Rejoice! Last night's sermon from Tomm Wilson was taken from James chapter 1. After the greeting, the text begins with "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
You all have every reason to rejoice! Your faith is being tested. We will certainly continue to pray for Phil and all of you on the missionary trip. Bring home stories of victories and perseverance. We look forward to your safe arrival back home. Each one of you! May God continue to bless you all.
May I borrow a closing from 3 John 1? "I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings." With love, Jill.
Praying Please tell dad we are praying for him and if you don't mind giving him a big hug from us!!! :) Thanks so much for taking good care of him! I pray that God will give you strength! Psalms 46:1--God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble! Blessings, Carolyn
Encouragement Ben,
Thank you for closely informing us about what happened to Phil. He continues to shower his faith onto others. I'm blown away how mission focused he continues to be. I will pray for all of you and your strength.
Christy
Thanks for update I am thankful for the update and to modren technology to assit me in what to pray for. Don't loose heart, remember God teaches us the most when circumstances are not plesant. God is with you in all. Love you :D
About Phil Hi this is Tomm and Laurie. We have been meaning to write. All of you are in our thoughts and prayers. We are inspired by your hard work and love for the people. Tell Phil what an inspiration he is for all of us. I know all of you are probably going through alot right now , but we wanted to encourage you with a few thoughts. Last night at midweek, we began a summer long study of the book of James. As many of you know James begins by saying "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James says trials of many kinds. What you are going through certainly would fall under this topic. James also tells us that our view should be that of joy, not joyful about what happened to Phil but joy that God is teaching us things through this trial. Trials are how God shapes our character and causes us to depend on him. People facing trials in a Godly way are an inspiration to those who observe this. All of you are an inspiration to us in Detroit. In James 1:12 we are told that there is blessing and reward from God as we persevere. We will be thinking and praying for all of you. Look forward to being reunited very soon. Love Tomm and Laurie
Hello! Thanks for the constant updates! It is inspiring to hear about all that you are doing in India. The Reebels are keeping all of you in our prayers!
Nothing new Hi Family,
Just thought I would say a quick hello before heading off to Midweek. I'm reading Hinds' Feet in High Places and am reminded of how pleased God is when we see ourselves the way He sees us. I know He is super pleased with your hearts and your sacrifice and He will continue to give you the strength and courage you need to do His will. I miss you all tons. Love In Christ, Julie
Mission India! Hey Brothers and sisters in India,
You guys are in my prayers. It takes a special kind of person to give up the luxuries we have in the US to go to India and encourage the saints. God is with you and is very proud of you. Stay encouraged and keep on giving your hearts to the disciples in India.
You are in our prayers Dear Mission India 2009 team (Phil, Ben, Laurel, Mitch, Deb),
It is always so good to hear from you! Thank you for your faithful posts; we have heard them at services as well. Thank you for the lessons and photos, updates and prayer requests.
I'm sorry that I have not written you sooner. My mom-in-law (Paula) passed away two weeks ago after the 15-month battle with stage four cancer. Her fight was valiant. It has been a very difficult transition for my father-in-law and David. Amy turned 13 two days after her passing, so that was a challenge for her. We proceeded with the birthday/sleepover party with her 12 friends, but no one slept. They ran around the house all night, and after my final warning at 6 AM they took a nap before parents came to get them at 10 AM. Hmmm....Came back to work to finish month-end payroll and quarterly deadlines. Now I can exhale a bit. I am blessed to have my job!
How tragic that disciples are being persecuted as well from the Indian government. If it offers any consolation, use Luke 6:20 "Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
Keep the blogs coming. You are SUCH an encouragement to all of us! We love you! Miss you, and wish you the best of God's blessings throughout the remainder of your trip. Give our family there hugs on my behalf, please.
YSIC,
Jill
Greetings Greetings from Detroit. Praise God for the work that you are doing there. Sounds like an incredibly fast pace. I know God is pleased with your encouragement and teaching of the saints there. We are praying for you there and are inspired by your faith and perseverance. Keep up the great work and pray for all the saints everywhere. Love you guys. Lam 3:22-27 Laurie
wow WoW, I guess I never considered what could happen if there were no separation of church and state back here in the UNited States. I think I take a lot of things for granted like having the freedom to worship Christ anywhere and anytime. Thanks for sharing. Tell Phil I am praying for him to get better. pearl
Thanks for the reminder Ben,
I really appreciate your thoroughness when you give us an update on your daily adventures! You are definitely in the hearts of the family who has your photo on the wall! Once again, thank you for reminding us that we can easily take state/county privileges for granted (free education for our children)! I can't even imagine children not being able to get an education due to their faith in Jesus and the word of God!
Christy
Hi from Collin Hello Everyone!!!!
It looks like you all are having a great time and bring so much encouragement to the brothers and sisters there! Thanks for all of the updates and photos! I love going through your entries and staying connected to your trip. You are in our prayers daily! Currently, Beth and I have Guillermo Adame and his son Guillermo staying with us from San Diego. It looks like the son will be attending Michigan in the fall:) !!!! Go Blue!!!He was very excited to here about your trip. Guillermo was a minister in India for about 8 years in the late 80's early 90's. He knows many people there like Dinesh and Paul and Ronnie. If you are going to be seeing any of them soon, be sure to pass on some love and greetings from Guillermo. Him and his wife hope to get back to India full time once their children get through college which will be in about 5 years.
Big Chief...How are you hanging in there? Carter keeps asking when you are going to get back from the airport:) Your perseverance and determination to serve God's people constantly inspires us!!! Thanks for your example!!! You all are doing an amazing job and you are all great ambassadors for Detroit Church. I am proud to be your brother! Love you all very much! See you soon!
