Browsing the blog archives for the year 2006

Return to Mongolia

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Ulaanbaatar
, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

October 19th brought the close to a wonderful summer together at the farm, our final weeks being filled with wrapping up many details for our trip, last visits with family and friends, and assembling the needed supplies for our family to spend a year in Mongolia. As I mentioned in my last update, the Lord has greatly blessed us with provision of clothing and other needs through many gracious friends. Even dentist and eye doctor visits were obtained at significant discounts.

Packing all of our things into our van and camper, we drove to the IBLP headquarters in Chicago for a couple days of preparation and repacking as we weighed our bags for the flight. The international baggage limits have been reduced from 70lbs to 50lbs since last year, so we worked together to get all the ship-through bags topped off at precisely 49-50 pounds.

Boarding the plane in Chicago, we waited a half hour or so while the mechanics checked some things on the aircraft. Finally we heard the captain’s announcement that we were ready to go as soon as someone could push us out from the gate. About ten minutes later, we were still waiting when the captain made another announcement that they had just discovered something leaking from the number one engine. -Maybe that is why we couldn’t find anyone to push out from the gate… This fuel leak, as they later determined, was caused by a broken hydraulic part. Thankfully the mechanics were able to find the needed part and get it replaced while we waited on the plane.

This unforeseen delay in Chicago actually turned out to be a great blessing for our family. In traveling to Mongolia, probably the most trying part of the journey for the younger ones is the seven hour layover in Beijing. Because of the delays in Chicago, we finally reached our departure gate in the Beijing airport just 15 minutes before the boarding announcement for our flight to Mongolia!

Landing at midnight in Ulaanbaatar, we were greeted by Tim and Angie and a handful of others to welcome us back and help with our baggage. A thousand pounds of checked baggage, plus all of our carry-on items made for a tight but happy ride back through the familiar streets of Ulaanbaatar. Returning to our former apartments, we found them thoughtfully prepared by a staff only too glad to have us back.

My first few days were spent getting our Internet connection back up and running, and taking care of a computer virus that had infected a couple of our computers. Last year we were able to set up a wireless Internet connection for our office, but a new building just erected next to us came between us and the base station, reducing the signal strength to almost nothing.

Since much of our correspondence with the States is done electronically, this left us puzzling about what to do. Dial-up was possible, but slower and more expensive, our old Russian phone lines are not high enough quality to carry a DSL connection, and other alternatives were far more costly.

Testing our wireless receiver in various locations in our apartments, I made a surprising discovery. From one of the fifth floor windows, if I held the receiver at a precise diagonal angle and tipped down, I could pick up a fairly strong signal. Putting together a cardboard shelf to hold the unit at the correct angle, I waited a day to see if the signal would stay strong. Satisfied with the result, I drilled a couple holes and ran cabling to integrate this back into our computer network.

Seeing the Lord’s blessing in these daily projects and challenges is a real encouragement to us. Another time some loose wiring in the electrical riser caused the power in our main staff apartment to flicker and sometimes go out. One day the wires just burned through and the power went out completely. The maintenance workers for the building are usually very busy and it is sometimes difficult to arrange for repairs on short notice.

My Dad went down to talk with the building manager, who said that she would try to have the electrician come tomorrow to unlock the panel and fix the problem. As my Dad turned to leave, who, of all people, would just “happen” to walk in just then? It was the electrician, and he was quite amenable to the request and helped us get the power restored to our apartment.

Returning to the Holy Way Church on Sunday morning, we were warmly welcomed back by many friends. The church continues to grow, and although the services are entirely in Mongolian, they usually have someone translate for their foreign friends. It is so encouraging to see a strong Christian church, entirely led by Mongolian believers.

Pastor Enkhee is in the final stages of liver cancer, so his son Ideree and others are carrying the primary responsibility for the leadership and preaching. Although thin and often in pain, Enkhee continues to be a strong witness for the Lord, exhorting the people to follow the Lord.

In addition to the ongoing trainings and activities that we are involved in, we continue to receive requests for character trainings from schools, churches and other groups. One that we recently took on was the Aero Mongolia company, the second largest airline in Mongolia. They have four jets and service many domestic routes as well as four International destinations.

As far as we know, they only have two Christians in the entire company, and one, the company secretary, initiated the arrangements for us to be able to come and give weekly character trainings for about 75 workers. The first day we came we were given airport security passes to go out to the training building near the runway.

Looking back, I see the Lord’s hand in this too. None of us knew that a few weeks later some political uprisings and instability would lead to rumors of people possibly banding together and attempting to shut down the airport. Needless to say, airport security is pretty high right now, and they are not issuing any more new airport security passes.

Our first training was an interesting experience. When we arrived we found that the workers were already there and had been waiting for us for some time. (This is not usually a good way to start a training.  🙂  To make matters worse, they had some video playing on the screen that I didn’t even want to look at. Now how do you follow that with a character lesson?

The Lord gave a lot of grace, and the people were at least mildly interested. We had hoped that our fictitious skit of “A day in the life of CTI” would give them a picture of what an office can be like without character, but the people still didn’t seem as open as I was hoping, and at the end someone asked how many weeks this training was going to continue.

The next week we really focused on praying for this group. We can give a “good” character presentation, but only God can open hearts to receive the message. When we went back, I was amazed at the difference! The people were focused and attentive for the entire training. Chingis (one of our staff) led the discussion time at the end, and they even shared some illustrations of how they have seen the importance of attentiveness in their company. By the end of the training there was a definite excitement in the air. When I asked if they enjoyed the training, they broke out in spontaneous applause.

Later, David told me about his talk with one of the flight attendants before the training. He asked where she had learned her English, and discovered that she had been taught by Mormon English teachers for all four years of university. She seemed relieved when David clarified that we are not Mormons, but are here teaching character. This seemed to bring down a barrier, and she was the one that volunteered to share at the end of the discussion time.

This past month marked the one-year anniversary of Isaac’s sudden illness and unexpected death while serving here with us in Mongolia. We had some special times as a family reflecting on memories from last year, and on passages from Scripture that have become especially meaningful to us over the past year. We miss him as a brother, but we rejoice in the things that we see the Lord doing through the testimony of his life.

It is really exciting to see the opportunities that are open before us. In addition to the character trainings, we have also had the opportunity to work with a number of Christian groups where we have the freedom to teach right from the Bible. On two Fridays each month we host “Family Night” at our apartments. Erin leads a program for the children while Tim teaches on the Commands of Christ. Our classroom is technically limited to 25 students, but our last Family Night had about forty people in the main session and another sixteen in the children’s program. We are currently investigating options for a larger facility.

Rachelle and David just left yesterday (November 20th) for a trip to the Philippines where they will join a handful of other young people from the States. For three weeks David will lead the team of eleven as they teach in a number of schools and universities, doing character trainings, and training teachers how to implement character education in their schools.

Just to give you an idea of the schedule, they will be teaching in about 20 different schools, leading training seminars for five groups of teachers (one of the larger groups is estimated at over 200 teachers) as well as sharing at several churches. At many of these schools the team has been given freedom to openly share from the Bible, giving real opportunity to share the message of Salvation and the power that God gives us to develop in character.

My brother Derrick is wrapping up some final projects at the farm before leaving to join David and Rachelle for the trip to the Philippines. Returning after the Philippines trip to join the rest of the family in Mongolia in mid-December, we will again have the entire Waller family together for our first Christmas in Mongolia. Tim, Angie and Erin are schedule to return to the States for the holidays, so our family will maintain operations until Tim and Angie return early next year.

We are so grateful for this season of serving together as a family in Mongolia. It is often stretching as we adjust to the challenges of living in a different culture, but the adventure is all the more rewarding when we see people’s lives being changed. I wish you could have seen the joy on people’s faces at church on Sunday as we looked at a few of the “great and precious promises” that God has given to His children! (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Please continue to pray for us! There are so many unexpected things that come up, and we need the Lord’s wisdom in daily decisions as we respond to the opportunities before us.



Praise Points:

  • We praise the Lord for His work in our family, and the many doors of opportunity that have opened up in this past year after Isaac’s Homegoing last November.
  • After many hours of logistical planning and preparation, this is the first of my Prayer Updates to have a printed copy mailed to those who do not have access to e-mail, or who prefer a printed copy. (Let me know if you are aware of others who would like to be on this list.)
  • I am grateful for the work we see the Lord doing through the Aero Mongolia trainings. We are already beginning to develop friendships with the staff there, and I am encouraged to see the continued interest in character training.
  • Thank you for praying for health for our trip. A week after arriving in Mongolia we had a cold/flu bug go through the family, but we were so glad it was not in the midst of our airline flights to Mongolia!

Prayer Requests:

  • We would be grateful for your prayers for Derrick, Rachelle, David and the eight others that are teaching in the Philippines for the next three weeks. For those that would like further details and updates, you can take a look at their team website at: http://cadlinx.com/ philippines (remove space before “philippines” when typing the link into your browser.)
  • We would also appreciate prayer for a number of health needs around us. Our dear Pastor Enkhee may go to his eternal reward in the next few weeks, so please keep his wife Sodnom and their family in prayer. They have been very supportive of our ministry in Mongolia, and Sodnom and their son Ideree work with us part time.
  • Our Commands of Christ discipleship training classes, and Christian Character Training classes have both exceeded our classroom limitations, so pray that the Lord would give wisdom and direction in finding a larger location to meet. Most schools and public buildings are not allowed to have Christian Trainings, so finding a practical solution is not a simple task.  -UPDATE:  Just today we received word that UBTC, a local Bible school is allowing us to rent space in their facility! Praise the Lord!


Pictures:

We enjoyed a very special time of fellowship with our extended family

at my uncle’s home just before flying to Mongolia. It would be over

a month before the eleven Wallers would be all together again.

Derrick was able to do some of his own combining at our farm this

fall. He stayed back for a few weeks to finish up some farming

projects before flying to the Philippines to join Rachelle and David.

A couple days before our flight, we were treated to a fine dinner by

the Mullen family. We are so grateful for the families and friends that

stand behind us in prayer while we are overseas.

Our classroom, packed with people wanting to hear about character

with a Biblical background. (Note the open Bibles.) In our private

trainings we have full freedom to share right from the Bible. (Which

is really where the principles of character find their foundation.)

I am excited about what we see happening at the new Aero Mongolia

character trainings. It is an opportunity to build relationships in a

company with perhaps only two known Christians.

Another mountaintop experience. I think it was the coldest picnic

lunch we have ever had, but everyone was in good spirits, and enjoyed it.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Updates section of our family website.


Interesting Fact:

Electrical power in Mongolia is served at 240 volts, twice the voltage used in the United States. Some of the electronic equipment we bring from the States (sewing machines, battery chargers, and some computer equipment) is not equipped to run on this voltage, and requires step-down transformers to work.

Somewhat similar to our farmhouse in the States, there are few power receptacles in the apartments, (most rooms only have one or two single outlets) so we usually use power strips to plug things in. The wiring is often mortared into the concrete wall, and the receptacles are pressure fit, and often come out of the wall. If you trip a circuit breaker, you have to wait for the building maintenance worker to unlock the panel to reset it.

Most American electric stoves use more power than the wiring here can support, so learning to use the Russian electric stoves/ovens can be quite a learning curve. Even at full power, most of the ovens have trouble reaching 350F, so baking can take a lot of trial and error. This week should be exciting as our staff prepares Thanksgiving dinner for over sixty guests!


Thank you so much for praying with us! God is clearly doing a work here, and although we don’t always see the bigger picture, it is a joy to see little glimpses of lives that are being changed for eternity!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Change of seasons

Adam's Updates

Monday, October 9, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

On October 17th, just one week from tomorrow, our family is planning to drive to Chicago where we will begin our travel back to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Although we are looking forward to our return to the work in Mongolia, it also brings a close to a wonderful summer together at the farm. The falling leaves and cooler weather give further reminders of changes to come.

Taking the opportunity to attend a father-son retreat, Dad, Derrick, David, Samuel, Matthew and I drove up to the northwoods of Michigan early in September. It has been many years since we last did something with just the guys, and we really enjoyed the time together. Strangely, the ladies seemed to enjoy the time back at home just as much… Although they said something about the food quantities being drastically different.

The main speakers at the conference, Bob and Joe Norvell presented messages on the theme of being more than conquerors through Christ. When we really begin to understand what Christ has done for us through His death on the cross, and our position with Him, we can be more than conquerors in the challenges that we face in our lives.

Joe shared some key messages on how we can experience the abundant life that Jesus promised to us. Not a life free from pressures and trials, but experiencing the power to rise above these challenges in the joy of a relationship with the Lord. It is not by struggling and striving, but by trusting in the Faithful One.

Between the sessions was time set aside for the fathers and sons to spend time together, and the Northwoods Conference Center provided a relaxing environment for some volleyball, kayaking, biking and other activities. Taking advantage of the warm weather, Derrick challenged David and I for a swim across the lake. I stopped at Duck Point after about an hour of swimming, while David and Derrick went on a bit further to reach the other side, well over a mile from our starting point.

