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posted by James on 03/25/11

Jet-lag is a strange experience. And this is one of the factors that made my first full day in South Korea so extraordinary.

After a full day of work in Chicago on Wednesday, I was not able to get a nap in before taking off at 1:00AM on Thursday morning. A few hours of light sleep on the 13 hour flight was all there was to Thursday, and by the time I touched down in Incheon, South Korea, it was 5:00AM Friday morning. Even though to me it felt like evening was beginning, I was advised to stay up all day so my body would adjust to the time difference more quickly. So, with that in mind, we started our day!

Friday is a busy work day for the IBLP Korea office, so I spent the morning observing, learning, listening, and trying to understand how things work around here. I am beginning to see a glimpse of the bigger picture (or should I say a incredibly huge picture!) of the awesome potential and opportunity there is in this country!

By the early afternoon, I was really getting tired, so I went on a walk with Sam and Matthew Waller to the grocery store. A Korean grocery store. The language, prices and even many products were, well . . . foreign to me. I’ve got a lot to learn! On the way back, we took the “scenic” route down winding streets and park trails, all of which brought back assorted and abstract memories from Mexico, West Virginia, and, of all places, the Washington DC Zoo (not the animals, just the “feel”).

After a superb supper, I was ready to hit the sack. But there was one more thing to do before the day was over: a game of soccer in the neighborhood playing field! Now the “field” wasn’t more than a turf-covered, basketball-court-sized fenced-in area, but it certainly worked for the purpose! It was my first interaction with the friendly Korean young people in the area.

I hope that every day of the next 6 weeks will not be this extraordinary, but I am greatly looking forward to being part of the many exciting things God is doing here!

5 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by Daniel on 03/19/11

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! The first Family Encouragement Weekend of the year was a smashing success. However, the enemy’s opposition was evident. We did have a “few” interruptions, unexpected medical complications, and other spiritual warfare, but “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” Once again good overcame evil! Each family left inspired to apply the truths of Scripture to every-day family life, and encouraged that we are not alone in the battle. Thank you Neely and Wilkes Teams for your labor of love and desire to share with others what God has done in your lives!

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” – Colossians 3:1-2

9 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by Daniel on 02/14/11

Last Friday the single staff here at Headquarters hosted an elaborate and truly spectacular Valentine Banquet to honor the training center directors and other special guests. I was asked to help organize the servers for the banquet, and this position allowed me to see firsthand the exhaustive attention to detail, flawless teamwork, and Christ-like character which made it possible to pull off this monumental undertaking with stress-free efficiency and expertise!

It was so neat to see God put together all the details. That very morning I happened to read Matthew 20:27 which talks about being a “servant” of all. The Lord also brought my attention to the section a couple verses earlier in the chapter, where the sons of Zebedee with their mother approached Jesus and asked for “special seating arrangements.” What was his answer? This “is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” (Matt. 20:23).

HQ Valentines Banquet 2011 from Chad … on Vimeo.

The night before we had been rearranging the tables to accommodate the new number of guests that were expected for the banquet, but we came up one chair too short – and we had already packed the seats in as tight as possible! At that very moment we received a call from one of the couples saying the wife would not be able to attend. How often do problems get solved that easily?

Then, during the evening of the banquet, soon after we had begun seating each couple, one couple came up to us with a special request to be seated at one of the far tables. Scrambling through our charts, we worked out a last-second switch to accommodate them. In the middle of getting this all worked out, two other guests asked to be seated early. I thought all our careful plans to seat the guests table by table were being totally thrown off, but the Lord gave me a peace that this had all been “prepared of my Father.” It was then that I suddenly realized where these two guests were supposed to sit: directly across from the first couple at the far table! Everything could not have worked out more perfectly.

This was just one of the many ways that we saw the Lord pour out his blessing on the entire event. There is joy in serving Jesus!

4 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by Robert on 11/21/10

Last week I spent some time in Malaka, Malaysia, attending the annual Southeast Asian ATI Conference. We flew into the Singapore airport and I was immediately impressed with its beauty and cleanliness. I normally don’t take pictures of baggage claims but this one was amazing. The whole city was very clean!

Leaving Singapore, we drove across the bridge into Malaysia. What really impressed me about Malaysia was the miles and miles and miles of palm trees! Evidently, Malaysia is the second largest producer of palm oil in the world (next to Indonesia.)

We stopped for lunch at . . . McDonalds! The menu was similar to a U.S. McDonalds except you could shake up your french fries with a nice, zesty Asian-style spice. I thought it was pretty good!

Mr. and Mrs. Teh were wonderfully kind conference coordinators and made us feel right at home. There were many people from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia at the conference and they were a great joy to meet and talk with. It was exciting to see families on the other side of the world who love the Lord and desire to serve Him with all their heart!

3 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by James on 11/3/10

Well, I finally got the rest of the pictures sorted and edited. They give only a small glimpse into the work that was accomplished and joy that was given on those two short days.

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Friday, October 29th 2010

2 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports, Photography