I just want to write a quick praise report from today. As I wrote earlier, my new assignment became official towards the end of last week. Today I had the opportunity to go out to a new campus of the university I will be workinig at when I return to Asia from the US in mid-August.
The summer project for that campus arrived on Friday, so they also went out to the new campus. Because there were so many of us, it was really easy to meet new people, and I also got to meet some guys whom I will be working with in the fall. The afternoon (and night) out there really helped me to get some vision for what the Lord is doing on that campus and I walked away from the experience with a greater sense of peace about being there in the fall. Thanks to all of you who have been praying about the upcoming change, and I would like to ask you to continue in your prayers for smoothness in the transition.
One other praise is that one of my guys has really stepped up and started leading one of the new guys through the follow up material for new believers.
Here are a few more (updated) things that you can be praying for during this week...
*Some of the students from fellowship group are coming over for a goodbye party on Thursday night and I will be studying with the guys here one last time before everyone comes over. Pray that our last study time would go well, and that we would all have a good time of fellowship at the goodbye party. Pray that the students will understand about me moving to a new campus as there is much that I cannot tell them relating to reasons for the change.
*An advanced training class this weekend. The class will teach students how to effectively lead new believers through follow up material and Bible study, and generally how to encourage the new believer to grow in their walk with the Lord. Pray that students would be able to attend and that the teaching would help them to help new believers here.
*I need to make a decision about moving in the next couple of days. I won't write out all the details, but please just pray for the Lord to reveal His will in the situation and also to give me wisdom about the decision I need to make.
*Finally, please pray that I will be able to get all of the little details wrapped up (like paying bills, stopping my phone for the summer etc.), and continue to make plans and have wisdom for using the time I am in the US well.
I leave in one week from today. I'll look forward to seeing some of you soon!
PS. Sorry I haven't put any pictures up lately, I am having trouble with the software used to post the pictures. Hopefully I will have it resolved soon, and then I'll have more pictures for you (there were some cool ones from this afternoon of a chopstick usage competition!)
5.23.2005
Dumplings and peanuts
This isn't a prayer request, but just a fun story I thought I'd share with you. Tonight out at the new campus, the students had a party for us. One of the guys that Logan has been working with is the class president, so he has some connections at the university. He arranged to reserve the whole upstairs section of the cafeteria for the party. He also thought that a fun activity for the party would be to teach the foreigners how to make dumplings, which are something of a specialty here. He invited his whole class and some other friends to be our teachers (which also provided a really good time for the summer project people to meet a lot of students who speak English there).
There were four tables with nine people at each table--three foreigners and six students. It was fun to watch the students as they made the dumplings. Then they started getting us involved in the dumpling making process. I told the guy beside me that mine weren't turning out so well. He kindly responded that it was ok because it was my first time to make dumplings. That's when my face turned a little red and I had to sheepishly admit that it wasn't my first time making dumplings and that the ones I'd made before hadn't turned out so well either.
After that, the students planned a little relay race to see who could carry the most peanuts from one side of the room to the other in two minutes using chop sticks. Hopefully I'll put some fun pictures from that little race on this page soon.
There were four tables with nine people at each table--three foreigners and six students. It was fun to watch the students as they made the dumplings. Then they started getting us involved in the dumpling making process. I told the guy beside me that mine weren't turning out so well. He kindly responded that it was ok because it was my first time to make dumplings. That's when my face turned a little red and I had to sheepishly admit that it wasn't my first time making dumplings and that the ones I'd made before hadn't turned out so well either.
After that, the students planned a little relay race to see who could carry the most peanuts from one side of the room to the other in two minutes using chop sticks. Hopefully I'll put some fun pictures from that little race on this page soon.
5.20.2005
A few things to update you about...
1. I got a call yesterday making my new fall assignment official. Steve, whom you have been reading about in the last few posts will be my director when I get back. The move is bittersweet, as I will really miss the students with whom I have been working for the past year. I know that the Lord is sovereign over all things though, and I do believe this move will be the best thing for the ministry in the city in the long run.