I had never swam so far before, and it took me three tries to finally pull myself into the boat where Dad and Matthew were rowing beside us. Looking at my tired arms with admiration, 8-year old Matthew asked, “Do you feel stronger?” I smiled, as he went on, “Your arms look a little bigger now.” I had to smile at his heart-felt efforts to encourage his shivering older brother.

Returning back to the farm, I began working in earnest to move forward on the programming project that I am doing for Character First! in Oklahoma City. The Lord seemed to bless these efforts, and I completed a beta (test) version of the program a couple weeks later. It looks like I may need to finish some parts of this project from Mongolia, but the technology of our day presents this as a very viable option.

One of the joys of the Christian life is seeing not only God’s work in the big things, but also His hand in the little things. The Bible tells us that God knows the hairs on our head and every step we take. He created the universe, (just step outside at night and look up at the stars), but He sees the little sparrow fall from its nest. His thoughts towards us, the Bible says, are more than can be numbered!

Well, it wasn’t a sparrow, but it was a little silver pendant on Rachelle’s necklace that had fallen off somewhere, and we couldn’t find it. Just the walk across the grass from our house to the van would entail a search of several hours, even if we knew for sure that it was there. After helping with some initial searches, we stopped and prayed that the One Who knows all things might allow us to find this missing item.

Rachelle thought that we should try driving to the town hall, a few miles away, where we had voted for an election a few days before. It might have fallen off in the parking lot when we got out of the car. We drove to the spot, and less than thirty seconds later, we were holding the pendant in our hands. It was just another testimony to a loving Father that knows our every care! Nothing is too small for Him.

Of several churches that the Lord has allowed us to share at in the past month, a special highlight was the Edinbrook Church in Minnesota. One lady from this church had attended the Christian Campers Club where our family had shared a few months ago, and made the arrangements for our family to share at a church function. The older folks were putting on a special back-to-school party for the youth group, and our friend wanted David to share a message with the young people.

This was David’s first opportunity to share the story of Isaac in a public meeting, and the Lord’s blessing was clearly upon it. A number of people were in tears, and I think all were touched with the message of living with a passion to serve God. The slideshow of pictures, the traditional dress, and special music made for a memorable evening.

Sitting at one of the tables for the meal, I shared with the couple next to me about the work we are doing with Character First!, and the work in Mongolia. They were very interested to hear about what was happening, and after a few minutes, the husband paused and asked, “Have you ever heard of ‘Bill Gothard’?” “Yes!” I quickly replied with a big smile. They were thrilled to hear of the work in progress to translate the Basic Seminar into Mongolian, and shared how much they had been strengthened as new Christians by the Seminar many years ago.

Two weeks ago, the three oldest of us, (Adam Derrick and Rachelle) were somewhat unexpectedly blessed with the opportunity to go to the Northwoods Conference Center for the Eternal Impact Summit, an annual retreat for older ATI students. This year the theme was “Sheer Silence”, hearing God’s still small voice in the midst of a busy world.

I really appreciated the tone that was set when Woody announced that on the first night, there would be no volleyball in the gym, but we were encouraged to get to bed early so we could get up early for a time alone with the Lord the next day. These “sunrise encounters” as they were described in the schedule, would give us the opportunity to spend time in prayer and Bible reading in the stillness of the dawn.

Of course getting up early and going out in the woods does not merit you any special favor with God, but how many times do we miss God’s voice because we are so busy going through our daily routine, with our mind already on the projects of the day? As with any true relationship, God is interested in our hearts. Do we have a heart like David in the Psalms; “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dray and thirsty land, where no water is;”? (Psalm 63:1)

The first morning was a little cool and a drizzling rain made me grateful for my coat and poncho, but through the next few days I did enjoy some very special times alone with the Lord.

The speakers for the conference were especially good, and Ken Pierpont gave some really outstanding messages on what it means to have a daily relationship with the Lord. Sunday morning’s session was like the frosting on the cake as three pastors shared from their lives a message entitled “The Sacred Rhythm of the Mountaintop & Marketplace.”

Based on the pattern we see in the life of Jesus, the title describes how Jesus would have times of intense ministry to multitudes with His disciples, and then how He would withdraw for solitude fellowship with His Father in prayer. We need both of these things. We need seasons of ministry and giving out, but we also need times of being alone with the Lord, and hearing His still small voice in our hearts.

Receiving a call from some dear friends last week, our family was a bit surprised at the request. On behalf of a Christian ministry in the area, they wanted to take our family to the Cities, all expenses paid, to purchase clothing for our family as we prepare to go back to Mongolia! They knew of a good resale shop where we could stop first, and then go on to other stores to get any items that we couldn’t find.

You should have seen our family going through the store, piles of shirts, pants, coats, sweaters, skirts, dresses, etc. piling up on the carts. Can you imagine going through a store, just thinking, “what do I need for this next year…” and putting everything you need into the cart? They told us not to look at the price, but I was amazed to find shirts and pants for a few dollars, and in far better shape than my worn out ones at home!

Several hours later, the shopping was winding down, and the row of carts at the front of the store began to grow as the various Wallers brought their things to the front. An older lady walked into the store, and a look of amazement came across her face as she looked across the eleven carts lined up behind the register. “What’s going on here today? Are they giving stuff away for free? Wal-Mart’s not going to be happy about this!”

It was like Christmas, we said later, as we gathered in the living room that evening to go through our bags of clothing. The Lord had most unexpectedly blessed us in a very practical way as we prepare to go back to Mongolia. Trying out some of the clothing, I told my sister, “I have never had a pair of pants fit so well, right off the shelf!”

Lest you think that life must always be wonderful for the Wallers, let me also say that these days have not been without challenges. I believe that when God opens a door for ministry, there is also adversity and resistance. The Adversary of our souls would like nothing better than to quench the light that God wants us to shine. We don’t fear Satan, but we are not ignorant of his devices. We are told, “Be sober, be vigilant…”

The other day I was sitting at the dinner table where my brother was explaining the details of a software purchase that had turned out to be a scam. Another brother had still not seen any trace of a trailer and load of hay that he was supposed to be paid for a week ago. I had gotten a package that day in the mail, but discovered that the shipper had made a mistake and we got the wrong package. -And the countdown of days marches on.

I trust that the Lord is going to work out all these things, and we are already seeing this, but it is a daily challenge to just trust the Lord, and let Him work out the details as we stay in His will. I had to laugh as we were talking with a local pastor who had invited our family to his home for dinner. He said that he prays for us every day, sometimes several times a day, -which we deeply appreciate. He then told us that he prays we will have adventures! Well, God is certainly answering his prayer! -But I appreciate the heart behind it.

