Peaceful Dwellings

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. -Isaiah 32:17

Quietness is a virtue I can appreciate -especially when surrounded by 25+ kids. However quietness is more than just the absence of sound, it is a state of being. Isaiah speaks of a time when a king will reign and his righteousness will ripple through his kingdom emanating calm assurance or peaceful trust upon all the people.

When praying for the children at New Vision City of Refuge I often pray for God to quiet their souls. Many of our children grapple with abandonment issues, loneliness, doubt, and learning disabilities. This at times leads to undesirable behavior even they do not always understand. In other words, their souls are restless and troubled.

But the Lord says, My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. -Isaiah 32:18

We strive at New Vision City of Refuge to give our children a sense of security, peace, and worth. We protect, provide, and prepare them through devoted caregivers, wholesome food, pleasant surroundings, and solid academic and spiritual training. However, quietness and confidence will only come when they allow the righteous King to reign in the kingdoms of their hearts.

Please pray for our faithful staff at New Vision City of Refuge to nurture these children effectively. Pray for our wonderful missionary team, the Bushhorns and the Yoders as they sacrificially fill in the gap during our absence. And of course, pray for our children to know the quietness and confidence of God’s eternal presence.

Thank you for your continued support.

Hooray!

Just last week I requested a day for prayer and fasting for our missionary associates Paul and Dulcie Bushhorn (center). They have been waiting for weeks for their work permits to go through. Well, praise the Lord we just got word it finally arrived! This is a wonderful answer to prayer. The permit will be Fed-exed to them tomorrow, then they will go to Chicago to get their visas stamped in their passport.

Thanks so much for appealing to the Lord on their behalf. This is a great relief to everyone at New Vision City of Refuge Children’s Home.

Big Enough

Just last week, while going on my daily walk I looked up to the sky and pleaded with the Lord, "God, you need to remind me just how big you really are." We had been going through a stressful time and our problems were bigger than we could handle. But God is bigger still.

I was reminded of Job, how he consistently called on the Lord, pleading for mercy and understanding. Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm.

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?"

In essence, the Lord was reminding Job that if he is big enough to create the universe and all that is in it, he is big enough to trust even when Job didn't understand.

Today we are fasting and praying for Paul and Dulcie Bushhorn and their family. The Bushhorns are the Missionary Associates at New Vision City of Refuge in Christiana, Jamaica. Unfortunately, they have been stranded in Ohio waiting for their work permits to go through. They are anxious to return to Jamaica to resume their responsibilities as interim directors while we are itinerating.

This hold-up affects everyone, especially the kids and staff at the City of Refuge in Christiana. It has been a tumultuous summer; full of changes and challenges. However, the Lord is bigger than all of this and we will trust him no matter what.

Assessing the Damage

Friend and fellow missionary Gary Pyatt sent some photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. This particular photo is Windward Boulevard in Kingston on the way to the airport. Soon he will be putting up more photos on his website. You can access it here: www.jamaicachildcare.com
The kids and I are scheduled to leave on Thursday, August 23. We'll be arriving in Montego Bay at 2:05 pm CT. I appreciate you prayers because we still don't know the condition of the roads through the mountains into Montego Bay.
Again, I am so thankful for your prayers and provision through this time.

Heading Home NOT

Well I thought we were going home tomorrow but it doesn't look like that will be possible. My flight was cancelled and after talking with Stuart it might just be as well. He tried going to Christiana and telephone poles were down all over the place. Our friends in Kingston said the airport road was impassable.

Tomorrow I will call the travel agent and try to find another flight out at the end of the week.

I am so grateful to everyone who has prayed and offered to help us in our plight. I want to especially thank Shawn and Cheryl Small of Wonder Voyage who have generously put us up in a hotel while we wait to go home. God is good!

Heading Home

As Hurricane Dean heads towards Mexico we are heading home. Tomorrow morning our flight is still scheduled to fly. We will go to Miami and then into Kingston. Please pray for roads to be clear so Stuart won't have a problem picking us up.
Our City of Refuge in Christiana held up to some very strong winds; some of our trees were damaged and some roofing was blown off. The City of Refuge in Kingston suffered much worse damage; the chicken coop with 150 chickens is gone, the coffee crop is ruined and a few roofs were blown off.
Fortunately no one was hurt at either home.
After today I probably won't have internet service for a while. So until then, thanks for your prayers and I'll send an update as soon as I can.

The Approaching Storm

Hurrican Dean is poised to hit Jamaica on Sunday, August 19. Our family has been in the States for the last couple of weeks spending our last week in Texas for our Caribbean Retreat. That is where Wendy and the kids are right now. Stuart flew out this morning ahead of the storm to go back to New Vision City of Refuge Children's Home and help them prepare. At this point the government is only allowing citizens and those with work permits to enter Jamaica.

Please pray for us.

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." Psalm 107:29