The decision was not finalized in time for me to get a new apartment before I leave for the US, so please be praying with me through that this summer. The undergraduate student body at the new campus is gradually being moved to a new location about an hour outside the city and a couple of us are talking about trying to move somewhere close to that campus. The good thing about that would be being closer to the students and having more flexibility in doing ministry there. The not as good part (opportunity, as we used to call it when I worked at the bank :)is that all of our team meetings and language classes would still be in the city.
Please pray for wisdom about this decision. Either way, it is going to mean a lot of time commuting next year (the team assigned to that campus this year lives in the city and has been going to the new campus for six hours a day three days a week, but that really limits possible interaction with students). If the Lord would have us stay in the city next year, please pray that He would lead us in making an effective ministry plan for this new campus, and give us quality time with the students there.
**Please also be praying for me during the next week as I will not only be saying goodbye to the guys I have been working with for the past year, but also trying to meet some students at the new campus so that I will know some people there in the fall.
2. There are a lot of things that I need/want to get done in the next week. I am in the process of making/editing a video testimony, would like to make a slideshow, and also need to buy a lot of gifts (which is more difficult than it sounds, at least for me). Pray that the Lord would help me to use the time I have efficiently and be able to get all the little details taken care of before I leave.
3. Pray for our summer project that is coming in this morning. We have a packed schedule for them this weekend, so pray that they will have energy and not suffer from too much jet lag. Pray that they would have the opportunity to get on campus quickly after they get here and start meeting students, and that they would find students who are receptive. Also pray for an event that they will be planning to meet students during their first or second week here.
4. Pray for students from the May Break trip who are applying for a summer project here. They will need to go through an interview process and raise support for the project which will start in July. Pray that they would be committed to going and to the process even with final exams looming for many of them.
5. Pray for a level 2 training that we will be happening this weekend. It has been a while since we have done this training and we have a lot of students who are ready to attend. Pray that the Spirit would lead in the planning of the time, and that nothing would get in the way of students being able to go. Also pray for the teachers that they would be filled with the Spirit as they teach these students about leading new believers.
The decision was not finalized in time for me to get a new apartment before I leave for the US, so please be praying with me through that this summer. The undergraduate student body at the new campus is gradually being moved to a new location about an hour outside the city and a couple of us are talking about trying to move somewhere close to that campus. The good thing about that would be being closer to the students and having more flexibility in doing ministry there. The not as good part (opportunity, as we used to call it when I worked at the bank :)is that all of our team meetings and language classes would still be in the city.
Please pray for wisdom about this decision. Either way, it is going to mean a lot of time commuting next year (the team assigned to that campus this year lives in the city and has been going to the new campus for six hours a day three days a week, but that really limits possible interaction with students). If the Lord would have us stay in the city next year, please pray that He would lead us in making an effective ministry plan for this new campus, and give us quality time with the students there.
**Please also be praying for me during the next week as I will not only be saying goodbye to the guys I have been working with for the past year, but also trying to meet some students at the new campus so that I will know some people there in the fall.
2. There are a lot of things that I need/want to get done in the next week. I am in the process of making/editing a video testimony, would like to make a slideshow, and also need to buy a lot of gifts (which is more difficult than it sounds, at least for me). Pray that the Lord would help me to use the time I have efficiently and be able to get all the little details taken care of before I leave.
3. Pray for our summer project that is coming in this morning. We have a packed schedule for them this weekend, so pray that they will have energy and not suffer from too much jet lag. Pray that they would have the opportunity to get on campus quickly after they get here and start meeting students, and that they would find students who are receptive. Also pray for an event that they will be planning to meet students during their first or second week here.
4. Pray for students from the May Break trip who are applying for a summer project here. They will need to go through an interview process and raise support for the project which will start in July. Pray that they would be committed to going and to the process even with final exams looming for many of them.