This pastor wisely understands that when the unexpected happens, we often see the hand of God. How could God work out difficult situations in our lives if we never have difficult situations? How can God show the exceeding greatness of His love and power unless we really need it? I love the verses in Romans five: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5

One of the projects that I have wanted to work on this summer was to organize a list of people who don’t have access to e-mail, but would like to receive these Prayer Updates by mail. I am very excited to see this finally coming together. Using the NetPost service on USPS.gov, it looks like I can upload and send out printed copies of my update (even from Mongolia) to a list of postal addresses with minimal time and effort on the part of our friends in the States.

My goal is to expand the reach of these updates to some of our friends that don’t have access to e-mail. If you or someone you know would like to be on this list, (or the e-mail list) please let me know, and I can add their name and address. We know that God is also doing special things through many other families and ministries, but If these updates would be an encouragement to you, we would love to send them.



Praise Points:

  • I am so grateful for the refreshing summer at our farm in Wisconsin. It was so nice to spend time with the family, catch up on some projects, and just to take time for those quiet walks in the woods.
  • Praise the Lord for His special provision for our clothing needs! This will be a real blessing as we travel on to Mongolia next week.
  • Thank you for praying for our airline ticket situation. We now have the tickets in hand, and ready for our trip.

Prayer Requests:

  • Pray for the details that have yet to be worked out for our return to Mongolia. We have a number of different packages on the way, and need wisdom as we finish up the packing this weekend. We are limited to 50lbs for the large ship-throughs, but with two ship-throughs, one carry-on and one personal item per person, we come out with forty pieces of luggage to carefully tag, weigh and organize for the trip.
  • In the midst of our preparations for the trip to Mongolia, David is also helping coordinate for a trip to the Philippines three weeks after we arrive in Mongolia. David, Rachelle, and Derrick will join a team of several others from the States for three intense weeks of ministry in the Philippines. Tickets and key decisions need to be finalized this week, so we appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment.
  • With all the projects to finish, people to see, and things to pack, pray that the Lord will continue to give us good rest and health as we prepare for the trip. The journey to Mongolia is about 32 hours, end to end, so being rested and healthy before the trip is important.


Pictures:

The Waller guys. Matthew was quite excited to be able to go on the

father-son retreat, and fit right in with the group, even though he was

one of the youngest ones in attendance.

Sarah’s cooking skills continue to be a great blessing

to our family.

Back at the Northwoods Conference Center for the Eternal Impact

Summit, Derrick, Rachelle and I enjoyed some quiet hours.

Several of us joined Grandma for lunch after a dentist appointment.

The Waller carts made quite an impressive lineup as we got ready for

checkout with our clothes for Mongolia.

It has been a full and rich summer at the farm, and in some ways it is

hard to leave, but we also look forward with eager anticipation to the

opportunities ahead of us in Mongolia.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family website


Taller Waller Quote:

Sitting around our kitchen table after a meal one day, I took the opportunity to join in on the conversation about some of our animal projects. Although most of my days are spent working at the computer, I do try to keep at least vaguely aware of the animals we have out by the barn.

Recalling a pretty yellow colored cow I had seen in the pasture the other day, I thought I would make an attempt at intelligent conversation with the farmers of the family. “So, Derrick,” I asked, “what breed of cow is the charolais colored one?” (I thought it was pretty good that I had remembered the technical name of the color.) After the laughter had subsided, I discovered that I must have been the only one that didn’t know that Charolais WAS the breed! Oh, well, I will try harder next time.  🙂


Thank you, dear family and friends, for your prayers and interest in our family! In just a few days we are scheduled to fly to Mongolia so my next update may well be from the other side of the world. May God bless each of you today!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Virginia Seminar

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

Touching down in Atlanta Georgia, where I was scheduled to change planes before flying on to Washington D.C., the plane was several minutes behind schedule when it finally arrived at the gate. Knowing that I had just a few minutes to board the connecting flight, I quickly navigated to the departure gate, figuring I had about 10 minutes left for boarding the aircraft.

Pausing at the flight information monitors, my eyes scanned down the list of flights, then across to verify the gate and departure time. Canceled? I double-checked the flight information, but everything seemed correct. Talking to an agent at the gate, I learned that with the recent security changes, the pilots and crews had been flying through the night to try to make up for the delays, but were forced to stop when aviation laws prevented them from flying more than sixteen hours in a day. They simply did not have a crew to fly the plane on to D.C.

More than forty flights had to be canceled that day, and the true character of many was revealed as hundreds of people were faced with an unexpected change in plans. Some, like the lady standing next to me in line at the customer service counter, were very gracious and grateful for the work that the agents were trying to do. She had missed her sister’s wedding, but she had chosen to cheerfully accept what she could not change.

Traveling to Virginia a few days before the Children’s Seminar was to begin, I was grateful for the additional flexibility that this gave me. As Christians, we know that God works all things together for good, (Romans 8:28), but it sometimes stretches our faith to see God’s hand behind the “CANCELED” message.

Waiting in the customer service line for an hour and a half, I had a very good talk with a Christian family near me. They seemed very encouraged to hear of God’s faithfulness and lovingkindness to our family during the time of Isaac’s Homegoing in Mongolia. God knew just how much we would be blessed in that time of fellowship together and He had caused our paths to cross at just the right time.

Flying on to D.C. the next morning, I was met at the airport by the Conrad family. My luggage had already arrived on an earlier flight, so we were soon driving through the beautiful hill country to the Conrad’s home in Virginia. My family had lived in Maryland during 2000-2001, and I enjoyed seeing the tree-covered hillsides again.

It was a blessing to get to know the Conrad family a little more through the week. They have for some time had a desire to coordinate a Basic Seminar for their area, and although Mr. Conrad was away on business, their family was able to work out the arrangements to hold a seminar in Winchester, VA on August 14-19.

Overseeing the Basic Seminar, Mrs. Conrad was aided by her mother who had flown in to help for the week. Her son Blake made the announcements for the main seminar, and assisted me in my role as Team Director/Storyteller for the Children’s Program. Her daughter Madison was primarily responsible for organizing the Children’s Program, and served as the Teacher Trainer/Song Leader.

Blake, Madison, and I took the time we could to plan and work out some remaining details before the seminar started on Monday, knowing that once the seminar was in motion, there would be no stopping until Saturday night. We also felt that we could do more through the Lord’s blessing by setting our planning aside to honor the Lord’s Day.

On Monday morning we drove to the church to set up for the seminar, and took a few more minutes of planning before the training started at 1:00. There were a lot of unknowns, I had never met most of the teachers, we weren’t sure how many children would come, and I wondered how the teachers would respond as I shared about the standards that we intended to uphold through the week.

