Standing in Lines

On Mission With God In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

As our first year in the field comes to an end , I was reflecting on the past year’s activities and I came to the conclusion that standing in line is an honor. The last several months have been filled with the visa process. This is a confusing and time consuming activity that requires many hours of standing in line. Many times these are the same lines you were in yesterday.
I told our daughter that these lines remind me of the worst day at our local license bureau in Missouri. Every time you get to the front of the line the person at the counter tells you “you need something else”, but they never tell you all of what you will need, so you get to come back and they look very busy.
But now even with those memories very fresh (yesterday as I was writing this) I think of them knowing it is an honor. Teresa and I have been called into His service here in Eastern Europe, where long lines abound. Therefore it is an honor to stand in a line, because we are here on mission with God in CEE.
We are also honored by God’s people who pray for us and finance our being here. Without the support of our SBC churches through the cooperative program (CP) and the Lottie Moon Offerings, we could not be here now.
I want you to read part of a letter we received this week from a member of the International Mission Board (IMB). These are the people that decide where and how the money from the CP and Lottie Moon Offerings are spent. Here is that segment of the letter:

Two lessons stand out.
First, we learned that restricting missionary appointments is not a temporary move with temporary consequences. It takes a long time to regain lost ground — years. The seriousness of the decision to restrict appointments cannot be overstated. Every time a missionary is delayed, a witness among an unreached people group is delayed, new church starts are delayed, baptisms are delayed and salvations are delayed. For the sake of those dying without Christ, we cannot miss that lesson.
Second, we learned Southern Baptists respond to needs when they know about them. As reports of insufficient funding and delayed missionaries began to circulate among our churches, we witnessed an immediate and unprecedented response. Record gifts began to pour in from our churches. In one year’s time, gifts received through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering increased by more than 18 percent!
Why do I share these lessons with you? Because we are on the verge of repeating history. With a record number of missionaries depending on Southern Baptists for financial support and the ongoing worldwide financial crisis, the 2009 IMB budget is now under strain to support growth in our missionary force.
Paul Chitwood is pastor of First Baptist Church, Mt. Washington, Ky., and chairman of trustees for the International Mission Board.

Funding gets us here and takes care of us physically, but this is spiritual warfare and your prayers are our support!
Please pray for us as we are here and not at home this Christmas. Please pray that peace which passeth all understanding will come over us and we will be happy as well as joyful this year.
Please pray with your family, for us and our family, as you gather together this Christmas. We can only stay here as long as you give and pray.
Thank you for all your support, Just two sinners saved by grace, Randy & Teresa Myers