I. Pastor Ravil’s child and baby II. Rowena Brooks III. Dan and Sharon Clark IV. Uncle Jon V. El’s Dad VI. Hurricane Ike VII. Megan’s head injury VIII. Sinichi Iimura’s wife IX. Patiance Father X. Rioting in Kenya XI. Our response...
Job 6:14 "For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty.”
Heb 10:24 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,”
Heb 12:12 “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,”
Take a moment to email...
Ravil: kunakaevi@yahoo.com
Sinichi: iimura@koyonet.com
Dr. Mukolwe: smukolwe@navigators.co.ke
XII. Prayer Requests: As you pray please claim the promises of the verses which accompany each request...
A. Comfort of the Holy Spirit for Julia and all who have lost loved ones
Psalm 23:3-4 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
B. Work for Dan and Jon
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
C. Healing for Satoko and God’s blessing on the Iimura family
James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
D. Spiritual Care and Protection from Bitterness and Doubt
1Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
Dear Prayer Warriors,
GCI has experienced a period of great blessing and expansion in the last five years. This has continued unabated despite the gloomy forecasts by the world media outlets. This of course is to be expected. While God’s Kingdom continues to grow, expand and move to it’s ultimate conclusion, the world on the other hand experiences the depravity and decay of it’s fallen nature.. Of course as Bible believing Christians the fact that the world is passing away is nothing new to us. God the Holy Spirit continually reminds us of this fact in His holy, inspired, eternal, inerrant, written Word...
The Rulers Are All Passing Away: 1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
The World Is Passing Away: I John 2:17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
All Mankind Is Passing Away: 1 Peter 1:24 For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off,
But God’s Word Abides Forever: I Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord abides forever." And this is the word which was preached to you.
Our ministry is the Word of God and the souls of men (the only two things that will not pass away) so we are not very concerned about the inevitable “passing away” of all that seems permanent. It is always exhilarating to be on the winning side. The Wide World of Sports TV show used to begin its broadcast with the famous line, “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat” along with the requisite pictures. Many in the recent elections were downcast after their side lost but turn the channel and you could view riotous celebrations, the exhilaration of victory as expressed by the winning party. Many were downcast after their football team lost the Super Bowl, but often sitting right next to this person was somebody jumping up and down screaming his head off in celebration of their teams victory. In the world of economics there have been winners and losers as well, though we do not live in those tax brackets we do hear of those who are either downcast or exhilarated, depending on their investments.
These victories however will be short lived. We on the other hand are on the winning side of an eternal victory, eternal investments and a contest whose decision has already been decided in our favor. Now that is exhilarating!! As we wait for the outcome though we do groan and struggle in this body of flesh. Job put it succinctly in Job 5:7 when he said, “For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.” I would like to take a moment to alert you to some of the troubles and grinding that your brothers and sisters are going through as we wait for our Lord and Savior to return with our crowns of victory...
Pastor Ravil’s child and unborn baby
As you know baby Margaret, the 18 month old child of Pastor Ravil and his wife Julia was taken into the beloved arms of our Savior. This was a great trial for this young couple and now they await the Lord’s decision on their yet unborn child. That decision will come soon as Julia is going in for a C-section Section this weekend.
Rowena Brooks
I have heard this testimony from two godly men – first Lorne Sanny the former Director of The Navigators and next John Crawford, the missionary and mentor, both, during times of personal reflection shared the same thing concerning their wives. Both their wives had lost children at or before birth, both confided that upon more than one occasion their respective wives had shared with them that never a day went by that they did not think of that little unborn child in the arms of Jesus. None of us expect to outlive our children. Though many of us give lip service to the life of the unborn child, no one knows this reality more than the mother who carries this child and no one feels the pain more than the mother who gives up the child to Jesus before knowing the child herself. It is one thing for Hannah, after weaning her precious son to give him to the Lord, it is another for a Christian mother, having never held her child, to give that child to Jesus. That brings me to Rowena Brooks. Rowena’s husband Mark is in my Tuesday Bible study. She is best friends with El and we have lunch together after church whenever possible. Mark has been to Belarus with me teaching the Word of God and Mark and Rowena will be joining us this year in Kenya to evangelize on University Campuses and teach the Word of God in churches. Rowena has a Facebook page where she shares “25 Things About Me”. Let me quote from that page, “I know one day I will get to see and hold the 3 babies I lost early in pregnancy.” Rowena has accepted the sovereign will of God to care for her child. She and all Christian mothers who entrust their unborn children to God exceed the faith of Hannah. It is one thing to make the decision yourself, it is another to allow God to make it for you and trust in His goodness and care of that child you never held but rather went straight to the arms of Jesus who suffers all little children to come unto Him (Mark 10:14 KJV).
