Meeting Needs
“Meeting the Urgent Needs of Others”
One morning I was reading through the book of Titus in my time with God and the following verse jumped out at me: “Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.” (Titus 3:14 NLT) The phrase “urgent needs of others” really grabbed my attention. I began to wonder, is God speaking to me about responding to an urgent need? My eyes and ears were open to what might come about.
Within hours I received a message from a friend in Latin America. There was a girl from Thailand that was rescued from a human trafficking incident in that central American nation. My friend, with connections to the local government social workers, asked if I could translate a conversation between her and the social workers. It was urgent and I was asked to help. It was clear that this was what God was grabbing my attention about.
In our 2 hour conversation we were able to learn about how the girl got there, what she wanted to do and who her family is. I was even able to use Google maps while in the video chat and find the exact small town she comes from. It was a God ordained moment and I was able to serve the urgent needs of others. It’s a great feeling to use the 2 languages that I have learned over the last 2 decades (Spanish & Thai).
Remember to keep the ears of your heart open when you read your Bible, you never know how God may lead you.
Ending Bible Poverty: Share Bibles
The Share Bibles App is one of the main ministries that we serve with, empowering Bible distribution ministries around the world to track their progress. One specific project has been particularly active during the summer months: Bless Mongolia (35,124 homes were offered Bibles…and only 5% of them rejected it.)
I, Rob, spent weeks during the early summer months building a map view for the facilitators to see where they have distributed Bibles in their region. This was a real need that we have responded to because though this is possible within the app, it’s not easy to get a picture view of an entire region. The new map feature has been used to encourage local facilitators and also the volunteer distributors in those places. Here’s what it looks like (this is real data):
For most people in Mongolia, it’s the first time that they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and receive a Bible in their language. In just 3 months, 6% of the homes in Mongolia were offered a Bible.
It’s such a privilege to work together with these amazing local leaders who are truly impacting their nation for generations to come. God’s word NEVER comes back void.
Ministry Trip to Thailand (Our urgent need)
In May the YWAM Chiang Rai base in Thailand that we led for many years requested that we return to process the next leadership transition (aiming to meet another need). When we left, an interim leadership was put in place until the season was right to make a permanent leadership designation. That time is drawing near and I, Rob, will be able to guide them through that.
Cy will not be making that trip for certain reasons, but we believe it’s the right time to take Elias back to his home country (Elias was born in Thailand and grew up there the first 7 years of his life).
We’ll be spending 2 weeks in Chiang Rai, serving the base through its transition and revisiting so many friends that we still have there. Then we will be traveling to a neighboring country in South East Asia to teach in the Discipleship Training School (1 week). So our entire trip will be 3 weeks (the longest we’ve ever been separated as a married couple/family).
Our projected budget is approximately $4,000USD ($5,400 CAD). This would include our flights, room and board and getting around on the ground.
If you want to be a part of God’s response to our needs, you can get a tax-deductible donation through one of these methods: DONATE NOW.
Serving the YWAM University of the Nations
As we shared in our previous update, Rob was invited to participate on a team within YWAM’s University of the Nations called “UofN 3.0 Task Force”. This is another way in which we have responded to the needs of others. We didn’t seek out this role, but were requested to participate and it has been a joy to serve in this capacity.
Our first meeting (June 30 – July 5) was in Lausanne, Switzerland, the home of YWAM’s very first school back in 1969.
The meetings were intense, but helpful for hearing where we’re at and giving input to where we’re going. This team will take proactive steps over the course of the next 3 years. Our next meeting is March 2020 in Tijuana, Mexico.
SURPRISE!
On my way back to Hawaii from Switzerland I was able to stop in during a layover to surprise my parents on their birthdays (July 6 & 7).
Summer Highlights
How to pray with us:
- Our trip to Thailand
This trip is one of the most important for our family since we moved away from Thailand. We want God to use us help the base transition in leadership, but also to be a voice of encouragement and support for those who have carried it along since we left. - 4th Grade Homeschooling
God has done a great miracle in providing for our homeschooling curriculum needs and it has been truly transformational in Elias’ life. Cy is a great teacher and Elias is being discipled in the ways of God everyday. Pray for strength, wisdom and love to permeate their time together daily. - Wisdom and Creativity (SourceView)
The other ministry that Rob is a part of is called “SourceView” which is a Bible engagement tool development project. It’s been a lot of work, but we’re close to launching a fresh tool to help people engage with God’s word in a new way. Pray that Rob will get all the work done in time and done well. - Health and Healing
Cy has been dealing with some health issues and we’ve been seeing doctors. She’s on a path to healing, but we would appreciate the prayers. - Continue to meet the needs of others
We want to be people that Paul described in Titus 3:14, people who respond to the urgent needs of others. Please pray that we would continue to actively do that.
Thanks for standing with us as we continue to take steps of obedience into the future of what God has for us as a family in His kingdom.
Blessings!