Easter Tears of Repentance and Joy

A couple of months ago we learned from the pastor of a supporting church that nine pastors in Albert Co., were meeting for prayer and were planning for area wide “revival” meetings during the week leading up to Easter. Their plans and the meetings were in our prayers and we looked forward to hearing how God answered.

Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we were in one of those churches. During the morning service, the pastor asked for anyone who would like to give a testimony of what God had done in their lives during the previous week of meetings. One of the two who came to the front to share was a teen boy, carrying his Bible and tissues. He shared, amid tears, how the Lord had convicted him through the preaching of God’s Word, of a sinful life style and his response of repentance and a joyous commitment to live for the Lord…and even "preach in that pulpit someday." Tears welled up in our own eyes as we praised the Lord that He is still calling people to Himself. The deacons of the church were called forward to pray for this young man…and he has been in our prayer since. What an Easter Sunday blessing!

The Honesty Song

Dorothy was trained last January and has taught the Honesty module in a Primary School in Mengo, Kampala. She recently gave testimony to the VOICE Africa staff:

“This is the greatest children’s material I have ever encountered so far! The P.4 [Primary/Grade 4] ...challenged each other to be honest. The VEC [Values Education Class] is very interesting and the whole school is interested in it! The honesty songs are sang all over the school. I taught in P.4 and P.5 and I have just purchased a pack for Lower Primary so that I can also teach VEC to the younger children.”

* * *

The “application song” for the Honesty Module was written by a Ugandan young woman and it has proved to be one of the favorites among the VOICE Songs. A few of its lyrics are:

Honest, I will be honest.

I will not cheat or steal, always tell the truth.

I will be honest, I will admit when I’m wrong.

I will be honest. (and then closes with a triumphant “Honesty!”)

Praise God for the privilege of teaching children His values and truths and pray that those truths will deeply embed themselves into the hearts of the hearers and in hearts of those who teach.

Each Day A Gift

Indeed, Africa has taught me more of the value of life and how privileged we are; each day is a precious gift from our God.  I took time to pause this past week and reflect on God’s blessings to me personally.  A few recent blessings include:

• Yesterday, Ruth and I joined three of my siblings to celebrate my mother’s 91^st birthday! After several years of not being here on her birthday, I was overjoyed.  Mom has been a huge influence on me and prayed for us through our growing up years until now.  Having Mom with us still is a wonderful gift from the Heavenly Father. 
• Mom’s birthday follows mine and as only God could arrange, my birthday was free from appointments and schedules.  Ruth and I took the opportunity to visit a new church and spend time with some family members I seldom see.  
• As if that was not enough, I got a totally unexpected refund from a furniture store, and the amount, to the dollar, was the price of a chair I had been looking at; it was delivered this last week.  
• I am also reminded of the great gift of health.  Two neighbours who share the same townhouse roof with me are battling cancer.  I pray they may know the hope that I have found in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Yes, our life goes so fast but each day is a gift from our Heavenly Father. And because He lives, the best is yet to come.  Praise Him!

Walls Broken and Burned

Bonney boys pausing for a photo April 2, 2019

While spending time with my Mom this morning, we looked out her window over to the farm and saw an exciting sight, walls being erected. Just over four years ago the family watched the barn burn to the ground.  A couple of years ago, the basement walls and floor were restored. Now things were once again taking shape and a replacement barn was happening!  Mom and I just had to go closer by car and celebrate God’s enablement to rebuild the barn.  

This event triggered another memory from almost 10 years ago while still in the Philippines, the morning that God stirred my heart about being available for a change…Uganda. It happened as I was reading Isaiah 58:

“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”  Isa.58:12

As we look back now on our five years in Uganda, we thank God for the privilege of helping produce a tool to help Ugandans rebuild young lives through the teaching of godly values in school classrooms.  We continue to pray that God’s Spirit will use His Word to speak to many students and teachers alike in Uganda and beyond. 

My brothers’ & nephews' example this morning reminds me that rebuilding broken structures is hard work, sometimes must be done in less-than-ideal weather, and cannot be done alone.  As the family looks forward to a firm structure that will bring shelter and blessing, we as believers must be engaged in the hard work of building into the lives of those around us so that others too can know the place of eternal shelter, our Lord Jesus Christ. May the building of a barn remind us to pray for God’s work of restoration and transformation in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

And up it goes!

