After Bangladesh

So sorry we could not access our blog site from Bangladesh, and haven’t posted for a long time.

God gave us a good ministry in Bangladesh April through July 2017. Hubert taught in the Bible school, preached, and taught other classes. I was involved at the Baptist Mid-Missions’ hospital. God is working as his Word is going out throughout the country from contacts made through the medical ministry. Please pray for the Bangladeshi Christians and for the missionary staff.

On the way back from Bangladesh to the USA we stopped in Cambodia to visit our church in Koh Kong and some of the Koh Kong Christians that are in the capital, Phnom Penh.  We praise God for His care for his people there. Please keep praying that they would multiply and grow in grace.

Our home church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had a lovely retirement celebration for us August 26. Our whole family came as well as many wonderful friends to recount God’s faithfulness throughout our years as missionaries in Africa and Asia. Our five children presented special music, testimonies, pictures, a timeline, etc. Dr. Vernon Rosenau, President of Baptist Mid-Missions and our former co-worker in Central African Republic, gave the key note message. God was glorified.

“In your majesty ride out victoriously…”  Psalm 45:4

Departure

Praise God for the resurrection and God’s great power and love displayed. As Christians around the world commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ, may our hearts rejoice in our Lord. Pray for more people to hear the Good News and turn to the Savior.

Please pray for our travel and ministry coming up right after Easter.

-          Monday April 17       Speak at Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cleveland, OH, ladies meeting

-          Tuesday April 18       Speak at Faith Baptist Church, Muskegon, MI, ladies’ tea.

-          Thursday April 20     Depart from Grand Rapids, Michigan for Bangladesh

-          Friday night April 21    Arrive in Dhaka, Bangladesh

-          Saturday April 22      Travel by van up to BMM hospital, Natore, Bangladesh

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  John 10:21

Preparing

Thank you for praying for the supper last week with our unsaved Spanish-speaking neighbors and our Spanish-speaking missionary friends. God did bless and give a good evening and time to share the gospel. We pray God will provide other Spanish-speaking Christians as well to teach F. and J. more about His Word. Please keep praying for their salvation.

There are only two more weeks until we depart for Bangladesh. Please ask God for help us in preparations. Pray for God to use us according to his perfect plan during our three months there. We desire to see people turning to Christ, to see believers strengthened, and see God’s name lifted high.

Please pray for our celebration of the Resurrection of our great Lord and Savior. Hubert has been asked to preach at our home church’s sunrise service and I am practicing to accompany some of the special music on the piano. It will be special to be with our church family here in Michigan this year for this special time. Please pray also for our church in Cambodia and their celebration of Easter.

“…Our eyes look to the Lord our God…”  Ps 123:2  

From Every Language

We have been in contact this past week with a Cambodian lady living in Massachusetts who is a sister of a lady in our church in Cambodia. She needs the Lord. Please pray that she will attend a good church in her area and turn to Christ. Pray for wisdom for me as I continue to reach out to her.

Also this past week we enjoyed a meal with a Bengali family. They fixed genuine Bengali rice and curry (spicy). The wife and mother, Sarah, may be able to give us a few Bengali language lessons before our departure to Bangladesh in less than a month. Please pray that this would work out if the Lord wills.  

Please pray for God to work this Thursday as we plan to have a neighbor family over to our home along with a Spanish speaking couple who can explain the gospel to them in their language. We have been praying for F. and J.’s salvation. Please ask the Lord to open their eyes to his truth and bring them to himself.

“…By your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…” Rev. 5:9

Teaching

God answered prayer and helped me in teaching at the Faith Baptist Bible College missionary nursing seminar last week. Thank you for participating by prayer. The interaction with the students was good and God was my help in presenting many ways God uses medical missions to reach people. We have seen a variety of venues in our various places of service and met many medical missionaries in other creative ways of outreach. It was a joy to share accounts of many ways we have seen God work. Please pray the God would clearly call more people to the harvest field as medical missionaries. Pray for the students I was privileged to talk to last week. Pray for the other friends I was able to meet while in Iowa. God is working in lives and wants to show his power even more. Please pray for the fellow travelers on the plane flights that God allowed me to share the gospel with. It would be so exciting to see them in heaven someday.    