But God had already been answering prayer, and raised up a wonderful group of teachers. Rarely have I been privileged to serve with such a serious minded, focused group of young people. There was a wholesome spirit of unity and a spiritual focus that bore witness to unseen prayer for this week.

One interesting and sometimes even humorous characteristic with this group is that we all were so quiet. I was wondering how this would work out when the children arrived, but on Monday night, it seemed like God had sent a very quiet group of children too! This actually made a perfect combination, and allowed for more focused sharing and teaching times that you don’t often get with very energetic students.

In past seminars, I have always been amazed to see God’s hand in working through the leaders that make the team assignments, deciding who will be leaders and assistants. It takes a different kind of faith when you are the one in leadership; to trust that God is going to work His perfect will through you. This was a responsibility that we did not take lightly, but I believe God answered our prayers, and clearly directed in putting the teams together.

There were a few familiar faces in the group, and it was a delight to have Donald Staddon serve on Wisdom Walk for the week. Donald and I had worked together in Mongolia for several months, and I was glad to see him again, and to meet his sister Esther who also came to assist with the seminar. Donald and I enjoyed good fellowship with Blake and Daniel on our drives between the house and the church each day.

Shelley and Erin Hunsberger also came down for the first couple days, preparing a hearty meal for the teachers each evening, and assisted Madison with the song leading. They were not able to be with us for the whole week, but it was a blessing to see them again. The Hunsberger family had greatly helped my family several years ago when we moved out of our home in Maryland.

We began each teacher training time by singing a few hymns and then having a time of prayer with our “Prayer Partner” for the week. It was very special to see God answering specific prayers as we committed each night to the Lord, asking God to do His work through us. We can tell stories and teach lessons, but only God can touch hearts and change lives.

On Wednesday evening, I was planning to share a personal illustration, a time when I needed to go back and clear my conscience after telling a lie about seeing a bear. I knew the story well, (of course), but I remember sitting on a bench in the back of the room, staring at my outline. I was feeling somewhat tired, and didn’t know how I was going to have the enthusiasm to tell the story. I was even struggling with trying to come up with a clear message to give at the conclusion of the story.

Slipping back into another room for some personal prayer time, I was suddenly reminded of something. Just before traveling to Virginia, I had gotten a call from our local library that two books I had ordered had come in. One of these, actually requested by my brother David, was entitled “Why God Used D.L. Moody” by R. A. Torrey. -I highly recommend it.

Reading a few paragraphs from this little book before giving it to David that evening, I was struck by the power of the message. One of key reasons God used D.L. Moody was because he was emptied of self-sufficiency, and depended on the power of God. I convinced David to let me read the book on the way to the airport the next morning, and left it in the van when I parted.

Suddenly it struck me. I had just prayed a few hours ago that God would empty me of self-sufficiency, and now God was just answering that prayer! With the encouragement of this thought, I felt a new excitement and grace flow through me, and committing the story to the Lord, I went on to tell the story that night with an energy that only came from the Lord.

Thursday evening was a night that I had been looking forward to since before the seminar began. As I had done at the Shorewood Children’s Seminar, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a testimony of our Loving Shepherd, the Lord who had been with our family as we went through the time of Isaac’s sudden illness and unexpected death in Mongolia.

More than anything else, I wanted the children to see the value of eternal things, and the lovingkindness that the Lord showed to our family through that time. Without Christ there is no meaning and no hope, but with a perspective fixed on eternal things, what the world calls tragedy become a glorious anticipation of endless joy with our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you to those who were praying for this story in particular. I believe God answered our prayers in a special way. Several were in tears, but it seems like the message came across. I showed them the character posters that Isaac had designed shortly before his death, and after the story I let the students choose one per family that they could take home as a memory. I had some neat conversations with some of the students afterwards.

Saturday morning began the final day of the Children’s Seminar. For the last large group, I was planning to tell the story of David and Goliath, and have some of the older students act out the various parts. After watching a number of skits through the week, I anticipated that they would enjoy this kind of opportunity.

Well, as the day moved on like a freight train on a downhill track, there simply was not the time to pull aside the older students to plan the story. I didn’t even have a chance to talk with the other teachers about a backup plan before I was scheduled to start my “mouse” story. The David and Goliath story was supposed to follow right after the mouse story, so I was left with the perplexing situation of trying to figure out what to do.

God tells us in James chapter one that if we lack wisdom, we should ask the Lord, who gives it freely to all. This was clearly a situation where the Lord gave a special insight of wisdom in how to handle the situation. After finishing the mouse story, I turned to the children again and asked, “How many of you enjoyed watching the skits through the week?” A titter of approval moved through the group. “Did you ever wish you could be in a story?” More affirmative response. “How would you like to see the inside story of how we put one of those skits together?” I asked, with a big smile.

They were thrilled with the idea, and eagerly took up the various parts of the story. We had enough students for soldiers on both sides, (with balloons for swords), sheep, David’s brothers, King Saul, armor bearers, and army captains, in addition to the main parts of David and Goliath. One of the students played the part of David, and Blake agreed to be Goliath.

Gathering backstage, they all chose props and costumes for their parts. This was the moment they had been waiting for! After some briefing on the general outline of events, clarifying various parts and setting up the video camera, we had a word of prayer, and then launched into the story. It was mainly the teachers remaining in the audience, but I told the story as if we were doing it in front of a hundred children.

To say that they enjoyed it would be an understatement. The creativity and spontaneity of the different parts was really fun to see, and they did a good job following the cues of the narrator. Bringing a memorable closing to a very special week, I am sure that this story was one of the highlights for both teachers and children.

The flight back to Minnesota proved to be almost as exciting as the one to D.C. We left the house a few minutes later than we had planned, but with plenty of time to be at the airport two hours before the flight. What I hadn’t planned for was a significant delay caused by a semi wreck along the road that we were traveling to the airport.

Finally reaching the airport, I had another surprise awaiting me. I had never seen security lines that long! There must have been over 500 people in several different lines waiting to go through the security checkpoints to the gate area. The Conrads helped me locate what seemed to be the shortest line, and after saying goodbye, I slowly inched through the line, praying that I would have enough time to make it to my airplane.

As I neared the end of the line, I looked at my watch again. I knew that it was going to be close, but I had a confidence that the Lord was going to work it out for the best, no matter what happened. (The airline I was flying also allowed standby on a later flight, if I was to miss my plane.)

Crossing the security checkpoint, I quickly tied my shoes, and picking up my briefcase and bag, I walked as quickly as I dared to the terminal. Thankfully there were no additional lines or delays, and I arrived at the gate less than two minutes before my seating area was called for boarding. As I looked around at the empty seats around me, I was again grateful for the Lord’s blessing in letting me make the flight.

