Life Plan

I get several people, often young, who come to me for counsel concerning the direction of their lives. Usually it's not that there are a lot of problems in their day to day journeys, but more that they don't have direction for the future. When we don't know where we are going, we don't usually make any progress in life. We tend to look back after several years and find ourselves in the same place we were 10 years earlier. When that is the case, we don't feel the fulfillment or the happiness that God intended us to feel.

As a result of many such counselling sessions over the past years, I decided that I would write and publish a workbook called Life Plan. While I was away in Asia last month I did most of the writing, and now this week , with the help of Linda and Jessica I 'm ready to publish the material. I've included in this blog a write-up from the back page and a picture of the cover.

Jordy's Birthday

Jordan is the youngest of our six grandchildren. After Alex and Jacob were born within a week of each other 8 years ago, the kids kept coming. Madeline followed on the first boys heels and then Maxwell came along in the same year. Victoria was born next. She will turn 5 in 2007 and will begin kindergarten in September. When Jordan was born 3 years ago, our daughters told us that he would be the last of the pack.

Because Jordy was a January baby, he won't be able to start school for 2 1/2 years. This is the last of a lot of regular babysitting for Susan, so she's desparately hoping the great grandchildren will come along soon! Because Jordy is the last of the lot and was born some time after Victoria, I think he and I have had more personal time together. He is a helper by nature and loves to bring out his plastic tool kit, donne his goggles, put on his hard hat and work beside me. We've finished several signifigant projects together, and still have a couple of good years before he gets bogged down by 17 years of schooling.

On Sunday Kristy invited several of his church friends over for a Diego Birthday Party. What a delight to see their many friends, adults and kids, socializing together! For a while the group was a bit overwhelming to Jordan and he retreated to the back room to watch Dora and Diego. After a while he came and joined the party, blew out the candles and opened his presents. That party will have to be the last for a while. Our next family birthday doesn't come until next week when his mom crosses another year marker!

Saying Goodbye

It’s okay—He’s ready to go, but still the process of saying goodbye is sad and difficult.

My dad has been a wonderful role-model for the six children he fathered, plus the two whom he inherited when our mom died and he remarried forty years ago. He’s been one of those men who has few regrets when it comes to family—he successfully passed the baton to us adult kids, our 18 children and 27 grandchildren.

A couple of days ago, Susan and I went to visit dad in the hospital. The doctors have given him 1-2 months to live, but we were surprised how good he looked and how chipper his attitude was. Susan took mom out for coffee while my brother and I talked with dad, knowing it could be our last visit on earth. I asked my dad some pretty pointed questions. (I am often surprised how few people address the real issues of life and death head0on with loved ones who are dying).

I asked him how he felt about dying, and although he was, of course, sad to leave mom and his family, he said he was ready to go. My dad has, for as long as I can remember had a strong relationship with God, so he has always known that he will end up in heaven.

We talked about the other four issues that everyone should face before we die—“Thank You”, “I’m sorry”, “I forgive you” and “I love you”. It was surprising to both me and my brother what memories dad had where he felt he’d failed or disappointed us. He talked about little incidents that had happened 40 or more years ago, when he thought that he’d let us down, or said something inappropriate. Most of them we didn’t even remember, but it was good for dad to clean out the closet of his memories.

He talked about how much he loved our mom, who gave birth to us and poured her life in to us six kids. Mom died when she was only 42, so she didn’t get the privilege of watching us all move into adulthood. He was wondering if she’d be 42 in heaven and he’d be 89—and if she would know him. Then he questioned me about eventually meeting both of his wives in heaven. We laughed together and decided that God would figure it all out.

For me, the most emotional part of our visit was not listening to dad’s memories, but our telling him how much we loved and honored him as a father. As Rob and I recounted the many attributes and successes of our dad, thanked him for clearly showing us how to be men, to walk on the right path, and be loving husbands and fathers, I could hardly hold back my emotions.

After our hugs and goodbyes to dad, we prayed with him and left. It was good. We’re so thankful for the gift of this window of time to say what had to be said.

Ode to Papa

In light of my fast approaching birthday, here is a sobering thought.