Please continue to ask the Lord to guide us in preparing for service in Bangladesh next month. We need to prepare lessons to teach as well as items to pack. We know he will accomplish his will that his name will be glorified.

“…I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.” Jer. 16:21

From Every Nation

This week God answered prayer and brought our visas for Bangladesh. With these and our airline tickets in hand we are almost ready to fly next month. Please continue to pray for God to prepare the way before us and use us for His glory. Pray for the Bengali Christians to know the Lord's strength as they face persecution. Pray for the three missionaries who are presently working in the city where we will be. Pray for the children in the Christian school by the hospital and church.

On our return trip in July we plan to visit Cambodia briefly to encourage the church. Please pray that the Cambodian Christians would multiply and keep growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Pray for Mr. L’s hamburger/ice cream shop. It is struggling. God has used it as his source of income to live on but that income is very meager now.

Praise God with us for the salvation of a ten-year old Pakistani girl here in Michigan this week. We thank God for the opportunity to have a meal with her family along with our American friend who has been witnessing to them. Please pray for R. to grow and for the rest of her family to follow the Lord.

“Behold, a great multitude…from every nation, from all tribes and peoples…standing before the throne…” Rev. 7:9

Nursing Seminar

Please continue to pray for the missionary nursing seminar next week at Faith Baptist Bible College (FBBC) in Ankeny, Iowa. This is part of a course of study at FBBC where students get their Bible and missions courses at FBBC and their nursing courses at a nearby nursing school.  It is to prepare them to serve the Lord as nurses. They are especially prepared to serve as missionary nurses in foreign countries if the Lord calls them to that ministry. An internship overseas is also part of the course and we have been privileged to have students from it come intern with us in Cambodia. This annual week-long seminar in Ankeny is part of the total course and is taught by missionary physicians and nurses who give practical pointers from their experiences. This year the seminar is March 13-17. Please pray for each of the instructors, including myself, who are preparing now and will be teaching next week. Pray that God will guide us, speak through us, and that God would be glorified in all. Pray for the students to learn well and to use the information well. Pray that there will be fruit for eternity. If you know of someone interested in the course, they can contact Faith Baptist Bible College.

Please pray also for my travel and that I would be able to meet with friends and former students while in Ankeny. Pray for Hubert who will be remaining here in Michigan.

“…We speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” 1 Thess. 2:4

Christ be Honored

What fun to hear of God’s answer to prayer this week. The Christmas package we mailed last October just reached our daughter in her place of service. We watched her open it via Skype. She especially appreciated the wool socks from Romania that we sent to help her in the cold weather of her country. Thank you for praying. Now we can give God thanks together.

God has given special times with family this week, more opportunities to speak to groups, and good visits to the sick. Please keep asking the Lord to make us a blessing.

Bob Bixby, a Baptist Mid-Missions missionary in France and friend of ours, was called home to heaven yesterday. He had a life well lived for the Lord and was used of the Lord to impact many lives for eternity. We pray that God will be glorified in our lives and in our deaths.

 “…But that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Phil 1:20

Visas

God continues to bless and use us in speaking various places on missions and the Lord’s commands to go, give, and pray. Pray for Christians to listen to God’s leading and follow him. Please pray for some unsaved friends we have contact with that need to turn to the Lord. Some are in Michigan and some in Cambodia. What a privilege to share the good news of salvation.

Please keep praying for our Bangladesh visas which are being processed right now in the Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC. These are for our three months' work there beginning in April.

Please pray for the Baptist Mid-Missions hospital in Bangladesh and the need for doctors and teachers. Pray for the Christian school and the children attending there, and for the Bible school and the students and staff. What a great God we have.

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power…” Col. 1:11

Details

God has given us wonderful fellowship with friends who pray for us and support us. We count on their continued prayer even after we change to retirement status. God will keep on demonstrating his loving care and power.

We went to get typhoid immunizations today and got the tablet form. Nice.  Only a couple more immunizations to get.

Airline tickets are purchased now for going to Bangladesh. Thank God for these.  

We plan to visit Cambodia on the way back in July for a few days. It will be good to encourage the Christians.

Now we are working on applying for Bangladesh visas. God helped us getting the photos today and making progress on the forms. Please pray for all to go smoothly in securing these visas.

“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” Ps. 73:24

Blessings

Praise God for the good meetings this past weekend. It is encouraging to be with God’s people and to tell what God has been doing. We have several meetings with individuals scheduled ahead yet. Thanks for praying as we travel and serve the Lord on furlough.

We thank God that my cataract surgery January 31 went well. Thank you for praying. At the beginning of March I get new glasses. We thank God for good health and good healthcare available.

This week we are in the process of purchasing airline tickets for Bangladesh. Please pray for God’s guidance in this. The plan is to work at the Baptist Mid-Missions’ hospital and schools there from mid-April to mid-July this summer. Next week we are scheduled to get our immunizations updated.

“God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” Ps 67:7

Bangladesh

Thank you for praying. God helped us on the trip to Florida and in the various meetings those two weeks. Then he blessed in the service in Indiana this past weekend as we presented the work. The flute and piano duet by Granddaughter Katie and I was blessed by the Lord. We pray it will help listeners to meditate on the Love of God.

Please keep praying for God’s work in Bangladesh. Pray for Bangladeshi doctors for the Baptist Mid-Missions’ hospital. Pray for people who hear the gospel at mobile medical clinics. Pray for the young men who are studying in the Bible School and serving the Lord in getting the gospel to many regions. Pray for people taking the Bible correspondence courses. God is working there and we pray for more and more victories.  

“But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Cor 15:57

Journeys

 

God has been our help as we have traveled south these past ten days. We have had good meetings with many people. We pray God will use these for the furtherance of his kingdom. He has guarded us in the various weather conditions. The Sunday evening service here in Florida was canceled due to severe storm warnings.  We look to the Lord for safety on the rest of this trip as we return to Michigan. The coming two weekends will involve more travel and reporting on God’s work in Cambodia. Please pray for God to accomplish great things through them.

Next week will be my cataract surgery, Lord willing. Please pray for the surgeon and for a good result for me.  

Our retirement is planned to begin April 1, 2017. We know God has great things in store. As always, we desire to serve him in whatever way he leads. Please pray for us as we transition to this new status. We anticipate the first “retirement ministry” to be three months at the Baptist Mid-Missions’ hospital in Bangladesh.

“Ye also helping together by prayer for us…” 2 Cor. 1:11

God's Work

God continues to bless as we report to our churches. What joy to meet with God’s people here in the States who are praying, and share how God has worked in Cambodia. Please keep praying for safety as we travel and for God’s Spirit to work in our meetings. The last Sunday of January we expect to be in our daughter’s church in Indiana. Our granddaughter, Katie, is scheduled to play her flute and I have been asked to accompany her on the piano. What a fun privilege. Please pray for God to be glorified.

Please keep praying for Koh Kong Baptist Church in Cambodia and the strengthening of the believers. Pray that the church would grow. Pastor L. asks for prayer also for his hamburger/ice cream shop. Recently one freezer, a stove, and his microwave all quit working. This shop is his means of livelihood. Pray for wisdom from the Lord and that his business would prosper.

“Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.”  Ps. 90:16

Running the Race

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15. Two dear women of God in our church entered heaven in the past two weeks. It was a privilege to know them throughout my life and see their service for God in the places God put them. It was a joy to have many precious times with them these last weeks of their lives. Serving at their memorial services was/is an honor. What a reminder of the brevity of this life on earth and the sure hope we have in Christ. May our lives be lived totally for Him and our focus be upon our great Savior.

Thank you for praying for last Saturday’s meeting. We were able to talk with one Pakistani man about the Lord. Please pray for his salvation.

This Friday we head south to visit many families and churches. Please pray for safety, the preaching of the Word, profitable meetings, and for God to use us in the lives of others. We also plan to meet with our mission field administrator to discuss our retirement in April,  We anticipate continuing in ministry for the Lord as retirees.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”  Ps. 90:12

  

Furlough opportunities

God continues to give strength and wisdom during our furlough ministry. This coming Saturday we are scheduled to meet a group of international people in Grand Rapids at the home of a friend. Please pray for God to work in their lives, that they would come to know him.

