Combined Newsletter Editions

Due to a heavy travel schedule, the May & June editions of our newsletter will be combined into one edition that will be published in late June. Thank you for your understanding.

find the forgotten

A fellow A/G missioinary and friend, Nate Sanow, has created a blog called find the forgotten. He is an wonderful man with a great heart for winning the lost for Christ. Check out his writings at http://www.findtheforgotten.blogspot.com/.

Ministering in Russia

Internet access has been difficult to get, so my communications have been less than I desire. I am now in my second week of work in Russia, having spent a week in Moscow and now working in the Perm area. It is very cool here, much more so than in Florida. But the people have been very warm. I am really enjoying my time in Russia.

My work started in a small community north of Moscow. We stayed at a country hotel that was all decked out in USA western stuff. It was really kind of strange to see all this stuff from the old west and having no one who could speak any English or Spanish. Our meetings went well and we will have a wonderful new version of The GodMan that will minister to children across Eastern Europe and the CIS region.

I had my first day of ministry with the Book of Hope traveling team from Perm on Saturday. We went to a little community called Ust-Bub. It is about a 2-1/2 hour drive from Perm. We did The GodMan and distributed copies of the Children's Animated Edition of the Book of Hope. This is the second time that Book of Hope has ministered in this small community. There are about 120 children and youth living here and almost 50 of them came to the movie event. Dozens indicated a desire to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord.

I left Ust-Bub with mixed feelings. I was very happy with the way the movie event went. Technically, everything was perfect. Functionally, our traveling team from Perm are experts in children's ministry and did an outstanding job. Nevertheless, there was a sadness upon leaving. You see, there is no Christian witness in this community. It is miles from any other community and many more miles from a church of any type. Most of the residents have no means to travel the hours it would take to get to church. As we were packing up to leave, they asked if I could stay and live with them and be their preacher. It was heartbreaking. I am called to take the gospel message to children around the world. But someone out there is specifically called to minister to the people of Ust-Bub and the surrounding communities. Where are they? When will they answer God's call and purpose for their life? How much longer must the children of Ust-Bub wait for someone to come and be a constant witness of God's love and plan for salvation to them?

Ministering In Ukraine

Although I am just on my first full day in Ukraine, already the work has been productive. Today, in addition to getting acclimated to the time difference, Tom and I had an opportunity to spend several hours with Pastor Sasha at his church. Pastor Sasha is one of our major partners with Book of Hope and has been a leader in initiating our new movie ministry with The GodMan. It was a thrill to be able to spend time with him learning how the work of doing The GodMan is getting done in Ukraine. Please continue to keep this work in your prayers. Tomorrow and Saturday, we will join Pastor Sasha once again, this time visiting outlying villages where we will do The GodMan in community-wide outreaches.

April 2006 Newsletter

Our April 2006 newsletter is now available online. Click here to go immediately to this newsletter. You can also find this and all our previous newsletters on our website at http://www.YourWorldMissionaries.org/. Click on the "Update" tab and look for the links to all our newsletters on the left side of the “Update” page.

Photo Archives

Click Here to view our photo archives on flickr. Our first album, containing pictures of Wayne's trip to Peru, has been archived there.

Prayer Request - Rwanda

Please pray for our team in Rwanda. They have spent the last few months setting up ministry points, training indigenous leaders, and distributing the Book of Hope. Starting tomorrow, they will begin using The GodMan as a central part of this important ministry project - 100 Days of Hope. Pray for the team members as they take the Word of God to every child and youth in this country. And pray for those children and youth, many of whom will learn about Jesus in a relevant and way that impacts their lives when they see The GodMan. Pray that the movie will be effective in communicating who Jesus is and why they need Him.

