Lack of Power?

I had made arrangements to meet Pastor Doug Cuthbert for breakfast in Sister Lakes. Pastor Cuthbert was my youth pastor when I was growing up at Sister Lakes Community Church (SLCC). Later he and his wife were in other ministries and eventually were asked to take the position of senior pastor at SLCC.

He and I had made arrangements to meet Saturday morning for breakfast at the Corner Cafe at 9am, and then we would both go on to the funeral of Bob (Grampa) Doorn, who had died earlier that week.

I was accidentally 30 min. early to our 9am breakfast engagement at Corner Cafe, so I sat drinking coffee reading and thinking thoughts. About 10 min. 'til 9 all the power went out. The cook finished what she had cooking on the grill with the waitress holding a flash light.

Pastor Doug came in at about 9am with one of the church leaders not far behind. They had to figure out a way to have a funeral dinner with no electricity. Pastor Doug and I chatted for about an hour. As we were leaving he said hello other patrons at the diner. Several were volunteer fire fighters. Before we had left the room, they had made arrangements to help with generators so that the funeral dinner would take place.

I really appreciated the sensitivity and community spirit in evidence in the small town. I know that it really touched the heart of the bereaved, and it spoke to me about people helping each other in need, even when it isn't in your job description.

Adam

Family Fun

It was a weekend of reunion with family, and sharing with our loved ones where we believe God is leading us.

Friday night we enjoyed my nephew Anothy's wedding to Yasuko. It was their big night, but we still got lots of questions about missions from our family. We enjoyed the evening and it was fun to share how God is leading us.

Then Saturday morning we traveled down to central Illinois for the annual Blunier family reunion. It's always something different. One year the zoo, one year a boat ride, one year a camp out. This year we all met at the Midwest Food bank, and helped organize and box up food for about four hours.

Like the Parmenter's the Blunier's like to work hard, and they did. Afterward we enjoyed a meal together, played a few games, and then various family members that had been on missions trips shared their slides. Marge and I had the opportunity to present our call to serve in the Czech Republic.

It's a treasure to being a family that honors God.

Devon Church

Marge, the children, and I spent the weekend in Evanston, IL visiting my sister Beverly, her husband John, and their daughter Mercedes. We helped lead worship at their home church Devon Church in Chicago, and Michael and I sang solos.

I was a privilege to be part of their worship service. One line from Pastor Carlini's message stuck with me. He said, "There is no such thing as personal sin. One a person sins it always has an impact on the community (i.e. family, and church) around him."

It's so true. Sin damages our relationship with God, and when I sin it has an impact on my biological family and my church family. How important it is to live lives of repentance and to be transparent in our dealings.

Adam

Pre-Field Beginning

It's amazing the mass of details to attend to while we are getting our self ready to raise support and be prepared for the field. Part of the effort is to take the information and materials from Candidate Seminar and start to sift back through them.

I haven't started that yet. What I have been doing is starting to write some letters and work on a presentation that I'll be giving to our home church's missions committee. I'll then give a similar presentation to our whole church.

We are also starting to meeting in homes with various friends and family to share what God has called us to do. I have a lap top, but don't yet have a projector, so I'm going to do what ABWE calls "down-teching", and bringing handouts.

In the meantime, we will be making arrangements with a photographer for a family photo so that we can get our prayer card made, and start pulling together an informational package that will be sent to churches. It's a fair amount of work, but it's actually enjoyable. It's important that we present our selves well, and that we present ourselves clearly. Doing all of this work of presenting helps us clarify the what and why of our missionary call.

I firmly believe that when God calls some one to do something, that He provides what is needed to do the work. In our case then, I can only assume that he has prepared churches and individuals who will feel called to support us through prayer and monthly financial giving. It's not our job to convince people to give, but our job is to mobilize the ones God has called.

A big effort, but an enjoyable one.

Adam

Candidate Seminar - Day 13

Day 13 has been filled with more excellent training. My brain is over full, and fortunately we get little breaks here and there. Russ Ebersol was the host for this evenings 80th anniversry dinner. Russ has been actively serving in ABWE for 54 years.

I'm amazed and encouraged that all of the veteran missionaries that I meet love what they do. There has to be some one that has gotten disgusted with ABWE and left, that can happen in even the best organization. Yet, all those who have received their award for 35 years or more of service say they feel honored to have been able to serve and wish they could do it all over again. Then there's Russ Ebersol, who is passionate about his work even after 54 years.

