Browsing the blog archives for April, 2005

One more week

Adam's Updates

Thursday, April 21st, 2005
Oklahoma City, OK

Dear Family and Friends,

A week ago today, I loaded my suitcases into the trunk of the rental car, leaving St. Paul Minnesota just before 5 AM, I started on the longest trip that I have ever driven. Thirteen hours is probably not much for some of the road veterans out there, but for a guy that had never driven longer than a couple hours at a time, it was a new experience.

I had brought a stack of cassette tapes to help keep me alert on the drive, but discovered that the rental car was of a little more modern design, only having a CD player. With some more prayer as I started out, I saw God’s hand of faithfulness with me all the way. The full size Buick Century even got 35 miles to the gallon, saving me extra fuel costs. – An answer to prayer.

Enthusiastically greeted in Oklahoma City by David Isaac and Rachelle, it was great to join in on the projects and work teams at the Character Training Institute. I am primarily focusing on some computer work with Jonathan Camenisch, but it has been great to be involved in a number of other projects as well.

I know that a number of you had been praying about the computers that I was wanting to purchase last week. I had found some computers on eBay that seemed like exactly what we needed in Mongolia, and bidding in the last minute of the auction, Derrick and I were able to get six computers for an average of $47 each! Four of these are for Mongolia, and I trust that God will use them to be a blessing to the team over there.

I also wanted to share a little update on the work permit situation in Mongolia. In my last update I described how God had answered prayer in giving us favor in the eyes of the authorities, and everything looked clear for my family and I to join the team in Mongolia in the next few months.

The day after I sent my update, further meetings with the Mongolia Labor Department officials took an unexpected direction. While the Minister of Labor was very understanding and supportive of our work, we were told that she really did not have the authority to go beyond the provision of the law and grant us permission to obtain work permits, unless we could prove that we specialized in teaching a foreign language.

We are currently in the process of applying for a certificate from our District Manager that officially states that we teach English as a foreign or second language. I find it very interesting that teaching English is actually one of the three purposes of CTI-Mongolia, as described in our NGO statement.

Even more amazing is the fact that while we were not seeking this objective, the Mongolian government leaders had insisted that we have this purpose listed in our NGO document! So often it is in the very things that we don’t understand that we later see the hand of the Lord working through our authorities for our good and His glory.

We also learned that they would be willing to give a work permit to my family and I in place of work permits of staff that are leaving in the next few months. (Since we would still have the same number of work permits as we did on January 12th, when the resolution was passed.)

So, in summary, it looks like the Lord is continuing to work out this situation, and while we don’t have the final word, I trust that God will work things out for good according to His purpose and will. It sounds like many of the other organizations may be waiting until the law is reviewed again next year, rather than attempting appeals to the Prime Minister and President just before the national elections.

This week in Oklahoma City we are hosting a conference for the Oak Brook College of Law, so it looks like it will be a full weekend. There is a possibility that I might be assisting one of the guests over the weekend, so pray that the Lord would give me wisdom as I focus on His priorities in my final week in the States.


Praise Points:

– Praise the Lord for allowing us to purchase all six of the computers that we bid on last Wednesday! My family was able to pick them up today, and the one we purchased the week before is already running as the family computer.

– The Lord has been using this time in Oklahoma City to be a great encouragement to me as I see His hand at work in many little ways. The divine appointments to share a word of encouragement with someone, and the ability to help out in areas of need continue to confirm the Lord’s direction in my time here.

– Praise the Lord for working out the final details for my airline tickets. I am scheduled to fly out of Oklahoma City on Saturday morning, April 30th, and arriving in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on May 1st.

Prayer Requests:

– This Saturday my twin brother Isaac and I are scheduled to take Dr. Gothard to the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, OK for a two hour meeting with inmates from the “Faith Pod.” These inmates are all from Hawaii, and have recently been through the Basic Seminar. Pray that the Lord will use the time to be a real encouragement to them, and that He will give wisdom to Mr. Gothard in sharing and answering questions.

– Pray that the Lord would continue to give wisdom as I work to prepare the server computer for CTI-Mongolia, and that He would bless my remaining days of work here before I travel to Mongolia at the end of next week.

– Please pray for my family as they travel to Oklahoma City to host a Basic Seminar in Guthrie Oklahoma next week. David is working hard to prepare for the Children’s Institute. Pray that many lives would be touched as the truths of God’s Word are brought forth.


