September 2014: Ed’s Excellent Vacation/Dear Family

Ed’s Excellent Vacation

The sheep have been dipped and clipped and are now lying down in luscious, emerald-green and chlorophylled pastures, contentedly munching their way towards next year’s shearing. Or maybe lambing. Or even worse, to someone’s dinner table.

And so too, Ed is taking a break this month, to do a little grandfathering. But Donna’s Corner is alive and well.

See you next month,

Blessings

 

(Ed)

P.S. Did you read the answer to last month’s Hot Question? . . . and more importantly, did you form your own unshakeable position should you be confronted by that question? What was The Question? Click here


“You will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before), you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it . . . Give up yourself, and you will find your real self.” C.S. Lewis

Resting in the Lord means recognizing He’s in control. Your problems are His concern, and His promises are your inheritance. You may have reasons to worry, but you have better reasons not to. The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms, and the Lord knows your needs before you even ask. He will take care of you. Resting in the Lord is the exact opposite of the spirit of our age. But who wants the spirit of this age anyway? Let the Spirit of God fill you with all joy and peace as you rest in the Lord. David Jeremiah

Obedience is thicker than blood. [Luke 8:21 The Message] 

Jesus will not come for his church until he comes to his church


Some Books by YWAMers

YWAM produces authors among missionaries! Lots of them.

Here’s a sampler of some that come across our wires . . .

Debbie Adams DTS & Staff, Kona 1990s has written a series titled, Heart of Heaven
http://www.heartofheavenministries.com/book-series.html

Jun Texon served with YWAM in the Philippines and has written an Amazon adventure for young people–The Shining River. $1.00 Kindle download.

And for a change of pace, Uli Kortsch, friend and former director of YWAM Canada for many years, has written a book called, The Next Money Crash–and How to Avoid It. Take a look at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1491739509/ref=cm_sw_su_dp


Donna’s Corner

Dear Family, I’m writing to you on a very personal note.

Sometimes God speaks to us through our pain, our suffering or our circumstances. Over the last seven years, God has spoken to us through Peter’s body in all of these areas.

The first time God spoke through Peter’s body, was in early January 2008, as we pioneered the first All Nations-All Generations DTS in Kona, Hawaii, which had been our former mission base for 12 years.

Loren had invited us to pray about returning to Kona to, “lead a school.” The Lord showed us it was to be a classic DTS, multinational and multigenerational in staff and students. They came from over 20 nations and ranged in age from 16 to 77. The school was named ‘Oha Loa’ DTS, meaning: Ohana (family) and Loa (‘extended,’ or long). The place of family and extended family in the Island culture is very strong, and we wanted to honor the host people of Hawaii by emphasizing this, and also by introducing Island Protocols, especially in the welcoming of students at the start of each term.

First day of DTS. Whole school gathered in classroom. Worship team ready. Peter steps to the front, but he had just had a blurry ‘shade’ come down over his left eye. What to do? After welcoming everyone, he stepped off the platform and went straight to his ‘personal cardiologist,’ Dr Joon Choi, a student in the DTS (but that’s another story!) Dr Joon quickly diagnosed the problem, and took him straight to Emergency. Problem? 90-98% blockage in his left carotid artery. After tests, he was air-ambulanced to a Honolulu hospital for a an operation to clean out the carotid artery.

Dr Joon flew over with Peter, and I was left to lead the DTS, flying to Honolulu later that day. I sensed the Lord ask me, “What will you do if I take Peter home?” I responded, “I will continue doing what I am doing, if that pleases you.” Three nights later Peter was back in Kona. The Lord showed us there was a blockage between the head and heart in the “body of Christ” that would have to be cleaned out, so that we could hear His heart.

Second time was at the July 2013 Hong Kong Homecoming Gathering. Foreign leaders had been invited up on the stage to pray for 600 Asian leaders. It was semi–dark on stage and there was no railing at the back. As David Demian introduced Loren Cunningham as a father to the nations, handing him the microphone, Peter fell five feet backwards off the stage onto a lightly carpeted cement floor.

