VOLUME 9; NO. 1 JANUARY 1986
Dear Brethren
Greetings in the name of our saviour Jesus Christ
SURPRISE WE ARE STILL HERE!
In our last newsletter we expressed the desire to send you this newsletter from
Tauranga New Zealand, such is not the Lord's will, due to a misapplication for
visas and the New Zealand's government policy of tight visa restrictions. We
applied to enter New Zealand in our proposed role as a printer for the South
Pacific area. The government reviewed our request and decided that they had
enough printers and therefore there was no need for us to come in and work from
New Zealand. With this hitch we have re-applied to enter New Zealand as a teacher
for the South Pacific Bible School even though our main responsibility will
still be to provide printed material for the South Pacific and establishment
of an outreach program whereby we can effectively evangelize the South Pacific
region. We expect to hear from the New Zealand government in regard to this
re-application sometime mid-January. The delay is the same reason government
delays happen in this country during June-September, it is summer time in New
Zealand December-January. Pray with us about this
THE LORD KNOWS BEST
In any endeavor we hope to undertake we always pray for the "Lord's will be done". Sometimes He does it! Can you believe it! As we patiently (can't you just see me patiently, ha) endure this wait for visas we are suddenly aware that the Lord's timetable is not our timetable.
We had hoped to be in New Zealand by now to welcome Jab and Becky to school and to help them settle in also to settle ourselves in and set up operations for the Oceania Outreach Plan.
In the past several years I have been frustrated in not having enough time to translate and write at the word processor. The Lord has indeed chosen to test these desires. When I made the trip to PNG-New Zealand I retrieved the Xerox Memorywriter and brought it back here "just in case'! there might be a delay in our visa application.
I have upgraded the Memorywriter to a full-line word processor and have been able to spend time on the writing of the Acts commentary in Pidgin English which has been on going for the past two years.
DECEMBER A MONTH TO BE REMEMBERED
In our September newsletter we mentioned that Kathy had undergone surgery for
skin cancer and all indications where that everything was clean. During another
trip to Sulpher Springs Dr. Reynolds located and removed seven other moles from
Kathy. She looked like she had been in a knife fight and lost. We anxiously
awaited the pathology report (not the autopsy report Ken). The results finally
came back, ALL-NEGATIVE. Prayer still works and we thank all of you for your
prayers on Kathy's behalf.
I had been having some discomfort in my right hand since November when I had pulled something in the back of it while repairing the roof on our house. After the initial swelling went down a bump remained but I was able to finish the necessary repairs just before the first snow was dumped on us and the cold weather really set in. I had several people look at the bump and the initial visual diagnosis was that I had a synovial cyst which would have to be surgically removed as the location was hindering full usage of the hand. During my discomfort it was discovered that Jason had a cyst on his left wrist as per my right wrist. His was going to have to be removed also.
Again as in Kathy's case we still don't have insurance but it was felt that the surgery was needed. Jason and I were fortunate in that our surgery was able to be accomplished in Day-Surgery. It was not required that we be admitted to the hospital and that lowered the cost. Jason and I had our father & son surgery the same day the same doctor the same room (different times). Jason went first (I was not afraid!) and his cyst proved routine. As always mine did not prove to be routine.
The doctor was expecting a cyst but SURPRISE ! They gave me an arm block and thus I was visiting with the doc through the whole operation. After his initial cut the rest of the conversation was punctuated with "isn't this interesting", "this is a first", "oh, more interesting". It seems that mine was not a cyst but that I had shredded three tendons on the back of my hand and the knot was a build-up of the shredded edges of the tendons. The doc debrided and trimmed the tendons and just shook his head. He says that I shouldn't have any problems with the hand but knowing the nature of the beast in me ask me to 'go easy' for a while.
The Joplin congregation took up a special contribution in December which amounted to over $2200. for Kathy's surgery. We thank them so much for their sacrifice to meet our needs. Without the assistance of Dr. Reynolds in Sulphur Springs the expenses would have been so much higher. Thank you, Claude!
Even with this help we still owe $900 on Kathy and Jason and I have incurred
over $1000 in our repair jobs.
As we look back to our first visa application rejection we can see the Lord
working in our lives here. If we bad left when WE had planned to leave Kathy
would not have been cleaned off and Jason and I would not have had our hands
repaired. WE ARE READY NOW LORD!
THE MESAS STILL NEED TRAVEL FUNDS
As I write this report the Mesas are go-to school. They have already bought
their tickets in Papua New Guinea as they had to be purchased 21 days in advance.
They plan to arrive in New Zealand January 15th. We are still in need of the
$1800 for the ticket price. Please earmark your funds: MESAS TRAVEL FUND. Thank
you !
PLEASE SEND YOUR CHECK TODAY!
Many of you have responded to our "Little By Little Campaign" and
the needed funds are being met. We are still short of the goal and ask for your
consideration. If you haven't been able to help up to now, but have wanted to,
the need still exists. Your funds will make it possible for many thousands of
people to read (hear) the good news through the printed page. Please help by
sending $20, $50, $100 or whatever you can. All contributions are tax-deducible!
All funds are held in account by the Northside congregation against these needs.
MAIL TO:
NORTHSIDE CHURCH OF CHRIST: OCEANIA
2510 HWY 62
JEFFERSONVILLE IN. 47130
the Huffs