How old is Grandpa?
Stay with this--the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a a grandson was talking to his grandpa about current events. The grandson asked his grandpa what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandpa replied, well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

television
penicillin
polio shots
frozen foods
Xerox
contact lenses
Frisbees
The pill

There were no:
credit cards
laser beams
ball point pens

Man had not invented:
pantyhose
air conditioners
dishwashers
clothes dryers (the clothes were hung outside in the fresh air)
man hadn't yet walked on the moon.

Your Grandma and I got married first...and then lived together.
Every family had a Father and a Mother
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me "Sir"
And after I turned 25, I still called poilicmen and every man with a title "Sir".
We were before gay-rights, computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends--not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios. I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey!
If you saw anything with 'made in Japan' on it, it was junk.
The term 'making out' refereed to how you did on your school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald's and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 & 10 cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice Cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
If you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600.00, but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was just 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:
'grass was mowed'
'coke' was a cold drink
'pot' was something your mother cook in
'rock' music was your grandmother's lullaby
'Aids' were helpers in the principal's office
'chip' meant a piece of wood
'hardware' was found in a hardware store
'software' wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a woman needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap...and how old do you think I am?






This man would be only 59 years old!!!!

Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada

Tim and Laurene Peterson have served as President and First Lady of our Denomination over these past 15 years. We, at Northside, have been privileged to serve as their church family during the years that they have given oversight and care to the churches from Vancouver Island to the Atlantic.

I've had several occasions to travel with Tim to various regions to meet prospective pastors, and to provide care and teaching. I can truthfully say that I have never met a man so much like Nathanael, whom Jesus thoughtfully described as being "a man without guile". Tim is a picture of grace and love. Both Tim and Laurene have worked far beyond the call of duty in administration, Shepherding pastors and communication. We have a very large country, and to help facilitate the oversight, they have done superb job of creating specialized teams of capable men and women to share the load with them.

This year, 2007, Tim and Laurene are retiring from the Presidency. For some time, a transition team has been working at the process of choosing the next leader who will receive the torch from Tim and carry it into the next decade. There are many factors to consider in such a transfer of authority to make it flow smoothly , so it is expedient that we who serve under our leadership pray for wisdom for our National Board . In our Fourquare system, all churches had the privilege of nominating candidates, but the final choice, under God's direction, comes from a leadership board of 8 men and women from across Canada. God bless them, and give them wisdom and clarity in their final discussions and decision. And God bless Tim and Laurene as they are promoted to a new phase of ministry, wherever it may lead them!

Madeline turns Seven

Our millenium Grandbaby turned 7 on Saturday! Jeremy's and Kristy's 2nd child, Madeline, is now thriving in grade 1 (in the same class as her cousin Max) , is already starting to lose her baby teeth, and is showing signs of being a very mature young princess. Madeline was partied out this week-end with girlfriends from both school and church, in addition to our weekly family get-together, but she handled it with grace and thankfulness.

From the time Madeline was a baby, she has demonstrated a motivational gift of encouragement. It's very unusual for a child to be so generous and thoughtful of others. Of course she, like all of us has her flashes of selfishness, but Madeline is always very conscious of how others in the room are doing. Some of that comes from the modelling of her mom, but a lot of who she is has been a God initiated gift.

As both her pastor and her papa, I pray that" God will protect Madeline from harm and negative influences in this pivotal year of her life, and will shepherd her down the right path that He has uniquely prepared for her. Help her parents and teachers be wise in the discipling of their precious gift."

Every year Susan buys Madeline and Victoria a china doll with her age on it. This picture is of her opening doll #7. They sit on her dresser as a reminder of how much she has grown and of the plans that God has for her full maturity.

Northside Church 2007

It's hard to believe that another year has passed. The time seems to accelerate as we get older. I have a pretty strong feeling that this year is going to be a good one for our church family. As I've often stated, I plan my life in 7 year phases and do the same for our church. In May, we move into our 5th 7 year stretch. Over the first 7 years, we focussed on community ( developing a strong core of loving members), then in 1986 we turned an important corner and focussed on corporation (that phase included developing an administration system, strengthening our staff and building our 2 campuses).

In 1993, we turned our focus sharply outside of ourselves and concentrated on what we called cause. In the millenial year, 2000, we felt that we were at a place of health and maturity, so we widened our focus to include 7 priorities: Alpha, Youth, Children, Prayer, Small groups, Missions (which includes our community and overseas) and worship. Giving became, and will continue to be, a strong emphasis. On a personal note, I began writing books in this phase and published 12 of them.