5. Pray for a level 2 training that we will be happening this weekend. It has been a while since we have done this training and we have a lot of students who are ready to attend. Pray that the Spirit would lead in the planning of the time, and that nothing would get in the way of students being able to go. Also pray for the teachers that they would be filled with the Spirit as they teach these students about leading new believers.
5.19.2005
From Steve
I made it back safely yesterday afternoon. Things have become very urgent here, and it was good I came when I did.
He is stable right now. He survived the emergency surgery whereby they cut off one side's carotid artery, although the doctor had warned them there was a minimal chance of survival. There was also the concern he would have a stroke during the surgery, which he did not. However, the doctor has warned us that he is down to his final days or perhaps weeks, but he doubts it would be longer. The tumor is spreading very rapidly and soon will be into his organs, the doctor said. Or it could cause another bleeding episode below where they clamped his carotid. Or, since the tumor has already begun spreading to the other side, it could choke off that side's carotid as well. There is nothing more that can be done, apart from a mircale from Dad. Right now, the family is praying that he would hang on long enough to see the few family members who haven't made it in yet. Also, that he would not be in pain or be fearful. The doc said if he starts bleeding again, they can just give him medicine so he will peacefully go to sleep. I got a chance to see him last night, and surprisingly he is very coherent. He cannot speak because he has a breathing tube (which they hope to remove today), but he is communicating by pointing to letters on a page and making sentences. He is very sharp mentally and even has a sense of humor. He knows he will be with Jesus soon.
Besides these things, please also pray that their house would sell this month. Their financial situation has worsened along with his health, and apparently if the house does not sell this month, things will quickly turn desparate. Also, many many key decisions have not yet been made, so pray for all of us as well.
He is stable right now. He survived the emergency surgery whereby they cut off one side's carotid artery, although the doctor had warned them there was a minimal chance of survival. There was also the concern he would have a stroke during the surgery, which he did not. However, the doctor has warned us that he is down to his final days or perhaps weeks, but he doubts it would be longer. The tumor is spreading very rapidly and soon will be into his organs, the doctor said. Or it could cause another bleeding episode below where they clamped his carotid. Or, since the tumor has already begun spreading to the other side, it could choke off that side's carotid as well. There is nothing more that can be done, apart from a mircale from Dad. Right now, the family is praying that he would hang on long enough to see the few family members who haven't made it in yet. Also, that he would not be in pain or be fearful. The doc said if he starts bleeding again, they can just give him medicine so he will peacefully go to sleep. I got a chance to see him last night, and surprisingly he is very coherent. He cannot speak because he has a breathing tube (which they hope to remove today), but he is communicating by pointing to letters on a page and making sentences. He is very sharp mentally and even has a sense of humor. He knows he will be with Jesus soon.
Besides these things, please also pray that their house would sell this month. Their financial situation has worsened along with his health, and apparently if the house does not sell this month, things will quickly turn desparate. Also, many many key decisions have not yet been made, so pray for all of us as well.
5.18.2005
Update about Tamara's dad
I got a call from Steve this morning just before he boarded the international leg of his flight back to the US. He told me that Tamara had called him twice during the night about her dad's condition. The first time she called, the bleeding from her dad's neck had started again for the third time in two days. She said the doctors had no other option than to do a very risky operation to close off the artery that the tumor was surrounding. The doctors told the family beforehand that there was a very good chance that her dad would not make it through the operation, but it was the only thing they could do. In addition to the obvious risk of death during the operation, there was a very high risk that the operation would cause him to have a stroke if he didn't die.
Tamara called back a couple of hours later to say that her dad had made it through the operation and did not suffer a stroke in the process. This certainly did not get rid of the cancer, but it may give her dad's doctors the opportunity they needed to treat the tumor that was so close to the artery more intensely. Only using one artery continues to put her dad at high risk for having a stroke even after the operation, so please continue to lift him and their family up in prayer. Thanks so much for praying for them!
