Marsha and I just recently returned from our ‘John 17’ planning meeting in Shoreham, New York at the home of Joe and Mary Tosini. ‘John 17’ is a movement of Catholics and Evangelical/Protestants dedicated to seeing reconciliation between Catholic and Non-Catholic believers around the world. As we meet together, read the word, worship and pray we are taking steps to fulfill Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 ‘I pray that they will all be one…so that the world will believe you sent me.’ The next public meeting is in Phoenix on November 2nd at the Salvation Army KROC Center from 7-9 pm. Plans are forming for upcoming meetings in New York and other cities!
My good friend Joe Tosini and I.
I look forward to returning to Mexico City on October 17-19 to be with Pastor David Gomez in Lugar de Salvacion (Place of Salvation) church. I visited Mexico many times when working with Marcos Witt and Canzion and truly love that nation. I have worked on my Spanish language studies continuously and I am brushing up on all the verb endings; past, present and future that make up their beautiful language! I also love to sing in Spanish although I know I mispronounce some words.
The Lord has given me a unique word for this church; ‘Help Me Overcome My Unbelief’. The father of a demon-possessed boy said this to Jesus as he sought help for his son. We overcome unbelief by feeding our hearts on the stories in the Scripture that are similar to our challenges. If you are sick; read about the people to whom Jesus and prophets brought healing. We overcome unbelief by recounting what God has done for others with similar needs. Testimonies open the door for the Holy Spirit to repeat the same miracle again in our lives! We overcome unbelief by rehearsing the times God has met us in the past with his blessings. David remembered how God helped him defeat the lion and the bear and that gave him courage to face Goliath. Rehearsing Scripture, testimony and personal experiences feed our spirits with faith!
On October 22nd I return to Nepal with my friends Juan Salinas, Bryan Bettis, Alex Mejia and Martin Gonzalez. We will be doing two days of a Youth Conference centering on training youth leaders from around the country. There are 300 registered for this event. Immediately following this we will do two days of Pastors training. There are 100 pastors and leaders signed up from a wide cross section of churches in Nepal. We also visit 2 orphanages giving each of the children and workers personal gifts of clothing gathered by my daughters Pippa and Ruth, my wife Marsha and Jen Meneely.
Nepal is an enchanting country situated in the Himalaya Mountains. Mount Everest towers over 6 of the highest peaks in the world that are contained in this small nation. Christianity is growing amidst persecution, prejudice and isolation from the Christian resources such as we enjoy in this nation. These conferences are mainly sponsored from our Anglo and Spanish-speaking friends here in the US although the Nepalese do participate by paying a registration fee. Part of our ministry is to make a mission-field into a missionary sending nation. We all need to learn to be givers and reflect the nature of Christ. Please remember us in your prayers that God will pour out His Spirit on these times and we will have health and strength to impart life and wisdom to the Nepalese believers.