Contrasts and Similarities

Contrast: In just a few hours we will be stepping onto a plane and going to Peru. In a matter of hours, we go from freezing weather to tropical rain forest. We leave an area with many thriving churches to  a place with only a few, and some of them are struggling. We go from learning from pastors who have advanced theological degrees to a place with pastors whose Bible knowledge is self-taught and whose formal education is more limited.

The Amazon River

Similarities: In both places are pastors with a deep love for God, His Word, and His people. In both places people are lost and without hope. In both places, the Bible offers hope for salvation, wisdom, healing, and so much more.

Today we go to the Peru for a conference with a group of men who are called by God to pastor in the Amazon jungle. Charlie will be teaching on Biblical counseling. Often this subject identifies areas where the pastors need guidance from God's Word.

Pray:

• For safety as we travel
• Opportunities to speak to others of God’s love as we travel.
• Wisdom for Charlie as he teaches on this important subject.
• Spanish recall and ability for me as I translate for him. I was fluent in Spanish 30 years ago, and I need some of that fluency now as I translate.

In several epistles, Paul ends his letter by saying, “Brethren, pray for us.” If Paul, an apostle who penned Scripture needed God’s help, how much more do we. So brothers and sisters, please pray for us.

Thankful

Thank You, God, for You. You are amazing, holy, and glorious, yet You condescended to make me and to know me.   Your grace drew me, saved me, and now keeps me from falling so that I will be presented faultless before You. You even found a place for me to serve You, a calling that humbles me with awe at Your benevolent grace.

You overflow with blessings that spill into our lives at every moment. Too often we take those everyday blessings for granted: the air we breathe, the sun in the sky and rain that falls, a place to live, clothes to wear and food to eat. We scorn the good things that come our way by assuming that we somehow deserve what graciously drops from your hand.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am so aware of Your many blessings to me. Today I awoke in a warm house on a cold morning. I saw the sunrise, pink and blue etching the sky, a sign of Your powerful creativity and undying faithfulness. I saw my parents who I never thought would still be an active part of my life at this stage in my life. We rode in a reliable car to the airport to put them on a plane. I ate a hot breakfast, sitting across from my very best friend who also happens to be my loving husband. I still have enough good health to join hundreds of runners on a Turkey Trot this morning. We had clean clothes to change into before joining some of God's people to serve meals at a shelter and then sit down and enjoy a turkey dinner together with them. This afternoon a nap and watching football gave us a relaxing day. The telephone allowed me to connect with family, spread across the U.S. Coffee and pumpkin cheesecake finished off a very good day. Thank You, Lord.

Although we take time today to make a point of saying "Thank You," my life would be bereft of much of its joy without daily thanks. So tomorrow when I rise, I will again give You thanks once again for some of Your many blessings.

There is no God like You who blesses us with so many blessings. It is impossible for us to count, let alone properly savor each blessing you send. Thank you for being so generous to me. My cup is truly running over.

Plagued by Many Choices

In the U.S., we are plagued by many different choices whenever we have to make a decision. When we bought our house, we looked at many different ones. None of them were exactly what we wanted, but we eventually chose the one we thought fit best. When I go to the grocery store, I am often overwhelmed by the many different choices of cheese, cereal, or cleaning products. If there were only one of what I wanted, my trips through the store would be much quicker. When we prepare to take a trip, we have multiple routes to sort through before arriving at the best way of getting there. At almost every point in life, we have to make choices among many possible options.

Because life is full of choices, we often approach finding a church the same way. We ask God to lead us to the right choice and then proceed to look for a church based upon our list of personal preferences. If no church has all of what we want, we settle for the closest thing, in the same way that we settle for the closest thing in our search for a house.

However, once we have a house in which to live, certain other things fall into place. We soon learn where we will do most of our grocery shopping and where the local gas stations are. We find the local library and gym.

In the same way, nearby churches become a logical choice for us. A church close by provides accessibility to a network of other people nearby who also attend there. It allows me to attend all the events, even when gas prices rise or there is a threatening weather forecast. If the car is in the shop for a few days, it is easier to get a ride from another church member (or even walk if it is close enough.) In other words, a church nearby is most likely one that God would have me attend, provided that it is theologically sound.

I can already hear some objections, so let me address a few of those.

