Hope to the Nations February 2016 - Scroll down to read
"...the eyes of the blind will be opened."
Earlier this month I represented InterAct at a big conference called Mission Connexion. Each year in January, here in the Portland area, over seventy mission organizations gather to hold a large conference. Over the course of a Friday evening and all day Saturday thousands of people attend to hear guest speakers, attend workshops and visit the tables of the different organizations.
This year I got the idea to do a language matching game. Many people are often unaware that there are many "heart languages" in North America and Native people groups in Russia that have their own languages. So I wanted to use this game as a tool to help raise awareness and engage people in a fun way.
I made up a game board with twelve different languages and twelve cards with Bible verses from those languages. People could try as many times as they wanted to match the verses with the correct language. With each attempt I would tell people how many they had correct but not which ones. As you can see, it is extremely challenging. So imagine what was going through my mind when one of the first people to try was a young blind woman named Jacquelyn!
She walked up to the table with her mom and sister, and her sister said to her, "Oh, you can do this!" What happened next will stick with me forever. First, she asked me to read the names of the languages on the board. Then her mom and sister picked up the cards with the verses on them and began describing what the scripts and words looked like. She was familiar with the different language groups of Russia, so she had me speak a little of each of those. (I don't speak Sakha or Tuvan, but can pronounce them a little.) About ten minutes later I watched in amazement as she described to her sister what to look for in order to distinguish Yupik from Chilcotin. And then she had it–all twelve correct. She won!
Her prize was a $25 gift card. Over the course of the conference we had many other people attempt the game, but most only averaged getting four correct.
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped" - Isaiah 35:5
Though Jacquelyn cannot see physically, God has blessed her with a gifted mind—a mind she wants to use for his kingdom. She told me about her desire to work with disabled communities and to help translate God's word into languages where it is not yet available. We thank God for how he blesses and gifts his people to serve him!
Personal
- Isaiah - Thank you for praying for his surgery. Everything went smoothly and he only had to stay in the hospital one night! We praise God for his blessings.
- House Sale - Please continue to pray that our home in Mississippi would sell. The current renter wants to buy but is unable to get approved. But she is working diligently to improve her situation in hopes of getting a loan. Pray that we would be content with the Lord's timing.
- Adoption - As you may remember, back before we found out that we were having Lily, we had started the process of adoption. Over the last year, we have continued to pray about that and believe that the Lord is still leading us in that direction. Please pray for us as we consider the timing of resuming that process.
Publications
- Website - I spent a good bit of time in January overhauling InterAct's website and updating the donation section of it. My goal is to make things as easy as possible for donors to connect with the missionaries they support and pray for.
- InterACTION - I completed the February edition of our monthly newsletter featuring a story about Dottie Kasten, a missionary in Canada. Look for it in your mailbox or inbox soon.
Dottie Kasten (left) ministers to young women and builds inroads into their lives through teaching them crafts and quilting. Through this God has opened many doors for the gospel.
Productions
This month was a busy one for video productions. I made four videos that highlight our ministries in Russia as well as one video for some of our missionaries working with Sikh immigrants in Canada. The Russia videos will be used in recruitment to help people better understand the ministry needs there.
People
- Upcoming Travels - While I haven't purchased any tickets yet, there's quite a bit of travel on the table for this year. This includes a trip down to California to represent InterAct at The Master's College, as well as visits to Alaska, Canada and Russia. Pray for wisdom as I make these plans. Many of the dates are still up in the air.
- Bible Interviews and Training - I love being a part of helping usher new missionaries into the organization. For new applicants I review their written Bible exams and doctrinal position papers as conduct their oral interviews. This month we're excited to have a young couple joining the organization who will be doing ministry up in Alaska.
Prayer
- Praise God that Isaiah had a successful surgery and recovered quickly.
- Praise God for bringing new missionaries into InterAct to serve in Alaska.
- Praise God for many great conversations with people about mission work during the Mission Connexion conference.
- Praise God for three summer interns going to Russia this summer!
- Please pray for our renter in Mississippi to be approved for a loan soon and for the town home to sell.
- Pray for wisdom as I make travel plans for this year.
Partner With Us
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An InterAct Ministry