Dr. Kempton gave the banquet message. Dr. Kempton was president of ABWE for 36 years prior to the current president who has been in the post for 6 years. Having spent time in corporations and business, I'm stunned at how smoothly the leadership transition seems to have taken place, and who close the current and former president seem to be.

The pastor at my church, Dana Arledge, said that when we all come before Jesus Christ we have unity. I've seen that lived out during this week. A bunch of people, all unique from the other, having the deepest bond. It's Jesus that unites and binds us together in love.

Adam

Candidate Seminar - Day 12

Well, this today marks the end of my ABWE bass playing career. Such as it is. During the first week of Candidate Seminar the request was put out that they were looking for a bass player for the next week, did any one play bass. I said that I serve as a fill-in bass player or drummer at church.

So, off I went. I've never played that many songs. One song in the morning meeting, and then four in the PM session. We never repeated any either. I was in a little over my head.

In the picture, I'm standing, but after the first night I set up a little bass cubby hole, where I could sit safely in the background and keep my eyes on the charts or if I got completely lost, just stop playing.

Tomorrow night is the ABWE 80th Anniversary dinner, and then Friday is the Candidate Recognition service, so tonight was the last night for me to play bass. It was a lot of work, but it was a great opportunity. It made me want to own my own bass so I could practice and build some confidence.

Tonight the speaker was from Brazil. It's amazing to find out that the churches in Brazil have sent missionaries into Cuba and have a thriving work there. I feel like I'm way out of my league.

Each night they have been recognizing ABWE missionaries that have served for 20 25 or 30 years, and then a special award is given to those who have served for 35 or more. Some of these people sailed over on ships. One of the men that was getting his award for serving 30 years said that he never felt like a real missionary, and he was thankful that they let hang around for so many years. All of them expressed a joy and appreciation for having had opportunity to serve as missionaries through ABWE.

In the corporate world the veterans often are the ones who are more jaded or who have become embittered due to disappointments and changes. The veterans here are energizing and exciting. The couple tonight that was getting their 35 year award was in Togo and then somewhere in East Africa, then in Ghana West Africa. Three different languages. All because the mission needed their experience and skill as new fields of service were opening up or their help was needed. They are currently on furlough and are excited to be returning and have plans for when they get back.

What other job is there where the people are still excited about what they do after so many years. I know that there has to be people that don't like ABWE, and there are missionaries that are tired, lonely and depressed. Each one of the veterans that got up to receive an award could likely testify to hours of frustration and hardship, yet what energises them is when people come to put their trust in Jesus Christ and their lives are filled with hope and a new purpose. That must make even the hardest times worth while.

I'm sure I'll find out one way or another. I'm just sort of humbled to be in such company, and hope that it will be me up there in 30 getting to encourage the younger ones.

Adam

Candidate Seminar - Day 11

We continue each day with training on how to effectively communicate the teachings of the Bible. It has me energized, to approach some of my acquaintences and see if they would like to more about the Christian faith.

One of the speakers was from Ukrain. The Ukrain is in the CEEMed region where we will be serving. CEEMed stands for Center/Easter Europe and the Mediteranian. Pastor Pyotr and Tamara Rodoslavov from the Ukrain where on hand, and Pastor Pyotr spoke.

Amazingly, just 20 years ago in the Ukrain, many Christian churches were still meeting secretly in the woods and pastors had been placed in jail. Both Pastor Pyotr and his brother served prison terms for being Christians, and Pyotr's church was bulldozed down twice by the government.

Then laws were passed to provide freedom of religion. This presented unprecidented opportunity and challenge. It was about that time that an ABWE missionary, Michael Loftis (now president of ABWE), came to meet with Pastor Pyotr and others, offering to work with them in partnership. ABWe brought in fresh ideas and a process for planting more churches and tell many others about the hope of Jesus Christ. They were thrilled and agreed.

It takes time for a mission agency to mobilize a team of missionaries, but Pyotr and the other Chrisitans were to excited about the Lord Jesus Christ to wait for them. They took what they had learned from ABWE and started using it. Many many people were hungry for the hope that Jesus offers, and there were many that put their trust in Jesus. When the first ABWE missionaries arrived the work was already underway, and new churches were being started before enough pastors could be trained.

ABWE has helped this group with church planting and with training new pastors. What an exciting work. Such a thrill to see the truth of Jesus going forward all over the world.

Adam