Romantic Getaway

Last Wednesday, Lena and I left the kids with our friends (Dave & Stacy Reed) and went to Clifty Falls, Indiana for two romantic days. We stayed in the river view, King Suite--which was really sweet! The first day we hiked a couple of miles. The second day, we hiked about 7 miles through a rugged gorge with 4 waterfalls. On Friday morning, I was having a hard time walking. I forgot my camera, which was a real struggle for me. I love photographing flowers and we saw a lot of really beautiful vegetation, the gorge, the creek and, of course, the waterfalls. We also had a fabulous view of the Ohio river and Madison, Indiana from our suite. Since I didn't have my camera, I don't have pictures to share. As such, I'm borrowing some from other web sites. One of the web sites is Eads Home Ministries. I have no idea who they are, but they look like a lovely family. From the looks of them, they're in the same demographic marketing niche that we are--so, just image that they're us!

Discipleship through the years

On my first visit to a XA meeting, one guy at the meeting raised a hand to heaven and gently whispered, "Praise you Jesus."

I thought to myself, "What a holy roller!"

That guy was Steve Potter. Little did I know what a huge impact he and his wife, Cindy, would have on my life. They were excellent examples of Christians living their lives strategically for the sake of the kingdom. In 1979, when I got saved at the University of Cincinnati, they had just graduated from college in Michigan--where they were discipled in XA. When Cindy got a job at P&G in Cincinnati, they volunteered to help lead XA at UC. That's how I came to meet them on that fateful day. I learned a lot from them--leading worship with Cindy and in men's small groups with Steve. They've had a tremendous impact on my life. They've also been faithful supporters ever since I became a campus missionary. I knew that we were close to crossing the support raising finish line last Friday, so I called friends who were regularly supporting and asked for confirmation that their support was a pledge. One couple I called was Steve and Cindy. We had lunch with them on Friday at a Peruvian Roasted Chicken restaurant named El Pollon. Here's a shot of us eating the Peruvian chicken. Below is a shot of Steve signing their pledge form. They've been supporting all along and were able to become one of the last pledges that got us across the finish line. They've invested in us spiritually and financially. They're like a lot of our friends and ministry partners who've helped us become who we are and advance God's kingdom. For these friends who have so faithfully partnered with us, we feel the burden of responsibility to listen and walk in the Spirit. We must be faithful to the Lord, so that the investments of our partners bear fruit. We know that the Lord has called us--and He who calls is faithful to see His work completed! When I think of Steve and Cindy, I think that a discipleship relationship can be a dangerous thing. If you do your job well, you might find yourself on a missions team for many years to come.

Crossing the Finish Line

Praise the Lord! We crossed the support raising finish line on Monday. Last Thursday and Friday, I feverishly faxed and emailed every possible pledge that was still outstanding. I knew we were close, so on Monday I called and got the great news. I'm so grateful to all our support team members. Thank you for soldiering with us in Christ's great commission! We're eager to begin bearing fruit in Peru. But to do that, we need to speak Spanish. So, our first stop is Costa Rica for language and culture studies. We'll probably be flying to Costa Rica on Jan 3rd.

Boasting

Boasting can be dangerous, unless you’re boasting in what the Lord has done. As such, I love to boast about our XA alumni and the XA staff who served beside me so faithfully. They continue to serve the Lord as excellent examples of modern day saints. In 2 Cor 1:14, Paul says, “…you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. (NIV)” The New Bible Commentary says, “Paul looked forward to rejoicing on the last day in what God had done in the lives of his converts, and he hoped that in the present they might feel they could boast of what God was doing in him.” Later, in 2 Cor 3:2-3, Paul talks about the disciples in his ministry as letters of recommendation. He writes, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (NIV)” Paul continued, in 2Cor 3:4-5, “And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as [coming] from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,… (NASB)” That’s how I feel. Rather than feeling like I had some great gift to give to God as a courageous leader, I feel like God blessed me by bringing together teammates who helped me do a job that was bigger than me.

Support raising has been very rewarding—mostly because it has given us opportunities to connect with old friends. We recently enjoyed a bon voyage cook-out with a few of our XA alumni from UC (pictured above at right). In the same week, we celebrated with staff and alumni from Wilmington College—where Ken and Tara Lydy continue to serve the Lord (pictured below with little Lindsay Lynn Lydy). At both events, we saw men and women who have soldiered on faithfully. I’m really looking forward to sharing pictures of Peruvian teammates and even an intermingling of our North American and South American friends. We feel like the Lord has great plans for Peru and we can’t wait to be a part of it.

Update & Prayer Requests 09-02-06

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I've been working on finances all this past week. Financial reporting makes me feel great when it's done and everything balances, but it requires all of my brain. Unlike the people at Enron, I can't think about numbers and be creative at the same time. In addition to the number crunching, I had a bad virus. Twice, I had to take a long hot shower just to get warm, then get some sleep. All that's left of the virus now is a frog which has taken up residence in my voice box.

We're still about $200 away from completing our budget of monthly pledges. Only one detail remains before we get medical clearance and we know the day we're to arrive in Costa Rica for Language study (Jan 3). I hope that by the end of next week, we'll be approved to buy our tickets.

Hannah and Colton have adjusted well to the start of another school year. Willy will start two days-per-week of preschool this Wednesday. He's apprehensive, but we think he'll enjoy it--eventually. Willy is very active and likes to play with his friends. He doesn't have any in our immediate neighborhood, so this is a chance fill some of his social needs. Here's a picture of Abi and Willy taken this summer, along with the following prayer requests:

1. Recovery and healing for my mother-in-law (Ginny), who just underwent Gall bladder surgery.

2. The final pledges and medical clearance to be completed.

3. Continued inspiration in writing the final project for the doctorate.

4. God's help in preparing the house to be rented.

5. Wisdom and speed in packing our belongings.

6. That Willy will enjoy making new friends at preschool.

7. Wisdom and anointing as we make decisions about what we can and cannot accomplish prior to our departure on Jan 3.

Thanks to everyone who contributes financially and through prayer! We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends shouldering this great calling with us. Thank you!

Mucho Agape,
Bill