In May of this year, we will be backing up a bit from our emphasis in overseas missions and looking carefully at how we can impact our own nation. I'll write more later, but this phase will include broadening our influence by web, radio, television and publishing, in Canada.

Christmas at our house

With 6 grandchildren running around, Christmas is a pretty exciting season. The celebrations usually begin by us all attending the 6 pm Christmas Eve service at Church, which helps remind us and the kids of our priority of honoring Jesus. Then we come back to Susan's and my home to eat and open their stockings. Here's a picture of the 6 children anxiously anticipating the word "go".



On Christmas morning we all headed to Tom and Kelly's home to eat breakfast of Cinderella waffles and lots of syrup. Jordy always has to have popcorn as his special dessert! After breakfast and a short devotion, we got to open presents. Alex and Madeline both gave us a Christmas recital of the carols they've recently mastered. Victoria received a Ballerina Barbie, so here she is dancing with her doll.








One of the most rewarding parts of our morning was Jacob's gifts that he'd bought for everyone. With his new paper route, he received his first cheque just before Christmas and and chose to spend everything on presents for his family. The picture of him giving his personally chosen gift to grandma shows that this was the highlight of his celebrations. In the afternoon we all kicked back and played with our new toys--Jordy and I got to assemble Kristy and Jeremy's new buffet. And of course Christmas evening was topped off with turkey dinner and home-made apple or pumpkin pie. Thankyou Lord for Jesus and for family! What a delightful day we all enjoyed!

Reflections

I've been busy marking students' papers written for my Pentateuch class this fall, and just came across an excellent description that a young man wrote about the Menora, that was set in the Tabernacle. Of course we all know that the Lampstand represented Jesus, who is the light of the world, but it also is a picture of the Church that reflects His light to the world around us. When we begin to think about reflected light and how many times more effective it becomes by adding more mirrors around it, we can begin to understand how Jesus views each of us--as mirrors who reflect His light to our circle of influence.

I saw that idea illustrated in a conversation I had a couple of days ago. Richard and Theresa Lee had to leave our church about a year ago to return to Pakistan for their business. Theresa was visiting this Christmas and so we had a chance to catch up on what's happening. Although there are no Protestant churches where they live, they have become active in the Roman Catholic Church there. Theresa told me story after story about how they have been able to practise and even pass on principles they have learned in our church to those around them. They have even begun a Bible study, with the Priest's blessing, using the Red Thread Trilogy.
I was so encouraged to see once again that the light we reflect in our neighbourhood, can be reflected halfway around the world. God bless Richard and Theresa!

The secret of Success

People tend to think I'm busier at Christmas than normal (I guess because it's a Christian holiday) but in truth things slow down a bit. People are all busy doing their thing, so they don't give as much time to regular small groups, or to their problems. Please don't tell anybody my little secret.

Because of the extra time that I've got, I've taken off 3 or 4 days to write a book, called The Secret of Success. The book is based on our church philosophy of ministry, which is summarized in the 3 rhyming words Knowing, Growing and Sowing. Not only is this a formula to build a successful church, but also to build a successful life. As a matter of fact I strongly believe that knowing God, growing to maturity in Him and sowing the gifts we've been given, is the only pathway to true success!

I'm writing this book in partnership with my friend and associate pastor, Terry Janzen. It will hopefully be available by next September.

Winter and Susan's Birthday

Can you believe it? Winter arrives on December 21-- and so does another birthday for my darling Susan. She arrived, so I am told, on the morning of an 18 inch snowfall, Her dad had to shovel a block of their street before he could drive mom to the hospital. Thankfully they arrived on time and beautiful Susan Rosemary was born strong and healthy, about 4 years after her big sister Nancy Ann and about 5 years after her future husband.

To celebrate, our family went out to Montana's where the kids can make as much noise as they want. Susan didn't want me to publish the picture of the waiters singing to her with the big moose antlers on her head. Instead I chose this one of Susan, Kelly and Kristy , as well as the 6 kiddies cuddled up to their favorite Nana. On Thursday, we'll celebrate again with a few of our friends.

