Happy New Year...
It is hard to believe that 2008 is just around the corner. I plan on having some friends over for dinner tonight and then we will watch the fireworks display at the monument. It should be a wild experience! I wish you all a great year end and a new year full of the abundant life God wants to give you in 2008.
This past year has been full of great experiences and accomplishments, and also has had its fair share of disappointments. And sometimes, it is hard to know what I should consider a disappointment and what I should consider an accomplishment. Paul says that we should always build on a firm foundation, Jesus Christ being the only true foundation, and that what we each of us has built will be tested at the day of judgment and only that which is true and right will endure (I Corinthians 3:9-15). I pray often that my "work" will endure, and yet sometimes people fail us and fall away. Those I have led into the Kingdom turn back or fall into sin. What do I do when that happens?
These past few weeks have caused me to ponder greatly this Biblical principal. I discovered in the midst of TS Olga that one of my key leaders had been dishonest with me about his family life and I had to remove him from leadership- basically cutting off my own right hand! (There is something in the Bible about that too!) Even more disappointing is that he has yet to be honest with me about the situation. And then another man I counted on as a leader slipped back into alcohol- after over 10 years of sobriety! The church members share with me that when they see him drunk, it makes them cry. So it has been a tough few weeks causing me to wonder about what I am building. And yet, after the initial shock and disappointment, I began to see how God has been working in all of this. My prayer for years has been to see the Gospel penetrate the darkness of the barrios. Those of you who have been here and been in these "holes" know first hand that sin has free reign. What I didn't realize is that because of the "law of the barrio" (basically covering over the sins of another) sin also had its place in the church! I realize now what an act of courage and what an important decision to speak the truth in love has taken place, as the church members themselves have finally told me the truth. (When I have investigated various rumors previously, they all joined the guilty one in denying it- they were afraid to speak the truth and have a new enemy!) And you know what? After wondering if I was going to have to close down the church, yesterday we had the church completely full, and Saturday we had 49 children present in SS! That is despite the fact that one of the ladies affected by my decision has been actively campaining for people NOT to go to our church. AND my friend and former right hand man was present in church Sunday! Please pray for a revival to break out in this community and for the Gospel to continue to break through the bondage of sin. As hard as it was to look my friend in the face and tell him I couldn't accept his lie and remove him from leadership, I know it was the Biblical thing to do- and I am seeing how God is blessing that. I am more sure of this: God's work has to be done God's way- we can't take shortcuts and we can't pick and choose what we will obey and what we will not, and we can't shrink back when it is hard. I thought I would lose all I had worked for, but I have seen just the opposite- by finally removing this sinful practice from our leadership team, we are seeing growth.
One of our highlights this year was the constuction of a little church in Guayacanal- what I have loved about this project is every group that comes has had a hand in building it. We had a strong ministry going, with 8 adults accepting Christ and awaiting baptism. And then began the rains and our presence out there became sporadic due to the rain and mud. We still have our core little group but I have been somewhat discouraged about its viability and future growth. And then we discovered that there is a new community leadership council (we have offered them use of our building for their meetings) and they have expressed interest in participating in our Bible studies. And then yesterday I learned that the government is in the process of buying up the land around this little community to relocate those who lost homes in TS Olga! And part of that will also involve relocating the Hole to an area out there (where we would receive two new lots because of our owning two lots in the Hole: the church and the BB court). All of a sudden, we find ourselves with a church building, a small nucleus of believers in an area that will see incredible growth! Plus if they really do relocate the Hole out there, we will have a substancial little congregation to help evangelize and disciple these folks.
As you can see, I have learned that sometimes disappointments can turn into good things (Romans 8:28). As we close this year and begin 2008, I want to first thankyou for your prayers and support for our ministry. Please continue to pray for us in this new year as we move forward, pray for restoration, for a cleansing from sinful practices, for a softening of hearts to respond in faith to Jesus' invitation to the abundant life, for our churches to experience revival and be instruments God will use to penetrate the darkness of their respective communities.
I don't know all that 2008 holds for us- I know we will launch the Barnabas Foundation, we will work in human needs development projects like water purification and disaster relief, I know at least 6 volunteer teams are coming this year to partner with us, and I know that just before Labor Day I will be back in the States for 5 months of stateside assignment. What God will do in and through all these ministries only He knows- let's pray together we will be faithful and obedient and let Him do "His thing" through us.
Happy New Year!
This past year has been full of great experiences and accomplishments, and also has had its fair share of disappointments. And sometimes, it is hard to know what I should consider a disappointment and what I should consider an accomplishment. Paul says that we should always build on a firm foundation, Jesus Christ being the only true foundation, and that what we each of us has built will be tested at the day of judgment and only that which is true and right will endure (I Corinthians 3:9-15). I pray often that my "work" will endure, and yet sometimes people fail us and fall away. Those I have led into the Kingdom turn back or fall into sin. What do I do when that happens?
These past few weeks have caused me to ponder greatly this Biblical principal. I discovered in the midst of TS Olga that one of my key leaders had been dishonest with me about his family life and I had to remove him from leadership- basically cutting off my own right hand! (There is something in the Bible about that too!) Even more disappointing is that he has yet to be honest with me about the situation. And then another man I counted on as a leader slipped back into alcohol- after over 10 years of sobriety! The church members share with me that when they see him drunk, it makes them cry. So it has been a tough few weeks causing me to wonder about what I am building. And yet, after the initial shock and disappointment, I began to see how God has been working in all of this. My prayer for years has been to see the Gospel penetrate the darkness of the barrios. Those of you who have been here and been in these "holes" know first hand that sin has free reign. What I didn't realize is that because of the "law of the barrio" (basically covering over the sins of another) sin also had its place in the church! I realize now what an act of courage and what an important decision to speak the truth in love has taken place, as the church members themselves have finally told me the truth. (When I have investigated various rumors previously, they all joined the guilty one in denying it- they were afraid to speak the truth and have a new enemy!) And you know what? After wondering if I was going to have to close down the church, yesterday we had the church completely full, and Saturday we had 49 children present in SS! That is despite the fact that one of the ladies affected by my decision has been actively campaining for people NOT to go to our church. AND my friend and former right hand man was present in church Sunday! Please pray for a revival to break out in this community and for the Gospel to continue to break through the bondage of sin. As hard as it was to look my friend in the face and tell him I couldn't accept his lie and remove him from leadership, I know it was the Biblical thing to do- and I am seeing how God is blessing that. I am more sure of this: God's work has to be done God's way- we can't take shortcuts and we can't pick and choose what we will obey and what we will not, and we can't shrink back when it is hard. I thought I would lose all I had worked for, but I have seen just the opposite- by finally removing this sinful practice from our leadership team, we are seeing growth.
One of our highlights this year was the constuction of a little church in Guayacanal- what I have loved about this project is every group that comes has had a hand in building it. We had a strong ministry going, with 8 adults accepting Christ and awaiting baptism. And then began the rains and our presence out there became sporadic due to the rain and mud. We still have our core little group but I have been somewhat discouraged about its viability and future growth. And then we discovered that there is a new community leadership council (we have offered them use of our building for their meetings) and they have expressed interest in participating in our Bible studies. And then yesterday I learned that the government is in the process of buying up the land around this little community to relocate those who lost homes in TS Olga! And part of that will also involve relocating the Hole to an area out there (where we would receive two new lots because of our owning two lots in the Hole: the church and the BB court). All of a sudden, we find ourselves with a church building, a small nucleus of believers in an area that will see incredible growth! Plus if they really do relocate the Hole out there, we will have a substancial little congregation to help evangelize and disciple these folks.
As you can see, I have learned that sometimes disappointments can turn into good things (Romans 8:28). As we close this year and begin 2008, I want to first thankyou for your prayers and support for our ministry. Please continue to pray for us in this new year as we move forward, pray for restoration, for a cleansing from sinful practices, for a softening of hearts to respond in faith to Jesus' invitation to the abundant life, for our churches to experience revival and be instruments God will use to penetrate the darkness of their respective communities.
I don't know all that 2008 holds for us- I know we will launch the Barnabas Foundation, we will work in human needs development projects like water purification and disaster relief, I know at least 6 volunteer teams are coming this year to partner with us, and I know that just before Labor Day I will be back in the States for 5 months of stateside assignment. What God will do in and through all these ministries only He knows- let's pray together we will be faithful and obedient and let Him do "His thing" through us.
Happy New Year!