Pictures:

I did not have time to take many pictures this week, but I thought I would include one of the Character Coaches. Every day, this team of young people go into the public schools in Oklahoma City, teaching lessons on character, and leading after-school Bible Clubs. You can see my brother David on the far right.

It is really exciting to rub shoulders and hear what God is doing here in Oklahoma City. Two more children came to Christ at a Bible Club a few days ago. I really appreciate the Godly leadership and focused atmosphere of this outreach to the children of Oklahoma City.


Thank you for your continued prayers! May God bless you for your unseen support in prayer!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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Answers to Prayer!

Adam's Updates

Monday, April 11th, 2005
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

In my last update I mentioned a prayer request in regard to my return to Mongolia. A new law was passed on January 12th, clarifying the requirements for importing foreign labor. Now, instead of the 70% foreign, 30% Mongolian, almost every organization is required to have a 95% Mongolian worker ratio. (Like most businesses in Mongolia.)

This gave rise to some serious concern among many non-profit type organizations, including CTI-Mongolia and other Christian ministries in the country. We were told that the government officials were holding strictly to these terms, and would not allow any new visas or work permits to be granted until this requirement was met.

I was greatly encouraged to hear from several of you that have been praying for this situation. I know that some that have brought this prayer request to their churches and prayer groups, asking the One who holds the heart of the king in His hand, that He would grant us favor in the eyes of the authorities in Mongolia.

When further appeals to our local labor department officials were denied, our director Tim set up an appointment to meet with the Minister Labor for the nation of Mongolia.

On Friday afternoon, Tim and several of our staff met with the Minister of Labor. Discovering that she spoke English, Tim was able to speak directly with her about our situation. The Lord truly prepared the way. Not only was she familiar with English teachers, but she has actually started her own college with foreign teachers.

Understanding our situation, she agreed that it would be impossible to have a 95% Mongolian staff ratio for this type of educational/service-oriented organization. She told us that CTI-Mongolia should be considered an educational organization, falling under the 70% foreigner / 30% Mongolian staff category.

Not stopping there, she went on to call our local Labor Department office, and actually ended up speaking with the very official that had been giving us so much difficulty! Clarifying that CTI-Mongolia is not required to hire additional Mongolian staff, the Minister of Labor arranged for a meeting on Monday to discuss these issues with all the Labor Department staff.

We are so grateful for the way that the Lord has again demonstrated His power in this situation! I have not heard any further reports from the Monday meeting, but it looks like the Lord has cleared the way for my family and I to obtain work permits for our time in Mongolia.

Please do continue to be in prayer as the remaining details are worked out on the work permit issue. While we are grateful that CTI-Mongolia will not be hindered by the new law, a number of mission organizations and Christian ministries still face difficulties in obtaining new staff. It seems that the primary issue is that there is no specific provision for service-oriented organizations.

You may also remember the prayer request for wisdom as I work to obtain some computers and software for Mongolia. Last Wednesday I was checking prices on used computer systems, and came across some interesting listings on eBay.

Apparently deciding to upgrade a large number of computers, the Minnesota Public Library was selling a number of their older desktop computers. When it looked like they would go for a surprisingly low price, I put in a bid, and got a computer (PIII 800mhz,128m Ram, Win2K Pro, Office 2K) for $46!

The seller only accepted local pickup for shipping, so this factor seems to have limited the bidding on these computer systems. – Much to my advantage, since we could pick them up at a library branch an hour away.

Another group of 10 computers is scheduled to finish their auction on Wednesday, so Lord willing, I hope to purchase several of these for my family to bring to Mongolia in June. I am just amazed at how the Lord seems to have worked this out!

I just “happened” to come across these computers the day the auction ended, they just “happened” to be in our local area, they just “happened” to be exactly the kind we need in Mongolia, they just “happen” to have licenses for the software we need, I just “happen” to have gotten one to inspect before I leave for Oklahoma in a few days, there just “happens” to be another batch for auction the next week, my family just “happens” to be able to take them to Mongolia when they come in June.

No, I don’t think it just “happened.” I think that God may be orchestrating something here, something I could never have done on my own! In situations like this, I am reminded that God’s blessing is the most important asset I can have.

The Lord continues to bless these remaining days at home. Just today I was able to confirm plans to travel to Oklahoma City to spend a couple weeks at the Character Training Institute headquarters before heading back to Mongolia on April 28th.

Yesterday we were invited by friends in Minnesota to visit their church and share a little about our plans for Mongolia. I know that their church has been praying for my family and I, and especially the work permit situation last week. It was a great joy to be able to share the fresh report of God’s answer to our prayers.

It was a special joy and encouragement for me to talk with several young men that are growing up with a heart for ministry and a desire to whole-heartedly serve the Lord.

That evening we visited another small church in Minnesota. My family has visited there a few times in the past, and they recently invited me to come and share about the work in Mongolia. God again poured out a blessing on the service as I showed slides and described the work.

These next few days will likely entail much packing and preparation as I leave our farm on Wednesday evening. This time at home with the family has been a special one with many rich memories not soon to be forgotten.


Praise Points:

– Praise the Lord for the answers to prayer in relation to the work permits! The way that God has opened the door brings further encouragement as we take this next step of faith for our family.

– I am grateful for the Lord’s hand of guidance in finding a source to potentially purchase some computers for CTI-Mongolia at a low cost.


Prayer Requests:

– Pray that God will give wisdom in how I spend my time in the next two days. Much packing and completing of projects needs to be balanced with spending time with the family.

– Also pray for safety as I drive to Oklahoma City. I have never made the 14-hour drive alone before, but I trust that God’s grace will be with me. – A tailwind would save on fuel costs too…  🙂

– Pray that the Lord would prepare the way and allow me to be a blessing and encouragement to the team in Oklahoma City as I spend a couple weeks there.


Pictures:

My sister Rachelle surprised Isaac this morning by decorating his office in Oklahoma City for his birthday. – Did I mention that his favorite color is green?

Isaac and I just before I left for Mongolia a year ago. Today is Isaac’s birthday, and I told him that it was quite something to realize that I had a younger brother who was 25 years old. He replied that he thought it was interesting to be 25, and yet not be the oldest child in the family!  🙂

Who says you need a ladder to reach the spaghetti noodles? Lydia demonstrates her doorframe technique.

One of the recent projects of the younger Wallers was to design a boat to take advantage of some standing water in our yard.

The farmhouse at sunrise last week.

“I’d like to see what the other guy looked like!“, These and many other unsolicited comments were patiently endured by Matthew after he accidentally bumped his eye on Samuel’s knee.

For those of you who might be interested, I created our family prayer card from the four pictures above, using some free software called “The GIMP”. I was quite impressed with the program! You can find it at http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html


Thank you so much for your prayers!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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New horizons

Adam's Updates

Friday, April 1st, 2005
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

For many years my parents have had the vision of serving as a family in some type of mission work. As a newly married couple, they began making plans to serve in Liberia, Africa, but God changed their direction to that of raising a Godly generation.

Over the past 25 years they have labored diligently to train us in the ways of the Lord. Making the decision to homeschool when Isaac and I were six years old was possibly a bigger step than it would be today. As pioneers in the homeschool movement they faced a great deal of misunderstanding from family and friends.

When I tell some people about my parent’s decision to homeschool us, and they learn that there are 10 children in our family, they often say “Your Mother must be an incredible woman!” Well, I would have to say that she is, but it is through God’s incredible grace and faithfulness! God is the one that gives us the motivation and power to continue on, and to go back and make things right when we fail.

We are still very much a work in progress. God is continuing to teach us new lessons in faith and trusting Him. Although we often fail, God has never failed to honor the promises of His Word. We have seen times of great provision and steady work, and we have also seen a few years ago when no steady work for nine months caused our finances to dwindle to almost nothing, -then God showed His power in providing my Dad with a very good job that has supported us since.

As the children have been growing older, (Isaac and I are nearly 25, and our youngest, Matthew, turned 7 yesterday) we are seeing the fulfillment of Psalm 127:3-5 “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”

Like arrows launching out, the older ones have begun reaching out in various ministry opportunities in the past several years. I have had the opportunity to work in Oklahoma City, Australia and Mongolia, serving in a variety of capacities, but primarily in computer work and character education.

Reaching new levels of maturity, the younger ones have been taking on more responsibilities at the farm and various short-term ministry opportunities, giving us more mobility as a family, and allowing us to reach out with increasing effectiveness.

In this new season for our family, God has been working over the past several months in opening the way for us to serve together in Mongolia. In the past few weeks God has provided for us to be able to purchase 10 airline tickets, leaving on June 23rd for Mongolia.

