Light At The End Of The Thermometer

For the last month, we have had a household of sickness. Raena began the onslaught with influenza and it has gone to Dezi and the boys and me and now it is starting over with Raena again. She has a high fever and 4 out of 7 of us are still coughing the night away. I have even missed classes these past two days and I'm running out of mission films to show in my absence! With all the traveling we have done recently and the Missouri weather that changes every few minutes, it has been hard to find time to rest, heal or recover. It is sad we have to get to the point in our lives where sickness intervenes as something good in that it says "ENOUGH!", and only when we are sick do we not feel guilty about not doing enough or doing more. There are times when God wants us to merely rest. To recoup. To find our strength in him. But to do that, we have to just stop. I am hoping that after we recover from this long lasting flu, we will make the time to just rest and to just 'be'. Not feeling like we have to fill every minute with tasks or deeds. That we can spend time with the Lord and feel better because of it.

Nothing Like It Since The Day of Pentecost!

Do you ever feel like you are a part of something so much grander, so much bigger than you could possibly realize? Do you ever take a moment to contemplate the seemingly small things you do today, could have and do have a much bigger impact than what can be seen from only your own perspective?

All these years advocating for more laborers for East Asia and only through the passing comment of another mission professor, Chris DeWelt from OCC, did I begin to grasp the enormity of the plan that is unfolding before our very eyes.

Did you realize in the past 30 years, less than 3 decades, over 100,000,000 Chinese have become believers? That's almost 9,132 a day. A DAY! This is the greatest evangelistic effort since the Holy Spirit empowered the Apostles some 50 days after Jesus returned to the Father almost 2,000 years ago.

I already knew that so much more was being done in and among the Chinese than what we were aware. In fact, I still consider myself extremely naive when it comes to what all is being done among them. But it is of great comfort to know that we are working alongside other laborers in this vast harvest and together, it is having a great effect. We are all in this together. Those who support. Those who pray. Those who recruit. Those who send. Those who serve. Those whose hearts are open to the Lord's desire as He continues to seek and save the lost. Truly we are all a part of something more glorious than our limited perspective and experience reveals. However, the work is not finished.... over a billion Chinese still need to hear... and what of India? Japan? Indonesia? Korea? etc.... etc...

Accident

After dropping off the boys to school, I had forgot my cell phone and was returning home to pick it up before going to the office to give out finals. While coming up to an intersection, I noticed a young lady pulling up and stopping at a stop sign adjacent to me and then proceeding on. Since I did not have stop sign, I ascertained an immediate collision was about to take place, swerved, going up onto the curb, blowing out my tire, busting the wheel, hubcap, and bumper, losing control hitting a supporting cable to a telephone pole and up into a yard. However, the collision with her car was avoided. Thankfully, she stopped, called 911 and an officer came to discover she did not have her license nor proof of insurance with her. However, she was extremely honest and and admitted fault and was ticketed. Since then, we have discovered that her economic resources are bleak even though she does have insurance, yet she would like to pay for the damages directly. We are trying to work something out between her and our insurance company, a company that doesn't understand why we wouldn't allow them to pursue reimbursement. Will you help us by praying for this lady? She has just moved to town and asked about a church to go to. It is obvious she is not living a Christian lifestyle yet this appears that it might be a "divine appointment". We'll keep you posted... and hopefully, we'll get the car back in working condition soon!

BAM!

A couple of the exciting things about going to the NMC are the many exhibits of over 500 missionaries and mission organizations and the wide variety of workshops that are available throughout the day for everyone of all ages. Thursday morning I attended one specifically designed for Mission Professors and they discussed the latest trends in the world of mission. Specifically, BAM, or Business As Mission. The main thrust was that the only way we are going to reach the masses in today's world is through the world's marketplace. We need Christians in business, being Christian Missionaries. One of the quotes mentioned was "you can't make a missionary a businessman without a lot of effort, but you can make a businessman a missionary". So... what are some of you doing out there that someone else can't do? Willing to take your skills and expertise to a people who have no opportunity to hear the Gospel??

