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Thoughts are ideas that have occurred to us in the course of serving overseas. They challenge us as well as encourage us. We share them in the hope that they will be helpful to you too.

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Current Ministry Thought

Feeling Our Way

We've been in Texas now about four months. I've been actively working at my new position for about three, and we're slowly feeling our way.

The original plan was for our family to return to the US at the beginning of 2009. At that point, I was to travel with Roy Robertson wherever he went, to be trained simply by watching and serving him. That, of course, didn't happen. So we've been left to find our own way. The board and our international director have been very patient and supportive. The staff abroad have also been very responsive--so much of my work really depends on them.

The biggest thing we've been working on is just gathering information from TEL's various fields. As I've received it, I've compiled it into a monthly report for the international director and board. We've also shared those reports with field staff so that they can get a better idea of what's going on in other fields. The goal was to better prepare myself to represent the whole organization. But it has turned out to be a great encouragement to everyone, as we've all gotten a clearer view of the whole of TEL.

Along with that came updates to the main TEL website, both infrastructure and information. If you haven't seen it recently, please to check it out. (Our own website has been a bit neglected because of it.) I can't take credit for the design--that was done by someone far more gifted than me. I've simply added the "News" and "Needs" section, to keep people better informed of God's grace to TEL.

We're also working on a new brochure for the organization, and we plan to develop fliers that introduce each field's national staff. The biggest part of TEL's general fund goes to pay salaries and ministry expenses of the nationals who have joined our various gospel teams. Each field's missionaries also raise a portion of their support to help cover those expenses; however, that so far is insufficient to cover the need.

Roy was a man of faith and took bold steps in dependence on God's provision--even before he saw that provision. We've never wanted finances to hold us back from preaching the gospel, so national staff have often grown faster than missionary staff. The general fund goes to cover the difference. So one of the things we hope to do is invite people to give to specific fields to cover the expenses of the national staff there. The national staff fliers will be a quick reference and invitation to that end.

In January, I'll be attending a couple of different conferences to grow in my new duties. A one-day seminar will be held near Dallas at the beginning of the month. The organizers will share practical tools in developing partnerships between churches and mission agencies--one of the things I'm supposed to do. Toward the end of the month will be a weekend conference on short-term missions--another aspect of my new duties. For me it will be an introduction to the logistics of organizing and running a short-term missions trip from beginning to end. I have little or no experience in this area, yet I hope to organize at least one a year, so I could use all the help I can get.

So though you may not have heard much from us personally, we haven't been silent. We've just been busy working with a different group of supporters, trying to reorganize and re-energize TEL's donor base, as well as prepare to meet them face-to-face.

We're already itching to get back overseas, so we'll be putting as much effort into these things as we can. The sooner God blesses TEL with an abundance, the sooner we can return to China. In the meantime, I'll be looking forward to as many trips overseas as we can manage.

Posted: December 11, 2008

For the Lord and His Gospel,

TEL-China Ministry Leader
TEL-International Director of Development

Previous Ministry Thoughts

A Tangled Web (February 7, 2007)Is Our Cross Too Clean? (August 28, 2006)View from a Fellow Worker (November 30, 2005)Premonition of Loss (July 31, 2005)A Glimpse of the Bigger Picture (March 31, 2005)Confined but not Silent (January 31, 2005)Discipleship "Jesus-style" (September 30, 2004)Promoted (May 31, 2004)Transformations (April 30, 2004)Hong Kong Fruit? (February 29, 2004)Let God Build (December 31, 2003)Competition (October 31, 2003)Too Busy for Faith (September 30, 2003)Star Trek and Life (August 31, 2003)Unless the Lord Builds the House... (July 31, 2003)Island Life (June 30, 2003)Has Salvation Come? (May 31, 2003)SARS: Changing the face of Hong Kong (April 30, 2003)Canyons of Lost Souls (March 31, 2003)Traditional Macau (February 28, 2003)Winter in Hong Kong (December 31, 2002)Christmas in Hong Kong (December 14, 2002)Hong Kong Religions (October 31, 2002)Spiritual Hong Kong (September 30, 2002)A Heart Divided (August 31, 2002)Hong Kong Fast Facts (July 31, 2002)Hong Kong: City in Need (June 30, 2002)Reassignment: Hong Kong (April 30, 2002)