2 sides up!

The view from the road.

35 Years!

Yesterday marked the 35^th anniversary of our initial arrival in the Philippines! Indeed, 35 years ago (Mar. 26, 1984) Ruth and I arrived in Manila for what turned out to be a 28-year journey which included language and culture learning, hosting and teaching children’s clubs, training children’s workers, church planting, mobilizing Filipino youth into mission, revising Bible study materials, Daily Vacation Bible School Training, filling in at the mission Guest House and Business Office, and finally seeing the birth of VOICE (Values Orientation In Classroom Education) Philippines. How can we ever forget that night 35 years ago as our plane circled the city, viewing the tiny lights of Manila. Our national co-workers met us at the airport and took us to a Pasay City guest house where we had a few days to get over jet lag and begin our adjustment to the new sights, sounds, smells, and so much more. Eventually all became familiar and “home” to us, as we can testify having just returned earlier this year for a short visit—there was that sense that we had “come home,” while knowing that it isn’t “home” but for sure some of the dearest people on the planet live there! We had no idea what God was going to do when we stepped off the jet 35 years ago, but knew that He had led us there and would be faithful. And indeed He was and is, including His gift of persevering “rope-holders”—a team of churches and individuals who stood with us in prayer and financial support. Our hearts are full of gratitude to our great God.

Yes, we did celebrate the milestone. After taking my Mom for a medical test in the city, she supplied pizza and ice-cream! Soon after, we were wonderfully reminded of another nation close to our hearts—African Beth, our Ugandan friend and colleague, phoned with updates of what’s happening with her (currently in the USA) as well as news from the Pearl of Africa and other nations of East Africa. How blessed we are.

Whirlwind Month-long RV Road Trip

Last year, while still in Uganda, planning started for how to best use our final year of Home Service. We determined to see EVERYONE who has been part of our support team if at all possible, something we have not always been able to do.

Admitting that our “discomfort” with winter weather played a part in the planning, we targeted January into early February for a visit to Kauai, Hawaii, to visit one of Laura’s long-time supporting churches whom she hadn’t seen in more than ten years, and then continue on to the Philippines to see as many of our friends and colleagues there as possible.

Then we planned to visit people in the southern States and eastern seaboard. The initial plan was to fly to Texas, rent a car, and spend about a month visiting supporters, family and friends as we drove back to New Hampshire. While I (Ruth) was back in NH in July, I casually shared those plans with my brother and his wife, mentioning the mutual family and friends that we planned to visit. The next morning, they surprised me by saying that they would like to do that trip with us in an RV which they were planning to purchase in preparation for their eventual retirement. And so that’s when the month road trip began to gel. Before long they located and purchased a good used RV and preparations began in earnest. Since they are the owners of an organic dairy farm, a month-long vacation would be a new experience for them! But God had put things in order for them by bringing a man and his family to work on the farm with the ambition to eventually purchase the farm. So finally they had someone who truly felt responsible for what happened and would do his best to keep everything running as smoothly as possible. (And other than a few inevitable hiccups, all went well—something to praise God for.)

I worked on the skeleton route to include as many family and friends as possible and organize dates with each of the people involved. Beth, my sister-in-law, worked on finding campgrounds in the areas where the distance was too long to travel in a day, fine tune the routes, plus add the “domestic aspects” of making an RV a home, especially for four people. John, my brother, worked toward winterizing the RV and all that goes into making a new-to-you vehicle ready for a long trip. And Laura found plenty to do as we all finalized the program.

And now the trip is history! For those who like statistics:

·         Left Sunday evening, Feb. 10, rather than the planned day of Mon., Feb. 11,  to get ahead of a snowstorm, driving through the night. We returned Saturday afternoon, Mar. 10, rather than the planned day of Sun., Mar. 11, having driven all night to once again get ahead of a snowstorm!

·         5,145 miles in the RV; Laura and I rented a car for additional visits in Texas and put on about 600 miles.