Workshops, Reunion & Evangelization Association

Wow... what a month! Besides being the sponsor for almost 200 students at the NMC, I also had 3 workshops to present. One was on "Where In The World Does God Want Me?", another was a different kind of workshop for me on "Pornography On The Mission Field" and it dealt with how no one, not even missionaries are exempt from sexual temptation and what one can do to protect oneself from this enslaving epidemic among our workers on and off the field. And the last workshop was a simulation game oriented event to show the basics of going cross-cultural as well as to describe the need of why we desperately have to have more Christians willing to 'go'.

Shown here is an activity that Steve Saint described in his book, "The Great Omission". A 300' red tape is stretched out and it is described as every inch represents 833,000 of those in the world who have not had an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ in today's world. Almost a million per inch! Then, another green tape is unwound to only 5 feet. It represents all those who are being reached by missionaries today. Again, every inch is 833,000 people who are being reached by current missionaries assuming every one of our 100,000 evangelical missionaries are able to reach around 500 people each. Well, you can vividly see the discrepancy... the short green tape and the unending red tape. Are you praying for more laborers into the Harvest field?

I used this illustration three other times this month. First during chapel at CCCB. Then, at my home church, Forum Boulevard Christian Church in Columbia, MO, that had a missionary reunion where they invited as many missionaries they support that could come for a 3-day weekend reunion. We each were given about 10 minutes to share how our ministries were doing and I chose to show why we do what we do by using this example. There was also a Central Missouri Christian Evangelizer's meeting at the Blue Ridge Christian Church, also in Columbia and again, with an emphasis on why we should be planting new churches here as well as abroad, it made a potent example of the need for us all to get out of the church building, and back into the world... making disciples.

While at the CMCE business meeting, we were greatly encouraged to see Mark Butrum, a CCCB alumni, leading out in a new church plant in Hallsville, MO and Russ Cobb, also an alumni and long time friend and supporter of our work taking a leadership role in this endeavor. Like an apple tree's ultimate purpose being to make other apple trees, churches need to be planting other churches... here and all over the world.

National Missionary Convention

We just got back from a rather long break where the students at Central were given an opportunity to go to the National Missionary Convention in Indianapolis and then were free to go home for Thanksgiving. With a lot of encouragement and promotion, we estimate there were almost 200 students from Central who attended at least part of the convention, many driving themselves, and over 100 going on two reserved busses that we provided. It was the largest convention ever and we were especially fortunate to have Central's Chorale present on Friday evening's main session. Many students are changing their major's to missions and we are so excited at the new prospects, especially among this year's freshman class!

China Time

Do you realize that those living in China are actually way ahead of us in the future? Well, perhaps not domestically, economically, politically or other conventional ways you would think but in actual time, yes, they are. They are currently 14 hours ahead of us! Remember that as you pray for those serving in East Asia... realize that as you go to bed, they are waking up. As you are waking up, they are laying down for a well deserved rest of a busy day that we are just beginning. I wonder, if you called them, could you get the score of the big game early?

Long Time Coming

I have just gotten back from the airport in St. Louis taking friends to see them off to East Asia. Our relationship with them started 5 years ago while the wife was a freshman at Central and we were on a year sabbatical from Taiwan. She joined me on 3 different trips, to Taiwan & China and the husband went along on one for a summer internship. Her passion started while she was in 8th grade and it was obvious as she became the student leader for the missions department at Central her last two years there. She graduated in 2005, married that fall, and spent the last year waiting for her husband to finish up his degree in Engineering at Rolla, Mo and raising support. They joined Team Expansion and are partnering with another young family with Outreach International.


A lot of discussions, meetings, phone calls, chats, training, preparations and vision sharing has taken place in the past 5 years with both of these couples. It is with great excitement that they are now where they long to be, and at the same time, they have become very, very dear friends. There was a point when we couldn't wait for them to come to us, and now, we are here and they are there. We think God sometimes has an ironic sense of humor. But it is all good. We still feel a part of their team, and will miss them, yes... but we know God is going to do great things through them. Pray for their adjustments as they begin language training and start to make God appointed relationships! Oh, and pray for us too... a piece of our hearts, a big piece, just went with them.

The Passing of a Friend & Missionary

Mark Randall Trotter

February 14, 1954 - September 9, 2006

We were blessed by attending the memorial and graveside services of Mark on Thursday & Friday. It was quite celebratory as he would have wanted and it was obvious that Mark's influence on others was only surpassed by the Lord's influence on him.

