I had the privilege of spending three weeks in Thailand helping my teammates, Darryl and Kara Dedert, as they welcomed the new arrival of their fourth child, a baby boy, into their family and our team. His name is Calvin Luke and he was born on November 24. I was asked to come and help with their other three children; Sophie 5, Noah 3, and Evie 18 months. It was a wonderful and stressful time. I enjoyed getting to know the Dedert family better and spending time with them. I was very thankful to be of some assistance to them. It turns out that God had a reason for my going.
Calvin was born with microcephaly which is
also known as a small head. He also had some
calcifications on his brain. We had to see
several doctors and I was able to accompany
Darryl and Kara and interpret the medical
terminology. As of right now, Calvin is doing
well. We just have to watch him and wait to
see how he develops. Please remember to
pray for him and the entire Dedert family. We
trust that God has a plan for his life and we
are thankful that God has already poured out
His mercy on Calvin and the family. May
God be glorified in the life of Calvin Luke
Dedert.
God answers prayers
How many times do we pray and truly believe that God will answer our prayers? Maybe we pray for small things so as not to have our faith shaken if He does not answer. But we have all heard the truth that God always answers our prayers and that sometimes the answer is no. So maybe this is why we pray for small things. For me, I am afraid to ask for the impossible because I am afraid He will not answer. Maybe I have a weak faith or so I think and that is why He will not answer my prayer. I know the truth about God: everything happens for my good, His answers are sometimes no, He always hears our prayers, we must trust Him. However, I use the excuse, that sometimes His answers are no, to deter me from praying for the impossible.
I have been reading a book by John Owen titled Overcoming Sin and Temptation. He talks about overcoming sin by the power of the Holy Spirit and that it is not something we can do by ourselves. We must be dependent on God for the mortifying of sin. That dependence should not only be applied to overcoming sin but in all aspects of our life. We know this but do we actually live it out? I challenged myself to live a life that is more dependent on God and less on myself, other people, and all the things this world has to offer. These things are not bad in and of themselves, but I want to depend on them less. I wanted to put my faith in action. God gave me a wonderful opportunity to do this.
It was on Christmas Eve. We were having a worship service at church. I had had a bad stomach ache all day. The pain was continually getting worse throughout the day. By the time of the worship service, I was sitting in tears thinking that I would probably have to leave the service early. I could not even sing the songs at the beginning of the service because of the pain. I decided to pray and ask God to heal me of this pain. I prayed specifically for healing of my stomach. In the past, I prayed knowing that He could do it but not really believing that He would. Again, defaulting to the safety net that sometimes His answers are no. I prayed for the impossible or what I thought was impossible. As the service continued, my stomach began to feel better. I rationalized it in my head saying that I was just wanting it to be true but the pain was definitely getting better. By the time we were singing again at the end of the service, the pain was completely gone. I was able to sing and praise God pain free. He answered my prayer for healing.
It was a miracle but why should we be surprised? God has done miracles so many times throughout history. I will not downplay this answer to prayer because we serve a God that has shown His power in extreme ways. Praise God for demonstrating His power through the answered prayers of His children.
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for Roath and all our medical students. They will be having their finals in mid-Feb. Pray that God will sustain them as they study hard and pray for peace in their hearts and that they would trust God with their lives and the outcome of the tests. Pray for those that are not believers and that they would come to have a relationship with Jesus.
2. Pray for the KM team and medical mission team. Pray that God would use them to further His kingdom. Pray for their safety as they travel in this country and that they would stay healthy. Most of all pray that God will give them a greater vision of His love for His people.
3. Pray for me as I continue the work that God has entrusted to me. Pray that I would not rely on my own abilities but would allow God to work through me so that He may be glorified. Pray that the Khmer people would see Jesus through me.
4. Pray for those who are raising support and/or making preparations to join our team in Cambodia: Damon and Young Mi Cha, and Alex and Jeany Jun
Relational Update
Our new team member, Luke Smith, has arrived to the field. He is originally from Illinois and is an ordained pastor. He is 28 years old. He will spend his first year in language studies and then possibly move to the villages.
Pray for him as he adjusts to life in Cambodia and builds relationships with his teammates and the Khmer people. Pray for his language studies. Pray for his family and friends as they adjust to Luke living in Cambodia.
Books that I am reading:
Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
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