The
Road Less Traveled...March 2020
Photos above:Dinner with Danielle and Mohammed; One Minute Witness Seminar; Inside St. Peter's Basilica; Sunset in Vatican City;
Witnessing in the Park
The
coronavirus has impacted almost every nation and has brought many
things to a halt including groups coming to Guatemala to do
ministry. We are following the dictates of the Guatemalan
authorities and are praying that the virus will soon be contained.
I have been reminded of late of a song that was sung in our
church. It's words are a good reminder of what is needed
during this time of trial for many people. The lyrics to the song
"In Time Like These" are:
In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
This Rock is Jesus, yes He is the One
This Rock is Jesus the only One
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
During these times our grip must be firmly established in
Jesus. He knows what each person is facing and He is there
to meet them.
At the present time Susy is quarantined in El Salvador for 30
days. She was in El Salvador last week translating for a
pastor from the USA. When she tried to enter Guatemala she
was not allowed because we had been in Madrid on March 2 and
Spain is on the list of countries that Guatemala at that time was
not allowing to enter the country. When she returned to El
Salvador they told her she would be quarantined for 30 days in a
facility which was previously used as a military base. More
than 300 people were quarantined in a large room which did not
seemed to be a good way to control the spread of the virus if
someone actually was infected. On Sunday night Susy was
moved to a new location where she has her own room because she
has had a history of problems with her lungs. She is doing
well and I am grateful for the care she has received. It is
a difficult time for many people who are separated from their
families. Please pray for Susy as well as the many people
who are in the same situation that she is in.
At the end of February we traveled to Moldova to see my daughter
and stopped in Rome for a couple of days to see the tourist
attraction. I have previously been to Rome 47 years ago
when I was in the US Army in Germany. My daughter, Danielle
and her husband Mohammed were able to join us in Rome. We
stayed in Vatican City and were close to all the monuments, St.
Peter's Basilica and the Coliseum as well as many of the
fountains and other churches. It was all very impressive
looking at the elaborate art work and construction inside the
churches. It is such a contrast to many of the churches I
have been at in Guatemala that are very simple structures, some
without electricity.
While in Chisinau, Moldova we had the opportunity to conduct the
"One Minute Witness" seminar at the International
Christian Fellowship church. About 65 people came to the
all day seminar and afterward we went to a local park to talk
with people using the One Minute Witness method. The first
person we talked to was a young man who spoke no English but our
translator shared my message with him and he gave his life to the
Lord. Another man we talked to listened attentively and I
asked him if he had every had any experience with God. He
said he did not believe in God and really never thought about
whether there was a God. He lived for the moment with no
thoughts about life after death. We had the opportunity to
plant a seed of the love of God for him and pray that it will
take root in his life to bring him purpose and hope for the
future. We enjoyed our time in Moldova and would be open to
returning to do more training with the Evangelical churches in
the country.
Due to the virus, teams have canceled their plans to work with us
and our ministries we conduct each week have been put on hold
until it is safe to continue. We have some YWAM Conferences
coming up in April and May and we pray that they will be conducted
for the benefit of the staff who will be attending. We
place our trust in God's plans for us during this time of
uncertainty about the future.
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