We first met Mark & Lyla and their 8 children 2 years ago while speaking at First Christian Church in Grandview, MO where my nephew Tom is the associate minister. The church has been supporting us and we were speaking and sharing the need for more missionaries to go to East Asia. Mark & Lyla answered that call and were preparing to go to Cambodia. Mark was a very successful dentist and he was willing to give up his practice to move his family overseas and use his skill to help further the gospel of Christ among the unreached.

While in missionary training out in Colorado in January, Mark was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, inoperable and incurable. The past 9 months have been challenging for the Trotter family and many, many people were praying for them as were much of the student body here at Central. In order to keep people informed, Team Expansion hosted a web site: http://www.teamexpansion.org/caring4mark/ where you can find out more about the struggle Mark went through and about the Mark Trotter Foundation created by his sister in law to help with the incredible expenses of cancer treatment and to assist the ministry of the Rapha House of Cambodia to young girls who are victims of slavery and prostitution.

While Dezi & I were listening to the wonderful testimonies of Mark's family and friends during the Friday services, I became envious of the closeness they had with him during his life. I was looking forward to having a friendship with him in the future as they made their way to the field, knowing I would be visiting them often and getting more connected with their ministry. I felt as though a kindred spirit would have eventually developed and I mourned his passing.

Last week, Colan had to go to the dentist and it took 3 doctors and the nurse to hold him down for a simple extraction. We had previously benefitted from Mark's generosity when he invited our whole family
up to his practice before he sold it and worked on all of us. Then, a simple gentle word from Mark and his kind demeanor helped Colan go through a much more difficult procedure without restraint of any kind. When we told Colan of the sad news, he went to his bed and cried, saying Mark "was the nicest dentist he ever had."

Yes, Mark was a generous and kind person. Someone who loved the Lord and was willing to sacrifice all to serve Him in the harvest fields of East Asia. And while hundreds of people were saying goodbye to him at the memorial service, I, in my envy of the strong friendships he had surrounding him, thought that 'goodbye' wasn't the right word. Perhaps the Chinese have it right by not really having that word in their vocabulary, but at any kind of departure, they simply say, "Dzai Jyan", or "see you again". I'm looking forward to seeing Mark again... it's going to make me a better person, a better father, a better husband, and a better Christian by doing so. I want to have an eternity of opportunities to get to know a kindred spirit. I know he's there waiting.

So far so good...

School is just completing it's second full week and we are slowly getting in the groove again of having a regular schedule. It has been especially trying as I have had the opportunity to teach a new class for this semester called Spiritual Formation. It is a freshman course, and all the freshman must take it. It has been an excellent opportunity to get to know them early and encourage them in the area of serving God in the harvest fields.

Friday evening, we will be having our first ever 'Harvesters Retreat' at the West Central Christian Service Camp in Lamonte, MO. Tom & Duonna Worstell are the camp managers there. We have about 40 students signed up to attend and we hope to plan out the semester activities including Missions Emphasis Week in October and get started on Spring Break trips. For Missions Emphasis Week, we were able to invite Ted & Bev Skiles, from the Home of God's Love in Taiwan, to be our guests for the week. This is a great opportunity for the students to hear as we did over 23 years ago! That was the last time Ted spoke at Central!

Dezi has been busy teaching Chinese and running the Harvest House. She has help this year from Tabitha Palmer, a graduating senior who has been a big help. They have been busy selling coffee, cookies, frappes, t-shirts, hats, water bottles, hoodies and other new things. With these funds we are able to have a missions program, send students on mission trips and provide help for students in need throughout the year. Many people simply donate directly in order to help Harvesters in their ministries. Harvesters is a student driven organization that exists to promote missions among the students. We are the faculty advisors and find many recruits for East Asia among the members.

All is well with the family and we feel adjusted with having a new toddler in the house. Raena is now enrolled in pre-school and after only two days, she is speaking many new things in English. We primarily converse with her in Mandarin and our goal is to keep her bilingual if possible.

Keep coming back as soon we will be posting some information about our latest recruits who are in China!

