2014 in Review

28 December 2014

Dear Phyllis,

Many years ago I was terribly depressed. Everything had been going backwards. It is an iron rule that all missionary prayer letters must be positive but I thought, “for one time in my life I am going to be honest and tell it like it is.” My goodness that was a bad letter. Years later I was talking with a pastor in Colorado who told me that he received stacks of missionary prayer letters each month, all of which go in the circle file. But he said that black letter that he got from me was the only one that he kept in his file, and would occasionally get it out to encourage himself.

The end of a year is a time for reflection and thank God for all He did in the past year. The main accomplishments I can think of in this past years was that we got 365 good nights rest and ate 1395 meals. I preached 6 or 7 messages. I had no invitations outside Kichikun's church, and he took me off the preaching list for six months. I taught English to the children in Sangha's kindergarten for about 45 weeks. Working with the men from Abba House, we made 30 beds. That is about it. A year ago things looked very promising. At one point I was doing three jobs at the same time. I would teach English from 9:00 to 9:30, and then go to Gary's place to work with three fellows teaching them carpentry. Then in the afternoon, I was over to Abba House making beds for a very important Christian project here in Chiang Mai.

For years I mocked those who complained, “I'm getting older”. My reply was always, “Not me”. I was a very young man. My body had not appreciably changed in 40 years and I had all the energy and strength that I had when I was 38. Then in early June the Lord pulled the plug on me. For no clear reason, in less than two weeks, suddenly I was virtually a paralytic. I couldn't dress myself. One night I couldn't walk up stairs. I couldn't get in a car without someone picking up my legs and putting them in. Everyone begged me to go to the hospital, but I refused. Then one night my Dutch neighbor came over and forcefully took me to the hospital. The first night didn't show much, but on the second visit an outstanding doctor correctly diagnosed my problem as frozen shoulder. My right arm was useless, and somehow that was affecting my whole body. He said it would take about six months to clear up. He was right.

I don't know the percentage but it seems like the shoulder is 85% to 90% recovered. But somehow my body got coordinated with the calendar. The calender say that I am 79 yeas old and my body agrees. I have lost 9kg (20lbs) in the past few months. Surprisingly most of that is muscle. My strong muscular body is gone. Now I look like a 79 year old man. Last year I lost two important front teeth so now I look like a hillbilly. I still ride a motor bike everyday. They say you know you are getting older when keeping the speed limit is no longer a problem. Previously it was hard to keep it under 80 kph, but now I feel very comfortable at 60 kph.

One of the most major event that happened last year was the closure of the Nazareth Wood Shop. In Japan I called myself Nazareth Construction Co. and said that our CEO was a Jewish carpenter. In Chiang Mai I called myself Nazareth Wood Shop. Tools have always been the core of my life. With the exception of a few parenthetical periods, I have always had a hammer in my hand, and felt I couldn't live if I wasn't making something. In May we had, what looked like, a hugely lucrative project of making beds. Abba House manager, Pastor Ed, got me into a deal making beds at a record pace. We were clearing $100 a bed profit and making two a day. After the first project of 30 there was an order for 180 beds with more after that. It looked like, for the first time in my life, we might be comfortably solvent, and I was doing what I loved best. Pammy complained about the dust coming from my shop which was outside the kitchen window. I loved my shop. It was the greatest thing in Chiang Mai. But as we were getting into a commercial venture, I took all my tools over to Abba House. Then everything went to zero. Ed's wife had cancer, and he quit Abba House. He was the key, and when he was gone the project more or less stopped. Dave Moore gave me some money for my tolls, but now my woodworking days are only a memory. It is doubtful that I will ever pick up a hammer again.

After to my tools, the next greatest joy was my dog. When we got married we got an adorable little black dog. We called her Black Canyon. She was the finest dog I ever owned. She was highly intelligent, absolutely obedient, and very affectionate. Over the time she had three litters of pups. Out of the last batch there was a gorgeous blond male that looked like a miniature Golden Retriever. He was developing to be a companion with his mother, and both dogs sat with me every morning for two hours as I had devotions. But Pammy's greatest need was a clean floor. We had a great deal of conflict over the years over the dogs. I didn't want it to be said that I loved my dogs more than my wife. Three months ago a man came one day. That evening Pammy told me that the dogs were gone. The floor is clean and we have had no more squalls over that, but there is pain in my heart everyday for my dogs. 2014 was a tough year. It was the year I lost my youthful body, terminated my career as a carpenter and closed the dog chapter in my life.

But on the plus side, Pammy is like a new person. Jesus did something in her heart eight months ago that has proven to be permanent. For the first time she is developing into a fine scriptural wife. That was something that was totally lacking the first two years. She has been wining souls faster than anyone I know. Very much against my scriptural position she has her little flock that come here every Sunday and she is happier than I have ever seen her. There is talk about a major moving forward with her work. She is pleading that I join her in this venture and become the pastor of this new work. At first I said yes, but I am beginning to have serious doubts about the feasibility of what they are talking about. Pakistan is still very much front and center in my heart. 2014 was a year when the vine got cut down to the stump, but if that will produce more fruit for Jesus then I can only thank Him for it.

Arigato gozaimasu, bill

Merry Christmas

21 December

Dear Phyllis,

Merry Christmas, or something like that. I am not sure merry is the right word. I hope your Christmas will be more than just merry. Maybe we should say, holy Christmas, or fruitful Christmas, or Christ honoring Christmas. Those are the things that I feel we should strive for.

Last night at 5:00 PM I was talking to Dave Moore. He asked me, “What are you going to preach about tomorrow?” I replied, “I haven't the faintest idea.” That one floored Dave. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about it, but no subject or verse had come to mind. Actually, I had done a fair bit of praying about the meeting that morning, but my plea with the Lord was that He would speak – not me. If the Lord speaks, spiritual progress is accomplished. If I speak nothing is done. I am praying for the day when I stand up to speak and the Holy Spirit descend on the meeting causing everyone to burst out praying at the top of their lungs crying for mercy. And I can't say a thing. It just kills me to preach my heart out and have half the crowd talking among themselves or looking bored.

Last night was weird. I had a lot to do, but fell asleep early with my clothes on. About 1:00 o'clock I woke up so much I had supper and went outside on my balcony to seriously pray about a message for today. I couldn't really get a message, but the verse in Gal. 4:4 – “But when the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son born of a woman”.

When I got to church I was glad the Lord had not given me a message, as the crowd was something like I had never seen there. We have been running about 10 to 12 for several months; most of whom are half-saved. With the exception of one or two, I doubt that any of them are really serious about following the Lord. But today the place was slam packed with people standing in the back. I asked, “Where in the world did all these folks come from?” They had been out passing out fliers inviting people in that area to come to a Christmas program, and it looked like everyone came with a friend. This was a totally new ball game for me. It meant that I had a room full of people that probably didn't know a thing about Christmas, the Gospel, or anything else.

When was I was introduced I had Ying, my interpreter, read Gal. 4:4. Then I asked, “What day is the 25^th?” A few of them knew it was Christmas. Then I asked, “What is Christmas?” Many people in Japan think it is Santa Clause's birthday. We got it established that it was Jesus' birthday. Then I said this is the #1 day world wide. It is amazing. You can go into any department store in Thailand, China, Japan, England, Germany, and most of the world and hear Christian music like you were in a church. They play more evangelical Christmas songs in Thailand and Japan than they do in the states. They have no idea what it means, but they play it. Every gas station attendant in Thailand has a red Santa Clause hat on.

