Safe arrivals

Rick, Margaret and the kids arrived today, almost as scheduled. Their flight from London was delayed about 1h20m, but otherwise their travels seem to have been uneventful...that is, there have been no adverse events. It could have been otherwise. They arrived in London a week ago, after the bombings of July 7. Then, they spent a few days in Paris before returning to London yesterday to catch the flight out of Gatwick this morning. In the meantime, another series of (attempted) bombings hit the London transit system.

When is it safe to travel? Where is one able to travel safely? Stories from the book of Daniel teach us that a fiery furnace or a lions' den can be the safest place of all, if one is determined to follow God faithfully. Safety is not dependent on physical location, but on a spiritual relationship. May God keep all our loved ones safe from spiritual and physical danger. His hand does intervene in our lives, and that is our only unfailing source of assurance that we are safe. Or, to use a different form of the word, that we are saved. Implicit in God's guarantee to us is that we will be granted a safe arrival at our eternal destination, no matter what the enemy attempts to do to us along the way.

Day 11 of our Ukraine trip now posted

I missed a day or so getting the next day's travelog posted. Our son Rick and his family arrive today and will be here until August 1. I don't promise to get something posted every day over the next week or so. Check out Day 11 or to get the whole trip description, go here and scroll down.

Note: If you checked in a few hours ago, you would have caught the blog in a state of transition. The electricity went off while I was finalizing the Day 11 post, and I had to leave it unfinished until this morning.

The Real War of the Worlds

Occasionally, Abbie and I get to see a movie; we pick and choose, partly based on whether we have the time to go, and also on whether we feel the movie is worth seeing, so we don't see very many. Last night we decided to see War of the Worlds, and we invited José Carlos to go with us, since his wife, Marcia, has gone to Brazil for 6 or 7 weeks to visit her family.

Honestly, none of us was particularly impressed by the movie, as such, but there were a lot of special effects, as is the case of most films nowadays. As José Carlos commented, take away the special effects and there wasn't really much else to the film. When it was over, and we had been attacked by ugly aliens and seen the carnage they had wreaked, we asked each other if we would be able to go home and sleep without having horrible dreams.

That was last night. That was at the movies.

Today, in the real world: a couple in our church have missed the last three Sundays, and as early as last week we knew there must have been some problem. We tried to make an appointment to have coffee with the couple to see what's going on, but the wife's reactions to each contact attempt made it apparent that we were not going to have that opportunity. Although she said they would be at church Sunday, and we could set up something then, the fact is they didn't come last Sunday, either. I felt a heavy burden on my heart to get in touch with them.

I called him instead of her this time. Yes, there were problems, he admitted. My first concern was that it was something Abbie or I had done or said that had caused offence. But he assured me it was not us, nor any person in the church, nor the church as a whole; the problem is a personal one between them. He never came out and said so directly, but as we talked, it dawned on me: "You're not living together, are you?"

"I couldn't stand it any longer. I didn't deserve to be treated that way. I moved in with a friend, who's letting me stay with him." He went on to say that he didn't come to church last Sunday because he didn't want to face the questions others were sure to ask regarding his wife's absence.

He had wanted to talk to me about it but was embarrassed. Over the phone with each of us in our respective offices, this wasn't the time or place to get into any more detailed discussions. I assured him of our prayers and that we were willing to talk with him or both of them any time. This is one of the couples we have been counting on in the church, and who have taken an active part in various aspects of the church's ministry. It took me completely off guard. I told Abbie when I got home, and she was just as surprised.

I only mentioned their names for prayer tonight at church, but didn't mention the specific news of the separation. When everyone was gone, I told José Carlos, as being one of the main pillars and leaders in the church, knowing he would not spread any talk, but would be in prayer for this couple. We talked about how best to help this couple; although we know nothing about the specific problems that have led to this breakup, we can sense the hurt they must be going through; we remarked how Satan had once again struck a hard blow to the Lord's church here. "He just never gives up."

As we parted, Abbie asked José Carlos if he slept OK last night, following that movie. "No problem at all!" he replied. "It's what I've just heard tonight that is more likely to keep me awake."

I agreed with him. "What we saw last night was fiction; this is the real War of the Worlds!"


Note: I wrote this post last night (Wednesday) after getting home from the prayer meeting and Bible study. I held off posting it because other members of the church were not yet aware of this situation. Today, Roberto called and asked if I knew anything specific about this problem, since every attempt to call the couple resulted in the connection being cut off or a very general statement about there being some problems. Roberto's wife, Mili, began to wonder, as we had, if it was something she had done or said, and she was becoming very disturbed in her own spiritual life because this couple was obviously avoiding her and Roberto. In order to set her mind at rest, I told Roberto what I knew. Unfortunately, the unwillingness of the couple to speak with anyone in the church about their problem not only kept the church from offering any possible help to avoid a separation, but it also began to create unnecessary suspicions and spiritual distress in the lives of other members. Would you pray with us for this couple, and for us as a church that we would have wisdom in our dealings with them? Their names are Francisco and Ester. This is not the movies, where death and injury are simulated. In the Real War of the Worlds, the victims are real, the pain is real, the consequences are real...and eternal.