• The churches near me do not have a youth group, and we have teenagers. Could it be that they are just waiting for your teenagers to start a youth group? Could it be that God wants you to be the one that starts a youth group? (This applies to any other ministry that may be your favorite.)
• We went to the church that is near us, but the pastor preaches boring sermons. Are the sermons the only negative? Is he good at shepherding the people? Is he good at counseling? Is he a good example to others? One man usually does not have all the abilities that everyone would like in a pastor. Can you have a ministry there by teaching a stimulating Bible study or Sunday school class?
• The church near our home has so few people in it that the atmosphere there is sad. Maybe God wants you to be the one that will help infuse new life into that church so that they can once again be a light in the community.
• The churches near me do not have good music. Are you sure that your definition of "good" music is the one God has for His church? It is possible that music can be unbiblical, but often our definition is a personal preference based on our experience. Could it be that they do not have the training to use good music? Maybe they are just waiting for someone who is an accomplished pianist or song leader in order to incorporate better music. 
• I like going to the church that is 45 minutes away because they have good (you fill in the blank.) Maybe the church near you does not have good ______ because you and others who live nearby have made the same choice you have. Will you still go there if gas prices rise? Can you be as involved there as you can be in a church nearby?
• Someone attends there that I do not like. This may be the worst reason I have heard. We are called to love one another, and the unlovable person is the one who needs our love most.  If God wants you to attend there, ask God to help you forgive them and then determine to love them in spite of anything that may happen.

When we moved to Lafayette, it did not take us long to find out that there were many different churches nearby. There were also many more good churches farther away. But God led us to a home in Lafayette, so it made sense that we were also supposed to attend church here. To go to a church far away would be like refusing to go to the local grocery store and drive an hour away to one we like better.

I know that sometimes God clearly leads people to a church that is not nearby. Sometimes it is for a season to help a new church start or to fill in when someone is needed for a particular ministry. Usually, though, God leads to a close church so that time, finances, and weather do not hinder our participation.

If you are one of those currently looking for a church, please consider one nearby. Ask God how far is too far and then keep your search inside those parameters. Unless you live in an area without a gospel witness or that is very sparsely populated, you will usually still have a choice, but the decision will not be as overwhelming. Then go to God with your thoughts about the church you are considering to make sure that He is leading you there. Otherwise, when there are difficult days, you will not be as likely to stay and struggle through the hard times. (But that's a blog for another day.)

What's Different About Uruguay?

Over plates of steaming pasta, our hostess, Schumayk Moyano, said to us one afternoon, "You've been all over the world. What do you see as different here from other places where you have been?"

"The dogs," we said together, and laughed. It was the first thing we noticed upon arriving. In most places where we have been, street dogs roam, nibble at garbage, and fight over perceived territory. In Uruguay, however, the dogs are well-groomed pets, not wild street dogs. They trotted beside their. owners on a leash or played catch with them on the beach.  Most were purebreds, and the large breeds were preferred. While we occasionally saw a small dog like a terrier or dachshund, large dogs like shepherds, retrievers, huskies, and setters dominated the scene. One day we saw a dog walker with a dozen dogs on leashes, walking down the middle of a side street. I do not think we have encountered dog walkers in any of our other trips abroad.

"Secondly," Charlie went on, "the vehicles. They are nicer and there are not very many pickup trucks." When we travel, It is not uncommon for Charlie to notice the number of older cars that would not pass inspection in the US. In Uruguay, however, we saw very few old cars or cars that were banged up or not running. Overall, the Uruguayans take care of their vehicles. Instead of the majority of cars being pickups, the city dwellers of Montevideo preferred SUVs. And when you got into one of their vehicles, you find, to your surprise, the seat belts work, and the people in the front seat are expected to use them.

"Exercise is more important here than in most countries," I added. Nowhere in the Americas, not even in the U.S., have we seen as many gyms and so many runners. Often when we go somewhere and Charlie asks about running, people look at him like he's crazy. But in Montevideo, it was normal. At any time of the day, there were dozens of people out running, cycling, or walking. Along the Rambla, the sidewalk that ran along the coast for miles, eight-foot posts painted in white and green marked every 500 meters so you could know how far you had gone.  In parks throughout the city, exercise machines were not only present, but people were using them.

For us, though, one of the saddest differences we saw was the lack of interest in spiritual things. In most countries, especially in Latin America, we see quite a few churches of varying faiths and denominations. Our hosts told us that in their neighborhood, theirs is the only gospel-preaching church. Sometimes missionaries make that claim, but they usually mean that there are no other churches like theirs nearby. In this case, however, they were exactly right. There were some synagogues and a Catholic church, but no other Protestant churches. Not even the cults were present.