School Begins and Opportunities Abound

It is going to be a great year as school has just started on Thursday and already we have over 100 signed up to join Harvesters, the mission organization on the campus of Central Christian College! We are preparing for our first planning retreat at the West Central Christian Service Camp where my brother Tom works as the camp manger in two weeks. We will plan out the annual Missions Emphasis Week and how to encourage our goal of over 200 students to attend the National Missionary Convention this year. Every year, interest in missions has been increasing.

Dr. Ron Oakes was inaugurated as Central's 6th president on Thursday evening and he mentioned in his address that Central has around 40 graduates out in 9 different countries. Looking at who and where they are, almost half, 18, are in Taiwan or China! Fourteen of those have gone within the last 3 years. We often get a little discouraged being here and away from the Chinese Harvest but the Lord has been able to use us to help send more laborers into those same fields. We can be content in his grace and in his grip. Thank you for being partners with us, in your support and prayers.

Ode to Hunny

Tonite, our Bishon Poodle, Hunny, passed away. Two months ago she was hit by a truck out front and broke her pelvic bone in two places and dislocated her back right leg. The doctor thought her diaphram was also ruptured and her breathing became heavier and heavier over the weekend. The boys are all distraught and cried themselves to sleep. She was 3 years old and we got her just after we returned from Taiwan for Colan's birthday. Of course, he is the most upset. Pictured here is Devin with Hunny and as they say, owners kind of look like their pets.

It takes time to adjust!

It has been awhile... time has flown by since our new addition, not that there hasn't been anything to write about. I will try and update more thoroughly over the weekend. For now...

Raena is doing really well and has adjusted to a new family very quickly. She has been testing her boundaries lately and it is definitely different having a little girl in the house. Suffice it to say we have been a bit exhausted and not much extra time to write. We had forgotten what it was like to have a toddler again!

We have two weeks before school starts and much has changed at Central this summer. A new addition to the main building, new coffee house and I have another new office. It all looks great and we are excited about the added classroom space and expanded cafeteria.
 
Two of our students have left for their first term in China. They will be studying the language for the next 2-3 years. Please keep then in your prayers as they adjust with two small children in a foreign land.

We will be leaving tomorrow for the Mississippi Valley Christian Service Camp for a weekend retreat. I will be holding two sessions on cell groups. The leaders are Ben & Jennifer Suchman, two former students at CCCB. There will be about 50 adults who are currently involved in small groups and want help with outreach among their members.

Our small group that meets in our home on Tuesdays has been going well and two old friends from High School have been coming, Mark Copenhaver and Stephanie Crutcher. It has been really good to renew our past friendship after 20 years!

We will try and post more regularly as our lives adjust to a new schedule. Thank you so much for keeping Raena in your prayers. We can certainly see the evidence of it!

Life is Good! Thank you Lord!

Today was a very early day leaving for the airport in St. Louis by 7am. David Fincher called and said that St. Louis had a terrible storm last night and many flights were delayed. He did a quick internet search and confirmed Dezi's flight was in the air. We got there just in time to find her flight was only delayed for 10 minutes. We were able to get a couple of pictures when the boys first met Raena. She was so shy but by the time she was in the van she was laughing and teasing her big brothers just as one of the family.


We went to Chad & Alicia Edwards folks house in St Louis where we experienced the power outage that affected a half million people and had a great time swimming and introducing them to Raena too. It was great for Raena as Caitlyn & Allyson Edwards are a little older and speak wonderful Chinese. We then drove back to Moberly, stopped by my folks apartment and showed her off for a few very sleepy minutes and then came home, introduced her to Hunny and her new room and now she is sound asleep.

In Ecclesiastes 3, it says, "What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him."

After all the toil and the seemingly unending process, only these words can express what the Lord has given us this day, everything beautiful. All is well.

A Great Day of Taiwan Reunions, the latest pictures and only 3 more days!!

Wow... today was a great day. We got up and drove to Countryside Christian Church in Kirksville. It was a special day there as Jon & Amy Ralls and Chad & Alicia Edwards families were both presenting their work among the Chinese in Taiwan. The Ralls were challenging more to pick up the mantle in their stead as they have returned to the USA for some family medical reasons and are now working at CMSU in Warrensburg at the Campus House there. The Edwards were showing how far the church in Taipei has come and what the future is holding.