Day 10 posted -- Sunday in L'viv

Another day, another posting. Our Sunday in L'viv is recorded in the Day 10 posting. To access the entire journal, click here and scroll down.

Day 9 of Ukraine trip has been added

In these blog postings we are into our our last week in Ukraine. Day 9, Saturday, May 21, was in L'viv. Open June 2005 archives for the complete trip description.

In other news, our son Richard and his family will arrive at the end of this week. It will be his first visit to the island since he left in 1986.

Day 8 now posted...A rainy day in the mountains

Weekends are busy times, so I didn't get another posting ready. Day 8 is a rather long post, and has more pictures than the other days. But it was one of the most interesting days, despite the cold rain. For newcomers to the blog, go to June archives to read all the journal of the trip posted to date.

Day 7 of Ukraine Trip Posted....Rainy day in L'viv

I have posted the entry for Day 7. Again, to get the chronological order of the account of the trip, go to June 2005 archives.

Day 6 of Ukrainian Trip Posted Below

Little by little I'm getting the journal of our trip posted. Go directly to Day 6, or to read the whole account in order, you have to go to the June 2005 archive.

Day 5 of Ukrainian trip now posted

If you've been following this blog, you can catch up with our travels on Day 5 here; to get the entire account in order from Day 1, go to the June 2005 archive.

Romeo, Your Number's Up!

It was 6:00 yesterday afternoon, and I was working in my office when the phone rang. It was one of the prison officials calling to ask if I could help Romeo. She knew he has been a regular attender at the Bible studies, and she felt we were the only ones who could resolve the situation. Romeo's problem was that he was being released! With €84 in his pocket, he was being put out on the street at 7:00 p.m. Friday, and the terms of his release state he has 5 days to get to the address in Madrid he gave the court when he was arrested. With that amount of money he could just make it from Lisbon to Madrid, but he's 600 very wet miles from Lisbon. That's 1h40m by plane, and over €100 in cash for the ticket. If he doesn't get out in time, he could go back to prison. The prison worker was concerned, because she knew he couldn't do it without help, so she called me.

I assured her our church would do whatever was necessary to help Romeo, and I drove out to the prison to pick him up. There he was, sitting on the sidewalk with a small sack holding all his earthly possessions he wasn't wearing. He said he was so glad to see me "in freedom!" There was a leaders' meeting at the church last night, so I took him back to town with me. The conversation in the car was interesting:

"How long were you in prison?" I asked.

"4 years, 10 months, ...and 1 week," came the reply, and it came with little hesitation. I was reminded again of how the prisoners count every day, awaiting the day they can walk out free. Moses (Psalm 90:12) asks God to teach us to number our days that we may walk in wisdom. I don't think we have to number them like Romeo did, but the prisoners are keenly aware of what each passing day means. So should we be.

As we neared town (about a 10-minute drive), Romeo said it made him feel a little sick to ride in a car and the passing scenery did things to his eyes. He wasn't used to seeing anything but prison walls. One of my earlier postings was on this very subject. Here´s part of what I wrote then:


I've often wondered how many of the prisoners (those not from the island) have actually seen any of Madeira. Whenever they are taken any place (the airport, the courthouse, the hospital), it is always in a prison van with no windows. All the beauty of nature around them, and even this they are kept from seeing. Their only idea of the island must come from what they see on the local TV station.

Romeo confirmed what I had guessed. He has only been out of the prison once, to get an x-ray when he injured his arm. Getting in and out of the prison van at the hospital was all he ever saw of the island. "This island is beautiful" "There are so many mountains!" "Funchal is such a big city!" On the way home, we had to stop at the supermarket: "It's been 5 years since I've seen anything like this!" He was still in a daze; literally, from one hour to the next, his whole life had changed.

We are letting Romeo stay in our guest apartment until his flight tomorrow morning. We bought him a ticket to Lisbon, and his friend in Madrid will send me money by Western Union for the ticket and €100 cash I'm giving him for travelling expenses. He'll catch the bus from Lisbon tomorrow and be in Madrid early Monday.

Abbie with Romeo. That paper in his pocket is the plane ticket.

The release even seemed to catch the prison administration by surprise, as Romeo's previous opportunities for release came and went with no action from the courts. He had no time to prepare for this. He was walking in the courtyard when his number was called: 11. When he entered the room, the authorities told him to get his things: he was free. Romeo told me that when he heard that, he dropped to his knees right there and thanked God.

One of the euphemisms we use when we talk about death is to say that a certain person's "number was up", or it wasn't, in the case of close calls. Romeo's number was up, and he wasn't expecting it or financially prepared for it. One day our number will be up, and we may be caught off guard as much as Romeo was. We may be taken by surprise, but we don't have to be taken unprepared. "Teach us to number our days so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom."

