Encouragement on the Way

Recently, I received a terse email from a long time missionary friend in another country. There was shocking news about destruction and death and divine protection and a warning not to re-post on the internet but a request to just pray. Even here in peaceful Mountain Home where we minister to the military community we can't share everything that is happening due to confidentiality and security needs but we still need prayer coverage and we still want our team members to be as informed as possible. We still have our regular meetings and events but we are also spending more one-on-one time than ever before—and the Lord is enabling us.


At the same time we have seen our Friday night attendance really growing. We had 47 this last Friday. This was a record. (How many will your living room hold?) We had (barely) enough schweinebraten, spätzli and rotkohl so we need to make appropriate adjustments in our future meal planning! Kudos to Suzie and her German-Swiss cuisine. Her Swiss or German made Betty Bossi spätzli-machine is on life support so we are trying to find a replacement.

Last year we were astonished at the bumper crop of babies born to families in the fellowship. This year we may have even more than last! I suggested that Ed bottle the house water! At the same time there are some families here desperately praying they could be in on this blessing also. This is quite distressing for some. Please pray!

We are continuing the Andy Stanley "Balanced" video series on personal finances. A lot of our folks were genuinely impacted by Andy's plea to pray "Lord, show me how to honor You with my wealth." There is a life-changing lesson in this for all of us.

This past weekend the men and the women separately conducted a half-day of prayer. Okay, it was only 3-1/2 hours but it was life-changing for all of us who participated. God is working!
Sunday, the base chapel highlighted the ministry of En Gedi to the Mountain Home military community. Some of our folks ushered, took up the offering, and read Scripture. We had a very good chapel response as our En Gedi team members were interviewed by Chaplain Schrader and I gave both the children's sermon and preached from 1 John 2:15-17 (Heart Attack).

Our Wednesday night men's study has been ramping up for a new accountability group as well as beginning our new study series with Men's Fraternity soon. Attendance has been temporarily affected by required career training and short-term deployments but we are seeing solid personal growth in spite of these obstacles.

Janet is home and back in the saddle and hard at work even as I write. And I need to get groceries for the fellowship meals this week but you keep praying for us and I will keep you informed as best I can.

One last note of praise. It looks like our work account debit was cut in half due to additional gifts that came in December. Praise the Lord and thank you to our extended ministry team around the world.

Are we there yet? Any time now!

January is nearly half over and we have had quite a bit of snow (and rain) – for Mountain Home. Thank you, Lord! Our high desert valley at the feet of the mountains is usually dry and windy so we are enjoying the moisture. 
 
We are seeing a good response to the ministry of the Word also. Hearts are changing as they take up the challenge to 'go deeper' as Ed Buri has put it. 
 

On January 2^nd we discussed godly contentment in our Friday night study and had an excellent response. Then on January 9^th we picked up the first obstacle to godly contentment: an out of balance financial lifestyle. We began watching the six part Andy Stanley series on Financial Balance.


Meanwhile our men's study continued the study in the attributes of God and they are all committed to our next study called 'The Quest for Authentic Manhood' with Dr. Robert Lewis. This is the original series that began the Men's Fraternity. We are also going to be starting our men's accountability group as an optional add-on after the study time. We had the group up and running until about this same time last year when we lost everyone who was part of the group to transfers and deployments. So we are really encouraged to be able to be re-starting even though there will be some job disruption ahead.



On New Year's Day, Janet left on a two week trip to visit with her ailing step-mom who is in hospice with late-stage Alzheimer's. She stopped in Denver to take Ben with her to Tucson. When she gets home, she will have driven 3400 miles! The Lord helped Ben to get excused from scheduled jury duty so he could go and they have safely returned to Denver so far. Janet will be home this next Thursday night. Irene has trusted the Lord and we pray she will see her Savior soon. She will have her mind again and know as she is known. We are praying for Matt as he sees her slipping away.




The ladies have missed Janet dearly but her Knit-Wits night will kick off again next Tuesday along with her energetic care for these women. She has also been teaching the Bible Study for PWOC on Thursday mornings while I have volunteered to be grandpa in the nursery. Last week we had twice our usual number of kids in what we call 'Wee Joy' due to the 2015 Kick-Off event.

This coming Sunday, our ministry with the Buris at En Gedi Hospitality House will be highlighted at the base chapel and I have been asked to preach. I will be speaking on three things that can attack our heart for the Lord from 1 John 2:15-17.




As we look ahead, we are excited to be able to continue to serve the Lord in this way. We have three scheduled trips ahead that will make it difficult to do very much more out of state travelling. Ben and Megan are planning on a wedding sometime this year in Denver and Elizabeth will be graduating with her PhD from Ohio State. And we have a weeklong mission-wide conference to attend in Wisconsin. (The last one was five years ago. Many of you participated in helping us get there financially.) 
 
By the way, many of you have also helped us pay down our work account debt as well as being regular donors. We're getting there! The Lord will repay your sacrifice but we also wish to thank you on behalf of the men and women in the Mountain Home military community who have benefited by your generosity.


One final note: Cadence International is celebrating over 60 years of service to the military this year. Janet and I have now been serving with Cadence for more than half of that time as well as thirty-seven years of marriage! Wow! Some of you have partnered with us for all these years! Thank you!