Pray for Housing

The return of a missionary family to Haiti has left them struggling to find housing.  The earthquake that struck Haiti has created a very unique housing boom.  Many agencies have taken up residency to assist in the aftermath.  Organizations like the UN seem to have unlimited resources and pay whatever the cost.  Granted, supply and demand is playing a huge part as well. 

Nonetheless, would you please pray that God would guide the family in securing housing by the middle of March?  Pray that God will allow the family to be patient as He works things out in his timing.

David and the Giant

“Who has heard of the story, ‘David and Goliath’,” I ask.  No one raises their hand. Maybe they misunderstand me. After all, my Spanish is not perfect. “Who knows the story of David, from the Bible, and the Giant”? Nothing.

I ask if anyone would like to pray and little Juan raises his hand. This is good because his Spanish is certainly better than mine! I don’t get every word he says, but it sounds like the same memorized prayer he prayed last time. 

So, I pray, “Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see you and our ears to hear you. Give us understanding of your Word, your stories in the Bible. Amen.”

As I read and retell the story of young David’s courage and defeat of the huge giant, the children’s eyes are huge. The entire time I’m sharing with them I am thinking, ‘Wow. This is the first time they are hearing this!?!’

Afterward, we talk about what this story means, and what it means to us. No matter how difficult life is, how hard a situation can be, God is bigger and stronger. He is our protector and provider. God, our creator, gives us exactly what we need when we need it. David prayed, obeyed, & trusted in his God, and God knew David’s heart. He helped David.

These five & six year olds are beginning to squirm a little. It’s been almost fifteen minutes. I notice one boy is really hanging on every word. After asking them if there are any questions or comments, we pray. “God, our creator, draw us to you. Remind us of your faithfulness, even during hard times, throughout this week. Amen.”

There are over twenty kids living in our complex (including our four). Some of these guys have a little knowledge of God’s Word. Many of them know nothing. One boy, Diego, asked his Nanny, “Who is God? I don’t know Him. Tell me who he is.”

That is where you and I come in. Many of you are involved in a ministry that you know nothing about. You have been praying for and sending out missionaries, but what exactly are they doing out there? This is just one tiny snippet of what we, with the help of our Lord, are doing.

Every Thursday evening we have a children's Bible study in our home. The stories that most of us know, and have always known, do not exist in their little worlds. It is time to rally the troops (that’s you and me) to pray. Would you please pray specifically for our Thursday night Bible study here in Santo Domingo? Pray that God would allow these children, ranging from 4 years to 15 years old, to stay attentive to the Bible stories. Pray that God would draw them into a relationship with Himself to further His Kingdom. 

And, thank you for your involvement and work in the ministry here in the Dominican Republic. The giant we face cannot be defeated by man alone. Your prayers are crucial!

Nomination for President

Posted on Feb 17, 2011
Baptist Press

by Erich Bridges

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Thomas (Tom) D. Elliff, longtime Oklahoma pastor, Southern Baptist Convention leader and former missionary, is the unanimous recommendation of a 15-member trustee search committee to be the next president of International Mission Board.

The nomination of Elliff -- who served as a missionary to Zimbabwe with his wife, Jeannie, in the early 1980s -- will be presented to the full board of trustees for consideration and a possible vote when they meet March 15-16 in Dallas.

If elected, Elliff would succeed Jerry Rankin as leader of the mission board, which coordinates the work of more than 5,000 Southern Baptist missionaries worldwide. Rankin retired as IMB president July 31, 2010, after 17 years at the helm. Veteran missionary and Executive Vice President Clyde Meador currently serves as interim president.

IMB trustee chairman Jimmy Pritchard, who has led the presidential search committee throughout its selection process, announced the nomination Feb. 17. He said Elliff emerged as the committee's clear and unanimous choice in January.

"Throughout the process, we talked to some great and godly men, but we just could not get a sense of God's peace about any one of them," said Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church in Forney, Texas. "When Dr. Elliff's name came before us, we had a subtle sense of God's Spirit speaking to our hearts. That may sound mystical, but that's really what happened.... Every one of us senses that God spoke and said, 'This is the moment you've been praying for. Here is your man.'"

To see the full article please click here.

Hasta Later

I can remember sitting down with our kids, in our living room, in St. James and sharing with them that we were going to be moving overseas to serve with the company.  They began to ask so many questions.  They didn't understand how we could live overseas and still see all their friends and family.  Brooklin said, "Daddy, what will happen with Bear (our Bullmastiff)?  I then shared with Brook that God wanted Bear to have a new home and then the tears began to flow.  Oh my goodness, did we ever cry a little river! It was easy for me to now imagine the Jordan at flood stage as the Israelites were preparing to cross.  We were shedding some serious tears.  As I began to pray and ask God for wisdom on what to say these words came out of my mouth, "Girls, the Lord will give us friends and a family on the field and someday, we will be sad because they are leaving us, in the Dominican Republic."  The girls laughed and said, "No dad that won't happen...we don't know anyone in the Dominican Republic."  I said, "Not yet!"  Wow!  I had no idea that it would happen so soon.

On February 5th we said "Hasta Later" to our new family and our dear friends Ryan, Emily and Chase.  We have had the privilege of being with them since language school in Costa Rica.  Ryan and I have shared trips to Nicaragua, Haiti and various excursions that were always filled with laughter, disaster, anger, repentance, near death experiences and God ordained encounters with people in Hostels that neither one of us will ever forget.  DeNiel and Emily have also shared many eventful times that will forever be G14 classified!  We know that we have developed a relationship with them that we will cherish throughout our lives. 

The last week and a half has been difficult but we do have a Krispy Kreme nearby for comfort food!  However, today our kids asked, "Who will fill the void now for our grandparents since Uncle Ryan and Aunt Emily are gone?"  And for that I had no answer.  Yet, I assured them that God knows our needs and his timing is perfect. 

In closing, as DeNiel and I submitted to the Lordship of Christ to join him on the field, we had no idea who we would meet, where we would ultimately serve or live. Yet, God knew and today we are thankful for the blessing of knowing Ryan, Emily and Chase through their obedience and our obedience to the Lord.  So I ask, "What blessing from the Lord have you, could you, or will you experience because of obedience?   Oh... to always be obedient.

Prayer Request:

• Pray for Ryan, Emily, and Chase as they seek to join the company once again. 
• Pray for our work here in the DR that we will encounter those whom the Lord is drawing unto himself.