Dan and Sharon Clark My good friend Dan Clark, who also serves on our Board of Directors was suddenly laid off without warning. He was not alone neither in his company nor in the city of Houston as rolling layoffs are no longer news. If I could though let me brag on his wife Sharon. Dan had a good career here in the US when he felt called to Chile as a missionary. Sharon did not bat an eye and supported him 100% as they moved their family to Santiago for 12 years. When Dan decided it was time to return to the US , again Sharon supported him 100%. This weekend Dan will not be at our board meeting, rather he and Sharon will be, in of all places, in Billings , Montana . The Baptists are flying him up there to discuss ministry opportunities among migrant workers. Sharon is again 100% behind Dan, even though she has children both in home school and public school; even though she has a strong network of friends and active ministry with children in her church, Sharon is fully committed to God’s leadership of Dan. She is a true Ruth and Sarah rolled into one and she has been his greatest cheerleader in all this, even if this means a move to Billings , Montana – about as far away as you can get from her extended family.
Uncle Jon:
My brother in law, “Uncle Jon” has ministered with Focus on the Family since they were a small ministry in California . He moved to Colorado Springs with them, he was in the thick of things when they moved from rental property to their site north of town. He was integrally involved in all their building programs. He in every way felt himself not just an employee of Focus, not just a minister with Focus but a member of the “Focus Family”. Uncle Jon was just a few years away from retirement so you can imagine both the shock and heartache when he was cut along with many others. It was hard enough for Dan to be told on a moments notice to “clear out your desk” and be given just a months salary right before Christmas, but for Uncle Jon it was a double blow. You expect such treatment from a secular job but not your ministry. Uncle Jon though has not said one word of complaint. He has busied himself seeking God’s will and waiting on God’s plan. He will in fact be at our Board of Directors meeting this weekend, serving as he always has with a loving, humble and sacrificial sprit. Let me brag a little on my sister Mary as well. Mary and I talk on the phone just about every week and if I can quote her on our last phone conversation., “I am supporting Jon 100%. Whatever job God gives him, I know that is God’s will for me. Until then I am not going to nag but pray and wait. Jon is the head of the home and I am his helpmate.”
El’s Dad
We are coming up on the one year anniversary of El’s father’s homegoing. Although being in the US this past year has been a great joy for El, each passing seasonal event has had a touch of melancholy in that they have passed without seeing her father. We know that Grandpa Bill is with the Lord, we know that we will someday be reunited, but the total separation, the impenetrable gulf between this life and the next, does create a periodic sense of melancholy. I am proud to have a wife with the faith of Martha who boldly proclaimed to Jesus upon the death and burial of her brother Lazarus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Eleanor too holds this faith and waits to be once again reunited with her father, my mother, Aunt Mable and all those who have gone before.
Sinichi Iimura’s wife
Many of you have prayed for Sinichi (Joe) Iimura. He is a strong Christian businessman in Tokyo with believing children. We have ministered in their church and home in Tokyo and they have visited in our home many times. I was looking forward to attending his son’s wedding when it was suddenly moved up to this month. The reason, his wife has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The post operative prognosis is very guarded and she wanted to see her son’s wedding. There has been no hint of bitterness or despair in any of the emails concerning God’s timing and will but only a desire to know and understand His plan. How I praise God for such a godly family whos
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