Two more meetings after our trip down south (detailed last week) are:

January 29   Trinity Baptist, Westfield, IN

February 5   First Baptist Church, Rochester, Michigan

Please pray for God’s work in Natore, Bangladesh. Praise God for the great turnout for the church Christmas special program there. Pray for their upcoming missions conference. Pray for needed doctors and Bible teachers. We anticipate serving there for three months this  summer.

Please pray for my cataract surgery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, scheduled for January 31.

“…Strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” Romans 15:30

January trip

God blessed us with lots of special times with family during the Christmas celebration. Our son from Canada and his family are staying with us for a week. We Skyped our daughter in France and her family on the 24^th while some of our children were together with us. We praised God for the glory to his name through the Christmas program we watched at Hans’ church Christmas eve. Then on the 25^th we Skyped our daughter in Asia. No, our box of gifts did not reach her. Please keep praying that it will yet arrive. God also gave us snow for Christmas.

Please pray for our trip south in January to speak at churches and meet supporters:

Jan. 13     Tipton, IN

        14     Kettering, OH

        15     Parkersburg, WV

        16     Roanoke, VA

        17     Winston-Salem, NC

        19     Greenville, SC

        22     Tampa, FL

         24    home, Michigan

Have a blessed New Year, walking with Christ and watching him work.

“…He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6

Merry Christmas

We wish you and your families God’s blessings as you celebrate Christ this Christmas. May you know His peace, love, and joy in abundance as you walk by faith in him.

Pray that more Cambodians will find the PEACE of Christ as the message of the Savior goes forth.

Here in the USA, we praise God for his helping in the Bible Club teaching today and in our church’s Incarnation Celebration yesterday. Thank you for praying.

We have a friend in Grand Rapids, Michigan who invited her unsaved neighbors to her house and asked us to speak.  When we went one day last week, it was very cold weather and none of the neighbors came. She has reset the date. Please pray for God to work in hearts.

Please pray that our box of Christmas presents to one of our daughters serving overseas would reach her by Christmas.

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Matthew 2:10

Serving

God graciously gave Hubert an opportunity to preach at Mel Trotter Mission in Grand Rapids last Friday night. We pray lives will be changed by the power of God and his Word. Again God protected us on the snowy Michigan roads.

Please pray as I teach Bible Club at the middle school here next Monday. Pray for the children to understand some of how God takes his Word to the whole world and their part in that.

For Christmas, we plan to be involved with the Incarnation Celebration at our church on the 18^th.  Please ask the Lord to bless in that. Please pray for Davar (our son) and Shauntelle (his wife) and our two granddaughters flying in from Alberta, Canada to spend a week with us for Christmas. Pray for smooth travels and time together that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. Hans and family here in Grand Rapids, and Hannah and family from Indiana will also be coming for the 24^th of December. We plan to meet our other two daughters and their families via Skype.

Please pray for a New Year’s Eve service Hubert is planning for our church. Pray that it will be a time that is used of the Lord to draw his people closer to himself.   

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee…” Ps 9:10

Gift of Snow

The Lord was with us in our travels to Indiana on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Our grandchildren’s school Christmas concert was excellent. The choirs and bands brought much praise to God. Time with family and friends was special. We were able to visit a couple that has supported us almost our all our years of serving as missionaries. We are grateful to God for them.

Then on Sunday we went to Lansing, Michigan to visit one of our churches. The fellowship was great as we worshiped the Lord together. In the afternoon, big snowflakes began to fall and by the time the evening service was finished the roads were very snow covered. It was a slow drive back home. We saw several cars that had slipped off the road. We were grateful for the snowplows and sand trucks. God’s hand of protection was on us and we arrived safely home. All along the way, the beauty of the snow-covered evergreens and snow glistening on every brand of the deciduous trees was a special treat from the Lord.

“He giveth snow like wool…who can stand before his cold?” Ps. 147:16,17