Day 4 of Ukraine Trip posted below

For those of you following the blog, Day 4 has just been posted below. (Open June 2005 archives to get the day-by-day account in order.) Thanks to those of you who have written with words of encouragement.

Out Jogging --- Excercises of Another Sort -2

Thoughts running through a mind jogged by the news

This posting (and others similarly titled) is not directly related to Madeira or our work here. It is rather an outlet for commentary on events and remarks in the news. Previous posting in this series was on January 15.

"...this group of world leaders may be able to end world poverty once and for all...", so read a line on a web page in reference to the G8 summit. That is certainly an admirable ambition; I don't believe anyone can honestly claim to love poverty---his own or anyone else's. The problem is that it is a Pollyanna attitude. It does not fit reality. Because of our faith in God, and in His Word, we Christians may be accused of not being realistic. Faith, after all, is being able to see "the invisible" (Heb. 11). But true Christians are like Christ Himself, Who was always realistic. He saw through the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and told them what they were really like: "generation of vipers", "whitened sepulchers", and other unbecoming terms. He also saw through the physical frailties of the blind, the lame, the leprous, and the outcasts. "Your faith has made you whole." "Go, and sin no more." The ultimate reality was not in their failings, but in the restoration wrought by the grace of God. Peter, the spokesman for the apostles, is a case in point. Jesus saw the reality of who Peter was, and of what he would become. The ultimate realist is Jesus, who "knew all men" (John 2:24), being the Creator of all that is. This Realist said, "the poor you have with you always."

Rather than nurture wishful thinking that some government agency or financial empire will eradicate world poverty "once and for all", we are asked to intervene on a personal level and help the poor that are within our ability to reach. If we have the opportunity to help the poor and the hungry, in Africa or anywhere else, by all means let us help. Let us also be realistic. As long as sinful man is in charge of affairs on earth, there will be injustice, economic and otherwise. Only Jesus Himself can bring an end to world poverty and injustice, once and for all. This He will do when He comes. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Sailing with Jonah (The Positive Side of Being Sick)

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, something caught up with me and left me with a sore throat. I went to the doctor Saturday evening and was given a prescription for several medications, including an antibiotic for the inflammation in my throat.

I felt it best to ask some of the men in the church to do the preaching for me yesterday: Jaime, in the English service; Roberto, for the Sunday School lesson; and José Carlos, at the main worship service. It was a blessing to observe how each one allowed himself to be used by God to bring the Word, showing marked improvement over previous occasions. Although I've had them fill in for me when I was away, this is the first time that I've sat through a whole day of services with them doing the preaching.

Jaime read from the book of Jonah at the beginning of his message, and compared himself to Jonah, always running from the Lord when he was being called on to preach. When I'm away, he asks any visitors if there is a pastor among them who will give the Word that morning. This time my phone call asking for help caught him by surprise, but he decided not to run away from the responsibility. He did very well, and his nerves didn't get the best of him.

When Jonah ran from the Lord, the others on board his ship suffered because of his disobedience. My discomfort is not Jaime´s fault, of course, but if God rocks my boat so Jonah has to get out and follow God's call, that's OK.

I don't have Day 4 of the Ukrainian trip ready yet...we were away all day yesterday, and today I've had the prison meeting, stood an hour and a half in the line at the tax office, and worked on a translation. There have been several responses to the e-mails I sent out notifying folks of the news on the blog, and that's encouraging. One of them pointed out that the contact link above had an error in it, and I have fixed that problem. Please use it and send us a note. May you always find something encouraging and worthwhile when you stop by.

Update on Jackie

If you go back to the archives for Feb. 27, and the first few days of March, you'll see a prayer request for Jackie. She went to the mainland in May and stayed a month to get tests done. There were some lumps found on her thyroid, but the biopsy shows they are not malignant. Her overall symptoms continue about the same; tests showed that she doesn't have a kidney stone at the moment. The doctor put a name on her disease: mononeuritis multiplex. A quick glance on the web reveals it's an "umbrella name" for problems related to infected or damaged peripheral nerves. There are over a 100 different recognized ways this shows up, and the prognosis and treatment is just as varied. "You'll just have to live with it," the doctor told her. Some forms of the disease are recurring, that is, they come and go, which seems to be the case with her. Keep praying for this couple, Jackie and Jaime.

Day 3 Trip Journal Posted

I have just posted the account for our first Sunday in Ukraine. (See below.)

Not too well, thank you... (Day 2 of trip just posted below)

July 1 is a holiday here in Madeira, so I didn't have to go to work, but I wouldn't have gone, anyway. I've caught something, or something has caught me, and it's feels like a close kin to the flu. Hopefully it won't get worse.

I did get Day 2 of our trip to Ukraine posted, including some pictures. (Click on the pictures to get an enlarged view.) As I mentioned, I am setting the time and date of the postings so the days appear in chronological order as you scroll down. I will probably post more pictures later, as I get the hang of using the software.