If you did not note from the December 16th blog, I am absent from the internet. I will return to my regularly scheduled programming on January 5th. Tune in for exciting summaries and thought-provoking questions....or not. Maybe just some ramblings.

I leave in six hours for the airport to fly to IL for the Urbana 2003 missions conference. Please pray for the 18,000 young people attending this conference--that they might be open to how God wants to use them to reach the lost. Also, please pray for my back as it has been giving me a lot of pain recently. Thank you! Your prayers make a difference!

Free book?

Last night was the GFA staff Christmas party in our new building and was it a blessing! The meat was purchased, but all the rest of the food was prepared by families. 7 gallons of gravy, 40 lbs of potatoes, 20+ pies and lots more. Once you count kids, our home staff has grown a third in the last year and doubled in the last two and a half years. But with all the staff arriving, we're still struggling to keep up with the amazing work that God is doing on the mission field.

An Indian Christian tells of his first Christmas here in Dallas: "It was my first Christmas here in America--and I was as excited and bewildered as any two-year-old child at the wonder of it all.
I had never seen a Christmas like this before! In many parts of my native India, December 25 passes without fanfare...just another day of bondage to sin, suffering and death--the life without Christ.
You see, in most of Asia there is no Christmas. For billions of people, Christ still has not come. His name, His peace and His redemption through Cavary are not yet known or understood. Most of Asia has yet to hear the good news of Christmas--that Christ came into the world to seek and to save lost sinners.
On the way to church that night, it seemed to me as if the whole nation were Christian. Streets, stores and malls were decorated brightly. Thousands of tired-looking people were filling their cards with bags and boxes of gifts, food and wine for the holidays. Nearly every home had colored lights, decorated trees and even life-size manger scenes telling the Christmas story.
'How these people must love Christ!' I thought. 'What a wonder to live in a country which is saturated with Christians, churches and the Gospel!'"

What a contrast.

Tonight was Tuesday night prayer meeting. However, tonight was special as it was the "Children's Christmas Party." Each of the kids got a t-shirt with "GFA - the next generation" stitched on the front. They were cool! I wanted one.


I just sent out my newsletter via email today (.pdf file). I also included a link to this site which means that people might stop by. So HI! Soon I'll figure out a way to put my newsletter on the internet so others can read it too... Hmm. More things to think about that won't happen any time soon. I'll be gone from December 19th - January 5th. Stop by the GFA booth at Urbana and see me.

Are bloggers supposed to have something profound to say every day? I hope not, because there is nothing profound about this evening.

I spent my day directing helpdesk email traffic, speaking too soon, and apologizing too late. Hopefully we'll get it all figured out tomorrow at our IT meeting. This evening has been spent burning cookies (oops) and making the crumb topping for the apple pie to be baked on Wednesday for the GFA staff Christmas party. Mmm, mmm.

Profound... let's see... nope. Nothing here. My mind is too full of anticipation for my trip to see my family (starting Friday) and the Urbana 2003 missions conference (Dec 27-31) where I will be manning the Gospel for Asia booth. Praise God!

The last two nights, when I have attempted to acces my blog via Blogger, I have received 404 errors. Annoying! But perhaps God knew I needed the sleep more than I needed to blog. I am very tired.

Today's joyous moment was again provided by Jimmy (see Dec 10th). He and his wife invited me out to lunch after church and we had an uplifting conversation. They've decided to sponsor two missionaries...and me! It was such an encouragement and blessing to see their hearts for the lost world and for the increase in personal support. I'm short about $500 a month right now and it will be such a blessing to have more financial support coming in and to have more people committed to pray for me. The prayer support makes a huge difference. It keeps my back from hurting and gives me strength to continue...even when I'm tired.

Sterling College talks a lot about servant leadership. During a recent visit, I was asked to speak on the subject. Today, I saw what I was going to say.

For the last two years, Gospel for Asia's Dallas administrative office has cleaned by the office staff's teenagers. Every Thursday evening, 17 teenagers descend on the building with dusting rags, mops, and vaccuum sweepers and scrub 'er clean. However, the new building more than doubles the amount of office space that needs cleaning, making it physically impossible for the teens to clean it all in an evening. As I left the building this evening, I met up with the GFA Operations Manager vaccuuming the upstairs hallway.

Servant leadership is serving with a Christ-like attitude. Serving those around you regardless of whether your hands stay clean or get dirty. Where do I see servant leadership? I see it in the Chief Information Officer polishing an office door. I see in the Chief Operations Officer vaccuuming a floor. I see it in the Gift Entry Coordinator scrubbing a toilet.

Servant leadership is serving where ever God puts you and rejoicing in the service.

Today was very busy in the IT department and printer problems kept me running from one end of the new building to the others. Our PSA (Personal Servant Assistant) Sam was busy assisting me and answering the helpdesk phone when I was out onother projects. Today was so busy, I was actually looking forward to sitting down at my desk and working on the mundane projects that I've put off for three days!

A joyous moment in my day was when I got a phone call from Jimmy- a member of my local church who recently obtained a copy of the book Revolution in World Missions. Although he was only on page 102, he was "pumped" about what God is doing through the ministry of Gospel for Asia. It's not "someone else" that is winning the world to Christ. It is people like you. People like me. People like Jimmy who have heard the echo of Paul's call: "For to me to live is Christ..." People who make a difference through their prayers. People who make a difference financially. People who are willing to stop making daisy chains and stand in the gap.

Yesterday...
80,000 people died without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ.

Today...
80,000 people died without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow...
80,000 people will die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ.


What are you doing?

I envisioned writing this post in a sentimental mood, sipping hot chocolate from my dainty yard sale tea cup. But then things happened, the hot chocolate got cold, the night got late, and somehow my messy room didn't seem very sentimental.

I had an uplifting conversation via IM today with a ministry supporter I call VBMike. Some time back, Mike responded to a GFA email update and offered his time as a VBA/Excel guy for any needs we might have. Since then, Mike has been a great resource and encouragement to the IT department at Gospel for Asia. Tonight my roommates and I prayed that Mike and his wife Natasha would join the home staff at Gospel for Asia! Awesome people and seekers of God.

Tonight was our first Sunday evening fellowship in our new building!!! It was so nice to see people seated comfortably instead of lining the walls and trying to hear from the back hallway. Brian spoke tonight from Ezekiel 11:30. Several things caught my attention.

• God could just put us in the battle and zap us with strength and courage when we need it, but God doesn't seem to work that way. He delights in shaping people through pain and suffering and the embracing of the cross. He wants to transform us into the image of his Son, yet how often to we shy away from anything that might involve pain and suffering?


• God cares about people, not just about the work. God spent more time preparing Nehemiah's heart than he did rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.


• God is looking for people to both stand in the gap and build up the wall--people who both pray/intercede and work. Nehemiah and his people both built the walls and stood armed for battle.

What about you? Has the Lord given you a burden for someone or someplace? Have you given him time to develop that burden? Are there areas of compromise in your life? Is there something the Lord is calling you to do (praying or/and action)? Do you allow God to infiltrate your private life with a burden or are you "a professional"?

One of the keys of life is always staying desperate for the Lord.

One of my coworkers had a birthday today (Happy Birthday, Nicole!), so a group of young people gathered for chocolate cake, ice cream, and conversation. After the celebration, we debated whether to go caroling or play pictionary. We ended up with a lively card game (kemp) and discussion about Gospel for Asia's core values--especially the one about "being a people of grace and love."

I've enjoyed having a cell phone for the last few days, but will be glad when I get to give this little baby back. I have to carry it with me, pay attention to it when it makes noises, and remember to charge up the battery! What demands!

Got a phone call last night just before midnight-- just after I posted my blog. 10 of our students in a North India training center have been arrested and imprisoned. PLEASE pray for their soon release and stop by the website to learn more.

Today was busy day number three and the busiest day of all for me with the move to the new office. My roommate (who was sick) asked me what I did today, so I whipped out my trusty Palm m105 and read off part of my task list.

Longer cords for Taun 12'. Bob DNS not working. Jeff ext to jack 1039. Keith ext in jack 1011, label says 1013. Gift Entry phone jack 2005 needs hooked to phone wire in data center. Get phone extender for Gift Entry machine phone. Set Kris up with jacks on west wall. Label Kris cords. Check default printer settings for office. Hook up Ruthb computer. Screen cleaner for sandy. Mouse extender for sandy. Mouse extender for julie. Label cord 1083 for Margaret phone. Label 1087 for Eric phone. Label 1088 for Eric CAT6 cable. Change Eric phone jack from 1089 to 1087. Change Eric data from 1090 to 1088. Susanna's computer has a blue screen. 12' network cable for Davidc. Label 2273 for Davidc phone. Check Jacie and Melyssa monitors. Check issues on Copy Room 5550-Call Mike. Missions IIIsi printer from port 2164 to 2184. Setup Lexmark printer for Gift Entry. Get printer extender cable for Sandy. Graphics printer to port 2218. Make sign for elevator- button for 2nd floor doesn't work. Report damaged port for SusanW to Pat. Susan- 2 data and 1 phone. Setup VLRM1 printer on Jonathan laptop.

So while the office was packing and unpacking, I was running around with a two-way radio, a cell phone, and my Palm and noted everything that needed help or needed changed. I'd assist people on the spot or call Sam or Javier or Pat or Eric to fix things. Sometimes I'd scribble down numbers on my Palm and beam them to Sam in the hallway so he could take the information to Pat to get the wires fixed. Sometimes I scribbled down information for things to be fixed later.

There were also times when I ate Krispy Kreme doughnuts and drank Dr. Pepper. But that was only after the doughnuts were cold and the Dr. Pepper was warm. I was too busy before that.

Today was busy day number two! I left for the office this morning about 7:30 and returned about 10:30 this evening. It was kind of like the day before Christmas in the office...a sense of expectation, hustle and bustle, and homemade fruitcake delivered to the IT office by a sympathetic staff member! It wasn't too bad...

About 3:30 this afternoon, the office turned into organized chaos as sixty-five staff members and their wives and their children packed up sixty plus offices/cubicles and seventy plus computers and began to move everything from our old building to our new addittion. It was complicated by the fact that everything had to be packed up, the desks had to be dismantled, all was moved, the desks reassembled, and the contents unpacked. As many of the desks had been built INSIDE the offices in which they were residing, it was a logic puzzle for all involved. But in the midst of the chaos, we praise God that he has provided additional office space for us!!! GFA staff has more than doubled in the past three years with 20+ staff people arriving in the past year alone!

I would like to know more about the server room and the patch panels and what-not. I think I understand and then I lose it again. So many things to learn. AHHH! Today I just ran around doing nothing and helping everyone. I did see two CPUs, one monitor, two keyboards and three mice all being moved to their new location all on THE SAME ROLLING OFFICE CHAIR!!! But there were many other people using the nice carts we rented for the purpose of moving computers.

I came across a post-it note while packing today which read: "Mind not to be conformed. Transformed." Hmmm...

Today is busy at the office as Gospel for Asia, Dallas, is preparing to move into our new building. Office staff has more than doubled since we moved into our current building four years ago. The Information Technology Department (where I work) will be moving our stuff this evening after hours and we're busy making sure that everybody is ready for tomorrow afternoon's move. Sam and Pat are wiring patch panels and labeling wires. Dave is meeting with the architects and Javier is making lists of computers and printers we need to move. Me? I'm just answering questions. I've got my Palm in a holster on my left hip and my two-way radio on a holster in the right hip and my borrowed cell phone in my pocket! It's not strange to have a holster on my belt, but it's a little strange to find a Palm instead of pliers!

If you haven't stopped by Gospel for Asia's website, do so today. One of our pastors was shot and killed in northern India yesterday. Another missionary was arrested in Orissa for baptizing a believer. Fourteen other pastors in Orissa are faced with imprisonment because of Orissa's legislation. Even though the National Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is past (November 9), please continue to pray for the Church around the world. Stop by our news site or Voice of the Martyrs site for more information.

God commands us to pray.

Mike and Jane, a couple that work in Gospel for Asia's Dallas office, tried for years to have children. After 20 years of prayer, God granted their request and healthy baby Benjamin was born in September 2002. But that's not where the story ends. We heard about the rest of the story at tonight's prayer meeting.

Daniel, a professor at one of our missionary training centers in India, told the story of Mike and Jane to one of his classes. He showed them a picture of the sonogram and of baby Benjamin and spoke of the 20 years of prayer and of God's faithfulness.

A student in the class asked if he could borrow the photos. He received permission and took the photos with him to visit a Hindu family. The family had been trying for five years to have children, but to no avail. The Bible student told this family the story of Mike and Jane and showed them the pictures. He told them that Jesus was able to answer prayer. The Hindu family asked the Bible student to pray for them.

What happened? The couple now has a baby of their own and have become believers in Jesus Christ. All Glory to God.

...And now you know the rest of the story...

I was confused as I sat down at my computer this evening. I was startled on Saturday when I received an email from Martin Roth notifying me that he had mentioned and linked to my blog on his website. Oh no! Someone else might be reading my blog? Someone besides my supporters and prayer partners and family? What do I have to write about that someone else would want to read?

For the first time, I was concerned about what I might put on my blog. Ideas flashed through my mind and were quickly discarded. It's so good to be a part of a family--both biological and spiritual. Rach was sick today. I drove to Walgreens to get her Expectorant CF. Gospel for Asia's Dallas office is moving to a new building in three days! There's a lot of work to be done to get ready for that. Seven missionaries in Orissa, India are putting their lives on the line for the Gospel while mobs have burned 5,000 New Testaments and ransacked their church.

I don't have anything worthwhile to write. But perhaps you can see a little bit into my life and realize that I'm no one special. Only through God and by His grace can anything be accomplished. All Glory to God.