I'm so thankful to God for his generous gift he has graced me with. Susan has been the perfect match for me. I think I'd be a mite boring to live with, but her excitable and exuberant personality keeps our marriage and family a fun place to be. I love her with all my heart and am looking forward to the next 30+ years that we will (God willing ) have together. Marriage is one of the many best ideas that God ever came up with! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Sunday at Northside

December seems to throw a bit of a curve in our regular church schedule, but it's a good curve!
On the 2nd week we enjoyed our children's play and choir and on this last week we loved our church choir's presentation.

Wow! What a gift that music is to the church. I couldn't get over the quality of talent and the willingness to share it that our church has. Maureen Reid has been leading our choir as they have practised over the past few months--I suspect that there is as much fulfillment in the friendship of the group as there is in the presentation of their music. The choir sang for our Saturday evening service as well as 3 times on Sunday morning. They really had to hustle to make the hop back and forth between the 2 campuses. And it was worth it all. Thank you Lord, and thank you choir for your gracious gift.

Enjoy My Books and Pay Less This Month

Use this coupon at one of the Retail Stores listed on my website, www.barrybuzza.com or automatically purchase anyone of my books on my website throughout the month of December at 15% off.

Christmas lights

I love the decorations and lights that brighten our rainy community at Christmas. They are shining witnesses to the light of the world who shines through his church to the world around us. Today Jordan helped me put up lights around our home.

Christmas Generosity

I love people like Ed and Joanne Spence! What an honor it is to serve beside them. Ed was placed on the front page of the Tri-City News this week with a very glowing article giving tribute to the hundreds of homeless people he has fed over the last several years simply by saving bottles and trading their value for food. Thank God for unselfish and thoughtful Christians in our community who let their lights shine not only at Christmas but all year. We're so privileged to have Ed and Joanne and their daughter as part of our church family!

Christmas celebrations

It's been a fun Christmasy week-end for Susan and me. Besides the regular home and church things that we usually do, we had opportunity to celebrate a few special things. On Thursday evening, Susan and the girls went to our annual Women's Celebration, while I got to take my four grandsons out for dinner at Burger King. Then on Friday evening Dave and Carol and we went to the Singing Christmas Tree program at Broadway Church.

I've been so impressed by the consistent influence Broadway Church has had in our metropolis for the last 60 years or so. They have been like a spiritual anchor in a city that has tended to drift toward secularism. I applaud their consistent witness and their generosity in freely and elaborately opening their doors to a very diverse population. Blessings to our friends at Broadway, and thank-you for a very classy and moving presentation of the Gospel. Of course my niece Dianna Smith was the real star performer!

On Saturday, Susan and I were invited to our dear friend, Jim Douglas's 65th Birthday Party. It's hard to believe that we have friends that are so old! Jim and Sharon have been pillars in our church and also Kingsway Foursquare Church for their entire lives. How I value Strong Christlike families--you can easily see their faithfulness because it is modelled in the 2 generations that they've successfully passed the torch to. Both of them have also been teachers at Pacific Academy since its beginnings and so have positively influenced thousands of kids. Thank you Lord for godly pillars. May the Douglas tribe continue to be blessed for generations!

We had a great Christmas Celebration at our 4 services this week-end. The hundreds of children that we've been entrusted with put on a wonderful musical program. Afterwards we were invited to our Granddaughter's birthday party. Victoria turns 4 on Monday so Tom and Kelly invited a few of her friends and their parents for a Birthday lunch and skating party.

Leyte Mudslide

These pictures date back a few months to the big mudslide in Barnard, Leyte. An entire village of 5000+ were immediately wiped out by the slide, covered in 15 feet of mud and rocks.
Northside church immediately responded to help those on the outskirts of town who lived, but lost everything. We sent several thousand dollars, which was taken by the team (pictured here) to buy supplies, food and water. A new church was planted very near where the disaster occured.
When I was in Ormoc a week ago, I'd hoped to see the site of the slide, but found out that it was a five hour ride, so I did not have time. The church there did send many thanks to our church for our help in their time of crisis.

Diana and Chris's Wedding

On Saturday I had the privilege of officiating at the wedding of two of our church adherents, Chris
and Diana Lorenzen. What a great couple! Chris has an Italian family and Diana is from Serbian background. I find the blending of the different cultures so interesting. Each has their own traditions, Christian history, language and foods. A sumptuous feast followed the nuptials, so all told this was a wedding day that will be remembered with great joy for many years to come. These are two of the loveliest families I've come to know this year--and there have been a record number of memorable relationships I will have forever.

