Purpose Asia

  This story was shared with permission from the patient and family “He’s not breathing! Please come now!” The voice on the other end of the line was tense, close to panicked. “I’m coming now.” I replied. I hung up the phone and ran out the door. I drove across the center, praying urgently for God’s wisdom and help. My car rattled to a stop at the end of the driveway and I could see people standing near the door. I jumped out of my car and ran up the drive and into the house. The patient was in the throes of a severe seizure and was surrounded by scared and desperate friends. My eyes took in the situation and my mind clicked over into assessment mode: watching his chest, feeling for pulse, checking for responses from the patient. Within two minutes it was clear the seizure was not going to stop. “We need to get him to the clinic in my car.” I said. One of my friends grabbed my keys to open the doors of my car, and several strong guys came and picked up the patient. I guided them ou...

  " When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. "   1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)   Recently I had the privilege of witnessing a good friend of mine complete Confirmation at her Lutheran church. She had worked for many long months doing Bible study, service, scripture memory, classes and more. When the day of her Confirmation arrived she asked me and another friend to come witness it since this other friend and I had been praying with and for her through this Confirmation process. It was neat to see her joy on this day.  Later, since Confirmation is not part of my church tradition, she was explaining to me more of the significance of Confirmation in her church. She told me that once someone has been confirmed they are no longer considered children in the church. Instead, they are considerd fully grown members of the church and the body of Christ. She said that as such, they now were expected to serve t...

A double rainbow that caught our attention "The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."                                                                                                Psalm 19:1-4a NIV    A soft breeze wafts through the window of my office. I can hear kids jumping on a trampoline next door and the bustle of the end of the work day as people head home. The smell of fresh grass and light rain and sweet wood smo...

 It’s the rainy season here in Papua New Guinea. Most afternoons are filled with torrential rains that go straight through until the early hours of morning, from October or November until May or June. So, I was steadily chugging away with lavish dish rinsing, normal loads of laundry, and copious amounts of cooking and drinking water. Until, one fateful Friday afternoon, I turned on the faucet to prep things for dinner and was met with a cough, a splutter and spitting brown water. The water pump ran and ran and seemed to be struggling. It had to either be the water pump or my rain tank. I ran out to the rain tank and knocked in its sides. Sure enough, it resounded hollow and empty right down to its base. It was the rain tank. Empty. I was stuck, boiling and filtering every drop of water, from brushing my teeth to rinsing my dishes, and everything in between. For. Three. Long. Weeks. my water for a few weeks. It was grey or brown most of the time.  You’re probably wondering what...