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January 2012
Year 19, #1 - Friday, January 6, 2012

Thoughtful words for 2012

A belated Merry Christmas and God’s blessings as you move into 2012. We begin not with our encouragement, but rather words we received from dear friend and long-time YWAM missionary in sub-Saharan Africa, Peter Drypolcher:

Joy is the word synonymous with the celebration of the coming of Christ, starting with the angel’s announcement in Luke and flowing through our carols and celebrations.

I have wondered what the emotion was in heaven as God prepared to appear on earth as a babe. I wonder because the Godhead knew the end of the story of Immanuel 33 years later. Jesus was being sent to his eventual torture and horrible death. The cost of our joy was immense.

We are rejoicing that God rescued us through this improbable babe born in such humble circumstances. But when I reflect on the cost, Christmas boils down to one thing: Extraordinary, sacrificial love for we mortals by our immortal awe-inspiring Father. From my human point of view, it’s love so glorious that the best adjective I can come up with is indescribable.

Peter Drypolcher, Christmas Eve, 2011 - Please pray for Peter, Debi and Katie as they, after 20 twenty years in Africa, are in transition from Zambia to another Frontier Missions role, this time in United States.
 

Perspective from more Friends as we begin 2012

Afghanistan exhortation
I have a younger brother in the Lord with whom I became friends at our little workout place, Mike’s Gym, here in Albuquerque. Michael is now an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, daily facing trials I simply cannot imagine. He often writes a note to several of us – often striking – as a part of how he copes with the day to day challenges he faces. Please pray for him today as he and others stand in harm’s way.

God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants us to be just like Jesus... Dear Lord put my heart, mind, and soul on your potter’s wheel and mould me into your very image. Take every bit of dirt out of my clay and place me into the refining fire. Spray me down with your Holy Spirit and continue to mold me with your very hands. I want more of you, dear God, and less of me. Break me father and soften my heart that I may have the love and passion for your people as you do. Give me the fruit of the spirit; let me be a branch that bears much fruit. Let everything I do give you the glory and the honor. I am nothing without you. Michael
 

WE: God’s Economy – Paul’s new book nearing completion – Langdon’s words

I have just finished working through all the editorial inputs from nine editors and nine theological readers for the new book due out, Lord willing, in April. I will make my final pass through all nine chapters over the next two weeks, even as my travel begins again this Wednesday.

DO PRAY as I pass the text along to Leadership Initiative partner John Blake, who will make one major editorial run-through and then send it to publisher Dave Wetzler and ChurchSmart by February 15.

In the meantime, I found encouragement from Langdon Reinke, one of the readers and a Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod pastor from the northwest U.S. Writing is the hardest work I do, These recent words of affirmation are part of what kept me going.

Paul, this has been an amazing journey with you. I have no doubt that God is using you for a critical purpose within his Church as his faithful servant. Thank you for the invitation to walk alongside you and others in this process. You will be in my prayers as you distill all of this down into a final form. May the Lord breathe his Spirit into you fully for His purposes. May you remain always receptive to the still small voice of His leading in the name of Jesus. May the Father’s favor be with you, my friend. Langdon

 

Joseph and Adolphine, missionaries from Africa whom Julie and I support, also offered perspective on our preparations for 2012. Joseph shares some of his history (words appear as he typed them);

IN 1999 I WENT TO DO FRONTIER MISSIONS JUST SOON AFTER MY DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING IN ZIMBABWE AND HE SAME YEAR I WENT TO UGANDA. I DID COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AS I WAS PREPARING TO GET INTO DEM. REPUBLIC of CONGO IN 2002 I WENT INTO EASTERN PART OF BUKAVU WGERE I MET 70 FAMILIES OF PIGMIES; WE STAYED FOR 5 DAYS. THE HUTU REBELS WHO FLED INTO DRC AFTER THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA SURPRISED US ON THEIR VISIT INTO THE PIGMIES CAMP IN THE FOREST. THEY KIDNAPED US AND TOOK US AFTER BEING BEATEN AND ALMOST SHOT BY A GUN BUT THE LORD WAS ON OUR SIDE THEY LOOT OUR THINGS AND LEFT US NAKED. I WAS WITH ONE PASTOR WHO CALLED FOR THE PIGMIES HELP. PIGMIES INTERVAINED AND PIERCED 2 REBELS WITH THEIR POISON SPEARS AND THAT WAS OUR ESCAPE UNTIL MORNING WHEN WE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BUT I DID NOT LEAVE THE MISSION I WENT TO IJWI AND I PLANTED A CHURCH WITH 40 BELIEVERS AND KATANA 20 BELIEVERS SAVED AND A CHURCH WAS PLANTED SO FAR WE HAVE 4 CHURCHES BEING PLANTED AND I GOT MARRIED IN 2006 TO ADOLPHINE. SO FAR WE HAVE 2 KIDS AND WE ARE EXPECTING SOON. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

How blessed we are by so many dear friends, prayer supporters and financial supporters.

Praise God and thank you all..

... including three who recently left our city....

Three of our dearest friends in Albuquerque – people who helped us start this ministry almost twenty years Sarah Baumgardner (pictured at left) returned to their old home area of Indianapolis, IN this past summer.

Sarah was Paul’s volunteer administrative assistant for a number of years. She built all of our office systems, all of which are still in use. Kemit spent literally hundreds of hours with Stephen over many years building and flying balsa wood model airplanes. Kemit and Sarah blessed us in many other ways as well, too numerous to mention.

Arleen Keiber (at left) was our other “partner in crime” over those early years of our ministry. She faithfully come in weekly for years to serve with our newsletter mailings or however else was needed. Arleen left Albuquerque to move to Florida to be near her niece.

Our ministry is about releasing leaders, teams and ministries to truly be the body of Christ in the world. Arleen, Kemit, and Sarah were so often our backbone of faithfulness in our initial ministry team. We are the blessed ones for it! Thank you, dear ones, for your model of servant ministry to Julie, Stephen and me over these many years.


Leadership Initiative in Photos

Our Leadership Initiative U.S. team met with the leadership of a new ministry forming within the Navigators called Leadership Services. John Blake and Brian Burnett (left above), Steve Hoke and Michael Mangum (right above) provided counsel for Christine Weddle and team leader Dennis Stokes here at the home office in early December.

Paul will represent Leadership Initiative in Arua in February (see prayer schedule), to support the YWAM Arua Base and those starting ministries in Yei and Issore, South Sudan.

Paul will also talk with Sam – and Simon Peter back in Entebbe – about the initial steps of Leadership Initiative Africa.

Paul met with Garry Tissingh (left), team leader for YWAM Africa’s Leadership Development Team, in San Diego for 24 hours in early December.

The meeting that was to have happened in the Cameroon in May came about after all! Garry, his wife Anke, and Sam Abuku (above) will be leading the next YWAM Africa Leadership School in October, and have invited Paul to participate.

 
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