Even more pictures!

Pictured here is one of the Fastcat Ferries that I rode on, Pastor Val Chavez and his wife, some of the pastors I was able to share a meal with and a Caribou. Caribou are the main " farm equipment" used in the Philippines for preparing the soil for planting as well as much of their farming. Finally, pictured here are two young bible school students from Life Bible College in Davao, with the 50th Anniversary cake pictured in the background.

More pictures from the Philippines

Pictured here is the long line of pastors in Davao that we provided lunch for. Also are some of the boxes of clothes that we had sent months in advance to give to the Pastors .
The three women at the front of the stage are the happy prize recipients of some of the Cadbury Chocolate that I brought down with me.

Pictures from my trip to Philippines

I have attached some of my pictures from my recent trip to the Philippines and Thailand. Included here is a picture of my good friends Don & Ru Schellenberg that I stayed with while in Thailand. Also pictured here are some of the Thailand dancers in their costumes.

Auntie Mae

Today my family held a Memorial service for my dear 97 year old auntie. Auntie Mae was one of those very rare women who was like a mom to our family. After serving in the RCAF as a Colonel, Auntie Mae did not marry. She worked as an anchor in my dad's lumber business, running the office and keeping the books. Whenever dad and mom would want to get away for another honeymoon from us 6 kids, Auntie Mae would care for us.

When she was 52 she finally met Derrick who became the love of her life until he died in 1983. During those years Auntie moved away to Little Fort, north of Kamloops and the 2 were farmers together for all of their married life. Every summer as a teen ager I would go and live with them on their farm. I learned a lot about life from Auntie Mae and Uncle Derrick. I painted their old farm house (4 coats) , worked at harvesting, milking cows, castrating bulls--you know, regular farm stuff. A very memorable day was when I was 16 and Auntie's adopted daughter, who was only a few weeks old, got her head caught between the wooden bars of her crib, She was turning red and then white, but Auntie could not get her out. When she cried for help, I ran into the room and was able to dislodge Carlene from her prison. Auntie Mae always credited me with saving her daughter's life.

Auntie Mae was a woman of faith. She sang in the choir in 1928 when Aimee Semple McPherson came to town and then invited my mom to Sunday School at the brand new church at Hastings and Pender in Vancouver. Mom was only 10 years old at the time, and later met my dad (Auntie Mae's brother) , but it was that momentous occasion that ultimately changed the path of my family's life. I owe a great debt to my beloved Auntie and will miss her. She is doing well and has just been donned with her Crown of Righteousness!

Monday Nov. 27

I didn’t realize that this would be such a long trip from Davao to Ormac today. I started out at McDonalds for breakfast with one of the Bible School Students. (I have a very special memory of being at our International Foursquare Convention as a 19 year old Bible College freshman when a veteran missionary took me out to dinner. I remember feeling so honored that he’d asked me.)

After breakfast my host drove me to the airport, where I and the General Superintendent headed to Cebu, the ancient landing place of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and the stronghold of Catholicism. We were met in Cebu by two pastors I know and we all went to lunch together. After lunch we set out by van to the dock, where we eventually boarded a Fast-Cat ferry. Susan had told me that another ferry just sank yesterday off a nearby island, but we safely made the three hour trip. We landed at the port and set out by car a fair distance to Ormac. We were both pretty tired (and a little seasick from the very rough ride). We arrive at about 8:00 p.m. for the first service, which had already begun. It’s amazing how invigorating worship can get one ready to teach. I feel bad for Delfin the General Superintendent; he has a meeting after our services, then leaves for an eight hour ferry ride to be at his next meeting by morning.

Leyte November 29

Well its all but over. In some ways, it seems like months I've been away. So much has happened, so many new friends, so much conversation. But in other ways this 18 day trip has flown by.

During these last few days in Ormac, sadly my telephone text and email have not worked. No satellite connection on Leyte. I was desperate to call Susan the first night I was here to tell her that I'd arrived safely by Ferry and motorcycle. My cell did not work, the hotel could not access Canada and the public phones closed at 5 pm. It was 11 pm after the service was over. (we hadn't arrived till after it had begun) finally I asked a couple of women walking by the hotel if I could pay to use their cell. They had no load but were willing if we could reload for them. The hotel clerk ran somewhere (it was after midnight and everything was closed) got the necessary load and I was able to call.

