Greetings everyone,
I am happy to report to you that Mr. and Mrs. Apartian and all of the folks who were house hunting in North Carolina last week have returned—in good health and in good spirits. They all found suitable housing and are now looking forward to the move with great anticipation.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
The move to Charlotte is progressing on target. The move has created a "domino effect," requiring additional ministerial service in the southern California churches. We are pleased to announce that Mr. Gary Ehman will remain in San Diego, and will assist me as Associate Pastor of San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. Mr. Jeff Fall will assume pastorship of Orange County.
While Mr. and Mrs. Ehman were looking forward to working at Headquarters in Charlotte, Mr. Ehman is very happy that he can continue to pastor the Palm Springs church and serve as Associate Pastor of the San Diego area church.
In addition to Mr. Ehman's pastoral service, he will continue assisting with editorial projects and with Personal Correspondence. Mrs. Ehman, who has served as receptionist and proofreader here in San Diego, will continue as an editorial proofreader.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ehman!
I received the following GOOD news from Mr. Rod King
"I was traveling with our deacon Peter Devis from Lae to Port Moresby on Thursday morning when I began to feel weak and feverish. He looked at me and said I had malaria. I was not completely sure of the symptoms but relied on his assessment as he has seen many cases. He believes his second wife's death could have been due to cerebral malaria.
By the time we got to the hotel I could hardly stand. I got to bed and phoned Bruce Tyler who responded quickly and called Tom Turner. He called me to ask what he could do.
We had already set in motion the help of Covermore Travel Insurance, which I had taken out here before I left Australia. The Sydney based medic asked me to see a doctor but I had to tell her that I had not enough energy to get there. After about four hours I managed to get to a local doctor who took blood tests for malaria.
The next day he gave me the results, which showed that I had elevated white blood cell counts but no indication of malaria. I had headache, fever and diarrhea. I spent two days in bed in Port Moresby then caught a plane back to Brisbane where I spent the night with Bruce and Sonny. It was good to be back in Australia."
Update Europe—by Mr. Douglas Winnail
I recently returned from a very informative and encouraging trip to the UK and Europe. On the Sabbath of November 30 we held a service in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Josef Felber in Zurich with approximately 10 in attendance including Mr.& Mrs. Adrian Kaefer who manage our German website. It was an inspiring Sabbath complete with warm fellowship and a delicious meal. Adrian Kaefer reports that responses from Germany to the website are showing a threefold increase over recent months.
While in Europe I was able to visit and photograph the new and imposing buildings of the European Parliament and Council of Europe in the ancient French city of Strasbourg. Travel across prosperous and picturesque Switzerland was by the sleek Inter-City Express trains (ICE) that link major European cities. In Vienna, the elegant former capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I was able to view the crown jewels of the Hapsburgs and also the crown and other royal regalia of the Holy Roman Empire. The sense of history and tradition was real and signs of prosperity were everywhere. Unfortunately, a prospective visit in Vienna did not materialize due to illness on the part of the requesting person.
Returning through the UK, we held Sabbath services and a Bible Study in Radlett (North London) with just over 20 in attendance. Beginning in January we plan to hold services in the Radlett-St.Albans area twice a month—on the 1st and 3rd Sabbaths of every month. Responses to the recent UK advertisement for the booklet Your Ultimate Destiny have topped 2800.
UK Festival Site for 2003
LCG festival sights in Europe for the Feast of Tabernacles in 2003 will be located in Llandudno, North Wales and in Evian, France, just east of Geneva. More details will be available soon.
I know that all of you appreciate the work our ministry is doing. Our men are doubling and tripling their workload, especially those who pastor an area in their own country, and then assist us by overseeing international areas as well. It requires them to be away from their home churches and families, and exposes them to diseases such as malaria and dengue fever to which we have no resistance.
And speaking of resistance, Paul Harvey tells a very instructive story of a man who was a "born loser." A summary of his life is that Harland was a man who endured a lifetime of failure after failure after failure. Each time he was on the verge of success throughout his entire life, a disaster wiped him out.
"And then his expected life span ran out. He's not the first man nor will he be the last to arrive at the twilight of life with nothing to show for it.
The bluebird of happiness, or whatever, had always fluttered just out of reach.
He'd stayed honest—except for that one time when he had attempted kidnapping. In fairness to his name it must be noted that it was his own daughter he'd meant to kidnap from his runaway wife.
And they both returned to him, the next day, anyway.
But now the years had slid by and a lifetime was gone and he and they had nothing.
He had not really felt old until that day the postman brought his first Social Security check. That day, something within Harlan resented, resisted, and exploded.
The Government was feeling sorry for him.
You had all those hitless times at bat, the Government was saying, you've had it.
It's time to give up and retire.
His restaurant customers in Corbin said they'd miss him, but his Government said sixty-five candles on the birthday cake is enough. They sent him a pension check and told him he was 'old.'
He said 'Nuts.'
And he got so angry he took that $105.00 check and started a new business.
For the man who failed at everything save one… the man who might have been a law-breaking kidnaper had he not failed at that… the man who never got started until it was time to stop… was Harland Sanders. Colonel Harland Sanders.
The new business he started with his first Social Security check… was Kentucky Fried Chicken!"
Most of us have experienced failure and disappointment in life. We have learned through experience the old adage "if at first you don't succeed—try, try again." Sometimes we have tried again and again, and we have abandoned a project or pursuit and tried another endeavor, to be met by another failure.
I think the lesson of Colonel Harland Sanders is very important to learn. But there is another lesson we should learn as an adjunct to it. The Apostle Paul wrote, in the context of persons who doubted the resurrection:
I Corinthians 15:19 "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
Our hope is in the Kingdom of God—and our sharing in it. Can anyone or any circumstance prevent our inheritance of the Kingdom?
Paul said in Romans 8: 31-39 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Success in life requires that we never lose sight of our true goal!
Have a great Sabbath. Keep warm and safe!
Carl McNair