Precious Brothers and Sisters - WHEW!! It has been busy (at times hectic) and blessed these last several months: finishing the Intake formation process with the mission trip to Gral. Cepeda - which coincided with a medical mission trip and a group from Maryland (on the way back one of the FMC vans broke down outside Houston); returning in time to organize the Donor's Dinner and finish and mail out the SERVE newsletter; preparing for Christmas (all of my children and grandchildren, some missionaries and other guests were with us at Big Woods); then preparing for Kevin and Sarah's wedding (which was extraordinarily glorious!); the day after the wedding Joseph and other missionaries left for Gral. Cepeda with a ULL short term mission group; in the middle of all this, Genie's son Paul was in the hospital in intensive care, and we were scrambling to install the St. Paul's House on premises here at Big Woods; and after the wedding we had two priests and a seminarian from Spain staying with us at Big Woods for a week, along with almost all the FMC missionaries who came for Kevin an Sarah's wedding.... Genie earned several purple heart medals!
While on honeymoon in at very exclusive beach resort in Thailand (a gift from Tony and Yvonne Yoe, our friends in Singapore) Kevin and Sarah have several speaking and music engagements. (I still believe the Lord wants to set up a work like FMC to train and send out lay missionaries from Southeast Asia.)
During the holidays, all of the Spain missionaries spent time here at Big Woods, along with the two priests from Cordoba. We had lots of time to talk and pray about issues involving the mission there, which seems to be making headway, but it is extremely difficult to make headway in the nonagon culture of Europe. (We still think the Lord could set up a work there to train and send out lay missionaries.)
FMC will have fulltime missionaries in Saltillo this year, and they will be in a position to relate to our missionaries in Gral. Cepeda.
We think Colby Dupre and Jayne Montgomery will return to Camiguin Island in the Philippines. (Colby's family's rented house burned to the ground over the holidays. And the home and small business of Kristen Istre's family were destroyed by Hurricane Ike in Bridge City Texas. There is a great price to pay by those who seek to present the Gospel to the 2/3s of the people of the world who still wait in darkness for the light of Jesus to dawn in their lives - we face SO MANY TROUBLES AS WE GO FORWARD IN THIS WORK we must all lift a heavy load - it costs everything - "sell all you have, give alms to the poor" - "if any man wants to come after me, he must take up his cross each day".
We must learn to be thankful and rejoice in all we suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
From Poland, Albert will visit the Spain mission; when he gets his paper work in order and funds, he wants to go about in some of the former Soviet Republics; he needs a mission partner.
I hope all of you have read our Christmas edition of SERVE (now available online). Why not recommend it to your friends. We need all hands on board, doing all possible to support this work.
Well, after living amidst all these goings-on and dealing with so many issues, problems and blessed demands, in my personal prayer time this morning, I read from my new Bible - it's my birthday present. I read from Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul."
The Lord "makes me lie down", he requires me to stop and take a breather, to reflect and focus on Him. "He leads me beside still waters" - He places me in a peaceful quiet, a still place. And while I am in a still, quiet place He restores me, He puts things in order inside me, and restores and refreshes me. He always gives me everything I need; there is nothing I lack, or will ever lack.
HOLINESS AND CHASTITY - In Mission of the Redeemer, John Paul II without blinking asserts that "THE MISSIONARY IS THE SAINT". We will not be effective missionaries if we are not living holy lives. We must preach with our voices and by the way we act, and dress and live and work and relate to one another and to others.... One of the greatest commandments for living a holy life is that we avoid all sexual sins, even lusting after others. Sexual purity is a presupposition for the missionary life. Missionaries in religious orders VOW to be chaste and pure. We lay missionaries are commanded by the Lord to be chaste and pure.
Our conduct can never raise questions in the minds of those we are trying to evangelize. Impurity between a man and woman, or between two men or two women missionaries should never be even imagined by those who observe us. We must conduct ourselves with modesty and very decently, never giving Satan any opportunity to lead us into impurity and to allow others to imagine any thing disordered in our relationships. Yes, we have deep love and affection for one another, but we certainly do not have sexual relations with one another (unless we are enjoying holy sex with our marriage partners).
Be careful. The way of the world is so deviant as regards sex. Read the Theology of the Body. Observe the chaste singles and couples you encounter, and admire their purity. When tempted, overcome evil by praising the Lord and speaking of Him to others. Pray in tongues to ward off temptation. Touch the poor with the love of Jesus. Embrace the cross. Dance for joy in the Lord. Hold one another to a high standard of pure conduct and conversation. "Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little ears what you hear. For the good Lord up above is looking down with love. Be careful little eyes what you see." And let us always pray for one another, even with fasting.
Pray for me, and the Pope and everyone.
- In Jesus, Frank
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