Ormac is a lovely little seaside town on the Island Leyte. 15 years ago it made the headlines when the river overflowed and 15 feet of water drowned the city. 11,000 people died that day. When the pastor built his church a few years ago they dug up a few human skulls under the parsonage

Then in 2006 a mud slide a few hours away in Bernard buried 1000's more alive. Our Church had given several thousand dollars to help the living so I brought back pictures to show what we did to help.

The pastors of Leyte are a very humble group of men and women. Gulliver the district Supervisor has no car or motorcycle. No typewriter or computer. No office and only a small parsonage (about 300 sq feet) for his family of 6. But as poor as they are they worship with great enthusiasm and listen intently to the many hours of teaching. My schedule was full from arrival on Monday until departure on Wed afternoon.

There's a typhoon on the Islands so the Fastcat Ferry is making tracks to get to Cebu before they send out the signal to cancel all sailings. I'll be in Cebu tonight and tomorrow I fly to Manila to connect to the flight home. Yippee!

50th Year Celebration

We set out early again this morning for a 90 minute jeepney ride from Davao to Panabo City. It was their 50^th year Celebration and also Thanksgiving Sunday so they had slaughtered the fatted pig for the occasion. Knowing that pastors Hernani and Mila’s heart for the poor, I was very surprised with the quality of the celebration this morning. The wonderful music was high on the list of the best I have ever heard. I couldn’t hold back the tears as the dancers and actors retraced the 50 years of church history here on the island of Mindanao when Sister Thompson began the church in Davao in 1956. She almost immediately began reaching out to the natives in aboriginal tribes. On her first visit it was either eat the sacrificed monkey or be killed. Sister Thompson closed her eyes, stuck her fork into the monkey’s roasted brain and stuck it in her mouth. The natives cheered and she was accepted from that time.

After my time of preaching we ate some of the best food I have ever tasted, played some family games, enjoyed more music and native dances and presented awards to some of the heroes of Philippine Foursquare History. I had to leave by 3:00 p.m. to get back for dinner with some of the Bible School students. Then we all rushed to the final celebration service (with a 3 foot tall cake.) It was very sad for me to say good-bye for my now many friends here in Davao. Tomorrow the General Supervisor and I fly to Cebu then take a fastcat ferry to the Island of Leyte for my last conference.

November 26

I met one pastor here who travels to remote villages and reads to the uneducated tribal pastors so they will have something to preach to their villages. The jeepney we came on was very old and barely running. They are now praying that God will provide a new vehicle.

Just united to the grateful pastors, most of these men and women pastor in the mountains, accessible only by motorcyle. The mountain passes are very steep, wind along the sides of cliffs and are only dirt or mud trails about three feet wide. (I was not permitted to go because gangs of communist terrorist are on the lookout for white visitors to rob or kidnap for ransom).

A jeepney in the Philippines

November 25

On Friday the 50th Anniversary wound down except for a big church celebration on Sunday evening, so I have turned my attention toward Panabo City Conference about an hour away. I am on the board of directors for the Strength in the Valley Foundation who minister to the poorest of the pastors from the indigenous tribes. These pastors will walk through trails and then ride on a motorcycle taxi for many hours to come hear the word, receive some rice and a few clothes for their children and church.

It has been a privilege for our church to help subsidize the work and the retreat center Mila and Hernani have been sacrificing to construct. I will bring back pictures of their progress. Speaking of the poor, it is very difficult to know who to help and who to not help.

Mila began the ministry several years ago when she and her husband were going through a very difficult valley. As pastors their income was about $10 a month. She remembers standing on a bridge with her hungry child. Her daughter was asking for a banana, but Mila could not afford even that. She was really tempted to jump off the bridge and end her very difficult life. God spoke to her and reminded her of the many blessings she did have, and that others were even poorer than her family. It was at that moment in the valley of the shadow of death, that Mila felt God calling her to care for the poorest of pastors.

Nov. 25, today was a full day at the Strength in the Valley Foundation. After teaching the seminar on Psalm 23, I got to be part of the joyful blessing process. Our church was able to provide food subsidy plus we had sent boxes of clothes that were given out.