Then I told them why Jesus' birthday was the most significant day in human history. To illustrate the incarnation I told the ant story. I said, “Suppose you loved ants. There was an ant hill right in front of your house. You went out there everyday, gave them something to eat, gave them names, and just loved to watch them. Then one day you noticed they were going towards the road. You talked to them to warn them, but they just kept going. Then you put up a sign warning them. No soap. You put up barricades and did everything you could to stop them. But they wouldn't listen. Why? If you want to speak to an ant you must use ant language. Now suppose you were God and could do anything. You could turn yourself into a butterfly or anything. So you turned yourself into an ant so you could talk to ants. That is what God did in sending His Son Jesus.” The Bible says that Jesus was God. He is the creator God. But Jesus didn't just show up as a man. He was born just like every baby that has ever been born on this planet. He lived just like us for 33 years. But when the fullness of time was come, He said in His prayer the last night of His life, “Father the hour has come” (Jn. 17:1). I told in detail about the arrest, the scourging, and the crucifixion. Then I asked, “What does all of that have to do with you here today?” Everything. I went back to the Garden and explained the problem with humanity. I said, “I like you people very much, but if you are honest you must admit that what you are on the inside is not the same as what is on the outside. And I can prove it.” “Suppose your heart was a computer and we had a big screen up here. How many would like to plug your heart into this and have everyone see what it is like on the inside?” Then I warned them that God would judge them for what is in the inside, not what they want to look like on the out. Then I explained that Jesus died to take their place. And the only thing they had to do – and the only thing they could do – to experience this salvation was to say, “Thank You. I receive it”.

This is a poor summation of my message. There was nothing in it that you don't know as well as I do. Of necessity it had to be very basic salvation. But we had a very good time. There are times when you feel the Holy Spirit is there in power giving life to the spoken Word. And there are times when the word seems to stick in your throat, and it is like throwing puff balls at rock. Today was probably the best time I have had preaching in a year or more. There were a large number of children there which almost guarantees a great deal of distraction. When I started out I thought, “Oh boy, this is going to be a hard one”. But the children seemed to sit very still and be attentive. At times the Word became so powerful I broke down and couldn't speak. But the thing that was the most encouraging to me was to see tears in the audience. It has been a long long time since I have seen anyone wipe their face.

When the message was over I didn't feel the least bit social, and went straight to the kitchen. Pastor Kichikun came out to thank me for the message. There seemed to be some genuine emotion in his remarks of appreciation. I replied, “God be thanked if anything was done.” That was a wonderful Christmas present. Thank You Lord Jesus,

                              bill

Scott Noble

14 December 2014

Dear Phyllis,

I have found spiritual life to be like the sun moving north and south and the ocean moving up and down. I have found it to be a very undulating experience of fluctuations going up and down. Yesterday Scott Noble invited me to come give a Bible lesson to a group of young folks in his English class. Scott is one of those brothers with whom I had a close relationship, and then things drifted the other way. At the peak of our close relationship, I would easily rate that as the most productive period of my life in the last 20 or 30 years.

I first met Scott at my friends, Dave and Joyce Moore's, Abba House. I had only met him two or three times – and that on the most casual situation – when he stunned me by asking me to speak at his wedding. I have no idea why he did that. Scott was into his 30s and had never been married. He met a girl on a bus in Bangkok, and started a correspondence that developed into her conversion and engagement. The wedding was scheduled for December, and his parents came from America for it, along with some friends from Japan, and many distant places. Scott's first wedding was one of those unusual events where everyone was there except the groom. He panicked, and didn't show up. It is to the considerable credit of one girl's mad mother, and a confused fiancee that they forgave him, and rescheduled another try at it in March. The wedding was in Supanburi, which is an honest 500 km from Chiang Mai.

I rode down there with another missionary, and met a group of pastors who had come from Chiang Mai. One of whom was Kichikun. As we were waiting for everyone to get in the church, I was talking with these Thai pastors; and the Spirit of God was so powerful between us I seriously wondered whether or not I was going to be able to speak. Man howdy, I mean to tell you, we had one more GOOD wedding. I preached in English with a Thai interpreter. But Scott wanted me to preach it again in Japanese so he could send a CD to his friends in Japan who couldn't make it the second time. So while everyone else was cutting the cake, I was in a small room with a video preaching it again in Nihongo (Japanese). That started an amazing relationship.

