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 Dear Friends & Family,Greetings from Durban, South Africa! You have to see the BEFORE picture and the AFTER picture (below)! What a difference in climate! Last week it was just impossible to believe that hot weather existed somewhere else, and now, it's hard to believe I was in snow up to my knees last week! I just arrived here this weekend, and we went immediately into auditions for our Spring musical here, "Joseph". The weather is gloriously hot! I never thought I could be so excited to sweat! Scare TacticsLast week, in Poland, we had worked so hard, and an actor with some emotional problems dropped out of the show the night BEFORE Opening Night! Yikes! What do we do? I told the cast to pretend that he was still there, and we ran through the show without him. We prayed, since he is a major role. Praise the Lord, on opening night he was there!  After our final production, the cast (and pastor Marek, laying opposite of me!) poses for the camera! We were scared again, when we set off some pyrotechnics for the production. We were told by our source that they were 2 meter (6' 6") high fountain pyros, so this was fine. However, for the Opening Night show, the pyros were over 6 meters (18 feet) high! They were burning the curtains above us, and we would NOT have been able to blast them with an extinguisher! God blessed us and put them out just in time! The audience was so excited, but I almost passed out from panic! Best of all, the people responded to the nightly performances, and we saw dozens and dozens walk the aisle to give their heart to Jesus Christ. How wonderful to see so many souls come to the Lord in Poland! May the Lord be glorified through our efforts in Rzeszow. Heading South for the WinterAfter the production, I left immediately the very next day to fly to Warsaw. We boarded the plane to London, where I'd catch my flight to Johannesburg, and then on to Durban. We were on the plane in Warsaw, and they made us get off the plane "for technical reasons". After 1 hour, we were allowed to board again. No problem. However, after another hour, they had us get off the plane again! This time we waited for 3 hours. I was getting very concerned because although I had a long layover in London, it was all being eaten up by the delay in Warsaw. I prayed! Finally, after 5 hours, I was able to reboard the plane and we left for London! I had 45 minutes to catch the plane! I arrived in Durban, and was met by Charmaine Smith, the Music Director for the church. She is such a blessing, and I look forward to seeing all that the Lord's going to do!  BEFORE! The way I was dressed last week in Poland's winter weather. Through the Eyes of GodHow you see things has a very obvious impact on how you live your life. How you perceive things will determine your future. It affects you now. How you spend your time. How you spend your social life. How you spend your money. I remember a simple, but profound story. A grocer was busy shelving food items when a gruff, older man came charging through the door, in a hurry, and with little patience for the slower pace of life in this sleepy little town. As he paid for his things, he asked the grocer, "Tell me about this town. I hope the people here are nicer than the ones I left behind in the last town I lived in. They were a sorry lot." The grocer sadly replied, "Sir, I'm sorry to say that the people here are just as bad as in your last town." "Yeah, just my luck," the man grumbled as he grabbed his things and bolted out the door. A few months passed, and the grocer was busy counting change. A young man with his young family came in and were buying everything in sight! They were obviously enjoying their spending spree, as they laughed and teased each other. Finally, upon checkout, the young man asks the grocer, "Tell me, sir, about the people in this town. My family and I were just transferred here because of my job, and we are really going to miss the kind people of our last town. Are the people here as wonderful as the friendly people in my last town?" The grocer smiled and said, "Sir, you're going to be blessed living here. The people here are the nicest you could ever hope to meet."  AFTER! The way I was dressed yesterday, on a veranda at my host's home overlooking a valley here in Durban's warm summer. The message is obvious. There weren't two different towns. There were two different perspectives on one place. My question to you: How do you picture life? Life is what you make it. As trivial as that may sound, there is more to ponder in that phrase than we give credit to. If you view life as something that builds your kingdom, then your values will be:
Our focus should be on HIM! What excites our Father? What blesses Jesus? What do we see the Holy Spirit doing? If we will imagine ways daily of how to bless our Lord, then we will see a drastic paradigm shift in our way of thinking! Seeing through the eyes of God and helping God accomplish what's on His Heart will bring us a colorful explosion of limitless possibilities in leading an exciting life! I have a secret! It's this: When you bless God by helping Him accomplish what He wants and by focusing on how to glorify Him, then He makes YOU come out looking GREAT!  Dr. Roberts invites me to speak to Durban Christian Centre's members. What a BIG church! Everyone is so friendly, and I look forward to getting to know everyone. Our focus is only on Jesus, and not on ourselves. Best of all, then:
Tot Siens!That's Afrikaans for "Goodbye!" I want to thank you so much for your prayers for me and for the production in Poland last week. The show was a success, and it's due directly to your prayers for Cornerstone and for me. Now, it's time to focus our prayers on South Africa, particularly Durban. Let's see what the Lord will do through us as we prepare for this wonderful outreach. God bless you!
For the Kingdom, |
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