Arriving back at our farm, I showed my family a video of the David and Goliath skit, and shared some reports of what the Lord did through the seminar in Virginia. They had “stayed by the stuff”, but they will share in the reward. They may never fully know all that God did in answer to their prayers, but our Father which sees in secret will reward them openly.

Last Wednesday was another special moment for the Waller family as Samuel and Sarah followed the example and command of our Lord Jesus in water baptism. Although this does not bring salvation, it is an important opportunity to publicly identify with Christ, and remember what He has done for us.

The Lord continues to bring opportunities for us to give testimony of His love and faithfulness, and the next few weeks have us scheduled to share at several different churches and meetings. Please continue to pray for us, that the Lord will fill us with His grace as we share, and that people will see God’s great love and faithfulness which is so much better and more important than our little imperfect family.

We are currently planning to return to Mongolia as a family on October 19th. One-year open-ended tickets give us flexibility with our return date, and we trust the Lord to continue to lead and guide in these decisions. The work in Mongolia is currently operating with a small team, but a full schedule is already in the plans for the fall as they anticipate our return.

I am looking forward to our return to the work in Mongolia, and although it will involve more stretching and growing, there is a great joy in knowing that you are right in the center of God’s will. These final weeks at home are quickly filling up as we make plans to get together with various friends and family. We would appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom as we try to make the best use of the days that the Lord has given us here.



Praise Points:

  • Thank you so much for praying for the Children’s Program in Winchester! We had an incredible week that exceeded our expectations. I am so grateful for the teachers that God raised up, and for the children that came. The Lord’s blessing was clearly evident throughout the week.
  • Praise the Lord for a very good time of sharing last Sunday at the Wilderness Fellowship campground. Our family was given the opportunity to lead the Sunday service, and I believe it was a blessing for all of us. Afterwards we enjoyed good fellowship with a number of families that stayed for a fellowship meal.

Prayer Requests:

  • We would appreciate your prayers for our family as we share at the Skonewood Christian Retreat next Sunday on September 10th. We are grateful for the opportunity to share of God’s love and grace, and pray that He will encourage many people through our testimony.
  • Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as we try to finalize the details of getting airline tickets issued for our travel to Mongolia. These will likely need to be mailed to us from Mongolia. (Regular airmail takes three weeks to reach an address in the States.)
  • The baggage allowances have changed significantly since our family traveled to Mongolia last year, so pray that the Lord will give us wisdom on which items will be most important for us to carry with us.


Pictures:

I was so encouraged to see the maturity of the team of teachers that

the Lord raised up to serve in the Winchester Children’s Seminar.

After sharing about my brother Isaac on Thursday evening, I went

around to the teams and gave the students posters to take home as a

special memory from the story. Isaac had designed these posters in

Mongolia shortly before the Lord called him Home.

The latest creative project… Samuel spearheaded this one, building a

raft with some empty five gallon buckets. The challenge was to come

up with a design the would not damage the buckets, and could be

disassembled for transport. Well done, Samuel!

Matthew helps pound in some nails left over from the old cedar shake

roof on a small shed. We all worked together to replace the roof.

Sarah and Samuel shared their testimony of faith in Jesus Christ,

and then were baptized as a public testimony of their decision to

follow the Lord. The same pastor baptized my parents in the same

lake over twenty years ago.

Under the shade of a tree, Dad reads from a biography to the younger

ones. We have all enjoyed the time together as a family this summer.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family website


Interesting Fact:

A few days ago I was watching Rachelle turn another batch of pancakes on our griddle, and started thinking, “I wonder how many pancakes we eat in a year?…” According to my calculations, with pancakes for breakfast an average of twice a week, our family eats over ten thousand pancakes in a year!


Thank you for your continued prayers for our family! I believe the Lord is doing a special work through the opportunities that He has given us to share of His faithfulness. Thanks for being a part of that work!

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Day by Day

Adam's Updates

Thursday, July 20, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

Several weeks ago found our white van and camper traveling the highways again, this time up to the little town of Twin Valley in northern Minnesota where my Dad had grown up. His school was having a ten-year all-school reunion, and Dad felt that it would be a good opportunity for us to go there as a family.

There was quite a turnout at the reunion, with several hundred traveling in from all over the country. Dad introduced us to a number of his classmates and teachers, several of whom were Christians and excited about what our family has been doing in Mongolia.

On Sunday morning my Dad prayed that we might find a good church that we could attend. Not finding much in the area, we joined most of the guests for the community church gathering in the high school gym. That afternoon we did a little more driving, stopping at a small arena where some rodeo type competition was taking place.

You would have smiled if you could have seen us standing there by the fence in our Sunday dress shirts and ties, and the ladies in nice dresses, watching the cowboys galloping after the calves. Another spectator came over and asked if we had just come from church.

Encouraged to find some like-minded Christians, she talked with my parents for some time, then cordially invited us to come to her house for some lemonade and cookies. After a snack she took us out to her barn where we had an opportunity to ride a couple of her horses. This was a real treat, especially for the younger ones.

She also invited us to the evening service of a small Independent Baptist church that she attends. Thinking of our conservative choices in music, my Dad inquired about the music that they had at her church. “Oh no,” she told us. “If we ever got drums, our pastor would probably leave.”

What a blessing the Lord had in store for us there! It was one of those churches where our family made up about a fourth of the congregation, but the people were very warm and friendly. We didn’t know a single person there, and their curiosity about our family grew as they learned that we had been doing mission work in Mongolia.

It was such a treat to be in a church that loves the hymns! We all joined enthusiastically in the singing, the older ones singing some parts. At the close of the singing time the pastor looked over at our family and said, “Well, I don’t know much about your family, but I can see that you love hymns. Do you sing as a family?” Seeing our smiles and my Dad’s nod, he went on, “I don’t usually do this, but would you all like to sing something for us at the end of the service? You can pick one from the hymn book… or if you can’t decide… there is always number 202.”  🙂

At the close of the service we brought our hymnals to the front and sang hymn number 202. This song, like many, has taken on special meaning to us after Isaac’s Homegoing. Most of you know the words, but here is the third verse:

Help me then in every tribulation so to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till I reach the promised land.

Only later did we learn the significance of hymn 202, “Day by Day”. It was one that his three daughters used to sing when they were young, and at a time when his wife was going through some serious medical challenges. His only regret is that he never recorded it.

The Lord is so gracious to have given us this sweet fellowship on Sunday evening, and all so unexpectedly, after the days of seeing around us so much emptiness without Christ. How could we have ever found this little tiny church in the country, surrounded for miles around with farms and fields, had it not been for that kind lady who was “not forgetful to entertain strangers.”

Back at the farm, another lesson the Lord continues to teach me is in taking time with my younger brothers and sisters. Working at my desk upstairs one day, I heard little footsteps come in the room and Matthew said “Adam, come and see what we found.” After looking at the baby mouse they had found, we were walking through the shed together, looking at some of the potential projects around us.

Having some idea of the direction that Mom and Dad were wanting for our creative projects, I tried to steer away from the go-cart idea, and the hovercraft idea didn’t really seem too practical. Suddenly struck with an idea, I asked, “Don’t we have an old bike frame laying around somewhere?”

A half hour later, Samuel and I were working to take the rusty chain off an old bike frame, and I went over more of the idea with them. “Do you remember seeing those two-wheeled carriages that horses pull? Like the one the Zacharias’ have?” Yes, they remembered that one. “Well, I thought we might be able to make something like that that we could pull behind a bicycle.”

The wheels were turning as we exchanged ideas, but it took a couple more hours working on the bearings before the literal bicycle wheels were turning smoothly and ready for a frame. After seeing the 12-foot model airplane, a friend once told us “If you had a welder, you guys would be seriously dangerous!” Well, I don’t know that we ever got to the “seriously dangerous” stage, but having a welder has given us a few more options on our projects and repairs around the farm.

Using a bike frame and some metal pipe, we were able to construct the basic frame, and Samuel helped build the wood platform for the seat. The conduit poles that I had originally planned turned out to be a bit more flimsy than I had realized. I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to buy the more expensive galvanized water pipe, so I was encouraged to look around in our old barn.

I was delighted to find a length of some old disconnected water piping of just the right size! This turned out to be exactly what we needed, and just before dinner the next day I had completed making the hitch from an old v-belt, and we were ready for a test ride. The carriage performed well, and everyone enjoyed the ride up and down the lane before we came in for dinner.

At the dinner table Sarah commented that she had never seen me so dirty before, (since I am usually working on the computer) but I wasn’t the only one working hard that day. Moving forward with one of his objectives for the summer at the farm, Dad had been working in the garage for several days, sorting through boxes and getting rid of things that we don’t need.

Almost single-handedly, Dad worked to turn the cluttered garage into a more organized environment with a large open area in the center. I admire his diligence and initiative in taking on a project of that size, and bringing it through to completion. Our Ping-pong table now stands in the center as a tribute to this reclaimed ground.

Living in an older farmhouse also brings new learning experiences as we try to keep everything up and running. Going down to the cellar to re-light the water heater, I found traces of smoke and soot on the outside of the unit. Over the next few days I was able to unravel the mystery, and in the process I learned more about how these water heaters work.  🙂

Apparently the soot had slowly built up on the main burner, restricting the mixture of gas (LP) and air flowing through the burner. Since the gas was injected at a fixed rate, the air volume slowly went down, creating a smoky yellow flame on the burner, and accelerating the carbon buildup. This had finally plugged the exhaust vent at the top, causing the flame to spill out the side of the unit.

I was grateful that the Lord allowed me to remove two very difficult nuts, allowing us to clean the burner assembly and make the necessary repairs ourselves. Things are back up and running well now, and the water heater has a nice beautiful blue flame.  🙂

Well, with our hot water we have also be enjoying, (or enduring) some hot days (and nights). Those who have lived in the second story of an old farmhouse when the temperature soars above 95 can understand what it was like.  🙂  Window fans are a blessing, but I must confess that I was often thinking of what it must be like for some of the missionaries in very hot places in the world. -And many of them don’t have fans.

Thankfully the weather has cooled down again, and we even got a little bit of desperately needed rain today. We are continuing to pray for rain for Derrick’s crops. Some farmers in our area are already chopping up their corn fields into silage, realizing that they won’t get a crop this year.

This week David, Rachelle, Sarah and Samuel are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where David is leading two weeks of Bible Clubs. He has been planning this for months, and it is exciting to begin seeing the fruit of his labors. I am especially excited for Sarah and Samuel to be a part of this opportunity, since they were not old enough to teach at the Bible Clubs in Oklahoma City several years ago.

David is working with Andrew Matthews, and a team of 19 young people, mostly from the Heritage Baptist Church in Blain, Minnesota. After two full days of training, they started the first set of Bible Clubs on Monday. I just talked with David last night, and he shared some exciting reports of what God is doing through this outreach. Two children had trusted Christ for Salvation that day, and at least two others were seriously considering this decision, and desiring further discussion with their leaders.

Next week I am planning to lead a week-long children’s program held in conjunction with a Basic Seminar in Shorewood, Minnesota. I would appreciate your prayers as I tell the stories for the assemblies, and oversee the children’s program. It is always a time of intense energy output, but it is exciting to see lives impacted as we make known to the generations to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and the wonderful works that He has done!

*** P.S. ***

If you replied to my last update, and you didn’t hear back from me, I probably did not get your e-mail. We had some technical issues with our e-mail service provider that caused certain types of e-mails to be deleted. (Technically speaking, HTML e-mails with embedded pictures.) This issue has been resolved now, and we would love hearing from you!


Praise Points:

  • Praise the Lord for the salvation of Megan and Anne at the Backyard Bible Clubs yesterday! Pray that they would grow strong in their faith, and that others would also come to accept the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
  • I am grateful for the time that we have been able to spend together as a family at our farm. I am learning that “little” things like fixing a bicycle really mean a lot to a younger sibling.

Prayer Requests:

  • Please continue to pray for David, Rachelle, Sarah, Samuel and the team as they teach at Bible Clubs in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week and next week. Last night David told me that they feel a lot of spiritual opposition, but they also see some really neat things happening in the lives of the students and teachers.
  • I would appreciate your prayers for the Children’s Program that I will be leading next week. My life has been greatly impacted through this type of ministry, and I am excited to see what the Lord will do through this seminar.
  • Derrick is one of many farmers in the area that would also appreciate prayer for rain.


Pictures:

Samuel watches over the rail as the cowboys prepare for the next round

of competition.

How little did we imagine that we would have the opportunity to ride a

horse ourselves just a couple hours later!

While the crops are not doing well with the lack of rain

this year, the dry weather is nice for baling hay. Derrick

has a growing stack of square bales (yes, they are actually

rectangles) in our steel shed.

Lydia, Matthew and Rebecca pause for a picture before I took them on

a ride up and down our lane last evening.

Here Sarah tells a story for one of the clubs. Please remember to pray for

the teams as they are sharing in Bible Clubs this week and next week.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family website.


Smaller Waller Quote:

Yesterday at the dinner table we were discussing astronauts and space travel. As I attempted to describe a “space station,” Rebecca got an inquisitive look as she tried to understand how a space shuttle would bring people to the space station. “Do they have garages up there?” she asked. “No, Becca,” Matthew quickly replied. “-It never rains up there!”


