It's official!

"Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." (Ps. 2:8)

It's true: I am, at long last, a real, live missionary! And, for you doubting Thomases who thought the IMB would surely discover the real truth about me and promptly weed me out, check out the picture at the bottom of the page! :)

I realize I'm long-winded, so I've decided to try a new format with the prayer requests up front and more detail at the end for those who want it. (I must give credit to my friend Corey for the format, as I stole it from his blog. :)) Feel free to give feedback.

Field Update (necessities for the skimmers):

1. Please begin to pray for my people group, the Chayanta Quechua. There are approximately 90,000 Quechua Indians living in the Chayanta province of southern Bolivia. They have little or no access to the Gospel because they live high in the Andes Mountains, and it is enormously challenging to get to them. Pray that God would prepare their hearts and that He would strengthen the bodies of the men and women who are attempting to bring the "great light" to these "people walking in darkness" (Is. 9:2).

2. I'm in the middle of taking a theology course this summer and, while it is highly beneficial, it is also exceedingly time-consuming. Please pray that I would glean what is important from the class.

3. Please pray that I would be able to accomplish all that needs to be done before I leave for orientation in five weeks. This includes a variety of legal matters (will, life insurance, etc.), travel visa documentation, and matters associated with shipping possessions to the field. There is so much to do and so little time.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know (bonus for the readers):

I spent last week at a center used by the IMB as a headquarters for all things missionary-related. They conduct orientation sessions there as they wean new personnel from American culture and get them prepared for the foreign field. They give LOTS of immunizations (second only to the US military in the sheer number of immunizations given on this side of the country... should I be concerned that they seem very proud of that statistic? :)). And they hold a variety of informative conferences for people who are investigating God's call to missions.

The really cool part about being there this particular week was the interesting conglomerate of missionaries on campus simultaneously. There was a group of about 200 who were finishing up orientation this week. These new personnel were commissioned this past Thursday and will be leaving for their ministry sites over the course of the next month or so. There were a group of about 55 retiring missionaries who were being honored for anywhere from 15 - 35 years of service. And then there the 72 of us who were being appointed. It was a great representation of all phases of missionary life.

Aside from the appointment service itself (which I'll discuss in a minute), my favorite part of the week was the Sunday morning worship service. We got to worship together with the retiring missionaries, and what an encouragement that was! To see these heroes of the faith, people who have truly "fought the good fight... finished the race... kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7), was a tremendous blessing. To be prayed for by them, as the MasterCard commercial says, was priceless! The appointees were asked to stand up at the front so that the retiring missionaries could lay hands on us, pray for us, and bless us. The lady who prayed for me is retiring from 20 years of service... in Bolivia... to the Quechua people! Only the Lord could have orchestrated that passing of the baton so perfectly. It was truly a highlight event for me.

Many of you might also remember the three missionaries who were killed in the Middle East by Muslim terrorists in 2001. Marty Koehn, the wife of Bill Koehn, one of those murdered missionaries, was retiring, and she was honored for her faithfulness in service. What a testimony she has, that she remained faithful to the Lord's call, even in the face of such suffering and tragedy. She actually assumed the post of administrator at the hospital, a post previously held by one of the slain missionaries. What grace from our Lord that would enable her to continue in that position until He released her to return to the US.

The appointment service itself was held Wednesday night at a local church in Richmond. 38 of us were appointed there, and the other 34 were appointed on Friday night in Oklahoma City. Isn't it amazing that God has called these 72 people, from all walks of life, all parts of the country, all family backgrounds, and has sent them forth into all parts of the world to share with all peoples of the world? Only a God like ours could accomplish that!

My favorite part of the service was the testimony time (the second picture below is me giving my testimony). We each got the opportunity to share a little of how God has called us to go, and just hearing how He works in such diverse ways to call people to His service gets me choked up. Those of you who know me well know that's a big deal. I am so NOT a crier! :) But to be at a missionary appointment service is to hear God's heart for the nations, and to be a part of His work to proclaim His Truth before all mankind... there is nothing better!

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:2-3)

"I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth." (Ps. 108:3-5)

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" (Rev. 7:9-10)

From the beginning of God's covenant relationship with Abram, through the psalmist's heartfelt praises, to the end of human history, God's love and desire for the redemption and reconciliation of the nations, followed by their subsequent worship, is the theme of His Word. And this theme was resounded loudly this week as He sent out 72 new ambassadors of His Truth. May "the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14)!