You are all missed! Hi Deb, Laurel, Mitch, Phil and Ben,
Thanks so much for keeping all of us in the loop as to how things are going. I missed most of your first week posting because I was out of town and out of email touch but have rest the last few days. Wow!!! What a whirlwind tour you are all are doing! You are in my prayers! Debbie, I did the recycling this morning! Yeah!!! I miss you a ton, roomie! I'm off to d-group but I'll try to write again tomorrow. I love you all!
Love In Christ, Julie
Trivandrum Dear Ben,
Thanks for the insightful update. Your continuity of relationship - and having friends you remember from previous visits is the awesome thing about these visits. Its a little taste of heaven. I think it actually shows whether we really love people that we remmeber them, keep up with them and delight in their progress.
Very challenging to hear about the costs of being a disciple in India... we in America need to complain a LOT less.
I'm praying for "The Chief"... carrying his "cross" through India...
Love
Allan
Aaaaah! Not the... Awesome pics! Wish Madurai had been apart of my last visit. Prayfully, next time! By the way, thx Ben, for that note about comfortable living. It's a great reminder for me as well...a shameful truth.
Some food for my brothers & sisters... Wow. Will definitely be in prayer (James 515) for Phil and the Reparation issue amongst the disciples. I can only imagine how tempting it must be to want to practice Hindu for the (worldly) benefits of receiving an education. Please encourage the disciples with Gen 25:27-34 and chpt 27...for them not to exchange their birthright for a bowl of stew as did Esau. These things happened as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come (1Cor10:11- I hope that wasn't stated out of context considering that Jacob was apart of Isreal's history).
Please also encourage them to continue to desire wisdom, because it is more profitable than silver and yields better return than gold (Prov 3:13-14). Remind them that they are already blessed! Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love Him (James 2:5). Amen. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he willl receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).
Besides, God knows their heart's desires. As long as they continue to truly delight themselves in Him, He will give them the desires of their hearts (Psm 37:4) and that's a promise! Love ya'll!
Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long! I think our internet connectivity rivals your in India lately! I finally got through all of the blogs and pictures! Laurel!! I can't believe it-you were barefoot in a public place! Woah!!!! I think it was when you guys were all visiting the temples etc....
All the stories are really encouraging and thought provoking. I'm so grateful that you are posting your new found convictions and experiences with us. It's so hard to be grateful for what we have here....until it's gone...or we see or hear about those without! Crazy.
Thanks guys!
Ben-we were just at Jen's celebrating her birthday with the boys and "mom". Everyone is well. We can't wait until our Thursday-nite-buddies all come home again. We miss you.
Love you all!
Wow again! Hey guys- These are great pics! The one of Paul actually made me choke up just a bit. Tell him I miss him and Rani! You are right about the Hindu temples. There's nothing like going to one.
Well, we're off to the UP. Hope to use the MBC computer on Sunday to check in! Be safe! Love you all.
Ben- Love you most.
xoxox Jen
Hello from wendy So glad to hear all the news of your journey's. Tim and I have so many fond memories of the disciples of India.... It is wonderful to see the photos, I was especially excited to see saji and sheba and their boys (who have grown so much ). Please continue to send our blessings to all .
I know this is a life long dream for dad to be in India. We are so happy for him and for all of you.
to Dad,
Mom is here with us and we are having a great time, it has been so long since I've been able to spend this much quality time with her and I am taking full advantage of it :). We ended up not making the trip to charlie and carolyns as the drive was long and we didn't have enough time. Kylie and Beth and kids stayed for a week and we went to lots of parks, swam and played the whole week. Carter was a hoot and lily was just plain precious... ha :)
Mom has been feeling well and has more energy than me... it's the vinegar water I'm sure... ha :)
Yesterday we had a house church meet in our home and we had 16 visitors... ha :) 6 who want to study and one group was a family of 6 that had left the church and want to come back.... !!! wow. We are going to be busy here in fort Wayne. Please pray for us as I know you always do. Mom was busy helping me serve them coffee and keep up with everyone. She was a big help.
Today we went out to an Indian Buffet, similar to how we ate at the hotels on our trip to India.... we enjoyed it so much and thought of you all eating the same food so very far away.... My favorite is the Gulab Jamin.... yum try it if you haven't so far , its those little dessert balls in syrup.
Continue to have a great time, I'm happy that you are able to rest and that your health is holding up. Please take good care of yourself. Mom is anxious to hear from you every day and doesn't say so, but I know she is worried about you. She is missing you. :) She seems to feel much better after reading your blogs and being reassured that all is well. :)
I love you and send my love to everyone on the team.....
Hugs all around
Love
wendy
Ben, I noticed Jen said she isn't getting the email notifications. I'm not either for some reason. Thanks so much for getting blogs off to us. We really appreciate all you are doing and thanks to the whole team for taking such good care of Phil. I just wish he could have made the trip on full strength, but God has truly blessed him to be able to be there.
Love, Pat
Ben Weatherston, Mitch and Laurel Zoet, Deb Steinke, and Phil Morr on their way to visit the churches we support in Tamil Nadu and Kerrala!... full info
Jill
non-member comment
Rejoice!
Last night's sermon from Tomm Wilson was taken from James chapter 1. After the greeting, the text begins with "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." You all have every reason to rejoice! Your faith is being tested. We will certainly continue to pray for Phil and all of you on the missionary trip. Bring home stories of victories and perseverance. We look forward to your safe arrival back home. Each one of you! May God continue to bless you all. May I borrow a closing from 3 John 1? "I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings." With love, Jill.