Uruguay has more people unaffiliated with any religion than any country in Latin America, including Cuba. They seem happy that they are more agnostic and atheistic than their neighbors. They feel no need for God. He is simply not important to their daily lives. Children do not know about Him and can grow to adulthood never hearing His Name.

Yet in the midst of the darkness we found light. Perhaps because they feel isolated and alone, Christians band together for fellowship. When the church service ended, the fellowship began. An hour later, people were still there - talking and listening to each other's stories. The teenagers and young adults left earlier, but not to go home. They pooled their money to buy pizza and continued their fellowship around a table at a local restaurant.

The small churches of Uruguay are spread thin across the country, but when they have an opportunity to link arms, they do. Five churches were represented at the camp where Charlie taught on finances. A couple years ago, when it became obvious that a Bible college was needed to train people for the ministry, like-minded churches and mission boards banded together to supply the teachers and get the school off the ground. Such cooperation is rare and a testimony to the love of God present among the believers.

So is Uruguay different? Definitely. Yet aren't all countries and cultures a little different from each other? Perhaps that is why God created so many cultures. Together they form a beautiful tapestry that gives credit to a God of order and beauty. Alone, a single culture falls short of giving God the glory He is due. Each culture has too many shortcomings, but together we come closer to understanding God and honoring Him. At the end of time, people from every language, tongue, tribe and nation will worship Him, and I am glad that I met some of them in Uruguay.

A Real Christian Man

My dad was my first hero. As a child, I thought he could do anything. Oh, I knew he could not fly like Superman, but he was certainly more capable than Batman. After all, he could preach, teach, ride a motorcycle, fly an airplane, play a ukulele, sing with gusto, build houses, fix almost anything, and teach us cool stuff like how to fish, swim, and ride a bicycle.  He could even read us books and change his voice to sound like the characters in the book.

Dad planing a board for our house.

We learned a lot from his teaching. He taught us how to mow a lawn, plant a garden, wield a hammer, build things, and use power tools. He spent hours with my brothers rebuilding a car engine. He was at home in the kitchen.  On our birthdays, he made a tall stack Norwegian pancakes so that we could eat until we waddled away from the table, holding our bellies and declaring to the others how many pancakes we wolfed down. Now when we make Norwegian pancakes for the next generation, we use Dad's recipe, perfected through years of birthday celebrations.

However, the lessons I learned by observation were even more special. While I may not have admitted it while I was growing up, he set a standard for me of what it meant to be a real Christian man. When I got married, these were the things I wanted in a husband. I wanted someone who was authentic in his faith and who was a real Christian guy.

1. A real Christian man spends time alone with God.

In the morning when I arose, I usually found him in the living room. His Bible lay open on his lap and when he was done reading, he took out a list, scrawled in his own handwriting. As his prayer list covered the page of his Bible, he closed his eyes and talked to God about his concerns.  Occasionally I watched him, wondering how he could pray for so long.

One morning he was missing at breakfast. Later I asked him where he was. "I so wanted to stay up all night and pray like Jesus did when He was on earth," he told me, "but at about three in the morning I had to go back to sleep. One day I will try again." There were times when he was missing from the dinner table because he was praying and fasting.

2. A real Christian man loves his family.

Many pastors take Mondays off because they find Sundays exhausting. For him, Sundays were filled to the brim with teaching, preaching, counseling, prayer, and hospitality. He must have been tired on Mondays too. Yet because his children were in school on Monday, he chose to take his day off on Saturday so that he could spend more time with us.

His favorite stories to tell and retell were often about his children. Whether it was Steven's exposition of Scriptures, Dan's miraculous recovery, Tim's natural leadership, Joel's cute antics, Andrea's inexhaustible energy, Reza's adoption, or my fear of monsters in the night, his stories remain with us as part of our heritage. They give us a sense of identity and belonging. They tell us we belong to him.

While there was not a lot of money in the house, we knew that he considered us a priority. Birthday and Christmas gifts were simple and practical, but they were part of our celebration and a reminder that our parents cared. Vacations were spent as a family - either camping or visiting relatives. When special events like graduation arose, there was always a celebration and Dad was there, laughing and smiling with us.

