Several years ago, John Denver recorded a hit with the words It's so good to be back home again. Muriel and I just returned home to the glorious Cape after spending six weeks in Florida, four weeks in SC, and one week in PA. I must confess that the Cape is all the more glorious without snow, sleet, and ice! What a great time we had with family, as well as meeting with donors, pastors, and chaplains. The Lord has blesses us with a wonderful family and loving friendships. It is also an encouragement to see their commitment to our international chaplains, even though just about every person has been affected by the economy. So, here's an update on our travels.
Florida
One of my joys is to teach a businessman's Bible class in Orlando during the month of February. Members in this class made it possible for us to hold the Chaplains Training School in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in November. At the beginning of the second Bible study in February, the men asked for an update on Bolivia. I closed the report by telling them we needed $15,000 in order to fund the ministry in 2009. By the end of the class, the total amount was raised, and the ministry in Bolivia began on March 1, 2009! Thank you, brothers, for making this possible! Good News International opened its 22nd country to prison ministry with the appointment of 3 full-time chaplains in Bolivia.
One of the men in the Bible study in Orland introduced me to Keith Taylor and Bo Cooksey, executive leaders of Missionary Ventures, a wonderful missions organization. The Christian Bikers Association provide $15,000 through Missionary Ventures to buy 10 bicycles and 8 motorbikes for our chaplains in Lithuania, Malawi, Philippines, Kenya, and Uganda! We are so grateful for this wonderful Christian organization, and the privilege to partner with them. Our chaplains are greatly blessed with this new means of transportation!
It was also a delight to meet the sister in the Lord, and her mother, who designed the template for our Summary Reports. She came to faith in Christ in the Orange County Detention Center several years ago, served time in a Florida state prison, and is now a businesswoman and faithful member of a supporting church. We are delighted to have this new tool in order to keep our donors up-to-date with their investments. We plan to provide these updated Summary Reports to donors who have an interest in a specific country. We have also created a general overview of the international ministry in the same form as the Summary Reports. God is so faithful!
South Carolina
As many of you know, the Fletcher siblings have a mini-reunion in Hilton Head for a few days in March. It was a great blessing to gather with my brothers/sisters and spouses, as well as the two widows of my eldest brothers in Heaven. We also enjoyed our time visiting with the donors and speaking in churches in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah, Bluffton, and Richmond. A couple in Atlanta gave a gift to totally fund our ministry in Tyumen, Siberia. Another couple in Florida underwrites our ministry in Ukraine. Churches like Grace Community in Hilton Head, LowCountry Community in Bluffton, and Ferguson Avenue Baptist in Savannah have a great investment in our ministries in Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, India, and the Philippines. It is such an encouragement to meet with these dear brothers and sisters in Christ who are so generous. Thank you!
Pennsylvania
On the way home, Muriel and I stopped in York, and celebrated Donna's 41st birthday and Graham's (eldest grandson) 12th birthday. It was also a special joy to co-officiate with our son-in-law Don, an associate pastor at Church of the Open Door, at the baptism of Connor, their youngest son.
Muriel and I had a wonderful visit with two of our dearest friends, John and Joanne Malone. God used John to introduce me to prison ministry forty-four years ago on my first day as a student at Washington Bible College. John was the second chaplain with Good News, and invited me to go to jail with him. I never got out of jail while attending Bible college! John and Joann went to Ecuador as missionaries with Gospel Missionary Union (now Avant), and served among the Quechua Indians for 15 years. I was appointed as the 3rd chaplain with Good News as John's replacement in 1966. John and Joanne returned to the USA where John served as pastor of missions for 18 years at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, VA. Muriel and I have never known a more faithful and devoted Christian couple in all our lives. John is under hospice care with prostate cancer, and I would encourage you to pray for them.
It really is good to be back home, but what an encouragement our family and friends all over the country have been to us in ministry. These are challenging and great days to serve the Lord. We are all mindful of the fact that time in short at its longest, and eternity is ahead. May the Lord give us spiritual, eternal, and heavenly perspective as we serve Him. Thank you for your partnership.
Philippians 3:20-21
In His Mighty Love,
Harry E. Fletcher, D. Min.
Vice President of International Ministry and Pastoral Care
Praises
- For a wonderful and productive time in FL and SC, and for safety in over 9,000 miles
- For the wonderful physical family and spiritual family God has given us
- For the privilege to serve the Lord in the prisons around the world
- For God to continue to raise up the prayer and financial partners to sustain this ministry
- For God's blessing upon our chaplains serving in dark and difficult places in 22 countries
Ministry at a Glance: 2008 Total Statistics
Chaplains
325 International, 410 Worldwide
Recommitments
31,008 international, 45,894 worldwide
Decisions
71,132 international, 80,979 worldwide
No comments:
Post a Comment