Scott would come to my house, almost daily, asking me to sit on a stool, and tell stories and preach messages in Japanese to send CDs to his friends in Japan. That was more Japanese preaching that I had done in years. Scott was an English professor in Maejo University here in Town. He would frequently have me come to his English classes to share Christ. That was nothing but just pure evangelism.

Then he started an English Bible study in his home on Friday night. That was one of the most blessed times of my life. About 10 or more students would come. We would start at 6:00 with pizza or sushi. Then we would get started with the Bible study by7:00 and go until 9:00, when they had to be back at the university. Those times were indescribable. The Holy Spirit was so much in control, at times, I felt like I was listening to someone else preach. Oh my goodness, the Word had power. Those meetings were very much like what I was talking about last week where no body wanted to go home. One night Scott thought, “That is odd. Why is Bill stopping now? He just got started.” Then he looked at his watch and saw it was 9:00 o'clock. One night, one girl almost got a whiplash when she looked at her watch and saw what time it was. Scott said the amazing thing was that the meetings didn't even quit in the truck. As he was taking the young folks home, they still were going high speed talking about the Bible. Needless to say many were saved. Those were some of the finest meetings I have ever had in my life.

At the same time Scott was also teaching English in the ladies prison here in Chiang Mai. It was there he met Gena Crain. I told you that story several months ago. Gena was an extremely high profile event where she had shot and killed her husband. It was huge news here in Chiang Mai, and even in the Bangkok Post newspaper. I heard it was on the international wire services and CNN. Scott would see Gena in prison every week, and she would argue about the Gospel. Then one day she told her the testimony of the North Vietnamese general who died of cancer an unsaved man, went out into eternity, met Jesus, and came back healed a born-again Christian. That one rocked her. I had just got back from Saigon where I had stayed with General Thadam for five days. She asked, “Could you have that man who knows the general come here to speak with me?” The next week I went with Scott to the prison, and that started another major major moment of my life. Gena was one of the finest converts I have ever dealt with in my life. I spent two years going to the prison every Wednesday with Scott disciplining Gena.

It was at that time that Scott used to ask me to go next door to invite his neighbor from New York to come to the Friday night Bible study. I really didn't like that man very much, and he thought we were crazy. I said that is one fellow that will never get saved. That was Paul. You know the story of Paul. Scott sold his house to Paul, and Scott's wife, Kae, was talking to Marisa one day about Buddhism. Marisa got saved on the spot, and that drove Paul into the Kingdom. Paul is very close to the number one Christian man that I know today. All that fruit; the kids from the Bible study, Gena, Paul, and a host of others, are fruit in Scott's basket. I happened to be there standing on his shoulder at the time, but the fruit goes in his basket.

But nothing stays the same. The end of the school came and the kids went home. The Bible study was never got started again. Scott got dismissed from his job at Maejo. The tremendous opportunities dried up. All the good things we had going for us went south. Things started to cool down between Scott and myself. The devil got between us and the original chemistry was gone. We are still friends but the tide is out.

That is the way it goes. But even in low tide Jesus is working. Let's stay with it and give it our best shot for Jesus today.

                                     bill

Revival

7 December 2014

Dear Phyllis,

The other day I asked Paul, “How was your service Sunday night?” “Oh, Great! We had a great time. The service started at 5:00 and we got home at 2:00 AM.” I roared, “Impossible! You can't have a service that goes on for 9 hours” Paul replied, “No, the only reason we got home at 2:00 was because the kids had school the next day. If it hadn't been for the kids school we could have gone longer.”

I have always said the thermometer of a church is the parking lot. If the janitor is locking the door, and the church parking lot is empty at 12:15 Sunday morning, you know the temperature inside is pretty chilly. But if 1:00 o'clock comes, and the janitor is impatiently asking the believers still hanging around in the sanctuary to leave, and there are still six or seven cars in the parking lot, the temperature is pretty warm.

