Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May God grant you a blessed and merry Christmas as you celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God!
Grace Communion International administrative offices will be closed December 24 – January 2. Due to our closure, there will be no email update next week, December 29. The next update will be on January 5.
Offices will officially reopen at 8:00 a.m. PST on Monday, January 3, 2011.
Mike Feazell recently came up with a Christian “pledge of allegiance.” I thought it was a pretty good summary of our mission together in the world. He wrote:
We pledge allegiance to our Savior, the Incarnate Son of God.
And to his Church, which bears his name,
One Body, in Christ, sharing his love and hope with all.
Summer 2011 mission trips
Bahamas
A mission trip to the Bahamas is planned for July 15-30, 2011. We will be helping the local GCI congregation to run a 2-week day camp for Bahamian and Haitian children. Many of the Haitians have left their country hoping to better their lives. They now live illegally in shantytowns on the outskirts of Nassau. To read more about this mission trip go to <http://gctrips.org/BAHAMASTRIP.aspx>.
If interested please contact Janet Morrison at gctrips@gci.org by December 31, 2010.
Zambia
A mission trip to Zambia and Malawi (in Africa) is planned for August 4-20, 2011. We will be running Vacation Bible Schools with six GCI congregations, including a refugee camp in Malawi where refugees have come from the war-torn zone of DRC Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia. For more details about this trip go to <http://gctrips.org/ZAMBIA.aspx>.
If interested please contact Janet Morrison at gctrips@gci.org by December 31, 2010.
Prayer requests and updates:
From Bernie Schnippert
In my last update I stated that I was having severe fatigue and nausea from my carcinoid cancer and was only slightly ambulatory, able to walk only very short distances basically within or around my house, and that I had a great deal of nausea. I also said that I was to have a procedure on December 17 whereby the doctors would inject radioactive beads, (called “Sir Spheres”) into one of the largest tumors in an effort to kill it. I am happy to say that in spite of some worrisome blood test results I was able to go through the procedure. From a technical perspective, it was quite successful in that they effectively injected the radioactive spheres, mostly into one large tumor in the right lobe of my liver. I am happy to report that I did not suffer a complete collapse of strength after the therapy like I feared may occur, and like had occurred after some tests before the therapy, but of course I am having a dip. They have told me that I “will feel worse before I feel better” after the procedure though, and, it is true that I am still as or even more fatigued, and even more nauseated. I am able to eat very little real food and get most of my calories from protein shakes, which, unfortunately, also do not sit well. The plan is for me to go back to hospital in four to six weeks so they can treat the main tumor or tumors in the left lobe of my liver. The hope, and my prayer, is that in the interim I not only recover from the sphere injection (i.e. from feeling worse before I feel better), but also that I begin to experience relief from the cancer symptoms — extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea — that led to the need for the therapies in the first place. Also, I need to be strong for the second injection since it is an injection of drug eluding beads, not radiation, and it creates greater short term side effects, like pain, fatigue, and nausea. In summary: The therapy went well, but I am in the process of recovery which can take weeks, and I hope I not only recover but regain much of my normal strength because one tumor is now killed. I have about four to six weeks before the next round of therapy, and need to be ready for it when it comes. Thank you very much for all your prayers and cards. They are very much appreciated.
Cards may be sent to:
64651 Jan Drive
Bend, OR 97701-8824
Ehlen Family
The father of Jan Ehlen, wife of Hillsboro, Missouri pastor Bob Ehlen, passed away December 12. He lived a full life and the family appreciates our prayers.
Cards may be sent to:
12893 Morgans Meadow Rd
de Soto, MO 63020-6410
Andrew McArthur
Please join us in prayer for Pastor Andrew McArthur of our Hillsdale, New Jersey, congregation, and his family. Andrew is in the Hackensack Medical Center suffering from symptoms of a tumor on his brain.
Cards can be sent to:
Andrew McArthur
PO Box 22
Garfield, NJ 07026-0022
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach
