This April marks our 54^th year of serving Jesus in Asia. It is rare for missionaries to be able to be on the scene long enough to see ministries the Lord used them to start become mature and in need of renewal, but that is where we find ourselves these days.

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01-08-12          Is There Shelter from Storms?

01-15-12          Shelter Against Wind Storms at Work

01-22-12          Shelter Against Rainstorms in Relationships

01-29-12          Shelter Against Mall Storms with Money

02-05-12          Shelter Against Hail Storms With Habits

02-12-12          Shelter Against Hurricanes in Our Homes

02-19-12          Shelter Against Cyclones with Our Children

02-26-12          Shelter Against Firestorms in Our Faith

All messages may be downloaded from our website.  Just click on MESSAGES/Audio & Video at the top of this page.

We would love to hear from you.  Please post any questions about this series or examples from your life about how this series applies to you,  and we will publish it on the web.

I decided to come with them on Easter Sunday, and it was such a warm atmosphere. I believed it was the Spirit of the Lord. I had been praying for a church to fellowship in and to serve.  Maybe three weeks went by, and I came back because the kids were coming. I wanted to hear what they were being taught. The worship was different from what I am used to, but the message was good.  I came back the next week, and as I was driving towards the church, I heard the Lord say,  “You are going there to work and to give back what you were taught all these years.”

I said to God, “OK — but I miss the worship.”

He showed me there are all different ways to worship, and it’s all apart of His Kingdom; they are a part of the body (of Christ).

I continued to come, and I met Michael Allebach.  I asked him a lot of questions. He got me connected. I started serving in Compassion Corner. Lo and behold, I got put on the schedule with my late mother’s best friend in high school. I hadn’t seen her in 17 years. She is a member of Branch, and she loves the church. It was like God ordained that to happen.

Then I signed up for a small group and met some great people. I got a chance to do service days and fill in as leader, and now I’m interested in leading a small group.

I have been asked to become a greeter, and there are other ministries that have contacted me. Now I have gone from 3 1/2 yrs of doing nothing to having to ask God where he wants me to serve. He showed me that He would do a new thing in me, a quick work; He would renew the years that the enemy tried to steal from me. My latter years shall be greater than my past, and the best is yet to come.

We’re thankful that Jesus came to give us Peace with God, as well as the Peace of God that we can know even in unsettling circumstances. Recently we have also seen God calm people’s physical pain as we prayed Jesus’ peace over them.

Liz: I’m happy to have a new co-worker in Accommodation, though I will miss Pam very much. Her name is Tess and she is volunteering at WEC till March when she goes overseas for a short term mission experience. She is a real blessing.
Dec 16th is our 5th Annual ‘Christmas at the Castle’ for college-aged MKs in the area. Sarah and Judson are helping me. Please pray that the evening will be a blessing to all who come.
We have no special plans for Christmas, but we enjoyed having different ones over during Thanksgiving weekend, so we’ll try to do that again.

Dan:This month in the finance office will be difficult because we’ll be short staffed till mid-January. Please pray for the end of year jobs to go smoothly. The two main ones are producing the W2s for our members and annual giving reports for our donors.

Joelle & Beth in Jordan: This is a recent video-cam snapshot taken on a Skype call from their (cold) classroom. These days the students often ask if they can do their work close to the heater! (Deserts, I remember, have extremes of cold and heat.)
Joelle and Beth are looking forward to a 2 week visit from their friend Irene, who is serving in Asia. They will spend Christmas at the clinic in the south and help with Christmas open house for neighbor ladies. Please pray for: 1. a wonderful visit and safe travels; 2. the Christmas outreaches;
3. Beth learning Arabic; 4. next years plans for themselves, the school and the children, who will need to be taught; 5. permission for the ‘baby house’ (where sick babies can be cared for) to open at the hospital.

Jonathan & Renée: We are praising the Lord this month that He has provided a house to rent and a group of midwives to work with, for Renee and Baby (both of whom are growing and doing very well). Pray for us as we settle into our new neighborhood and continue to look for a church.

Renovations: Work on our future apartment continues. We can definitely use more help, so let us know if you would like to come!

Home Staff Needs: Please pray for people with skills to help us in Maintenance, IT and Reception.

World Focus: Christmas Outreaches
All over the world, Christmas is a time when Christians have a special opportunity to talk about Jesus and to invite friends of other religions to church or other Christmas programs. For example, in S. Asia there are programs for the families of children that come to 2 centers on Dec 15th and 17th. Let’s pray that over this Christmas season many will understand for the first time the true meaning of Christmas and will commit their lives to Jesus.

Thank you for your prayers.
Dan and Liz, Joelle, Renée & Jonathan and Beth Gabrielle

This month, in addition to the great food and fellowship, we’ll be talking about what happens when life throws you curve balls. We’ll take a look at Joseph, a Godly man whose life was forever changed one day when he finds out his young fiance is pregnant. Have you had unexpected challenges in your life at some point?  Come join us and we’ll explore how God sees challenges in our life and how he wants to help us grow through them.