence of events brought extremely painful effects to my T12 vertebra on Jan. 31.  I praise the Lord for bringing me safely through that whole incident, whose consequences stretched on into early May (and actually still continues to a certain extent) and which rose to the cost of $4,400 out of my pocket (praise the Lord for insurance which covered the other $15,000 or so).  I praise God for His provision of people and finances to help me through that situation.

    I also praise Him for His support as I sought prayer and financial support at 37 deputation meetings and 8 missions conferences.  He also kept me safe as I traveled 17,604 ministry miles.  My support increased by 16.6% to 55% in May.  My goal is to finish deputation by September, so I’m praying that my rate of increase will be substantially higher this year.  Would you please pray with me to this end? 

    I’m look back with gratitude for how the Lord answered so many prayers for my trips to Togo in July and to Haiti in December.  I can still remember how nervous I was about my Togo trip, since I would be consulting for the first time by myself and for the first time in French.  God showed Himself so powerful in that trip!  Of course, I’m also thankful for the many opportunities here in America to help with the projects in our 11 other countries.  It’s such a blessing to have this worldwide ministry! 

    Lastly, I would like to praise the Lord for making me grow spiritually, leading me to make friends with many wonderful people, giving wisdom to make right choices, and granting forgiveness when I ignored that wisdom.  To God be all praise for bringing me safely through another year! 

    Now to 2010…  Deputation cranks up again today as I prepare for my first 2010 meeting at Calvary B/C in Cheraw, SC.  Pray for safety and effective ministry.  Pray also for good health as I seem to have some faint symptoms of something not good.

    Report on Grand Rapids Trip

    My internet has been down recently, so it wasn’t convenient for me to update my blog until now. I wanted to give a short report on my trip to Grand Rapids last week.  The trip was to meet with various parties connected with BI’s projects in Chad, Africa.  We currently have 8 projects in that country, but many of them are suffering.  They are having difficulties because of the fatigue that ensues from the long, arduous task of Bible translation. 

    It’s relatively easy to generate excitement about a new project, but to sustain that excitement throughout the 10-20 years of the project is completely another task.  The work of Bible translation does not move at the pace of Ussain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who has captured the world’s attention by his record-breaking speeds in the 100-m dash.  Rather, it rolls along at the pace of Lance Armstrong, the 7-time winner of the Tour de France.  Multiple stages and strenuous obstacles must be overcome.  Apparently, many of our projects in Chad are not maintaining a winning pace right now.

    Added to that is the most recent loss of a strategic missionary couple.  They were BI’s coordinators for the construction of the translation center as well as all the other translation and literacy activity.  This comes on the heels of the death of our national consultant, Ouya Bongo.  Thankfully, the newest missionary family, the Joshua Hedges family, are set to return back to Chad on January 7, though they had a health setback that brought them back to the States for a few months.  Thankfully also, Anna Beth Wivell (www.annabethwiv.com) is on deputation and hopes to arrive in Chad by the end of 2010.  She currently has 41% of her support.  So we are seeing the Lord raise up laborers to replace the losses, but the losses are still significant.

    I praise the Lord that all of the Chaddian missionaries were able to attend the “Chad Summit” last week.  I flew in from South Carolina, one flew from Paris, and the others drove from Ohio and Illinois.  I also praise the Lord for how He helped us to get all the necessary information on the table and to begin making a strategic plan for each of the projects.  We have much work to do, but we are thankful for the progress that we’ve made.  Hantz Bernard, Bob Thompson, and Gordon Wyant will be going to Chad in February to work with the translation committees to finalize our strategic plans.  Please pray for us as we prepare for this trip and for them as they work with the believers to “revive” these works.

    I’m excited about what the Lord is going to do in Chad.  Though the laborers seem to be decreasing for a time, I’m praying that the Lord will burden the nationals to take up the slack.  I would really like to see the Chad field turn a corner and become more indigenous.  BMM has been working with the Chad field since 1920, and there are over 500 churches there, so it’s time for the nationals to assume more responsibilities.  Thankfully, many have already done so, but we need additional, qualified men and women to do the work, especially since the projects are primarily THEIRS not OURS.  Please pray that the Lord will raise up Chaddians to help get the Word into their people’s hands.

    On another note…  I have pasted onto the “Translator’s Page” an article I wrote after returning from my trip to Togo, Africa, in July 2009.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be published in some other way, so I haven’t posted it on my blog until now.  I plan on writing an article about my trip to Haiti a few weeks ago, but until then, here’s one for your reading pleasure. 

    Merry Christmas to all my readers!

    Report on Haiti Trip

    Thanks to all those who prayed for my trip.  The Lord graciously answered all of the requests that I gave.  The Lord kept me safe to Haiti and while in Haiti, and my luggage (and Hantz’s) arrived in one piece and on time.  I should have asked for prayer for the trip back, because that’s when I ran into delays.  But the delay in Miami gave me the opportunity to witness to a couple, which was an answer to another request.  The couple ended up sitting on both sides of me, so it provided a perfect opportunity to witness.  They were Roman Catholics who live in the Florida Keys.  It was in Florida where my mom was regenerated and left Catholicism completely, so I was able to share some of that.  Florida was also where I was both born and born again, so I got to give my testimony as well.  And I gave them a tract that I wrote about my salvation.  We had such a good time talking that they offered to buy me supper!  I was also able to witness to a man on the way down to Haiti while in an airport restaurant also in Miami.  And I had a very interesting conversation on the way to Greenville with a retired science professor from Clemson. 

    My sleep in Haiti was adequate, though I wonder how I was able to get the solid rest I needed with all the noises (barking dogs, crowing roosters, etc.).  I never slept all the way through a single night, but I always had sufficient strength for each day.  It was a blessing that I didn’t sweat as much this year during the night, since my hosts had installed a ceiling fan in the room.  The little blessings! 

    The Lord greatly helped me with my French as well.  I didn’t have to speak it much, since the workshop was mostly in English and most other conversations were also in English.  But that had me somewhat concerned about how my preaching on that last Sunday would go.  In fact, even as I was reading along with the congregation for the Scripture reading, I was having a hard time keeping up.  But the Lord gave me great confidence that He would help me in the pulpit, and He did!  In fact, some said that my French was even better than last year.  That can only be because of answered prayer!  It was a great faith-strengthening time! 

    The Lord also answered prayers by helping the translation workshop to go well.  We are very satisfied with the various decisions we had to make.  Sometimes it would take 30 minutes or more, but we almost always arrived at a solution.  We are disappointed that we weren’t able to get all the work done, but we’ll finish Gen 7-10 in June when Daniel comes up for the next workshop. 

    I’m thankful that we were able to be an encouragement to him.  Though he has gone through much these past few months, he seemed quite content and joyful in the Lord.  Maybe that’s partly because he recently became “serious” with a girl. :-)

    We were also able to participate in some strategic PR meetings.  We spent a couple hours talking with the Translation Committee, helping to diagnose how we can make our ministry more effective and making plans for a local Bible society.  The Friday I was there, we took a three-hour trip to Jacmel to attend a meeting of around 16 fundamental pastors.  Most use only Creole in their church, so they are dependent upon the work that we do.  So it was good to strengthen that relationship.  I was greatly encouraged by the fact that around 20,000 of our NTs have already been distributed.  And the believers are desiring to have access to the OT in their own language.  Maybe we can get some trial editions of various books finished within the next year or so. 

    Thus, my heart is overwhelmed at how well the trip went.  Because of this, the Lord has caused Haiti to make its way deeper into my heart.  Thanks so much for your prayers!  I look forward to getting down there (though I’m also glad to be back in the US). 

    I’m currently in Grand Rapids, MI, meeting with other missionaries to establish a strategic plan for the 7 projects in that country, especially in light of the recent loss of a national consultant and the resignation of a missionary couple.  Today went quite well as we did an analysis of the current situation.  Tomorrow we will begin planning how we should proceed from here.  The Lord has been manifesting His presence as we work through complicated issues.  There is a great spiritual warfare there, but praise God that we are “on the side of” the ascended Christ!

    Workshop in Haiti

    The Lord has greatly blessed my time down here in Haiti.  I can tell that many are praying.  The work is going at a fair pace, and it looks like we’ll be able to accomplish all that we need to get done.  We may not get done as early as we would like, but we most likely will get all the work done. 

    I see the blessings of the Lord mainly in the many ways in which He is making my stay down here so enjoyable.  We get to work in an air-conditioned room and there is a ceiling fan in the room where I’m sleeping, so I have sweat much less this year.  Plus, I didn’t bring a parasite from PNG down with me this year like I did last year, so the eating is much more enjoyable.  We also have a good internet connection to use during the day (though we can use it only for a few minutes each time). 

    There are other blessings, but I’ll stop here, since I have to get back to work.  Pray for a successful end to this trip.

    I leave early tomorrow morning (6:30 am) from the Greenville airport and will fly through Atlanta and Miami before arriving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 4:15pm, Lord willing.  Thankfully, I’m not flying north, so I should avoid any snow storms, though rain storms are forecasted for this area tomorrow.  I will return on Dec. 14 at 8:12 pm in Greenville.  We (Dr. Bernard, the director of BI, and I) will be checking Daniel’s (the Haitian translator) work on word taxonomies, passages that he worked on in response to our previous consulting, and new material (Psa. 3-10 and Gen. 1-5).  I haven’t been able to finish my preparations for all the new material, so I’ll need to do some of that in the evenings.  I’ll also have an opportunity to preach one or both Sundays.  Here are my requests for this trip:

    1. For a safe and timely arrival of us and our luggage to Haiti (especially in light of the storms)
    2. For safety while in Haiti (since it is a very dangerous country, especially in the capital where we’ll be)
    3. For health and restful sleep (my back still wakes me up each night at around 3 am; the night sounds in Port-au-Prince also take some getting used to)
    4. For ability to speak and teach in French (it gets harder to use my French when I have to go in/out of it and am more out than in)
    5. For liberty and blessing as I preach on Sunday(s)
    6. For wisdom as we work through complex translation issues
    7. For grace to be an encouragement to Daniel, one another, our hosts, and others
    8. For opportunities to witness for Christ

    I doubt I’ll be able to update this blog during the trip, but we’ll see what kind of access I can get.  Thanks so much for your prayers!

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