Tamara called back a couple of hours later to say that her dad had made it through the operation and did not suffer a stroke in the process. This certainly did not get rid of the cancer, but it may give her dad's doctors the opportunity they needed to treat the tumor that was so close to the artery more intensely. Only using one artery continues to put her dad at high risk for having a stroke even after the operation, so please continue to lift him and their family up in prayer. Thanks so much for praying for them!
5.17.2005
*Urgent Prayer Request*
Steve and Tamara have been here in my city for about three years now, and prior to that they were on staff at Duke. Tamara's dad (who is 56) was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago, but was told that he was in remission and that there was no sign of the cancer this past January. In March, his doctors discovered two new tumors, one very close to an artery in his neck. He began chemo therapy, as the doctors could not operate unless the tumor shrank due to its proximity to the artery.
In late April, the tumor was not shrinking at all from the chemo, and Tamara decided that she needed to return to the US to be with her dad this summer. She and their two little girls left last Friday night. Steve planned to stay here until mid June to handle some pressing ministry needs.
Tamara called on Sunday to say that her dad had been taken to the hospital because of bleeding related to the tumor (doctors were at first afraid that it had reached the artery, but found that it had ruptured a blood vessel, causing the bleeding). On further examination, they also discovered that the tumor is now completely surrounding the artery.
Steve began to think about going back to the US earlier last night, and I spent the night over at his apartment trying to help him think through some things that would need to be taken care of here in his absence. After I left this morning, Tamara called again saying that her dad had been taken to the hospital with bleeding again and that it was much worse this time. At one point, he stopped breathing, but was revived by EMTs. He remains in ICU.
Steve decided that he probably needed to return to the US as soon as possible, and so I helped him get ready this afternoon. Leaving an overseas assignment is no easy task to do in a week, but a few hours is EXTREMELY stressful. He was finally able to purchase a plane ticket for an 8:25PM flight at 6PM and the travel agent's messenger met us at the airport with the ticket.
I know those are a lot of details, but I would like for you to take just a minute or a few minutes to lift up this precious family in prayer. They have meant a lot to me this year and the Lord continues to use them here in great ways for His glory.
Would you pray specifically that:
*Steve would have a safe trip back to the US, and have peace and be able to rest on the flight
*Tamara and her family would be at peace with all the overwhelming things going on around them right now, and that they would draw close to the Lord during this really difficult time
*For people to surround them with the love of Christ
*For their two little girls (Kameryn, 3 and Madison, 18 mo.) not to be scared about everything that is happening around them (Just being back in the US is pretty strange for them as they have spent almost all of their lives here).
In late April, the tumor was not shrinking at all from the chemo, and Tamara decided that she needed to return to the US to be with her dad this summer. She and their two little girls left last Friday night. Steve planned to stay here until mid June to handle some pressing ministry needs.
Tamara called on Sunday to say that her dad had been taken to the hospital because of bleeding related to the tumor (doctors were at first afraid that it had reached the artery, but found that it had ruptured a blood vessel, causing the bleeding). On further examination, they also discovered that the tumor is now completely surrounding the artery.
Steve began to think about going back to the US earlier last night, and I spent the night over at his apartment trying to help him think through some things that would need to be taken care of here in his absence. After I left this morning, Tamara called again saying that her dad had been taken to the hospital with bleeding again and that it was much worse this time. At one point, he stopped breathing, but was revived by EMTs. He remains in ICU.
Steve decided that he probably needed to return to the US as soon as possible, and so I helped him get ready this afternoon. Leaving an overseas assignment is no easy task to do in a week, but a few hours is EXTREMELY stressful. He was finally able to purchase a plane ticket for an 8:25PM flight at 6PM and the travel agent's messenger met us at the airport with the ticket.
