"Relax your feet" the nurse said in Dutch. "My feet are relaxed, but my heart is not," I replied. The nurse laughed. A few weeks ago, I requested prayer for my voice in these updates. Finally I went to my friend the pulmonary specialist because the ENT doctor was out of country. "Do you want me to check it out by bronchoscopy?" he asked. "You make the decision. You were my teacher" (I taught him in medical training 22 years earlier) "But you are my doctor" I replied. Two days later I arrived fasting for a bronchoscopy. It was not a pleasant experience, but the results were normal, and I was both relieved and delighted. One problem as a doctor is knowing too much about possible complications. After a clean bill of health, I will just be careful to use our wireless microphone while teaching and keep taking my allergy meds.

A real bonus was another chance to talk with my doctor friend about the Lord. He is the only one of my former doctor collegues who I have seen accept the Lord, though I spoke with a number of them about salvation. For the last 10 years, he has attended a liberal church. His growth has been limited. This week, I was able to give him a book about Christian growth, and we continue to pray for him (I have prayed for him for a number of years), as well as for salvation for his wife. As Paul said in I Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called (and not many physicians, unfortunately...) One of our young preachers who was his patient also witnessed to him on a number of occasions before his death about 10 years ago.

Baptisms: We were blessed with five baptisms last Sunday morning, and one lady asked to postpone hers one week. After I had preached on baptism two weeks ago and church membership this week, we were blessed to see at least two other teenagers ask for baptism. Liz and I went to a 17 year old girl's home today. She had made a profession about five years ago in a group of young people sitting in front of a neighbor's home. The neighbor lady has since died, but now this teenager asked to get baptized. When we spoke with her today, she gave a clear testimony of salvation and life change five years ago, but then drifted away. We were pleased to see her mother also make a profession. She seemed to understand very clearly. Her younger 15 year old sister who has started coming to our youth group also made a profession.

Prayer: Normally our nationals preach every Wednesday, and I preach Sunday alternating between morning and evening services. The two weeks when I preach in the morning service, I will preach at Winti Wai once a month, and Efraimzegen once a month. I would really like to preach more often at the main church, but we are in the phase of nationalization. The national preachers must have a chance to preach to the congregations too. This Wednesday night, I had a chance to preach in place of our oldest national pastor at the main church. Kalow Palata was injured while in the army, and is now on partial disability. His back hurt so much that he could not preach. Please remember him is prayer, along with his entire family.

We also spent time praying with the wife of our other national pastors. She has had major trials and difficulties, and that family needs plenty of prayer too. I have been impressed that the Lord has especially blessed as the church has been more faithful and serious in praying for each other.

The advanced Bible Institute continues to go well except for the DVD recordings. I had so many problems this week that I gave up trying to make a recording either live during the lesson, or separately afterwards. Please pray about what we should do. I would like to see the materials available for correspondence and for preserving the information. Three young preachers cannot attend but want the lessons, and they are more effective on DVD. Howerver, I don't want to lose my sanity working out a reliable method.

Prayer requests:

1. Strength and health for the work
2. Spiritual growth and insight
3. Training nationals and independence of the churches
4. Two meetings over the next two weeks
5. Some scheduling still incomplete for our time in the USA
6. Baptisms this Sunday
7. Unity and spiritual growth in the leadership
8. A number of personal problems in some of our leaders families