“ENTER WITH THANKSGIVING”

November 20, 2005

We give thanks to God and our Lord Jesus Christ for those who have faithfully supported God’s mission to Ethiopia through their giving and prayers. I try not to twist arms, though we may warn of consequences out of love. Therefore we thank God for the thoughtfulness of those who come forth voluntarily. May God bless you at home, at work, in everything, and everywhere!!!

We give thanks for the wonderful things God has done since He called us into the mission field 6 years ago and during the last 5 years since we first set foot on African soil! We thank God for the 3 notable African countries He has taken us to and for allowing us to touch the lives of our African brothers and sisters.

We thank God for Rick and Jane McKinney of Our Heart Ministries who plan to walk across America starting January 1st from Los Angles, California, to “draw attention to the nation’s need for a spiritual awakening”. You can catch up with them on old Route 66 and then on the I. – 40 corridor. We thank God for them, and for the other people and ministries God is raising up to call God’s people and the nation back to its rich spiritual heritage and place of God’s sovereign blessing. Spirits should cry for joy at what is taking place.

We thank God that Texas has become the 19th state (oh where, oh where is Illinois?) to proclaim marriage according to rational, moral standards which have served humanity so well for centuries.

We thank God that out of Texas He raised up a godly man to be our President. We thank God that he has gotten rid of the terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and is confronting al Qaeda in Iraq while giving MILLIONS of people freedom from abusive, tyrannical regimes. We thank God that freedom has been promoted in the Ukraine and Georgia, and that the U.S. government helped to broker peace in Southern Sudan. We thank God that the U.S. government has helped to persuade Libya to forego its WMD program and to confront Syria on its harmful polices in the Middle East. We thank God that President Bush has publicly stood up to defend Taiwan and to challenge China to free its people – including giving their people the freedom to worship! (Look up “Tai Shi” on the internet to find the blog of Hong Kong man who wrote about how a community in China was dealt with by the police when they tried to hold elections according to the Chinese constitution!). Even China’s national police chief recently commented that 3.5 MILLION CHINESE “had joined in 74,000 PROTESTS in 2004. So when he promotes freedom he is speaking right to millions of people suffering under ungodly, totalitarian regimes. Some of those people applauded him when he walked into a Chinese church. The poor and the suffering understand. We thank God that he defends the sanctify of life – including the unborn - against those who would harm and abuse that life and that he supports faith-based initiatives in their efforts to reach out to the poor.

We thank God that a new documentary “Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein”, has cited “interview after interview of people who say they saw truckloads of something going out through Syria and into the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon”. We thank God that U.S. officials have discovered that more than one-third of the WMD’s turned over by Libyan dictator Moammor Gadhafi came from Iraq! This means that Iraq DID HAVE THOSE WEAPONS, and that it is just a matter of finding out what happened to them. Now why won’t the Democratic snipers think about this? What is their agenda? We thank God for what He is exposing, shedding His Light so that the forces of evil cannot hide and continue to harm innocent people.

Recently, Kim Clement’s prophecy was shared with you. Quoting from the Bible he mentioned how the water took Noah’s Ark to the top of the mountains. It was elevated in the midst of tragedy. So also he said we are being elevated to a greater place – “in perception, in knowledge, in the miraculous, in EVERYTHING”. On Sunday, November 27th, the 10K Ethiopian Great Run is scheduled to take place. It is advertised as the Africa’s biggest road race. I asked the Lord if I should run in it. He said no. That’s fine. I enjoy jogging in the countryside where there’s less traffic and a lot of fresh air. I like the hills.

On November 2nd the Lord hurried me to get outside. Little did I know that He had prepared a “Great Ethiopian Run”! After a long arduous climb to the road I headed towards a manmade lake called Gefersa. About 1½ - 2 kilometers into my jogging pace, a young Ethiopia runner pulled up behind me. Ethiopia has great runners. I opened my pace and we were off. He had to be faster than me. After a while I realized that something stunning was happening – this young runner was pacing himself BEHIND me! Anyone, who knows about running, knows that pacing yourself behind the leader is easier. I was stunned at what was taking place. We glanced over the dirt, gravel, and uneven ground alongside the road. Indeed he did pass me after a while. I tried to stay within a reasonable distance.

Then surprise #2 happened. This other runner stopped and turned back! I kept going and got to the top of a hill in the countryside. Fresh air and sunshine, it was glorious. I continued for about another ½ kilometer and someone else began to run with me! It was like I was running against an Ethiopian relay team! Such is life. I opened my stride and AGAIN the other runner paced himself behind me! Stride for stride, meter by meter we ran – one kilometer, going on two. Physically, my body was saying slow down, but my spirit said no.

We were coming to on arduous hill. With all my pain I determined to climb it. Then, at that instant – like a trailing fighter jet, the other runner veered off. I climbed the hill. And I still had the distance to go back home. I was flabbergasted at what had taken place. I am 56, running at 7,830 feet on a knee that was miraculously healed last year, and on a right ankle bone that is about twice the size of my other ankle bone. IN the natural I witnessed something that never should have happened.

The Bible says:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;…”

God is good. Praise Him. To God be the glory! I know how some may think, and so I strongly caution anyone rushing to duplicate what happened. As Kim Clement said, “there’s a preparation”. I think David said something like God teaching his hands to war and his fingers to fight. And before he fought the giant, he fought the lion and the bear! The Lord tells me when to run and how far. He tells me when to rest even when I don’t want to. He miraculously moved in to heal my right knee when it was getting more and more crippled. Some time ago, a woman here remarked, “Are there runners in Chicago?” I don’t thin her statement contained the best of intentions. It does not matter what others say. People, filled with haughtiness, will attack, detract, criticize and put down. But it is God WHO LIFTS UP! He gives strength. There’s a time of patient preparation and then there’s a time to “press in”. I don’t expect to have another run like that. It was an once-in-a-lifetime moment. The other people can run this Sunday.

Evelyn will learn of this for the 1st time when she reads this. (She was pleasantly surprised. She marveled because she understands. Praise God.)

Thus, this Thanksgiving we “enter with Thanksgiving” and we hope that you do also, thanking God not only for what He has done, but also for all the good things He wants to do in your life. So, while you prepare and enjoy sumptuous food this holiday, don’t forget the BEST on the menu ------ “TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD”.

God bless. God bless America. Happy Thanksgiving.

Paul and Evelyn