3. A real Christian man tells others of Christ. 

My dad was shy, but he was also determined to let his light shine for Christ. At a gas station, he'd ask the attendant, "If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go?" Depending upon the response, we might be there a while as he continued to share his faith with him. At restaurants, he'd say to the waitress, "We're going to pray in a minute. Is there anything I can pray about for you?" He kept gospel tracts in his pockets when he was traveling so that he would be able to leave information with people he encountered along the way. He was always ready to tell others of the hope he had in God.

I remember the day that he called me to tell me that Marcus, an Indonesian pastor, had died. "Now I know for sure that there will be someone to greet me in heaven when I get there because I introduced him to Jesus," he said with a mixture of sorrow and joy.

4. A real Christian man stands up for what he believes.

It would have been so much easier to keep quiet than to let people know his convictions were different from theirs. He could have kept his mouth shut when he saw people straying instead of encouraging them to go hard after God. He could have preached safe sermons rather than stepping on their toes. How he longed for people to take sanctification seriously and to do what they could to walk as closely to God as possible. So he chose to call sin evil and warn people of choosing the wrong path.

I thought it was normal for Christians to take a stand and to pursue heavenly goals with dogged determination. I thought every Christian tried to put God first in their lives. After all, all of the men I admired were like that, but especially my dad. Now I realize that his commitment is more rare than I realized. While it may be "normal," it is certainly not common.

5. A real Christian man is authentic all the time.

There was no difference between the man we saw at home and the man others saw at church. What he preached from the pulpit, he preached to us at home. If he said he hated sin, we heard him say it first at home. We never had to wonder what mood he was going to be in or how he would react to us. His moods did not affect his behavior. If he was wrong, he admitted it.

Sometimes I meet people who tell of a very different home life from what we see in public, and I grieve with them. It is hard for me to imagine the weight of having to put on a face in public to cover up what is really going on. I am glad that my dad taught me to be genuine at home so that we did not have to be hypocritical.

6. A real Christian man leaves a lasting legacy.

My dad is 91 years old now. He is weak and can no longer climb mountains to find jungle tribes that need the gospel. He tires easily just from daily activity, let alone the stress of juggling the myriad responsibilities of those many years of being a missions director. So I am glad that he spent his strong years doing things that would matter long after he is gone.

Fifty years from now, when he is celebrating in heaven, his legacy on earth will live on. An orphanage in the Philippines and a Bible school in Indonesia may still remember his part in their inception. Grandchildren may recount stories of his life. But even if they don't, there will be people in heaven who will thank him for his steadfast faithfulness to the God that he worships. I know because I will be one of them.

Twelve Evidences of of the Sin of Pride

Nebuchadnezzar

God hates pride. He hates it so much that He destroys the proud. He knocks them off their feet - for a little while or for a long time - until they learn a little bit about humility. Nebuchadnezzar, proud king of Babylon, learned humility by losing his mind for a time. Some Jewish kings learned it by having their kingdoms taken from them. Proud Haman lost his life. Over and over again we see that pride gets people into so much trouble. Throughout Scriptures we see the dangers of pride. Jesus lists it together with such sins as adultery, murder, and theft, yet we often do not take it very seriously. We sometimes see it in other people, yet we are so often so proud that we do not see it in ourselves.

The thought of God needing to do something drastic to humble me scares me enough that I periodically take stock of where I have allowed pride to creep into my own life. I read Scriptures to look again at what it says about pride. Sometimes I go through the evidences of pride like this one to see where I need to humble myself before the Lord and others to ask for forgiveness and repentance.

Am I proud? Here are some evidences of pride that help me evaluate how much this sin has become part of my life.

