The Real Party: We found out that our neighbor's party last week was really giving a children's party a chance to use their location. By the way, it stopped at 9:30 p.m. We were personally invited to the real party which started last night with a church service. Since we have been working on building a good relationship with our neighbors, we felt that we should attend. Every year we have taken baked goods there as well as tracts. The wife, who is 60 today, is the Suriname Ambassador to Brazil. Her husband is a former minister of one of the government ministries (I think trade and industry) and works part time in Brazil as well. They came back to Suriname for the occasion, and all four children came from the USA, England and, I believe, Belgium as well.

I had witnessed to the husband, who is a very serious church attender, but according to his own words is not yet "born again." We have not had a chance to talk in detail with his wife. However, it is typical in Suriname to have a service on a "bigi jari" - special birthdays divided by 5 - like 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, etc. Hers was to be held the night before her actual birthday and to extend after 12 o'clock. They call it "owroe jari" - the old year preparing for the new. The Ambassador herself invited us to the church service, and mentioned that it would be quiet and peaceful. She told Liz that she had invited about 200 guests to the party today with dancing and food, and seemed instinctively to know that we would not be comfortable coming. She was so right!

The service was by the EBG pastor (Evangelical Brothers Church, or Moravians). The Moravians arose under the leadership of Count Zinzendorf in Germany as a pietistic movement within the Lutherans. Later they separated from the Lutherans. The original Moravians were very serious about prayer and holy living. They had a 24/7 prayer meeting that lasted 100 years without interruption! They had the highest percentage of missionaries of any church group in the world! Although they were a small group, they dominated world missions for a period of time. One of the first places they came was Suriname in about 1735. The original pastors did preach the gospel. Like the Lutherans, they hold to baptismal regeneration. Many of the original pastors were saved men, but the group went liberal as did most main-line denominations. At present there are only a minority of true believing pastors. (It seems that even when we win our own generation, we must be careful to continue for the generations to come - both here in Suriname, and in the USA.)

I had been praying for an opportunity for witness. Liz bought a birthday card and enclosed several tracts. The pastor in charge introduced himself, said that he had see me on TV several times, and asked if I would pray. I said "Yes, as long as I can pray in Sranantongo." "No problem". We sang songs. We listened to the day-texts from the EBG church. He preached from the text in John 10 over the good shepherd knowing His sheep, etc. What a wide open door for the gospel, but we never heard it clearly presented. Fortunately, the dominee (pastor) spoke his Dutch very clearly and we could understand him. The service resembled those from our days in a liberal unsaved church. "God has blessed you richly, sister, primarily because you have been good and followed Him" - but nothing about salvation by faith. Finally after about 1 ½ hours, he asked me to pray a "fiery prayer."

I began by mentioning that I would speak in Sranantongo, because God would understand my poor Dutch, but perhaps no one else would. They laughed. Then I mentioned that I love birthdays so much that I have two of them. I am 71, but I am 35, and further, I have two daughters who are older than I am. By now, the people were listening. Then I said that my first birth was physical, and brought me to earth to live, but one day I will have to leave. But my second birth was spiritual, and brought me into the family of God, and gave me eternal life. I very briefly outlined the Romans Road to salvation. I gave my testimony, that I had to stop trusting my baptism, my church membership, my confirmation, and had to personally receive Jesus as Lord. Then I prayed for the Lord's blessing on the wife and family, and that anyone who had only one birthday would make the step to be certain of two. Some were quiet. Some said a vigorous "Amen." Pray with us that although the time was short (certainly less than 5 minutes, perhaps less than 3), there would be fruit that would remain.

Today they are having the "real celebration" with feasting and dancing starting at 6 pm. Praise the Lord that we will be most of the time at our Efraimzegen church where I will be preaching.

Final cut express 4: Jonathan Champlin and family returned to the USA for furlough last Tuesday. He brought the Mac computer back from Moengo. We had bought it with funds from a church gift several years ago, along with a camera and other equipment to make TV programs. Jonathan has replaced Bob Rasmussen, and has been making our TV broadcasting programs. Fortunately we are quite far ahead on broadcasts. If necessary, we will repeat a few broadcasts until his return.

Since Tuesday I have been working through a book on Final Cut Express, the program we have been using. I am slowly learning the techniques which I will need to be able to put our new Advanced Bible Institute program on DVD. We have two correspondence students now, and hope to have many more in the near future. Please pray for me to grasp what I need to know. A group is donating a PowerMac laptop which will permit me to both record and produce DVD's in the future. Ask the Lord to open my understanding.

50 years marriage: In a month, Lord willing, we will celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary here on May 30th. We will have a thanksgiving service at the main church with all four churches participating. Twenty-three of those 50 years have been here in Suriname, and an additional 5 years were in Liberia, West Africa. Today I preached primarily from Ephesians 5:22-33 over the relationship of man and wife. The next time I preach Sunday morning in two weeks, I hope to preach on Ephesians 6:1-4 over raising children. The Bible standards are clear. We as Christians need to hold them, and we aren't doing very well.

Prayer requests:

1. Health and strength for the work
2. Our spiritual growth
3. Soulwinning and discipling believers
4. Independence of the 4 churches
5. Bible Institutes
6. Learning Final Cut 4 and starting producing DVDs