Right now, the plan is that I would return to Mongolia on April 28th, and the rest of the family would come on June 23rd, with Derrick following a couple months later after wrapping up some farming projects. We are planning to spend six to nine months serving with the Character Training Institute, the same organization that I served with for most of last year.

We are all tremendously excited about this opportunity, and encouraged to see the Lord’s provision and confirmation along the way. I have been teaching the family a few Mongolian words, and we have had many discussions about what things are like in Mongolia.

We know that we have a lot to learn, but we look forward to seeing how the Lord uses this time in our family as we reach out to the “uttermost parts of the earth.”

As you can probably well imagine, great opportunities for doing much good often come with great opposition from the enemy. I received some very unexpected news this morning from our Mongolia team.

Stopping by the Mongolia Labor Department office, Jedidiah and Dumaa wanted to confirm that I just needed to pick up a Blue Card (work permit) when I arrive in late April. Much to their surprise, they were told that a new law had been put in place regarding foreign workers.

In the past we have been able to operate as an official NGO, (Non-Government Organization) which only required us to have something like 40% of our staff be Mongolian nationals. A new law states that NGOs must now have 95% Mongolian staff. This would mean 20 Mongolian employees for every American staff person!

We had heard some rumors from other organizations about this new law coming, but this was the first time that we had actually confirmed it. Since we only have five Mongolian employees right now, we were told that the Labor Department would not give us any more Blue Card work permits.

Appealing on the basis that my family had already purchased tickets, Dumaa asked if we might still be allowed to come. Holding very strictly to the guidelines, they told us, “No, you will just have to cancel the reservations.”

This reminds me a little of an incident that took place last December when Derrick, Rachelle and David were going with a team to the Philippines for a three-week missions trip. A few days before they were scheduled to leave, they discovered that the broker had not purchased the airline tickets, could not account for over $15,000 that had been given to him for this purpose.

With such an impossible looking situation, God worked incredibly in answer to prayer, and the travel agent was able to find tickets for everyone on the team. They left a few days later with a fresh example of God’s power, and went on to have an unforgettable three weeks of ministry in Cebu. You can see some pictures at: http://www.etcp.org/wkteam/index.html and http://www.bollingerproductions.com/

I believe that God sometimes brings us to impossible looking situations so that He can demonstrate His power to the world. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9a.

Proverbs 21:1 says: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will.” Please join us in prayer that God would move in the hearts of the government officials as we appeal to obtain work permits to continue the work in Mongolia.


Praise Points:

– My 18-year-old brother David was able to spend a few weeks with us at the farm over Spring Break. I am grateful for his energy-giving spirit, and wholehearted investment in our family before heading back to his work at the Character Training Institute in Oklahoma City.

– Praise the Lord for providing the resources for our family to purchase tickets for the trip to Mongolia. The excitement and anticipation continues to build as we see God opening up the way.


Prayer Requests:

– Please pray for the work permit situation in Mongolia. This not only affects CTI-Mongolia, but a large number of other Christian ministries in Mongolia. Our director Tim is planning to discuss this with several government leaders that we are currently working with. Pray that we would have continued favor in the eyes of our authorities, and that God’s direction would be made clear.

– Pray that the Lord would give wisdom in how I use these next few weeks. The uncertainty with the Mongolia Work permit situation could possibly delay my return to Mongolia at the end of April. I know that God will work out the timing of my return if His will is for my family and I to serve in this field.

“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” – Psalm 31:19


Pictures:

This year we had the opportunity to attend an Easter sunrise service near our home. Over 50 people came for the outdoor service at 6 AM.

This is a view of our farm from the silo.

Spring is here! – And so is the mud. Derrick’s tractor ended up working much better than the board for returning the van to the driveway.

Have you ever balanced an egg? Near the spring equinox, a steady hand can accomplish this interesting feat.

This poor robin got caught in an unexpected snow this morning.


Thank you for standing with us in prayer! I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord does in these next few weeks!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9


P.S.

Some of you might be interested in receiving updates on the work going on in Mongolia. Carissa Gay sends out a weekly e-mail with two praises and two prayer requests outlining specific ways to pray for the ministry there. If you are interested in receiving these, please send Carissa an e-mail at cgay@ctimongolia.com, and she would be happy to add you to the list.

I don’t always have the time to touch on all the issues in my updates, so you might find these additional e-mails helpful in praying more specifically for the work. Thanks again for your Interest in Mongolia!

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