Hi beloved!
i have been pondering the power of the Gospel the past few days. It is simply amazing what God can do in the life of a person who will simply surrender and allow Him to do His great work of Grace in our lives. Ephesians 1:15-23 says it so well!
Actually, no one survives the preaching of the Gospel. Either the hearer will die to self and come to rest on the Bedrock of true belief, or they will die alone in their sins. There is no escape. The only viable path is to repent and believe the Good News of the Gospel: Jesus has done it all. We must repent from trying to do it on our own. We must change our mind about our own ability to do what is needed to be saved – and allow the Savior to actually do the saving. But, once we do this – there is an abundant life ahead of us beyond our wildest dreams!
Meli and I are finishing up our semesters here in Jakarta and will take Samuel (4) to the Philippines for Christmas. We look forward to time with family. It was weird for this guy from a temperate zone to be considering doing a BBQ for Christmas though! We will be finalizing the paperwork required to finalize our adoption of Samuel. We had planned to visit the US in December… But He is leading us to plan for a trip in the summer of 2014.
He has given me the opportunity to share His Gospel openly in very many ways here in Indonesia. i believe 25 people have met Jesus here in Jakarta since early July, through the work He is having me do here so far. And i am getting the opportunity to actually do some disciplining of some 80+ 7th graders in my classes. The church we attend has had us start a cell group here in West Jakarta called (Taman Keswick – [Keswick Garden])… people are learning about the message of Victory in Him… And now i found out that i might be asked to preach in North Jakarta to the congregation. Very thankful!… and may God get the glory.
Today is my birthday (47)! I am deeply thankful to God for the Life He has given me. You can see a quick snapshot we took this morning of our “Neapolitan family.” I am the strawberry… Samuel is the chocolate… Melinda is the vanilla… 🙂
We have been through much physical sickness. Jakarta is extremely polluted and tropical illness abounds here. What is wonderful is that God has been using it to convince of our need for Him. And by His grace we have only spent a few days here and there in bed. My training in “amateur” medicine has paid off… one can purchase most drugs by simply saying you need them at an ‘Apotik’ here in Indonesia… so it saves time and money getting the antibiotics and anti-parasitic drugs required to fight off many of these bugs. I am generally a nutrition, exercise and hydration kind of guy! But I am so thankful for modern, “silver-bullet” drugs when they are needed.
My grandmother, Virginia Morrison, is 97 a couple of days ago!
Molly (17) led her cross-country team to 2nd place in the state of Colorado. She placed 5th overall. We are praying now for her as the doors open to some colleges across the country. Molly was one of the Homecoming Queen candidates-she looked adorable and enjoyed the honor in a low key way.
Nasreen (19) survived hurricane Sandy and the Nor-easter. She is in her final year of college.
Andy (20) is still serving in the US Army and working in the Greeley area part time. His dog Stryder is getting so big.
Brianne (22) just got her first “real job”. She will be working for a non-profit tax firm that helps low income people do their taxes. She will be helping with marketing, managing volunteers and taxes.
Christian (20) is working for an oil production support company doing civil engineering labor…. Shoveling all day. He is getting quite buff and getting an appetite for a college education. 🙂
All of our children are walking with Jesus. This is a source of great riches for any parent! We are so thankful.
Continue to pray as additional ministry opportunities open up. We will simply do whatever He tells us to do – whenever He tells us to do it! Will you join us in this kind of adventure?!?!
Grace and peace to you all!
Makala