1. I am proud when I want others to notice me. A truly humble person does not need the approval of others. They simply do the work they need to do in order to fulfill their responsibilities. If they feel they need to make a statement about something, they say it but without fanfare. It always amuses me when I hear someone say, "In my humble opinion." If I am really humble about my opinion, I will not need to point out my humility to others. 
2. I am proud when I "persecute" others who are less fortunate than I am. Psalms 10:2 says, "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor." James agrees with this idea when he warns against giving preference to the rich (James 2). While this is specifically pointing to mistreating the poor, it applies to other areas where people are less fortunate as well, such as a beauty queen looking down on a plain girl or super jocks making fun of the uncoordinated. Anytime we seek to put someone else in their place, we are showing off our pride.
3. I am proud when I am more concerned about myself than I am of others. Selfishness and pride are often co-dependent. While selfishness can sometimes function without pride, pride needs selfishness in order to prosper. We tend to put our own needs first. We do it so naturally and instinctively that Jesus calls us to love others as much as we love ourselves. But when we ignore the opinions, needs and desires of others, not only has selfishness crept in, but so has pride. We have begun to think that our needs are more important than theirs. 
4. I am proud when I put myself down or compare myself to others. Why is this pride? Pride is seen in self-absorption. Someone who spends time thinking about oneself, whether the analysis is positive or negative, is proud. If I think I am too short or too tall, too skinny or too fat, I am comparing myself to others around me. On the other hand, if I seek to please the Lord and invest my time in helping others, I will not be preoccupied by self-deprecation.
5. I am proud when I do not seek God in the decisions of my life. Psalms 10:4 says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God."  It is pride that keeps us from seeking God. Anytime that I go ahead with my own plans without seeking the will of God, I am demonstrating my pride.
6. I am proud when I stir up trouble. Proverbs 28:25 says, "He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife." Whenever I am the cause of unrest in a relationship or an organization, it stems from pride. We justify it by saying that we were right. Rather than seeking to reconcile, we defend ourselves. We are unwilling to admit that our attitude may be the cause of the trouble. You see, I am usually willing to take advice and correction from someone who is genuinely concerned for my welfare, but when someone is "defending the truth" because of their own pride, it stirs up trouble. Too often, when we are the cause of the trouble, we do not see it because our own pride blinds us to the truth.
7. I am proud whenever I think that I would never fall for a particular temptation to sin. We are all sinners, and given the right circumstances apart from God's grace at work in our lives, we are all capable of any sin. I can hear some of you saying, "But I would never do what that person did." Yet if we think we are incapable of murder, just hear what Jesus says about anger in Matthew 5:21-22. If we think we would never get involved in an inappropriate relationship, Jesus makes it clear that we are definitely capable of going that direction (Matt. 5:28). And if you stop to think about the circumstances that lead people into heinous crimes, we should be able to say, "But for the grace of God, I could be there too. God protected me all along the way so that I would not fall into that sin." God said to the first murderer, "If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." (Gen. 4:7). One sin leads us into another which then leads us down a path which at one time we would not have followed. As Paul said, "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10:12) Pride is often the very sin that will lead us into other sins.
8. I am proud when I am unwilling to forgive. Over and over again we are commanded to forgive. There are no qualifiers placed on forgiveness. We are not told that we only need to forgive others if they are repentant or if they have asked for forgiveness. Instead, we are told to forgive. We are given an example in Jesus' words of forgiveness on the cross that show us that we forgive even when the perpetrator is in the middle of committing the sin and obviously not repentant. Paul says that we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. I know that I have sinned against my Father in heaven far more than anyone on earth has sinned against me, so it is incongruous that I would refuse to forgive someone else unless I want to endanger my own soul. Jesus tells us that if we refuse to forgive, we separate ourselves from God's forgiveness. (Mark 12:25-26) In addition, God is not pleased with our gifts unless we are ready to forgive others. (Matt. 5:23-25) If I am unwilling to forgive, I am telling God to His face that I know better than He does when it comes to this matter of forgiveness. If that is not pride, I do not know what is.
9. I am proud if I think my sins are less offensive to God than those of other people. According to Proverbs 6:16-20, the sin of pride is listed first in a list of "abominations" to God. The sin of pride keeps us from following God. It keeps people from asking God to save them. It causes discord among the brethren. It gives us a bad reputation. Yet sometimes we keep insisting that we are not as bad as others, refusing to admit the pride that is standing in the way of restored relationships with God and with others.
10. I am proud if I think I need to defend myself and stand up for myself. Paul wrote, "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, sayeth the Lord." (Rom. 12:19) If we take vengeance into our own hands, we will do it poorly and, in so doing, we get in God's way in His ability to do it perfectly. Years ago I met a wealthy Christian businessman who lost millions to an accountant who had stolen from him. I asked him what he had done about it. "I fired him," he replied, "but I forgave him because I knew God had forgiven me much more." He went on to say that his friends thought he was crazy for not trying to get all that money back, but he believed that he needed to leave everything in God's hands and let God take care of it.
11. I am proud when I speak evil of others. (Ps. 101:5) Slander and gossip destroy. They destroy reputations and careers. Often when we speak evil of others, we do not know the whole story, yet we are prone to cast judgment and speak to others of it when we would never want the same thing done to us. Once again, we sometimes think we are "above" the sin which the other has committed and so we speak too freely of what they have done. Instead, we need to remember that we are not to let ANY bad communication come out of our mouths but only those things that edify the body. (Eph. 4:29)
12. I am proud when I think I am more spiritual than others. Too often those who are thought of as "spiritual" by others are a lot less spiritual than they would like to think. Jesus had very critical things to say of the spiritual leaders of his day because they were blinded by pride. Often it is pride that holds "spiritual" people from advancement because they think they have already arrived. If they were truly spiritual, they would encourage those who are weak rather than tearing them down. (Rom. 15:1) They would be quick to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. They would, in other words, not have these and other evidences of pride in their lives. 

