Wednesday, June 16, 2010

He did it again!

Just a quick update...the Rotary club approved the plan!!! Thanks to those who prayed and to our gracious God who heard and moved. Many details to be worked out, but we're moving forward with God's hand clearly upon our efforts.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

All 8 cylinders needed, right here in Phoenix, U.S.A.

Last week, my wife and I had the privilege of hosting a Hungarian pastor and his family for a night as they drove back from Southern California to St. Louis. Pastor Adam graduated from seminary a few weeks ago after a year and a half of study. The whole family leaves for Hungary in a couple of weeks, where he will step back into his role as the pastor of what is likely the only evangelical Christian church in his city of 65,000 people. His humility and his ability to summarize the plight of his people and their country was astounding. The challenges he faces as he pastors in a very difficult environment are huge. Keep him in prayer.

Even though I can't remember the exact way the conversation unfolded as we stayed up late Wednesday evening discussing what God was doing, I felt prompted to share with him something that I'd like to share with you.

Knowing the foreign field experience that God has permitted me to have, he asked if I was content with not being able to live or even travel outside the U.S. in recent years. In other words, he wanted to know if I was content doing what I'm doing here in Phoenix. Trying to answer that question provoked me to share an analogy with him that I used to use fairly regularly.

To make it as simple as possible, until God planted us here in Phoenix and permitted me to work with refugees from all over the world, I genuinely felt like I was an 8 cylinder engine that regularly ran on 7 cylinders, but not contented to be doing so. Although I know this is probably an expression of my lack of spiritual maturity, the familiarity of life and ministry here in the U.S., (first in Southern California, and then in Nevada,) just didn't seem to require all 8 cylinders to be running to be the blessing I felt God wanted me to His people and to those who don't know Him.

But anytime I buckled into a seatbelt and a plane lifted off from LAX taking me to some overseas destination, as soon as the plane crossed the shoreline of the West coast, Texas, or the East coast, something inside of me came alive that seemed to be lying dormant while I was living and ministering in the U.S. It was like that 8th cylinder was now needed to do what God had called me to do, and it was exhilarating and fulfilling. But as soon as I boarded the plane to head back to the U.S. that cylinder seemed to go dormant again and remain so, as much as I tried to revive it for ministry here in the U.S. Strange, I know.

But now, right here in the U.S. Right here in Phoenix. That 8th cylinder kicks in regularly, (although not all the time.) Plunging into the world of refugees and entering into their apartments and their lives, is sufficient exposure to that which is foreign to require that 8th cylinder to begin operating. And the exhilaration and fulfillment, right here in the U.S., feels SOOOO good!

Can anyone relate?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Closer, but not quite there yet...

For those of you who have kept up with this blog and that care about what we're trying to do with getting our church's land ready for refugees to farm on, I'd like to ask you to amp up the prayer. Next Wednesday, June 16, will be another appearance before a key Rotary club. If this goes like our advocate with the club envisions it, we could be within $3,000 of our goal of $30,000. for the fence and soil preparation. If they go for this, it will be an act of God, close to what He already did in getting the water utility company to donate the $70,000. water hook-up work we needed done. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep next Wednesday in prayer.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Quick update

The missions conference in Philly went great! Thanks for praying that I'd be able to make the trip. If you'd like to hear the general session messages or the workshops, you can check out www.ccphilly.org

My knee continues to be a challenge. The ortho doc told me last week that I probably have cartilage damage, so he wants me to have an MRI to be sure. If it is cartilage damage, then I'm going to need arthroscopic surgery on it. So, I'm still gimping on my crutches. I can bend my knee quite a bit, but the doctor says I shouldn't be putting any weight on it. Another month or so on crutches doesn't look like fun, that's for sure.

Things are progressing with fundraising for the block wall for our community garden for refugees. We're doing another presentation at another Rotary club this Friday. We're about one third of the way there, with approximately 10,000 raised of the 30,000 that will be needed. We're doing all that we can, it's in the Lord's hands as to whether it will come together within the time frame that we'd like to see, (finishing the wall by the end of June.) Please continue to keep this in prayer.

We just finished our latest session of English as a Second Language classes here at the church. We had a consistent 20 people, mainly Iraqi refugees attending. Some great relationships were made and practical help was given as an expression of God's love to each and every one of the folks that attended. We'll be taking a break until mid-September due to the high cost of electricity that is necessary to air condition our church building during our "oven-baked" summer.