Newsletter: Holiday Edition

HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy our latest newsletter sent with a digital double portion of holiday cheer.

Winter Newsletter 2010

God's Perfect Rest

We received sad news this week: a church brother and friend died. The news was a shock. Our friend, Mr. Gutsmore, had recently undergone surgery in order to treat a long time illness that doctors were unable to pinpoint and address effectively. From all accounts, the surgery went well, and his strength seemed to be returning quickly. However, Tuesday night he felt ill and was short of breath. Not long after the troubles arose that night, Brother Gutsmore was with his Savior.

Kirsten and I met Bro. Gutsmore on our exploratory visit in November 2008 when we came as a members of an 18-person team to serve in Buff Bay. He drove me to my first preaching engagement. That would not be the last time he would give me a lift to teach. When we landed last year to begin ministering, Bro. Gutsmore was a great encouragement to us. His faithfulness and delight in the Lord was evident and through it was a blessing to many.

Brother Gutsmore was Buff Bay's tailor. There may be others, but everyone knows Bro. G. His shop is on the main road, so Kirsten and I would often make a point to stop in and chat. Gutsmore's health had been on the decline for many months. The illness he faced left him unable to eat and keep food down. Therefore, he was often depleted of energy and very weak and could not keep up his weight. A thin man to begin with, he lost decent poundage since we arrived. Despite the nagging persistence of sickness and fatigue, I never heard him complain once! His testimony and faith in Christ strengthened instead of decreased through his sickness. He trusted in the goodness in God even when the evidence said he should not.

Gutsmore was one of the few male voices in the choir, a deacon of the church, a husband, father, community bulwark, and friend. More importantly he was a child of God and has gone before us to be with Him, for which celebrate and praise the Lord!

It is Finished!...Almost

It is official. We are competent drivers according to the Jamaican government! We have both officially passed our driving tests with only a few scratches and bruises. Most of the bruising was to our egos, but we are thankful for the lesson in humility! All that is left is to wait for our actual licenses to come in the mail (hence the "almost").

Throughout the time of going and taking tests (note the "s"), we were able to get to know one of the driving officials pretty well. After discovering that we are Christians and work with Pastor Allen, he asked us to keep him in our prayers, which we have been. He is a pleasant man who seems to be misunderstood (as you can imagine if your job was to be a task-master and make sure people are not cutting the corners or breaking the standards). We were even invited to a cook-out on his farm next time he slaughters a pig to jerk!

This week has been a tough writing week. As we keep plugging away, the spontaneous and unexpected relationships are great reminders of what God cares about most - people. Jesus came to seek and save the lost - you and me. Kirsten and I often rack our brains over how best to meet address this issue and need (which is necessary and good), but we are ashamed to say that it sometimes leads us to being disconnected from the people of Buff Bay whom God loved so much He gave Jesus to save. When this disconnection occurs, we forget to see and love others the way Jesus does. The agendas, meetings, and Bible studies are great, but if we have not love, specifically the love of Christ (in us and offered to others), then we are forgetting the "royal law," which is to love as we have been loved. Pray with us that we will continue to build on these relationships and earn the privilege and the right to share God's good news of Jesus Christ and that he came to say, "it is finished!"

Refreshing Relationships

(In memory of my beard and the cool fall temperatures. And because we don't have any from the retreat, here is an old photo of your favorite Buff Bay couple!)

Kirsten and I attended a couples' retreat this weekend. It is normally our first thought to think of couples' retreats as including couple competitions, crafts, and awkward stares in order to keep polite company while discussing intimate matters. However, we were relieved that "couples' Survivor" was not on the agenda for the retreat.

The weekend with five other couples was relaxing and encouraging. There was not much planned in terms of activities, so we were able to hang out, talk, and enjoy good fellowship. We were encouraged because we were able to meet others in the same phase of life and spiritual mindset. Buff Bay and the other circuit churches have few young couples so we were thankful to interact with people who are both passionate for Christ and also passionate about their marriage. Kirsten and I were challenged in areas of our relationship in which we need to grow. As we do we hope that we will be driven deeper into Christ and closer together.

Pray for us as we try to love Christ and each other well. Also, pray that our marriage may be an example to others. Lastly, please pray with us for godly marriages and relationships in Jamaica. As it appears to us, the biblical picture of marriage is lacking in the church in Jamaica (indeed, around the world). We hope that this core group of young believers may be a spark for the Church in Jamaica and its married people.

Post Script:
In other news, today marks the 47th anniversary of C.S. Lewis' death (along with JFK and Aldous Huxley). There are few days that go by that I don't quote Lewis or reflect on his writings. God has used Lewis to shape large portions of my theology. I praise God for his goodness in giving the Church such a mind and man as Lewis.