I hate the pride that I see in my own life. It is a daily struggle. Like a pervasive weed, it springs up in a new area whenever I think I have properly humbled myself before the Lord. I often find myself pleading with God to have mercy on me and to do His work of humbling me so that I will be useful to Him.

Do you hate the pride you see in your own life? I hope so.

Note: This is far from a complete list. If you want more help on this topic, a variety of ministries have come up with more complete ones. Revive Our Hearts, for example, has put together a list of 41 evidences.

If Life is Like a River, then Ministry is Like Rafting

Some say that life is like a river. It makes sense. A river bends and winds its way down to a vast ocean, just like life winds its way through the years and ends in a vast eternity, either with God or without him. You never know what lies around the bend. It could be beauty or devastation, waterfalls or still water.

If life is like a river, then ministry is like rafting.  There are times of still waters where you get to enjoy the beautiful scenery as you float by. Routine and quiet days fill the weeks of ministry. Ordinary milestones like anniversaries, weddings., baby dedications, and birthdays are like the beauty on the banks of river where you see carefully planted gardens, towering trees, and flowers blooming. You float peacefully through those days, reveling in their joyful serenity, appreciating the warm sunshine and relatively cloudless days. Sometimes the quiet can lull you into thinking that life is peaceful and all the hard times are behind you.

Then, suddenly, the current speeds up and you know that difficulty lies ahead. At times in our ministry lives, we have had some warning that ministry was going to get difficult again. Perhaps, it was an undercurrent of unhappiness or a conflict that did not quickly resolve. At other times, it took us completely by surprise. As we rounded the bend, we were able to see the white water ahead and know that it would take all of our energy and all of our skill and strength to avoid the rocks and stay upright through the roiling waves. We knew that we might even be injured in the process, but that at least it would be tough and exhausting. We knew, too, that we needed to lead the raft of people in our ministry in such a way that we would not cause permanent damage to anyone on board.

However, in ministry "rafting," we have a Guide who has been down "our" river ahead of us and knows every unseen danger. If we were to try to navigate on our own, we would put ourselves and those with whom we minister at serious risk, but with our Guide we can rest assured that He will help us navigate around the sharp rocks and through the white water. He will even help us over that massive waterfall that looks impassable.

These days our journey in ministry with IPM often feels like river rafting. We have quiet, peaceful days when we are preparing for our next trip. We spend our days studying, writing, corresponding, making phone calls, connecting with churches, and reaching out to those around us. Then the speed picks up as we buy tickets and start making lists of the things we need to take with us. We stop the mail and the garbage pickup. We alert our neighbors to our upcoming absence and send out emails to relatives and friends asking for prayer. And then we take off - into the white water, speeding through the next days and weeks when we touch down in a new place to teach.  Then almost as suddenly as it began, we end our time there and find ourselves back in relative calm.

We would appreciate prayer that God would use us in each phase of our ministry - on those quiet, calm days and on the exciting, rushed ones. More than anything, when we eventually find our way to the end of our river and enter into the ocean of eternity, we want to hear a shout of "Well Done" from the Captain of our souls.

Questions About Moving Abroad

Montevideo, Uruguay

For years we have considered the possibility of moving abroad.  Right now there are things that are keeping us in the US, but it continues to be in our thoughts and our prayers.  Every time we make a trip abroad, we ask the question, "Is this the place where God wants to send us to live next?"

One of the main factors in where we can live is cost of living.  While we enjoyed our visit to Luxembourg last year, for example, we know that we cannot survive there on the income God has given us.  On the other hand, most of Latin America, some of Asia and some of Europe and Africa could potentially be a place for us.  The world is a big place, and there are many places where we could go.