We really believed Peter was dying and 600 leaders cried out to God for his life. About ten minutes later Peter opened his eyes and sat up. The first thing Peter remembers is being in an ambulance, and there, sitting beside him was Dr Joon, his personal cardiologist! As he was being taken for an MRI, Peter said to our dear friend Andrew Ho who is an amazing Chinese leader, “I will give my life for the Chinese.” I asked Andrew, why did you leave everyone and come with us, and he said, “Because you’re family.”

Peter was admitted to the hospital for one night for observation, no broken bones. I went to my hotel room alone and said, “Lord why did this happen to us?” He said to me again, “Because I can trust you.” I wept. Many people feel Peter was pushed off the stage by the enemy, and was like Lazarus who came back to life. When he walked into the leaders’ meeting the next evening they all rejoiced and gave thanks to God. The Lord had me share this with the leaders, in great humility: “We trust God, but can He trust us?”

Third time was near the begining of this September. We had been attending the “Catch the Wave” Global Leadership Gathering in Singapore. YWAM’s Founder’s Circle had asked David Demian if he would come and speak, but also to walk with us and speak a word as the Spirit led. It was amazing and we could really sense the presence of God. This was followed immediately by an Associates Gathering for two days. It was wonderful. Many former YWAMers and friends in Singapore, are truly ’family’ to us.

Two days later Peter quite suddenly got an excruciating pain in his left calf, hip and then radiating down the whole leg, cutting off circulation to his foot. An ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. More than six Singaporean ‘family’ members walked with us through the next few days, driving us to appointments, caring for us, and truly showing us ‘family’.

Two big guys went into the cardiologist with us and the doctor asked, “Are these your bodyguards?” and I said, “No, they’re prayer warriors and part of our family.” One was Edmond Wong and the other Hudson Kim. Many tests were run, after which the doctor said, as he looked at Peter, “The risk rating for this is 100; he is over 1000 and needs surgery right away.”

Encouraged by another doctor friend, and realizing this was serious, we had ‘The Talk.’ What if the Lord took Peter home during the surgery? Surgery only took 45 minutes from leaving ICU, to his return. The surgeon removed a large clot in his leg, with a smaller one being flushed out with circulation.

David Cole, a YWAM leader visited us in hospital and said, “Peter is again a prophetic sign to the body of Christ. There are blood clots in the arteries and they cause tremendous pain. If they are not removed with skill and wisdom, they could cut off circulation.”

God is so wanting our hearts to beat with His and if there are clots hindering this, He wants us to be willing for Him to remove them. Dr Bruce Thompson visited us and he said, “Having clots in the leg can hinder us from walking with God, and with each other.” So let’s get rid of anything that would cut off circulation and cause pain. Time is short and we need each other.

We are the body of Christ, He is the head and we so need each other, knowing our place and not letting anything hinder unity with Him and each other. My heart’s desire is to see Jesus’s prayer answered in John 17, that we will have unity as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I pray, that if it’s God’s will, He won’t use Peter’s body as a “prophetic sign” any more! We have been so blessed though, and have seen what real ‘family’ is all about. Real, worldwide family.

Love and Blessings,

 


Do you know where the Faroe Islands are?

Saturday 25th October: YWAM Associates Day, Faroe Isles
How adventurous are you? Get out your brolly and your windbreaker and contact Roy by clicking here


and Finally . . .                     

Pain

Temporary and intense, physical pain, after it passes, leaves no memory. You cannot corral your mind into summoning up those awful minutes or hours of agony, though you remember every ticking second of it, all too well.

But severe, acute pain that persists, is a constant and ever-present, never-ending memory, controlled only by temporary painkillers.

However, intense emotional pain, seldom departs readily, either in memory or in feeling. It hangs around, and can even deepen if not dealt with.

Forgiveness is the only permanent painkiller of a hurting heart, and it is just the beginning of the process of healing, which may sometimes be speedy, sometimes take years. How long, may very well depend on you, your attitude toward the one who has hurt you, and whether you truly want to be free from the self-imposed prison of pain, by not forgiving, by ‘not letting go.’

Blessings,

 

The Small Print
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—and the whole ministry of YWAM Associates—is for the encouragement,
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Editing & Layout, Peter Jordan; Regular Contributor, Donna Jordan;
Copy Editor, Laurie Jordan-Worrall; Mascot, Ruth Worrall