A Change in Plans

“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.  So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”                                -Acts 16:6-10  

I don't know why I get frustrated when plans change or when God seems to close a door.  It isn’t anything new.  I love the passage above because it make that pretty clear.  And it makes me thankful that I’m not Paul, who apparently had several doors close on him while he was out on the road.  I also love this passage because it seems to embrace the unknown and being okay with living in the tension of not really knowing where God is leading quite yet.

This past week we sent Luv-Luv back to the field.  Because of tensions between his home country and the country he’s ministering in, he was only given a 10-day visa.  We talked to some people we’re working with and were assured that’d be enough time to get him switched over to the business visa once he arrived.  We found out last Wednesday that he was denied his business visa and yesterday we had to fly him back home to the Philippines.

The plan is for him to only be in the Philippines for a short time while we, as an organization, seek the Lord on next steps and a new location.  We’d also like to invite you to pray with us for that new location.  We’ve had some issues with Luv’s visa over the past couple months, so we’ve been talking to people in a smaller country further south about possibilities there.  Things aren’t quite ready there yet, and there are several towns that we’re still trying to sift through, but we feel like God is opening a door there and there are some exciting possibilities.

So please pray with us as we start to step out on faith and make the move.  We’re not 100% sure where we’re going quite yet, but neither was Paul.  When God closed a door, Paul sought Him and tried somewhere else.  Then tried somewhere else again.  Then tried somewhere else again…  Let’s just hope, for my sake, that we don’t have quite as many closed doors as Paul.  We’ll update you more once we get it figured out.

Return From Trip

I just returned from a great trip to East Asia.  While the trip was unrelated to the work with Underground Coffee International, the group was able to able to spend some time meeting with farmers that I have planted coffee test-plots with when I lived there.  Our group had an eight-hour layover on our trip out and I scheduled Luv-Luv’s flights so that our layovers would overlap.  While a long layover after about twenty-five hours of traveling is a beating, it was worth it because we were able to spend a few hours catching up with Luv-Luv, and he was able to cast some vision for the work that the group was about to go and do.  Luv-Luv’s visa is about to expire and we’re going to send him back home for a few weeks so that we can get him switched over to a new visa.  This will also give him some time to spend with his grandparents and recharge. I love going back to the town where I lived in East Asia.  It is up in the mountains and has developed so quickly that most of the people living there were rural farmers just ten or fifteen years ago.  A quick ten or fifteen minute drive can take you from the middle of the city to a village surrounded by cornfields.

The highlight, though, was the group that I took with me.  There were seven of us: three adult leaders and four guys that have just graduated high school.  I love being on trips with groups and seeing their worldview widen just a little bit.  Yes, short-term mission trips have their problems, are expensive and sometimes can do more damage than good, but short-term mission trips are also the quickest way for people to catch a passion for the lost who have never heard the gospel.

It has been great being back for a few days and hearing the boys tell others about the trip.

Headed Overseas

Today I'll be flying to East Asia with a group of guys.  We're going to work alongside some local church planters trying to reach an unreached people.  Except for me, none of our group has been to Asia before, much less rural Asia.  We'll also get a chance to catch up with Luv-Luv.  He's had some visa issues and will fly home for a couple weeks to get them sorted out before heading back.  We've arranged it so that we have time to connect for a few hours on one of our layovers. Words can't describe how excited I am for this trip.  Not only the opportunity to go and spend time with a people and a place that I love, but also to be able to show it to others who have no idea what they're in for over the next two weeks.  I was about the age of most of the guys going when I first went to rural Asia and felt the call to go back.  I hope there will be some lightbulb moments like that for them on this trip as well.

So if you have time, please lift a prayer for our group.  And if you order coffee over the next two weeks, it might take a little longer getting to you.  (But don't worry, it'll get there!)