A Day At The Races

When we visited First Assembly in DeLand on April 12, 2006, we had the great pleasure of meeting Pastor Mike Modica, Tim and Marie Kuck of Nathaniel's Hope, and Bob Minotti of Joey's Gift. While we were talking about the new outreach work to the special needs community in DeLand that First Assembly was embarking on, Pastor Modica started discussing the upcoming events for the Easter weekend. Among those events being discussed was an event called "Keep 'm Smiling Day at the Races." As Pastor Modica started to explain all that was going to happen with this weekend, Rebecca went from being passively engaged with all that was happening in the office to being an active listener. She actually squealed at one point. She was, in her own special way, making it clear that she was interested. When I told Pastor Modica that we had an open weekend due to a service cancellation, he immediately invited us to attend. I thought Rebecca was going to jump out of her chair.

That was Wednesday. By Friday, Rebecca was very sick to her stomach. She was up at 3AM crying over her sickness. We finally settled her down about 6AM and she slept until early afternoon. A day at the races was not looking good. That night, as our activities for the day were drawing to a conclusion, I asked Rebecca about the races. She clearly indicated that she wanted to go. So I made a deal with her.

Now remember, Rebecca cannot walk and cannot talk. Nevertheless, she can understand everything going on around her and she can communicate her expectations through squawks and squeals. The deal with Rebecca was that she was to go to bed now and when I came to wake her up at 5AM, she had to be a happy camper about getting up that early. Any of you with teenagers understand that last part and how hard it can be for someone of Rebecca's age. So we all went off to bed, resting up for the next morning.

As frequently happens, I woke to a very quite house a few minutes before the alarm clock went off. There was not a sound from anywhere. I expected that when the clock buzzed, I would go try to wake Rebecca and she would turn me away with a grumpy shout or cry. I would then be free to reset the clock for a more reasonable hour and return to bed.

The minutes passed and the buzzer on the clock went off. I climbed out of bed, walked across the room and reached for the snooze button. I expected a continuation of the quite I had heard before the alarm went off. However, my expectations were interrupted by the sounds of a 13-year-old girl's giggles coming from across the house. I knew I was in trouble. I walked to her room and sure enough, there was Rebecca, wide smile on her face, gentle giggle coming out of her mouth. She knew it was time to get ready for her very first day at the races.

You have got to understand, we are not a racing family. However, Rebecca has seen the major races on TV. She knows what racing is about. And she is as excited as can be to be going to a day at the races. Even more so, to have an opportunity to see the cars up close and to meet the drivers. She is just bubbling over with excitement.

That excitement continues as we make the nearly four hour drive up to Daytona. Along the way, I had the nerve to pull off the interstate to go through a Starbucks drive-through. She let me know that I was risking her plans for the day. It was as if that one cup of coffee was going to cause her to miss something significant. Did I ever mention that Rebecca is very impatient. If she could be assessed on the proper scales, I'm sure she would come out as a classic "Type-A" personality.

In spite of Rebecca's doubts and impatience, we did arrive at the speedway on time. We registered and went on to our first stop -- Victory Lane. This is the same Victory Lane where the winning race cars on the televised races come so the drivers can receive their trophies. There we were, on Victory Lane, standing next to an actual Daytona International race car. It was an exciting time for both of us.

In addition to Rebecca and I, this event drew about 200 special needs children and their families. After a briefing by the founder of the Continental Historic Racing Association, we heard from one of the race car drivers about safety on the track and on our visit to the track. That was followed by the first leg of a two-segment race. Each segment is a timed hour of racing, with a break in between. At the end of the first leg, and during the break, we stopped to eat a box lunch. Once all the cars were parked in the garage, we were then allowed into the garage area to see the cars, met the drivers, and take pictures. That is where Rebecca had her most enjoyable time.

There are many things that will excite Rebecca. However, there are two things that really excite her -- Pastors and fast cars. She had both with her in the garage. While Rebecca and I were reviewing the cars, she bumped into Pastor Modica and greeted him with her classic smile. He stopped for a minute to take a photo, then Rebecca went about her task of finding the best of her second love -- fast cars.

And Rebecca has a good eye for fast cars. There were several Porsche cars in the race, but she was taken by this very brightly colored one. I could see the plot forming in her mind. She found a pastor, she found a fast car, now all she needed to do was to get the two together and she might get a ride around the track. Unfortunately, her bubble was quickly popped when I pointed out to her that while the seat in the car had a five-point restraint system, much like her car seat, it only had one seat. And that seat was reserved for the driver. There was no way she could get Pastor Modica or anyone else to take her for a high-speed lap around the track.

Was she disappointed? If so, she never showed it. Once our garage time was complete, we all gathered for a group photo around a very large, very green, very fast car. For those of you who have heard the story of Manuel in Honduras, the wheelchair was this same kind of green. That story, based on wheels, was a miracle that made everyone involved smile. This green car today belonged to a man who lent his name and status to help hundreds of children and their families to smile for a day.

You may be wondering, where are the deep spiritual lessons from this day of fun. There may be a message that comes out of this some day. For now, the only lesson is that we should all take time to give our children special days. This was a very special day made possible by many very loving and giving people. Perhaps that's the lesson. Take whatever God-given talents you have and put them to work to brighten the day of someone else. When you do, you may become a hero to someone very special. As for Rebecca, when she looks at Pastor Modica, Mr. Tim, Mrs. Marie, Mr. Bob, all the drivers, all the helpers from CHRA and Nathaniel's Hope, she sees an army of heroes. Thanks for all you did to make her day a special one.

Never Let Work Get In The Way Of Fun

I work hard. However, I also enjoy playing hard. In Peru, while Elmer made sure our days were filled with 14 or more hours of work, he also allowed us sufficient down time to have some fun. One of my favorite diversions during my stay in Peru was to play table football. Surprisingly, I actually gained some proficiency at this sport. But only when defending the goal to my left and firing on the goal to my right. I guess that made me a one-way hero.

While several of us focused on improving our hand-eye coordination with the table games, others took to the water. The pool at our conference facility had a unique feature. A Plexiglas portal that allows those who are in the dining patio to watch from below those who are swimming. Or, as in this case, to allow those who are swimming to peek in on those who are dining.

As much fun as the sports were, they were nothing in comparison to the final evening send-off. If you have been on many missions trips, you know that your last night at the ministry location is usually filled with some type of thank-you celebration. Thursday night was our celebration night. This was the night when the leadership team in Peru presented me with my very own bronze lama. I have it on full display in my office. It reminds me every day of my first official trip with Book of Hope as the International Director of The GodMan. However, every time I look at it, I cannot help but to let out a little giggle and grin. You see, although I've been to many countries and attended many closing ceremonies, I've never experienced one like this one. A ceremony equipped with everything I expected, and one thing I didn't -- dancing girls.

These were not just any type of dancing girls. These were God's dancing girls. They were like David is described in 2 Samuel 6:14, "And David danced before the LORD with all his might." These young ladies were dancing for God, in traditional indigenous Peruvian dress and with dances that represented the various regions of the country. It was a celebration of praise to the Lord through spirit-filled dance.

While there was a lot of work done in Peru, there was also sufficient fun and enjoyment. I hope these pictures give you a small flavor of the week. And, if you happen to see any pictures with me up there dancing with the ladies, please destroy them immediately.

Hey...Where did that picture come from? How did it get on my blog? What is going on here? Just ignore that really tall Peruvian in the traditional gold shirt and green pants. Besides, he doesn't look anything like me!

Sincerely, it was a week of great fun. Lots of work, but also lots of fun. It is one that I will never forget.

The Worth of One

There is a great series of articles in the April 2 TPE. You can read them at http://tpe.ag.org/Coverpages2006/4795_WorthofOne_cvrpg.cfm. The theme reflects one that I preached in Peru, and have incorporated into my messages in the USA several times since the Peru trip.

While we may love to talk about the hundreds, or thousands, or even millions who are being reached through our work, in reality, our task is to reach one more for Jesus. Just one more for Him. One more every day, every hour, every minute, every second. Every believer reaching out to touch the life of one more, then moving on to the next. For some, God has given a mature harvest on fertile land. For others, the ground is just being conditioned. The harvests that come, come through great effort. However, without regard to ease or difficultly, all believers should be doing their part in winning one more for Jesus. Why? Because there is great worth in one!