Actions speak louder

“Collision Records in partnership with The Red Revolution, His Voice Global and Rapzilla is releasing the gripping single, “Actions Speak Louder,” featuring Swoope (Collision Record’s artist), LeCrae, Tedashii (Reach Record’s artists) and Jai. The song calls people to respond to the war-torn country of South Sudan, specifically the orphaned. Ending in 2005, the civil war, which lasted over 20 years, left about 2,000,000 dead and many children without parents. We are calling everyone to Speak Loud on 11/16/10 for these orphans by downloading the single. 100% of the proceeds will be sent to His Voice Global to build their fourth self-sustained orphanage. Our goal is 250,000 downloads, which would raise the funds needed for the orphanage. With over 10,000,000 downloads a day on iTunes, 250,000 is a drop in the bucket. Be a part of the movement, spread the word, get on iTunes 11/16/10 and let your actions speak as loud as your words.”

HT: Ray Ortland

Then there were two

It was quite a treat to work alongside the team from Massachusetts this past week. They had their work cut out for them this past week, but they didn't flinch! The weather was cold (smirk if you want, but for Jamaica it was COLD) and wet. From the day of their arrival to the morning they left, the rains hovered over Buff Bay. This is significant because most people walk to church and will typically not come out, especially for extra church services. However, God in His goodness held off the rain each night from 5:00-11:00, which gave people enough hope to make it out to the nightly meetings hosted in three of the six circuit churches.

The team also had an incredibly ambitious schedule each day. They began at 6:30 AM and went straight through until 10:30-11 PM each day. They hosted Bible studies in two communities, vacation Bible school, which on the last day had over 80 children, and various street meetings in different communities each day. The team flat-out worked! Each team does get a rest day during which they do some of the tourist things around the island, but the weather was so bad that we had to skip going to the beach.

I think this is exactly how the team wanted it, or at least that is how they made it seem. They knew that they had a week to do ministry and wanted to make the most of it, and they certainly did. The Bible studies were a great way to encourage the faithful saints in the churches because they are fed spiritual food with extra emphasis. The children were taught substantial lessons at VBS, which we believe is a seed planted for the Sovereign Gardener to water. The street-side meetings and evangelistic conversations were helpful and encouraging, and many were given tracts and the opportunity to ask questions about the faith. Finally, through the nightly meetings, a handful of people heard the call of God on their lives and made professions of faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord! Please pray for the group of men and women who professed faith in Christ. Pray that they would be encouraged and continue to desire to grow in their faith. Also pray that the work of the team would yield a great harvest in and around Buff Bay!

As for Kirsten and myself, we had a great time connecting with old friends and making new ones! We shared many refreshing and encouraging conversations with the team members; we also had free dinner for a week at the GLOBE! However, we are now back to our normal schedule and routine. With that, I have a Bible study to study for...talk to you next week!

Side By Side

There are parts of our ministry that are consistent every week. For example, we teach Bible studies, music lessons, tutor, etc. every week. However, a big part of our ministry only happens occasionally throughout the year. This is our partnership ministry. The Buff Bay circuit of churches has many long-standing relationships with American churches that come to do short term trips. Although some of these trips are service oriented (i.e. building projects, medical ministries), most of the teams that come do evangelistic and outreach ministries. The teams host nightly church meetings with music, testimonies, and preaching. They also run a vacation Bible school in one of the 6 churches in addition to going to various schools in the mornings to lead devotions. This is one of those weeks.

This team arrived Saturday evening and is made up of people from 6 states (Mass., Conn., Vermont, NJ, PA, and FL). The core group is from Sovereign Grace Chapel in Southbridge, Mass., which is one of our partner churches. Kirsten and I enjoy when teams come because it is like a little bit of home-cookin' for a week. It is especially great when people come that we already know, like many people on this trip. Many of the people this week have been following the blog, praying for us, and supporting us financially. It is a tremendous blessing for us to work side-by-side with them in Gospel-ministry in a more tangible way.

Two quick stories about God's goodness manifested through the team thus far. On Saturday evening, Kirsten and I were at the GLOBE (the compound where teams stay) welcoming the them. We were talking with a couple who lives in Florida but is originally from NJ. It turns out that they have close friends in Ocean City. These friends of theirs are also friends of ours. In fact, these friends were the people who gave me my first job at Callahan's Cafe (now Arlene's Cafe on Asbury Ave.). Secondly, there is a family that came a mother and her two adult daughters who are all hair dressers. Kirsten has been really wanting a cut but has not gotten one because many of the hair dressers in town don't know what to do with her head of blonde, thin, curly locks! These women actually brought down their scissors and randomly asked Kirsten if she would be blessed by them giving her a trim! "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change," James tells us.

Join us in prayer for the team as they minister throughout the week. Here are some things you can pray for:
1) Strength for the week's busy schedule
2) The gospel of Jesus Christ will go forth unhindered by disruptions and works of Satan
3) Many will attend the gatherings each night (it has been cool and rainy for about a week now, which impacts those who will come out)
4) Members of the Buff Bay circuit will be encouraged by the ministry and also see that they too can minister to others
5) Young people will come to know the Lord (through VBS and nightly meetings)
6) The team will be blessed by serving the Lord and His will in Jamaica.