August 2005

Thanks for continuing to pray for Rachel: she is now undergoing chemotherapy after the extensive course of radiation treatments. It is a difficult time with the side effects which have really hit her hard. She needs our prayers. One good piece of news is that the MRI did not find any cancer cells.

We are constantly reminded by others of the faithfulness of our Lord in using us with people in ways we don’t even imagine. Just last week a person was telling us that we were like parents to him and what a blessing we had always been. I was thankful for what he said and commented to Kathleen: “Isn’t it something how God works, and we don’t even realize it?”

The Bible college began its new semester one week ago with a blessed opening service. One of the graduates from the nineties brought a beautiful, challenging message from God’s Word. There was an air of excitement, and we are looking to the Lord for a good semester of study. We are asking the Lord to provide a couple to live at the college and fill in some needed gaps in the college ministry. Please pray for the Lord’s direction in this area.

We are thankful for the Lord’s blessings on the Old Testament Bible History Illustrated this month. I preached in a church about two weeks ago which had recently started up the course in the church on a Thursday evening. A family man told me that after the first session he was afraid he couldn’t handle the course work. But after a few lessons he discovered that he really could do the work, and he testified to what a great blessing it had been to him. He loves it and is so glad that he took the step!

Several sets of the course are now in the Philippines, and it has been started up on a weeknight in one church with 20 students. As well, two Bible colleges will soon be using it in their curriculum. Something else that excited me was that it was instituted into China about two weeks ago. I never dreamed I’d be able to preach or teach God’s Word in the land of China!

A pastor friend in the USA suggested that some Christian schools would be interested in the course for perhaps a senior-year Bible curriculum. He ordered a set and if it will fit the school schedule, he plans to institute it into their system. An ACE school here in Sydney is putting it into their senior year curriculum next year, and others are looking at it. So maybe it will be a blessing to some high schools. Please pray with us!

Many thanks to all of you who have been “encouragers” to keep us going for our Lord. What a great Lord and cause we serve!