I know those are a lot of details, but I would like for you to take just a minute or a few minutes to lift up this precious family in prayer. They have meant a lot to me this year and the Lord continues to use them here in great ways for His glory.
Would you pray specifically that:
*Steve would have a safe trip back to the US, and have peace and be able to rest on the flight
*Tamara and her family would be at peace with all the overwhelming things going on around them right now, and that they would draw close to the Lord during this really difficult time
*For people to surround them with the love of Christ
*For their two little girls (Kameryn, 3 and Madison, 18 mo.) not to be scared about everything that is happening around them (Just being back in the US is pretty strange for them as they have spent almost all of their lives here).
5.08.2005
Welcome!
Dear friend,
I hope that I will be able to use this site to keep you regularly updated on things going on in the ministry here and let you know about things that you can be praying for as they happen. Thanks for taking the time to visit this site, and for your faithful prayers. God bless you!
Brian
I hope that I will be able to use this site to keep you regularly updated on things going on in the ministry here and let you know about things that you can be praying for as they happen. Thanks for taking the time to visit this site, and for your faithful prayers. God bless you!
Brian
Praise
Praise the Lord for what He did through the May Break trip last week! Here are a few highlights from the trip:
*26 people participated...20 students and six staff
*25 people prayed to receive Christ during the week
*Students matured a lot and grew in their relationships with each other and the Lord
*We all have more of a heart for those who have never had a chance to hear the Gospel
*Six students accepted the challenge to go on summer project, and eleven said that they would be willing to go if they sense the Lord leading them to do so.
*26 people participated...20 students and six staff
*25 people prayed to receive Christ during the week
*Students matured a lot and grew in their relationships with each other and the Lord
*We all have more of a heart for those who have never had a chance to hear the Gospel
*Six students accepted the challenge to go on summer project, and eleven said that they would be willing to go if they sense the Lord leading them to do so.
Prayer Requests
A few things that you can be praying for especially during the next three weeks are:
*That I would be able to finalize travel plans to go home for the summer. I have reservations but have still not been able to purchase the tickets because I am waiting on confirmation for one leg of the flight.
*That I would be able to plan my time at home well from here. Since the time is so short, I would like to have as much of it as possible planned before I leave here.
*That these last three weeks would be productive. I need to write a hard copy prayer letter in the next few days and make a video on the administrative end of things
*Pray that I would get some good quality time with the brothers here before I leave.
*Pray for an upcoming change in my assignment. I will be in the same city, but it is going to mean a move and a lot of changes for the fall. I'll write more about that soon, but most immediately, pray that I would be able to find a new apartment before I leave so that I will be able to move and get settled quickly when I get back in August.
*Pray for reliable transportation this summer
*Pray that the Lord will lead me to new people whom He has prepared to be a part of this ministry. Because of increased expenses due to my assignment change next year and several partners who have not been able to continue on my financial support team, I will need to raise $500-600 in new monthly support while I am home this summer.
*That I would be able to finalize travel plans to go home for the summer. I have reservations but have still not been able to purchase the tickets because I am waiting on confirmation for one leg of the flight.
*That I would be able to plan my time at home well from here. Since the time is so short, I would like to have as much of it as possible planned before I leave here.
*That these last three weeks would be productive. I need to write a hard copy prayer letter in the next few days and make a video on the administrative end of things
*Pray that I would get some good quality time with the brothers here before I leave.
*Pray for an upcoming change in my assignment. I will be in the same city, but it is going to mean a move and a lot of changes for the fall. I'll write more about that soon, but most immediately, pray that I would be able to find a new apartment before I leave so that I will be able to move and get settled quickly when I get back in August.
*Pray for reliable transportation this summer
*Pray that the Lord will lead me to new people whom He has prepared to be a part of this ministry. Because of increased expenses due to my assignment change next year and several partners who have not been able to continue on my financial support team, I will need to raise $500-600 in new monthly support while I am home this summer.
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