Spring 2014

I'm writing this from meetings at Taal,
outside Manila. Taal has a lake in a volcano
on an  island in a lake on an island in the ocean! 

Happy  newlyweds Jordan and Kate
 in their Philadelphia apartment.

Wynnie and Heather enjoying their Colorado snow. 

We continue to experience God's goodness and grace as we continue our journey through 2014. We are happy to announce this year will be highlighted by the arrival of two new grandchildren! Kate and Jordan are expecting a baby due in July.  Josh and Heather and soon-to-be big sister Wynnie are expecting a baby due in September. So it will be a big year for all of us. Thanks for praying for all our family!

Travels geared up gradually this year with a quick trip to Arizona and Southern California in January. We were able to be a part of a missions conference at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Prescott, AZ and visited family and friends in California. I also managed to get to Philadelphia to visit Kate and Jordan.

A very small picture of a
very large ship in the Panama Canal.

February found me (Susan) in Orlando, Bangkok and Panama. Tom was able to join me for our Wycliffe Global Alliance Leadership retreat and meetings in Panama. And, yes, we saw the canal! And we had the privilege of having a dinner with the staff of PAAM, a Panamanian organization that is training and preparing Panamanians for work in Bible translation and other global ministries. It was also a good time of catching up with our widely dispersed leadership team and their spouses.

I was home most of March, which meant I got to catch up with my own spouse :-), my parents, lots of work, and even started preparing the yard for spring which was so reluctant to come this year! (I'm sure it will all be lovely now that I'm not home to see it!)  I'm currently on a trip that takes me to Germany, the Philippines and Kenya. Tom is holding things together at home, but will be traveling to Michigan for Audio Scripture Ministries' board meetings this month. Along with all his other old sports injury-related pains, he now seems to have carpal tunnel in his wrist which is making computer work difficult. Very discouraging for a webmaster who spends at least 12 hours a day at his computer! Please keep him in your prayers.

I'll share more next time about what happens at all these meetings around the globe. We are most definitely seeing God at work in us and others everywhere we go! For now I just wanted to share a bit of news, encouragement and thank you for your faithful support and prayers. Thank you! We do appreciate each one of you so much!

Great Commission, Greater Promise--We are all familiar with the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28. In the context of this passage it says the disciples were worshipping the resurrected Christ, but also doubting. We're not sure just what they were doubting, but Jesus knew! So He reminded them that He had all authority and they'd have His presence. Understanding this context sheds a different light on "the Great Commission."

It seems like most of the emphasis is usually on verse 19, where Jesus says to "go." But if you look at those verses that wrap around verse 19, you get a better picture of the whole package. Jesus says all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him and that He will be with us always...so that,  we are able to go and make disciples because of His presence and through His power and authority. It isn't a commanded task that's all up to us. It is the gift of a gracious invitation to participate with Him in His mission. It's about Him and He will see it through. That's good news!