It was a very emotional time for them as they had built a very strong relationship during the past two years, and an emotional time for us as well as so many memories flooded through our minds today. The boys so enjoyed playing with their friends 'from Taiwan'. Eleven kids altogether as Keevin & Stephanie McGlumphry were also there as they continue to work with the International Students at TSU in Kirksville. It was indeed a good day.



Renae Sheldon sent some new pictures of Raena now that Dezi and Raena are in Taipei staying with her (at the Edwards apartment which is right below where we used to live, so it was much like going 'home' for Dezi). Thursday morning, at 9:58am, Dezi and Raena will be arriving in St. Louis!!! Woot!

Did you hear that? A big sigh of relief....??

Dezi called and said the last document arrived in time and the AIT accepted it. She can pick up Raena's passport with the visa to enter the USA as our child on Monday morning. THE PROCESS IS FINALLY OVER!!! They made it up to Taipei before the typhoon hit and are doing well. Dezi & Raena have been bonding well even though Raena went through a time of missing her house mother, or Ai-yi, (aunt). Here is a picture of Raena with her favorite house mother being silly.

Typhoon On It's Way

There is a typhoon about to hit the island of Taiwan, the first of the season. Dezi is on the northeast corner of the isalnd and it could easily hit that area. We aren't too worried about it as it is a common event, unless it would interfere with her flight out.

Dezi & Raena

Photos from Dezi & Misti Jennings

This was taken by Dezi on the train from Taipei to Lotung where the orphanage is.



This is Raena playing with her favorite house mother at the Home of God's Love.



China Girl in a Box!



Raena with a favorite toy. Hopefully, Dezi & Misti will send us a new picture this evening with Dezi & Raena together. They have been getting along pretty well though on Tuesday, Raena was a bit moody and Dezi experienced a little of what I had back in March. Raena was a little stand offish and wanted to be taken care of by her house mother. They are helping Raena understand the transition and the house mothers are having Raena get permission from Dezi before they do anything with her though. Dezi is confident Raena will bond soon enough however.




I took this right before Dezi left on Saturday with her boys. They are doing pretty good and enjoy talking to her everyday on the phone and counting down the days until their new little sister arrives. Ironically, it will be exactly nine months from the time when Ted & Bev first contacted us about the possibility of adopting Raena.

Waiting for a Picture...

Dezi called last night with someone special on her lap. Dezi was in tears and seemed over joyed at meeting Raena for the first time. She thought Raena was everything I had said about her and more. She put the phone up to her and she said "hello, big brother" to Ian in Chinese of course, and also said hi to me and that she missed me. Dezi decided to stay with Raena for the entire time and went on down to Lotung for the week to spend time with Misti Jennings and the Skiles. They should receive the last document I FEDEXed this morning by Thursday evening so Dezi will take Raena to the AIT office on Friday and complete the process once and for all. She plans on remaining in Taipei then and staying with Renae Sheldon at Chad & Alicia Edwards apartment who are currently on furlough and going to worship at the Taipei Christian Church and seeing all of our friends.

Today was a good day with the boys... of course, 3 of them were at VBS all morning and then stayed a couple hours at the Finchers house and an hour at the grandparents while I did errands and buy groceries. But we discussed new responsibilities and who is in charge of cleaning each room, doing dishes, etc. and so far it is going pretty smoothly. Joe & Regina Green had us over last evening for fresh corn on the cobb, and Sandy Fincher made us a great Taco casserole tonite. Aaron Wright plans on bringing a lasagne dish over tomorrow so we are being spoiled. That or they all worry about the boys with just me here!

I have had a couple of requests this week to make available the electronic versions of the books we have translated into Chinese for better access in China. So, I'm checking into the viability and copyright laws for this option. It does seem a better way to get the word out, however, we do not want to infringe upon some one else's labor.

Sherry Wallis is continuing to work for our Team Expansion office here at Central and she is also taking a part time position with Central in planning their big events as Public Relations Coordinator. It is a position she is well equipped for and has held this position in the past for Central. They are working on our new office that will be located in what was once the student union and mail room. We should be relocating (for the 5th time) within the next couple of weeks! This is a good thing as so much growth at Central is causing many changes to take place on a regular basis. There is a possibility that I may be teaching a new class for freshman this semester and I hope it will work out. If so, it will give me an opportunity to meet the new students much sooner as usually I have sophomores or upper classmen in my courses.