PASSION

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
                                                                                                                       Acts 1:8

Last Wednesday we had the privilege of hosting Friday and Mary Ganda who are missionaries to the continent of Africa. They have worked in a number of African countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and are now serving in Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya. Friday has had so many different assignments through the years in these countries including pastor, district superintendent, and denominational coordinator.  As we visited with the two of them we sensed a great passion for the Lord and for their work in Africa.  They are trusting that the Lord will use them more and more.

                                    Friday and Mary from Africa


His work is now mainly in Rwanda and Burundi with people from the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. These were the two tribes involved in the genocide that killed thousands of people back in the 80s. He is working is Christians from both tribes but has found a real bitterness against each other because of their history. He is hoping to build a training center where he can work with the Christian leaders and bring about reconciliation between these two tribes. He found that they will not sit under the same roof of a church together so he feels his ministry will bring healing in this situation.

It was obvious that his wife Mary is a great asset to his ministry. She is gifted in many ways and has the ability to speak six languages. They have five children one of whom is a pastor in the Kansas City area. All their children are strong believers in Christ.. We certainly enjoyed hearing their story and catching and understanding of the Lord's calling on their life. What things could be accomplished if all Christians had their zeal and passion!

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

P.S.  Is someone would like to support their ministry, they can send support to:

Global Treasury Services
Church of the Nazarene
P.O. Box 843116
Kansas City, MO  64184-3116
Attn:  Rev. Friday Ganda-Deputation

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  I Thessalonians 5:18

Back in April Gail was encouraged to enter the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids.  Just entering is quite a challenge because the entire application process has to be done over the internet by computer.  Since neither of us are computer savvy, Tom Thiery was kind enough to assist us with all the needed details on the computer.  The main concept is to develop an information sheet regarding the artist and the art piece for the competition, and then submit that information to various venues in Grand Rapids.  There are hotels, restaurants, museums, churches and other entities that host the art.  Gail applied to several venues and received an acceptance from Monroe Community Church the end of May or early June.

Over the summer Gail has been receiving all kinds of information from ArtPrize and the church that is hosting her painting.  This past Saturday was the big day for us to travel to Grand Rapids to hang her art piece.  The painting is of our family reflecting in a large plate glass.  It was framed to appear as a window and door with our family reflecting in it.  The title of the painting is "Family Reflections".

                                 "Family Reflections" the painting

When we arrived at the church to hang the painting, there were extremely high walls which made Gail's pastel painting look totally different than it did in her studio.  It only took a few minutes to put the painting in place, and we were soon heading back to Adrian.  Gail was very disappointed that her painting didn't show well.  And like the Israelites at times, Paul (like Moses) heard some murmuring.  She has now come to the point of realizing how small this is compared to some things that can come along in life.  We are very pleased and thankful that she was able to be accepted into this competition and trust that her painting will minister to those who view it.  Gail is now seeing "the glass half full" and is counting all the blessing God has given her. 

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

TWO WEEKS OF OPPORTUNITIES

A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.  Ecclesiastes 3:4

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  2 Timothy 4:7

The past two weeks have been very busy with a host of opportunities and a huge number of ups and downs that life brings our way.  Recent days have contained three funerals, one wedding and great revival services at our church.  We have lost two wonderful gentlemen in our church to cancer.  Their memorial services have been a little over two weeks apart.   Both left a wife and grown children.  The services for each of them were truly a great testimony of a life well lived and a strong faith in their Heavenly Father.  We heard words such as mentor, friend, encourager, love of my life, etc.  What a blessing to be able to attend a memorial service where the words that were spoken were very fitting for the one who had "fought the good fight".

Last Thursday we attended the funeral of Peggy Trinka's father in North Branch.  We never met Dr. O'Dell, but we certainly learned a lot about him from the gentleman who gave the eulogy.  Dr. O'Dell served the North Branch community for over 60 years as their veterinarian for the many farm animals in that community. He was the longest practicing veterinarian in the State of Michigan.  Another aspect of the funeral was the procession to the cemetery.  Dr. O'Dell had asked to have his casket placed on a wagon and drawn by horses to the cemetery.  He indicated that life was always rushing by so he wanted his last ride to be slow and easy, which was aptly done by a team of black horses.

          The horses and wagon led the funeral procession to the cemetery

Last Saturday the granddaughter of some good friends of ours was married in an outdoor wedding near Hudson.  It was a cool, but beautiful, afternoon for the wedding.  The grandfather of the groom performed the ceremony, and served communion to the couple after they had said their vows.  They were married under a trellis in the bride's grandparent's yard,.  The reception was also at the grandparent's home.  Of course, what is a reception without food.  There was a wonderful array of
hors d'oeuvre followed by an huge display of homemade pies made by the grooms mother.  She made enough pies to feed two pieces to 200 people.  It was a delightful event with many special extras. 

     The wedding of Morgan and Michael at Jim and Carole Darr's home

             Pies of every flavor and description for the reception.  YUM!!

A real highlight for us over the past week and a half was the opportunity to host Dr. James Diehl in our home for five days.  Dr. Diehl spoke at the revival services at our church from Sunday, September 7th to Wednesday, September 10th.  He is an outstanding speaker and a very special person to host in your home.  He is definitely a man who has lived his faith through some very challenging situations.  When he speaks you can sense the spirit of God moving.  The attendance and response at the revival services were very encouraging and life changing for many.

          Dr. Diehl just before he left our home early last Thursday morning. 


Even when life gets busy and there are great difficulties, God is there and God is good.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

TIME FLIES

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:12  NIV

Today Paul was talking with a person who has been in education for a number of years, and he commented on how quickly the years fly by. He mentioned that school gets started and all of a sudden it's Christmas, and as soon as Christmas is over you are heading head long into spring.
After Easter break school is out in just a wink of an eye. Of course, summers are never as long as we think. When it comes to a day, we all know how quickly it goes by. We often look at each other and ask ourselves, "How did we get to be this old?"

The Lord has given each of us a certain amount of time here on earth. We believe that we are going to have to give an account of how we used our time.There are so many things that can fill our plate and keep us busy but we need to have wisdom in knowing if it is a beneficial kind of busyness.
Psalm 90:12 tells us that we need to be taught to make certain our days are used wisely. Prioritizing our time and our talents help us to be wiser as we go through this journey of life. It is such a good feeling when you look back over a day or a week and see that someone has been encouraged or that you have made a difference in a situation or someone's life. As Christians we should be concerned about being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit with our time, our involvements, and opportunities.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny