December 2004
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM HEAVEN
An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. The angel said unto them, "Do not be afraid! I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:9-11)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
MESSAGE FROM DAN WILLIAMS
Dear Family and Friends, I wish I could sit and share with each of you the blessings of my trip to India. Since that is not possible, I want to share just two of the highlights with you.
The Pastors
I had the privilege of teaching 17 pastors. These men have a passion for Jesus Christ and literally put their lives on the line whenever they do ministry in India. It was such a joy to teach basic Theology courses to these pastors. Acts 17:11 is an appropriate description of these men, "…they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day…"
Having grown up in a home where Theology was taught and practiced, it was a new experience for me to teach pastors that were never taught the very basics of Christianity. What a joy it was to teach these men and watch the light come on in their eyes as they began to put Scripture and concepts together! At both of the schools where we taught, Escatology was the subject of our last day together. For most of the men, they had never studied the details of end time events. They kept interrupting with "Praise the Lord!" "Oh, that is so exciting!" "Do you really mean that God is preparing a place like that for US?!!" "Would He really do that for me?"
Ahjay, my interpreter, at one point stopped his interpretation of what I was saying as the tears welled up in his eyes; he was so full of joy, he could not continue. "I'm sorry," he said in English, "this is such wonderful news, I don't know if I can take any more!"
I am not sure who learned the greater lessons. To see the joy of the Lord and His word in the faces of these men gave me a new appreciation for the truth of Scripture. These men could sit and tell us stories of God's mighty power in delivering many from Hindu idol worship. On the last day, when I was done teaching, I told them that I was looking forward to meeting them in Heaven, because there we would be able to speak the same language. I told them that I would come looking for them and that I would be introducing them to all the people that prayed for them. "I want to hear your stories of how God worked in your ministry, and I want to meet the hundreds of believers that will be in Heaven because of your faithful witness to them." They agreed.
The Team that Prayed and Gave
I am so thankful for you. Everyday, I could sense that many were praying for us as we taught and traveled each day. Through your prayers, God worked, and much was accomplished for the advancement of His Kingdom in India. For example, it is no small accomplishment to travel by taxi every day for the 29 days we were in India, and not be involved in an accident. I know you were praying!
At the conclusion of our time at both schools, the pastors would each share something with us that was on their hearts. After thanking us personally, for coming to India, each man asked for us to pray for him. And then they would add, "And please tell people in America to pray for us."
Through your prayers and gifts, you have invested in the lives of these 17 men. How exciting to think that in the next couple of years, God is going to plant at least 17 new churches in villages in India that have no church at this time. There will be hundreds saved because of your faithfulness! And from what we observed of pastors that have been through the training in previous years, they also plant churches in villages around the mother church! It is very possible that in 2 years there could be over 40 new churches planted by these 17 men! And who knows what God will do in 10 years!
There is so much more I could share, but we will have all the time of eternity to get caught up! Thanks again for your part in this life-changing event in my life and for the investment you made in the lives of these men.
Because of His grace,
Dan Williams
THE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
*Thank you for your prayers and support. The first two months of our after-school clubs have gone well. We have a dedicated group of leaders and helpers, and our attendance has been good despite other after-school activities that are offered to the kids. We feel that discipline and clear boundaries are important during club time and we're pleased that the kids want to come week after week and work in their Awana books, when they possibly could be doing something more entertaining. Please pray that we will be sensitive to the needs of the children and that each child will understand and accept God's free gift of salvation.
*We don't often talk about Church and Sunday School, but it's the part of our ministry that goes on year round. We have a wonderfully supportive congregation and we enjoy studying God's Word together. We're looking forward to the Christmas musical December 19 that Mary and the kids have been working on.
MESSAGE FROM REBECCA MCMILLAN
As mentioned in the November newsletter, I made a trip to Asia October 25-November 3, 2004. People in our lives provide connections God uses for wonderful opportunities. Two friends created the reasons for my trip: Shelly Anderson of Taiwan (formerly of Momence, Illinois) and Arsenia Bañaga in The Philippines.
The Taiwan Connection
Women from Germany, Australia, Taiwan, The Philippine Islands, and the USA attended the Taiwan Mission Fellowship Ladies Retreat held at the Oasis Retreat Center in Heng Chun, Taiwan October 28-30. Most of the 30 ladies were missionaries, but several were English teachers and professors. A businesswoman, a medical doctor, and a Head Start administrator (Shelly's sister, Sherry, who traveled with me) took time for the retreat as well. "Hearts to Love Him; Hands to Serve Him" was the theme of the retreat and we basically studied God's Word together and made some practical applications. "Thanks for sharing from your heart and not just presenting material," one of the attendees told me. Knowing a little of the pressures of missionary life, I was encouraged by her comment because my desire was to help them find the secret of handling hard things in life: "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." (Psalm 119:143, NLT) Knowing that God loves us, learning to love Him, and letting Him love others through us were the topics of our main sessions. Thank you all who prayed. It brings me great joy to "feed His sheep."
The Filipino Link
Arsenia and I have been friends since 1967, and it was my desire to see the work of the Grace Christian Mission when I knew I would be as close as Taiwan. To the children at the orphanage I was introduced as the mother of Joel McMillan. He had visited them earlier in the month while he was on an assignment (with the US Navy) in the Manila area. The boys especially appreciated his teaching them to stand tall and salute-then he hugged each one and said, "I love you" in Tagalog. Try following that!
When she heard that I would be able to visit GCM, Arsenia asked me to share a meditation at worship assemblies at both of their Christian schools. Visiting the one school involved at 14-hour drive one way. Six of us in the mission van were involved in an accident on the way to the high school in Bicol region. That delayed our trip a few hours, but we praise God that no one was seriously hurt or killed either in the van on in the house on which we landed at the side of the road! The mission was accomplished, however, and the joy of seeing what God is doing and meeting so many new brothers and sisters in Christ made it all worthwhile. Thanks again for all the praying on our behalf.
--Becky McMillan
ANOTHER FAMILY WEDDING!
ERIC MCMILLAN AND LISA SHAPLEY
November 20, 2004
Dave and Becky McMillan; Lizetta, Mary, Mark and Karen Williams; Judy Chesebro;
Joji Barredo, Philippines; Trudie Hayon, Trinidad
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