DEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! While Spring seemed to pass very slowly (in the aftermath of the car accident), these past few Summer months have absolutely flown by as we have begun to recover and attempt to combine extensive therapy and doctor visits with increased travel and ministry. Here are some specifics.
Not-So-Rapid-Recovery
At a Doctor's visit.
In case you somehow missed it, my daughter Ariel and I were in a major car accident in March.
When I wrote our last quarterly newsletter (in late May), Ariel was still using a wheelchair. Since then, she mastered her knee scooter (May), began to walk with crutches (June), started climbing stairs (July), and is continuing to improve with NO more surgery expected on her severely injured left foot/ankle. Praise the Lord!
Her right hand and left arm continue to improve, albeit more slowly, and therapy is ongoing. A follow-up surgery is currently scheduled for October 3 to loosen the tendons in the (badly broken) fingers in her right hand so she can gain more function. Pray for her continued healing!
Back in May, I still had a 7–8-inch titanium rod stretching (below the skin and tendons) from just below my right index finger down across my wrist to my arm. This was to immobilize the wrist to allow the broken bones in my hand/wrist to heal. This rod was removed in late June (after 100+ days). However, my wrist mobility is now the problem as it is not improving much, and may need another surgery. I will learn more at my next doctor's visit. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Ministry Travel Resumes
Everything came together for a two-week trip to Peru in late July. I wrote above that Ariel began to climb stairs in July, but I failed to mention that this was at our home church in Lima, Peru, where she was climbing up to the third and even fourth floor! Flying was fun, with all of us helping tote around crutches, a knee-scooter, foot braces, etc., and getting to board the plane early!
We couldn’t stay as long as we wished, due to therapy waiting for us back in Oklahoma, but our two weeks in Peru were filled with fellowship (the girls all volunteered at a week-long camp) and ministry (lots of preaching and teaching in the churches and the camp). It was a blessed time!
I am back in Peru now (as I write on August 30) for 10 days with Abby, engaged in some preaching and special teaching, including training a pastor and his crew on how to minister to Peru’s Chinese population (we brought nearly 500 Chinese Bible portions with us).
We arrive back in Oklahoma just (one hour) before my next therapy session, and only 10 days before my upcoming trip to Malaysia, where I will spend two weeks (September 16-October 1) preparing for our transition back to Asia in early 2025, Lord willing.
Speaking of Malaysia...
Now six years after my deportation, here are six reasons why this is the right time and place to finally make the move (therapy/surgeries permitting).
1) Malaysia has always been near the top of the list as we have prayed about where to make our home in Asia. This is primarily due to its strong Chinese population and the presence of many Chinese Muslims from near our old home in northwest China. Strategic outreach.
2) Malaysia became sort of a second home in Asia for us when our kids were fairly young. In 2013, our family spend Christmas week there, ministering and worshiping with our favorite Chinese church in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Faithful friends.
3) Malaysia is a needy nation, spiritually speaking. Non-Malays (i.e., Chinese and Indians) enjoy religious freedom, but evangelizing native Malay Muslims is illegal, and the official number of Christians among these 20+ million (60% of the population) is ZERO. Unreached people.
4) China recently removed visa requirements for many countries around the world, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia; all within the Indo-Pacific region. I hope to encourage local churches to target China more than ever before! Missionary mobilization.
5) William Milne was Malaysia’s first protestant missionary back in the 1810’s. Milne helped Robert Morrison translate the Chinese Bible, and Morrison published Milne’s Memoirs in 1824; two years after his death at just 37. I am currently doing a deep dive into his life and ministry, and plan to republish Milne’s Memoirs this Fall. Look for it here: PrayGiveGo.us.
6) Deivy and Karen Marquez, originally from Venezuela but serving in Peru, are preparing to join us in Malaysia early next year, along with their two little boys (Ethan and Timothy). Our Mexican teammates, the Mendez family (Jose, Eliosa, Daniel, Samuel, and Haziel), who served with us in China for 10 years, are now settled in Thailand, Malaysia’s northern neighbor. Trustworthy teammates.
Final Thoughts
Please ask the Lord to give us grace to grow in Christ daily, wisdom to boldly face the future, and open doors for the Gospel to flow freely in both Peru and Asia. And thank you once again!
• Email: china.myadventures@gmail.com
• Blog: China Call Substack
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