January 2, 2012
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Raising Partners for the CIS (Week #1)
Yesterday, January 1, 2012, was our very first Sunday as missionaries. The journey thus far has been unforgettable
.Two weeks ago, as I was putting a piece of paper in a trash can, my back “gave out”. I am still unclear exactly what has happened to me, but this I know… there is pain and much of it. On Wednesday morning of this past week, I gingerly walked to our car as Jenni drove me to the ER of Methodist Hospital of West Houston. A shot of morphine and three prescriptions later, I headed home wondering what would become of our new journey as missionaries. Would I be able to keep my preaching schedule? Would I need a second back surgery? I guess in some ways I do not have the answers to these questions yet. I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday with the same neurosurgeon who first worked on my back in the summer of 2004. I am praying that I will not need surgery and that what I have been experiencing is muscle spasms.
Through it all, I have seen God’s hand at work in some amazing ways. He is faithful all the way to the end! He is patient and amazingly good in every way! He always has surprises along the journey! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Yesterday morning, I spoke at Celebrate Life Church of the Nazarene in Katy, Texas. This is the congregation that my former church, Houston Living Word Nazarene, planted in June 2010. Pastor Adam Schwing and his wife Angel are doing a great job of leading this new church to follow Jesus. They were wonderfully kind to us, generous in every way, and as a church they prayed for our healing and send us off to the mission field. Just think for a moment of the goodness of God… We sent them in June 2010 as “missionaries” to Katy, Texas… And now, they sent us as a missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine!
Last evening, I spoke at the Spanish-speaking service for Houston Living Word. Pastor Guillermo and Pastora Luz Maria began the Spanish ministries at LWN 13 years ago. Their “congregation within a congregation” at Living Word now runs 175 Spanish-speakers. They were a joy to be with last night. We celebrated and worshiped the Lord. They too were so kind to us… and so generous… gave us a beautiful plaque… and sent us off with prayer.
I could not have imagined of a more fitting way to begin our missionary journeys than to start with these two missional families that we love so dearly!
