Dear Partner in Service,
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26.
When our own flesh is weak and sickness comes on us, we know that there is the Great Physician who
cares more than any human doctor.
Sherry and I both caught colds early this month. We coughed our way through what we had to do until
mine settled in my chest and developed into a severe case of bronchitis. We were at a conference
when this hit and I spent a few days in bed while Sherry brought soup and sandwiches to me. I even
had a Covid test just to make sure… It was negative!
The doctor in Luanshya diagnosed the problem and prescribed an antibiotic and a cough syrup that
literally put me to sleep. Finally, after nearly three weeks, I am back in the office and able to speak with
a voice loud enough to be heard, though it is much like a strong whisper. I preached last Sunday, but it
was a challenge.
Ministry wise, we are back in action! We were able to continue our pre-marriage counselling, Sherry
will be “on air” with her Ladies’ Bible Study via Zoom, our study of the book of Galatians with resume
on Wednesday, Sherry's Ladies Bible Class resumes on Thursday – (Habakkuk chapter 3) and the one-to-one discipleship classes we conduct will resume next week.
We do have a special prayer request concerning the Bible Institute. During the Covid period we began
renovation of the classrooms and even added a computer lab. (Special thanks to a group of Christians
in Hong Kong!) Our “problem” now is getting the government approval to open classes. Most schools
like ours (considered a “trade school” – opened in April, but the local authorities have delayed
approval of the renovated classrooms even though they were inspecting as we did the work. Please
pray that this situation will be rectified so we can open classes immediately!
We know that when we are physically down or hindered by government bureaucracy, God is still in
control! We don’t always know “why” it happens, but as servants we do not really need to know
“why.” We just know that there are no accidents in God’s plan and “All things work together for good…
Romans 8:28.