A second factor, and probably the most important, is ministry.  Is there something for us to do there that fits the skill sets that God has given us?  We do not want to move abroad to simply retire.  We want to be fully invested until we can no longer work.  So every time we visit a country we also ask this question, "If we lived here, what ministry would we have?  Are there teaching and training opportunities here?"

Another major factor is language.  While there are many countries where we could use English to start up a ministry to expatriates living there, we want to be able to minister among the nationals. This trip to Bolivia was a major part of seeing whether or not a Spanish speaking country could work. After a month of living there and getting some language instruction, we think it can.  So now we have two language options - English and Spanish.

There are some other more minor factors that we will consider, like health care and transportation. How hard and how expensive is it to get back to the US if we need to do that? Is it easy for us to get a visa? Is it easy to live without a car? If not, what would that cost? Is it better to rent or own a residence? Would we need to maintain a residence in the US? These and other questions would need to be answered.

The last factor and the one that will be the deciding one for us is God's call.  We want to hear God clearly speak to us about the next step we need to take. It is possible that He will call us to stay in the U.S. or He may lead us abroad. Whatever we do, we want to be sure that we are following His direction for our lives. Wherever it is, we believe that He is already putting together the pieces that will give us the ministry He has for us when we get there.  When the time comes, we will know. In the meantime, we keep doing the work He has for us right now.

Heading Home

I am on my way home.  It is taking longer than I thought it would.  As a child, I had not idea my journey would last this long.  Even though I have been traveling for a very long time, I may still be a long way off. Yet in my mind’s eye, I can see it.  Every bend in the road brings me closer.  Each step makes me wish I were there already.

Home, they say, is where the heart is.  If that’s true, then I have more than one home, but the one I most long for is the one I have held in my heart almost all my life.  Heaven is my heart's home.  I want to see the Holy City, gleaming in all its splendor.  I want to meet Peter, Paul, Moses, David, Ruth, Mary, and so many others. I want to see my relatives and friends who are already there.  I want to see the tree that bears fruit in every season and the river that flows from the throne of God.  I want to experience a place where there is no loneliness, no sadness, and especially no sin.  But most of all, I want to see Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, the One who paid the price for my sin and made it possible for me to be adopted into His family.  I want to worship Him and be amazed all over again at His love, mercy, and grace.  I want to keep learning about the amazing God who forgave and adopted people like me into His very family.

Sometimes I despair that I will get to hear Jesus say “Well done.” The long, winding road I have traveled has had many hills and valleys.  Distracted, I have sometimes forgotten to follow the map God gave me. Sometimes I have found myself off the path He had for me and had to ask Him to help me find my way back. At other times, I thought I could take a slight detour toward temptation, only to find myself desperately lost.  How blessed I was when the Holy Spirit rescued me from those sinful distractions and detours and set me back on the right road.

I am not the only one on this road.  Along the way, I share my experiences of God’s grace with others who are also heading home.  We have the same goal – to reach the gates of heaven and see Jesus welcome us with open arms.  Some are wounded and need to be nursed back to health or carried for a while.  Some are easily tempted and need a companion to help them stay on the right road.  Some are discouraged and need a friend to walk with them through dark valleys.  Some are strong and ready to help others.  Some are lethargic and need a gentle push.  Some have wandered off toward temptation and we call out to them to come back.  But together we are all heading home.

When we keep our sights set on reaching home, our goals are clearer. We help each other stay on this road.  We post warning signs along the road where we have noticed temptations.  We keep inviting those headed in the opposite direction to turn around and travel with us because our destination is so much better than the one going the other way.  We share what we know of Jesus with each other and encourage each other to keep going.  We share what we know of Him through His letters to us.  We look forward to that day when we will watch each other walk through the gates and hear Jesus say, “Well done.  Welcome home.”

Someday I may get word from my doctor that I am nearing the end of my journey. I hope that when that happens I will be excited because I finally get to cross the river to the home that has held my heart all these years.

Spanish Lessons in Bolivia

Charlie with one of the tutors

In the morning, we filled our hearts with prayer and the Word, our stomachs with a simple breakfast and then left the spacious guest house to fill our minds with Spanish. It was the primary purpose for which we came to Bolivia this time.  By lunchtime, our minds were bursting with conjugations, preterit vs. imperfect, double verbs and subjunctive tenses until it felt as though our heads would explode.

At the end of the first week, Charlie wondered why he was not making faster progress. I was coming to terms with the difficulty of correcting grammatical errors that had become bad habits. Then we realized we had only been here for a week and we still had three more weeks to go. That was reassuring. As Charlie gained confidence in his ability to communicate, I became more fearful that every time I spoke I would be saying something wrong again. But my teachers assured me that this was a sign of improvement.

After we had been here about three weeks, we ate lunch with IPM's missionary, Jose Antonio Jordan and his family.  During lunch, Charlie carried on a conversation with him, and he commented on how much Charlie's Spanish has improved.  I heard it too. This improvement will help us as we continue to make trips to Latin America.

On Thursday and Friday nights I taught a teacher training class.  I took the notes from a class I taught a couple years ago in Mexico and went through them, making changes as I saw the grammar errors I originally made.  Then I took my lessons to my language school teachers and they went over them with me. When we finished, I said to Alicia, my teacher, "Prepositions are getting me into trouble."  She agreed and added, "They seem to be difficult in any language.  I have trouble with them in English."

On Thursday night I was so concerned about my grammar that I had a very difficult time, so all day on Friday, I asked God to give me facility and freedom as I shared some of the things He had laid on my heart.  While my grammar may not have been any better, at least I felt like I was communicating better because I was freer and more fluid.

A month is certainly not enough to learn a language, but it has helped us move forward to becoming more fluent.  We now feel more confident that we can go somewhere alone without the aid of an interpreter for Charlie. I am far from fluent, but at least I will do better than I would have before. When I translated for him on Saturday night, I realized that I need to work on my vocabulary as well as my grammar. I also now have a better idea of what I need to do in order to keep improving and how to progress so that I will not fall back into the bad habits.

January Newsletter

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Psalm 66:16

Dear friends and family,

God has done great things in the past year, and we want to declare His greatness to all who will listen.

Church in Guatemala

1. He funded our travel. When we started the year, we saw that the money in our travel account was inadequate for the trips we planned to take. Here we are beginning a new year, and we now have more money in that account than we did last year at this time after taking five trips and visiting six countries. How great is His provision!
2. He brought people to a saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Throughout our travels we were witnesses to Christ's great work of redemption. In Guatemala alone, we saw more than twenty people make professions of faith.
3. He gave us new opportunities to serve Him. IPM held their first pastors' conference in the Amazon town of Mazan, Peru, and Charlie was one of the teachers. We both taught in Mindanao, Philippines, and they have asked us to come back and teach again. Joan partnered with Levi Schooley to lead a VBS seminar in Arequipa, Peru. It was the first time they had worked together and they both enjoyed it.

   

   Teaching a game in Peru

4. He gave us the opportunity to take a missions trip "vacation" to Europe where we were able to help out in ministries in Belarus and Luxembourg.

As we look back and see His faithfulness to us in the past year, we have no doubt that He will again be faithful in 2017.

1. We expect that we will take at least five trips again this year and maybe more, and we have no doubt that, so long as we only go where He sends us, He will fund those as well.
2. We expect that He will continue to save people in the various ministries we visit around the world, and we are looking forward to be able to witness His power at work in changing people's lives.
3. We expect that He will help us as we seek to improve our skills to do a better job. In just a few weeks we are headed to Bolivia where we will visit IPM's missionaries there and take an intensive Spanish course. In addition, Charlie has been working on his doctorate so that he will be better qualified to teach at a seminary level.
4. We expect that this will be a full year. In addition to trips to Bolivia, the Philippines, Uruguay and one or two African countries, Charlie also plans to go to Cuba. We also love to teach and preach whenever we are in the U.S.
5. We expect that none of this will be done well unless God works in us and through us, so we value your prayers and support.

Your partners with national missionaries around the world,

Charlie and Joan Farley

A Picture Summary of 2016

Take a trip with us and see where we were and what we were doing abroad during the past year.  We each took five trips and went to six countries.  Five of those trips we took together and we each took one trip alone. That does not even count the trips we took within the U.S. where we went to Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Minnesota, Florida, North Carolina, California, and probably some other states too.  It was a busy and blessed year, and we are looking forward to an even busier one this year.

We put together a Prezi presentation online of our trips abroad. Just click on the link, and it will take you there. Then you can cruise through the photos and, if we visited you, maybe even find a photo of yourself.  Just tap on the link and then in the new window use the arrow keys to go through the presentation.