Revival is a popular subject in many churches, but revival is something that man cannot schedule, you can't work it up, and you can't organize it.When the Spirit of Christ chooses to visit His church you have revival, and without the presence of the Holy Spirit you have religion. And religion gets old pretty fast.

There are several concepts of revival. One is an intense sense of conviction of sin with confession and repentance. One is a major increase in church attendance. But the one I like is an intense sense of love among the believers. Revival is when no body wants to go home. It is like having a date with your girl friend and you dread going home.

I knew a pastor who loved his wife so much, they would have a date each week. He would reluctantly take her home, and have a length goodbye at the front door. Then he would run around back, and go in the back door. Then they would get down together, and thank God that they could stay together all night in bed.

Revival is when no body wants to go home. I have known it three or four times in my life, but it is unusual. One time I have mentioned before is in Simpsonville,SC. We were having meeting Saturday night in the home of Perry and Pam Sanders. There was no explanation for it. It was just chemistry. Ricky Smith would play his guitar and I would open the Word of God. But, oh my goodness, the atmosphere in the place! The indescribable level of fellowship. The intense love that each one had for everyone in the room. At midnight no body wanted to go home. We used to say, “Wouldn't it be great if we could do this on Sunday morning.” But that never happened.

I have mentioned Gotthold Beck and Kichijoji to you many times. I would say that Gotthold, unquestionably, was the most successful missionary in post-war Japan. He started out in Kichijoji, Tokyo, around 1965 with a handful of university students that he gathered by teaching German in their school. In 30 years that work had gone the full length of Japan, and international, with, conservatively over 2,000 to 3,000 believers. It wasn't the expansion of the work that was impressive, but the character of the meetings. I was in very few meetings in Kichijoji, but they were famous for over crowding. The auditorium might have held 200 folks on a normal occasion, but any Sunday there were over 400 jammed in that building, including the hall, the stairway, the bathroom, the kitchen, etc, and another 20 standing outside that couldn't get in the building holding umbrellas worshiping Jesus. It was unreal. In 1986 we were in Ikoma, and started going to the Kichijoji meetings in Kobe. Man howdy, were they different! I never saw anything like it. The work started in Sister Koyama's apartment with about 8 to 10, but soon they were in a community building with over 100 in attendance. The thing that amazed me was, after the two hour meeting they would have a meal together, and at 3:00 in the afternoon there were still about 2/3 of the folks sitting there at the tables with their Bibles open fellowshipping in the Spirit. Later when they got chased out of that building at 3:00, they would go to other believers homes, and frequently, several would come to our house, and fellowship until midnight.

Five years ago we got a request from a pastor in Laos asking if we could supply him with Bibles. I went over to Laos to talk to the pastor. When I asked him about the number of souls being saved, I couldn't believe the astronomic figure he gave me. I asked him three times, and got the same number each time. A few months later I was taking a team over there to supply him. His English was quite limited, and he was using his niece for an interpreter. When I was with them, I told the niece, “The last time I spoke with your uncle he told me that XX number of churches were being started each month. Is that true?” She asked him again, and he came up with the same number. I asked the girl, “Where are all these believers meeting, and what are the meetings like?” She said that believers were being saved in a wide area and it was difficult for them to meet each Sunday. Some had to travel a considerable distance. Therefore they would get together once a month in a designated place at 6:00 and go all night. I said, “Unbelievable!”. The niece was 23, and told me that she wasn't able to hold up all night long, and usually flamed out around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. But the meetings would run for 12 hours straight. That is what it is like when you can't close a meeting, and Christians refuse to go home. To the pastors credit, may I also add, he used to be a helicopter pilot in the Lao Air Force, and spent a year in prison for his faith. When he was in prison he dedicated himself to spend the rest of his life serving the Lord. And the Lord has given him a marvelous harvest.

In all honesty, I must explain that the meeting at Paul's' church was not the usual worship time. This is the beginning of the Karen Christmas season, and the meeting started with a meal and a great deal of singing. But still in all the intense craving for fellowship was dominant.

In Thy presence is the fullness of joy. Thank You Jesus,

                                                                                             bill