·         We went through 22 states

·         10 nights all 4 of us slept in the RV at campgrounds or people’s yards

·         We stayed at 5 different campgrounds

·         Laura & I slept in 11 different beds, with one of them being a Texas motel and another a lovely Air B&B.

·         Although the weather was often overcast, drizzly, and slightly chilly (but no snow or ice!), we did enjoy four picnics outside

·         2 days were spent sightseeing – one on a Florida beach (unplanned by us) and one at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC—both were a wonderful change of pace with gorgeous weather

·         We were able to spend time with 75+ people! Of those

o   9 people/groups are connected to our families

o   12 people/groups were fellow missionaries, most from the Philippines

o   7 people/couples support us financially

o   1 former pastor/couple, 1 former neighbor/couple, and 1 quilting friend/couple (Beth’s)

It has truly been a trip of a lifetime for all four of us and has left us with many memories (and pictures) to recall and even laugh about whenever we’re together! Each visit was unique and special. We treasured the time to catch up with people’s lives at least a little bit, and left encouraged; we hope that encouragement was mutual. Often our visits ended in prayer, especially focusing on the next leg of the journey—very meaningful. In so many ways, we were assured of God’s presence and protection…even as we drove through New York City at 3 AM during the final night of driving! Thank you for remembering us in prayer; God has certainly answered!

Yet Another Testimony of God’s Provision

Raising financial support for ministry has been one of the greatest faith-stretchers as well as one of the most amazing part of the journey these past 37 years. As others have often said, God delights in providing through the most unlikely people and means.

Case in point….back in the early 2,000s, I, (Ruth), accompanied my parents to Texas to visit my mother’s sister and family. One Sunday, my parents and I visited a church slightly northwest of San Antonio, TX, which my cousin, Paul, and his family pastored. Paul, asked me to share briefly with the children during the Sunday School opening. After that, I found my way to the women’s Sunday School class to join my mother. As I walked into the class, the teacher said “We’re studying the sanctity of life, something all of us believe. We don’t often have a missionary among us, so let’s just let her take the rest of our time together.” As I began to share off the top of my head, the ladies started peppering me with questions and the entire class time was soon gone. We joined the church service, shook a few hands as visitors, and then went on with our plans. A few months later I was shocked to see a monthly financial gift coming from that church! As time progressed, my cousin left that church and my support was dropped…but almost immediately I saw the names of two couples from that area appear on my donor records; soon their giving surpassed what the church had sending in! Two couples whom I didn’t remember meeting now giving generously…only the Lord!

As we began planning this year of home service, I told Laura that an absolute must was to meet these two couples in Texas and thank them personally for their long-time support, despite their not knowing me personally. And so this one-month “road trip” was planned, during which we could see many others but they were high on the priority list. About a week before our planned visit, they told us that a Prayer Group from their church had rescheduled for that week so that they could also meet us and a pot luck supper/dessert were planned.

As we entered Texas last week, I came down with some kind of stomach bug with extreme weakness. God provided a Bed & Breakfast the night before we planned to drive southwest to see them. As I lay shivering and weak that night, I pleaded with the Lord that somehow we could still go to visit them. Unknown to us, the friend who provided the B & B for us sent out an email to a number of mutual friends asking them to pray for me too. When morning dawned, I felt much better and we sensed that we could proceed with plans. During the 6+ hour trip there, I once again began to not feel so well, and gratefully curled up in a motel bed for over an hour before getting ready to go to the church. Praise God, I was able to tag along with Laura and at least meet those two dear couples (minus the wife of one couple who was out of town) as well as the church prayer group. Although I couldn’t enjoy the wonderful evening meal they prepared, it was a special time of re-connection. I learned that the wife of the one couple was in that Sunday School class that morning and remembered me! The husband of the other couple also remembers meeting me that day. It was so humbling to be with these faithful partners in the Gospel, and I’m so grateful that God enabled me to extend my thanks to them personally.

Since I didn’t have the strength, Laura gave the report to the prayer group plus Ernie helped "break the ice". The Pastor closed our evening with a touching prayer for us. And as icing on the cake, seven from those who were there asked to be put on our mailing list, affirming their commitment to continue praying for VOICE Philippines, VOICE Africa and beyond.

I slept well that night and felt much renewed the following morning…and we went on our way rejoicing in the Lord!