As we celebrate the birth of the Savior, I pray for a blessed time for you all. He brings HOPE to the world, as we sing in the wonderful carol O Holy Night: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” Yes, the world is weary and humanity needs hope.
May God bless and keep you all through the New Year. May you be an ambassador of HOPE!
Pastor David
What can I say? Let us all be thankful for so many blessings in life. Nobody’s life is perfect, and we all have our challenges and disappointments. However, if we survey the landscape of our life, we will surely see that God is good and He has richly blessed us all. Here in the US, we celebrate with a day of thanks every November. So, whether in the US or abroad, let us all give our thanks to God for His love and blessings to us all!
Pastor David
The time just spent in Asia was well-spent. I first went to Bali, Indonesia to meet with some pastors about the possibility of future work with pastors in Indonesia. While there, I also met a missionary and his wife who are doing very similar things as MTI. We had some good conversations about how we can work together in the future.
Then, off to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the CC Asia/Pacific Missions Conference. This conference has grown, and this year there were nearly twice as many attending as last year. In all, 18 nations were represented! Some highlights:
Spending time with the young pastor from Mumbai, India, with whom I am working to help him establish a CC church there.
Hearing the reports of so many missionaries from all over Asia and China. These people have sacrificed so much to be out there, learning the languages, adjusting to the culture, and doing the work. A young woman from China yesterday told us all about the hundreds of young people in her city wanting to follow Christ and receive baptism.
Meeting an Army vet who is involved in anti human trafficking efforts. He is a brave man.
So many stories of exploits of faith and endurance. It was all deeply inspiring.
I was also asked by several to come and work with them.
At the airport, I was having lunch with a family who has a CC in Bangkok. The husband is the pastor, and he has a wife and 2 delightful children, a girl 11 and a boy 9. Such a great family. Through the course of our conversation, we realized that we had been a part of the same group doing summer missions outreach in Bulgaria in 1992!
One last thing: Yesterday at the Chiang Mai airport, I was booked on the same flight as some friends from Kathmandu, Nepal. As we were talking, a man behind me said, “Did I hear something about missions in Nepal and India?” It turns out that 5 years ago, this man, Steve, established a ministry for teaching and training pastors abroad. Sound familiar? He said the first few years it was mainly him, but then others wanted to get involved (my prayer for MTI). He does a lot of work in Africa and was enthused about working together in some way in Africa, as was I. I love those seemingly “random” divine appointments!
Anyway, there is so much more to say but I’ll leave it at this for now.
Thanks for the prayers and support. Blessings to you all.
David
