The Circuit Ridin’ Preacher

It was in one of those far-out-of-date magazines you only read in a waiting room when there is no other printed matter.  And it was one of those women’s mags that tried to convince the readers that they were all overweight, ugly, smelled bad, and a social misfit but addicted to the world of Hollywood and so-called celebrities. At least that’s what you’d think judging by the advertisements and the articles.

Amid all this was a picture of some (I suppose) starlet that I’d never heard of or seen.  It was her assertion about some sort of therapy.  You could almost hear the silly giggle in the printed testimony: “I just love to go to my therapist.  I get to talk about myself for one whole hour!”

My cynical reaction was “has it ever occurred to you that there is a reason you have to PAY someone to listen to you talk about yourself"?”

Wonder if I’m the kind of person folks would feel free to talk to without having to pay me?  Unfortunately, thru 19 years of formal education, I never took a class in listening.  Speech classes in high school, college class in public speaking, preaching, sermon delivery in seminary… but not one lecture, class and certainly not a single course in just plain LISTENING!

I drove Kristie and her family to the airport this morning for the flights to PNG.  My prayer with them and for them is a prayer of thanksgiving.  Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayer for more laborers to the mission field’;  Thank you, Lord that you answered my prayers by taking one of my very own children and her family; Please make Franz, Kristie, Jennifer, Jacob and Matthew a blessing to Your heart and to Your people; Please use each one of them to be a blessing to the lost of PNG; Lord, let them FINISH WELL in the mission to which You are sending them.

On Tuesday morning, I will help drive daughter Kristie and her family to Pensacola to catch a flight to PAPUA NEW GUINEA, via Texas, Los Angeles, Fiji, Melbourne, Port Moresby and finally to the beautiful South Pacific island of New Britain. 

Harriet will not be able to go with us.  She is slowly feeling better but this trip will be more than we are willing to risk. 

I guess you can imagine the emotional wringer we will be going thru in the next 24 hours.  Excited that our Lord is answering our prayer for our children.  But at the same time the bitter/sweet agony of an11,000 mile separation for the next four years. 

Please pray specifically for the Gordy’s and the Martens’. 

Franz, Kristie, Jennifer, Jacob and Matthew.

Harriet had a good dialysis treatment in the hospital on Friday –because God answers prayer!  Then, after a short stay back in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit she was moved to a private room.  I was able to stay with her last night and then her surgeon came in about 10 AM and released her.  We finally got home just after noon and both of us went to bed.  I think being in her own hone and in her own bed was the best medicine she has had since surgery!

We so very much appreciate so many folks praying for us. 

This will be the Martens’ last Lord’s Day before returning to Papua New Guinea on Tuesday,  I’m looking forward to worshiping with them in our Chapel at Rosemary Beach.  Harriet will just not be able to go and probably not able to go with us to the airport on Tuesday.  I do hope you will pray for us in this exciting but painfully emotional send-off.   Harriet and I have prayed for Kristie since her birth that she will serve our Lord in missionary work.  So we are praising God and commending her and her family to the greatest task in all the world- getting the Gospel of grace to the ends of the earth!

Harriet had a better day even though she is still in the ICU. Dr.s have taken away her pain meds so she’s still very uncomfortable. Kristie counted 69 staples holding her incision together… she is  sure she must have missed at least one

Pray Specifically for dialysis tomorrow. Harriet is NOT looking forward to treatment there in the hospital dialysis unit.  We both feel that the way her treatment was given there on Wednesday was a major contributing factor in her very adverse reaction.  We were praying that she could be able to be dismissed today or tomorrow morning so that we can do dialysis at our home unit here on the beach.  There is still a slight possibility that she can be released in the morning but they don’t seem to want to let her go yet. 

Please continue to Pray Specifically that she will not get any kind of infections.

I spoke to Harriet’s nurse in the ICU this morning.  She said that Harriet had a restful night and has had a “clean up” this morning.  She seems to be feeling better. The nurse said that if she continues to improve she will probably be moved to a regular room sometime today. 

Thanks to so many who have sent text, emails and Facebook notes.  Thank your for PRAYING. Thank you LORD for answering our prayer –again.