We made it back to Palau! Well, almost.... we made it to Quarantine in Palau! After seven months of trying to get back, the Government of Palau allowed United Airlines to open a flight in with very strict guidelines. Palau is still “Covid-Free,” so they are taking many precautions to keep it that way. We are in a mandatory 14-day quarantine confined to a hotel room at a local resort. Our balcony has a beautiful view, which is almost torture but we are happy to do it so we can get back home. We are SO CLOSE to seeing everyone, but still have about a week before we will be allowed to leave.
As the whole world is experiencing these “Covid-times”, it has definitely caused us to step back and see WHAT God wants to do and HOW He wants to do it. Much prayer and evaluating of our ministry and talking it through with the local church leaders has taken place and much more will come throughout the summer.
Over 17 years ago, Jon and Heather Clapp and Jamie and I sat and dreamed of what God was going to do in Palau. Our plan was to plant churches through evangelism, discipleship and leadership development. We set a 10 year goal of establishing a locally led Palauan church and to work ourselves out of a job. Well, it took longer than we anticipated but we are getting closer to that goal.
Over the past months, we have longed to return back to Palau but, while waiting, we have had many opportunities to coach and develop our church leaders as situations would arise.
Now, as we re-enter Palau, our plan is to switch from leading to coaching. Please pray that God would continue to raise up and deepen leaders so that this important goal can be met.
Our plan is to spend the summer deeply involved in leadership development and rallying the church towards missions. Then in the fall, after dropping Emma off at college, Jamie and I are prayerfully planning to fly into Ternate, Indonesia (our nearby neighbors) to see what doors are open for the Gospel to advance in this unreached, nearby island.
One lesson we have learned over and over this last year is that we can plan but it is God alone who allows that plan to happen. So, we ask for prayer, wisdom and continued grace as we seek to advance the Gospel in Palau and beyond!
Thank you for your prayers,
John and Jamie
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We were so happy that our oldest daughter Ali graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in English Education. Her time at Bob Jones was so much more than just a degree. We are so grateful to all of the leaders and teachers of BJU who truly go out of their way to invest in their students. She will be pursuing her masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at Furman University.
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As I was writing this letter on our balcony a gentle rain began
and it reminded me of the passage in Isaiah 55:8-11:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
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