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Sunday evening just after the service ended and we were leaving the building, I asked Dawn for the van keys. She quickly went for her purse. I chatted with several as I waited for her return. If you know Dawn’s purse you know that it has many compartments. I always think of Captain Kangaroo’s pockets when thinking of her purse. Captain Kangaroo had deep coat pockets which always revealed anything and everything strange. He seemed to have whatever was necessary for every situation in those bottomless pockets. Dawn quickly came back with a somewhat befuddled look on her face. That is NEVER a good thing unless I'm playing a joke on her. She couldn't find the keys. The whole church quickly became involved in the search. We looked everywhere. Suspects quickly began to come to mind. Could it be that "so and so" took them? She was a tad mad at me tonight? Did someone play a mean trick and chuck the keys in the weeds? What happened to those keys! As we all were scramb...

There we sat, surrounded by smelly tennis shoes, and sweaty teenagers, in awe of what was taking place. Dawn and I were in a missions conference weekend and we had been invited to participate in a Gym Night activity with the teens of the church. I had given a Bible challenge, on increasing ones faith by giving our all to Christ, when something unexpected happened that really increased MY faith! Another missionary couple was there too. His challenge was about allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us with His life giving breath so that we might serve and live for Him. His presentation was dynamic and gripped our attention. It was what happened next that took me by surprise. Pastor Steve divided the missionaries by couples and called for his teens to surround each couple. They were to place their hands on us and pray for us. As the teens were beginning to take their places I selfishly begged the Lord to have at least some teens come to us. Me being the "Old Guy" I didn't want to...

After five years of hard work Jackson has arrived at graduation day! It was a joint effort these last two years with Annie by his side. And the arrival of Gabriel added another dimension to the seminary schedule. Jackson received a special award at the graduation banquet. He was elected by the student body and professors as Student of the Year! Basking in the memories of these five years one could meditate on the highs and lows that have been integral in moulding three lives for future ministry. But I praise the Lord for shaping His will in these cherished family members lives through each and every event. When Dawn and I dedicated Annie to Christ more than 25 years ago we couldn't have imagined the script that He would place in her hands. And only He knows what the future will hold. Our prayer is that God will use them mightily in His service and that He will continue to direct their every step. Pray for them as they prepare for a visit to the States. Jackson is in the process to ...

A MK is a missionary's kid, a PK is a preacher's kid, and neither are easy roles to fill. Abby (Amy and Annie too for that matter) has the tremendous privilege of being both! Being a PK or MK, I believe, is apt to bring on the BIG-shoes-to-fill syndrome. It is the pressure and trauma of having an aura to fulfill. The same thing happens to movie star's kids (would that be a MSK?). There is the mistaken idea that because the parents are "huge" personalities, the kids are different, and have to be huge too. I grew up in a "normal" family (though some would definitely debate that!). I had a normal job at GM for 22 years. Dawn and I spent many years in "normal" ministry at FBC in Lake Orion, MI . It so happened that God worked in my life to the degree that my family and I became missionaries to Brazil. It wasn't until after our second term that I became aware of the fact that we had an "aura". I never saw it in the mirror for sure! I...

What is a "normal" missionary letter? When you read a missionary prayer letter what are you expecting to see and hear? Someone commented to me the other day that my letters are not your "normal" missionary letters. As I thought about that I wondered, "What makes up a 'normal' missionary letter?" and "Do I want to write a 'normal' letter?" First of all I realize that we are living in a world where reading is becoming a thing of the past. Ask most young people if they like to read and you will have very few that say they do. Throw into the pot the words "Missionary Prayer letter" and the percentages will drop drastically. Missionary prayer letters are interesting to those involved in the ministry. Not just pastors, but people like you who read letters (or in this case Blogs) like mine. Though you trudge through names like Zelha, Alenildes, Itapetininga, or Barueri, as you might when reading the book of 1 Chronicles you are...

We recently had puppies! Five furry fluff balls were born just two weeks ago and they are growing in such a way that leads us to believe that Sheba crossed with a St. Bernard. We know that she didn’t because we have seen few St. Bernards since our arrival ten years ago. The puppies are, however, growing quickly. Of course one of their days equals one of our weeks, doesn’t it? Lately they are beginning to take steps. Looking like little old men and little old ladies they wobble, stagger, and drop their way from one side of their box to the other. Unlike little old people we know that their time of running and jumping is yet ahead. They are learning to walk one step at a time. This is similar to church growth. It happens gradually. Though I often want to see instant results it doesn’t happen that way. We take our first wobbly steps then fall flat on our face. We get up and try again only to take another nosedive. Praise the Lord our church has never really taken a stumble. We continue st...