Blessed Christmas Greetings

To our Family and Friends

We hope you have enjoyed fellowship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, during this year. He came as a baby to reveal God’s love to mankind and provide salvation from sin and hope of heaven.

As we review the past year and reflect on our walk with God we are humbled that he would allow us to enjoy Him and serve Him. We have many joys of living and serving together in our marriage that God arranged. December 30 will complete two years. The blessing of good health makes us responsible to use it for His glory.

We truly enjoy living here in Maranatha Village, Sebring, FL, a retirement community of Christians. Our church is located within the village and nearly everyone attends there. Our pastor is a great Bible teacher and we have many opportunities to interact with people. During the year the church has Bible conferences, Music Concerts, Missionary speakers, a great Choir with cantatas at Christmas and Easter. The Village also plans fellowship times for fun and communication.

Ruth has been the president of the Ladies Mission Fellowship. She gives special effort to provide informative and interesting programs. Both of us serve on the Mission Committee.

Eldon’s special passion is Ethnic to Ethnic Ministries. This is the vision God gave to him three years ago. This year the board agreed to incorporated and applied for IRS Tax Exemption. God has expanded his communication with people through the website – http://www.ethnictoethnic.org/ and with a Blog Site http://ethnictoethnic.blogspot.com/ . For the past 18 weeks he has posted an article about the need and benefit of intentional multi ethnic ministry. Eldon has founded this to help churches make this adjustment to become multicultural in out reach and fellowship. If this could happen many of those from other nations would find a way to send or carry the Gospel to their ethnic homeland. They could be the missionaries we can’t be in major parts of the world.

Last summer we traveled nine weeks and 8400 miles to Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, New Jersey and home. We made several valuable contacts for E-tem, served with the missionaries to the Navajo where Ruth had been a missionary, visited friends from Kachin State, Burma living in Dallas that Eldon knows from his trips to Burma, attended the wedding of Ruth’s brother. Included did visit Eldonna and family, toured the Grand Canyon, and attended a musical on Texas but nearly all of our time was given to missions activities.

We anticipate special opportunities for 2009. Ruth is president again and maybe it will be easier the second year. Eldon is dreaming of a special Round Table type meeting of several leaders involved in multi ethnic ministries to coordinate the potential and the methods of assisting churches. If he had a support base of administrative staff and finances the potential would be greater. Meanwhile, we are praying for God to provide a man to develop E-tem far beyond my ability.

In 2009 let’s trust God to reveal his salvation and His glory even though there seems to be such resistance to Jesus Christ, the one who can provide a righteous solution to the problems of the world.

Eldon and Ruth
251 Timothy Rd, Sebring, FL 33870, eldon26@gmail.com or laughinglady1@gmail.com

An Immigrant’s Perspective

Last week I wrote “Ethnic People Can Give the Gospel and Plant Churches.”

Jean B Manirakiza wrote regarding the hesitancy people from other cultures feel. He is a friend who was born in Burundi, Africa. Notice, too, his insight on the working relationships needed for fulfilling the Great Commission. (Underlining is mine. More of his background at the end.)

“Thank you for another insightful and provocative (in a positive way) post. From an immigrant perspective, I agree with your statements and would only add that the cultural gap is one of the contributing factors in the misconceptions. For example, at least from where I come from, (Burundi, Africa) modesty/humility hinders a lot of people to assert their capabilities and may yield to the opinion that assertiveness is equivalent of knowledge and capability. As a result, we may believe that Americans are more capable of reaching people of ethnic background more than we do. Another minor issue we may deal with is the familiarity breeding contempt-remember that even Jesus' siblings were not enthusiastic about his ministries until he ascended to heaven...that one always baffles me. But in the end, love for God remains the most powerful tool if we, American and ethnic people, hope to reach the lost in other cultures. Do we love God enough to seek his guidance in finding ways to bridge the cultural gaps and change our misconceptions of others? That's my prayer! Thanks and may God grant us wisdom to care for the lost.”
[Jean was forced to leave Burundi when a civil war began. They were killing College students. He made his way to South Africa where he accepted Christ as savior through a church. After this he sought refugee status here and now has a government job in DC. He is active in Calvary Baptist, Alexandria, VA but has interests of serving our Lord in Africa some day.]

An American friend also wrote this week to say, “I work with a very diverse group of nurses who, 2 of them are here in the states and planning on going back to their country to minister there. Both are Calvin grads as are their husbands who plan to start agencies to minister to their own country men.”

My contention is that we are not listening to people who have perspectives on reaching the world. We have a lot to learn as well as a lot to give.

This may seem like a minor point but something is limiting the joint effort to share the Gospel worldwide.

Tell me what you think. Leave a comment here. Soon I want to talk about prayer for the nations as a beginning action step. Eldon, www.EthnictoEthnic.org.