Thank you so much for your continued prayers! These weeks of Bible Clubs and children’s seminars have great potential for changing lives forever.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Children’s Seminars

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

As I think back to some experiences that have had a very significant impact on my life as a young man growing up, I would have to say that teaching at Children’s Institutes would rank high on that list.

I remember first hearing about the “Children’s Institute” at our annual home-schooling conference in Knoxville sometime around 1995. The idea of teaching and taking care of children for a week-long seminar did not have much appeal to me at the time, but my parents must have seen something more and signed up Isaac and I to help with a seminar that was to be held in our area a few months later.

Whatever my expectations were, God had something special in store for me at this seminar. As am seeing more and more, it is not so much the particular program or opportunity, but the people who are leading it that God often uses to make a difference in the lives of those involved.

I saw something different In “Mr. Ryan” and “Miss Gina”. They were young people too, just a few years older than I was, but they had a love for the Lord and a passion for investing in the lives of others. This wasn’t just a week of watching children, but a chance to impact lives for eternity as we poured all of our strength and energy into conveying Biblical truths to the children on our teams.

Suddenly “ministry” was not just some distant thing that only parents and some of those older students could be involved in, but something that I could also have a part in. There were exciting stories in the Large Group assembly, and songs that we would long remember, but we also saw deeper things, the reality of spiritual warfare, and seeing God answer specific prayer.

After that week I could hardly wait for the next seminar, and in the following years we taught in as many Children’s Institutes as schedule and travel permitted. From every seminar we brought back special memories, and I could share story after story of how we saw God’s hand at work in these brief but intense weeks of ministry.

Returning to our farm this summer, I remember thinking that it would be neat to be involved in a Children’s Institute again, if there was one held in our area. I checked the IBLP website, and discovered that there actually was one scheduled in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I thought it was interesting timing that the very next day, we received a call from a friend who was coordinating the children’s seminar, asking if David or I would be available to tell the stories for the “Large Group” assemblies.

David was already scheduled to help lead a group of backyard Bible clubs that week, so I was given the opportunity to help with the Children’s Program. As always, it was a week of intensive energy output, but a tremendous blessing for us as Rachelle, Sarah and I joined about seven other young people to work with the twenty children that registered for the seminar.

Probably the greatest lesson that I believe the Lord was teaching me through the week was to let Him work through me, instead of me trying to work for Him. The words of John 15 kept coming to mind, “without me ye can do nothing.” Instead of coming well prepared with all the stories that I would be sharing, I realized that it was me that God wanted to prepare. Lasting fruit would come, not through my abilities, but as God was able to use me as a tool to accomplish His work.

I know that I have a long way to go in fully internalizing this truth, but it was neat to see how the Lord often used the stories that I felt the least prepared for to have the greatest impact on the students. God delights in using our weaknesses to show His strength, so that the excellency of the power would be of Him and not of us. (See I Corinthians 2:1-5, II Corinthians 4:7)

One interesting example took place on Tuesday night as I was telling a story about the Ten Commandments. To illustrate the impossibility of keep all the commandments on our own, I had a volunteer carefully hold ten raw eggs as I explained each of the Ten Commandments. Jeff was dressed for the occasion, but the suspense continued to rise as he precariously tried to balance each new egg.

Finally reaching the appropriate moment in the story, I asked Jeff if he had ever told a lie. After his admission, I stepped back, and gently whacked one of the eggs balancing on his collar. Somehow, the egg didn’t break. I reached over and squeezed the egg very hard. Still nothing happened. Recalling the physics of an eggshell, I applied extra pressure with my thumb, trying to crack the unyielding shell.

Splat!!! Something hit my face with an uncalculated accuracy that took me completely by surprise. I couldn’t even see out of my left eye as I reached for the paper bag where, just before the story, I had put some extra napkins. Taking off my glasses and trying to wipe the egg off my face and hair, I used the moment to explain how when we sin, it doesn’t just affect us, it also affects other people. One of the teachers later shared that for him, this unplanned analogy was the most significant message of the whole night!

These days were not without opposition, however, and I found it interesting how many unexpected challenges we faced through the week. The family that was heading up the children’s program had been anticipating a move, but ended up needing to move out of their house on the very week of the seminar. Another family that had two daughters teaching had a grandmother who’s failing health suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she passed away on Friday morning.

Another day found us faced with an interesting situation as a curious passerby inquired about what we were doing and proceeded to engage some of the teachers in a rather loud debate about the existence of God. Thankfully, she was willing to go with me to another room where after some patient listening and gentle answers she left quite cordially.

Rather than bringing discouragement, these things actually made me even more excited about the work we were involved in. God gave us grace for every challenge, and responding to this grace brings joy as we see the Lord working out His purpose through each situation.

On Thursday we were teaching about God’s love, and our response in times of suffering. I felt that this might be a neat opportunity to share about God’s love and faithfulness to our family over the past months with Isaac’s Homegoing last November. The “story” went a little longer than I had planned, and I remember praying afterwards that the Lord would still use it somehow.

In terms of human ability, it wasn’t one of my best stories that week, and I remember one little boy asking during the story, “Are you almost done?” It was a deeper message, and a little harder to make interesting and exciting for the younger children. But it was this story that the Lord seemed to use to make an impact in the lives of some of the students.

Finding me on one of the seminar breaks on Saturday, a father asked more about my family. I learned that they had heard of our family, and had been praying for us, but it was through this story at the Children’s Program that his daughters made the connection that “Mr. Adam” was a part of that family. “I just want you to know,” he told me, “that your testimony had a real impact on my children.”

Pastor Tillman asked me a little later if I could share a testimony with the people at the church on Sunday. Many of them had heard of our family, and had been praying for us, and he thought it would be encouraging for them to hear a report of what God has been doing in our lives. How this all got coordinated with the rest of my family was a story in itself, but the next morning all eleven of us were lined up in a row for the morning service at Emmaus Baptist Church.

Last minute plans the night before had worked out for us to stay in the Cities at my Aunt’s house for the evening, but by the time we arrived at church the next morning, I still didn’t have an outline of what I was planning to share. Now, just to clarify, preparation is good and important, and something that we should do when we are able to. But in this case, I believe that God wanted to stretch my faith. I remember praying, “Lord, you worked through the stories at the CI even when I was unprepared, please give me the words to share here.”

When I got up to share, I still didn’t have an outline, but the Lord enabled me to give what seemed to be a clear testimony of what God has been doing in our lives over these past months. I certainly can’t take any credit for it, but it seems like God touched hearts through that message of His faithfulness and lovingkindness to our family.

Back on the home front, we have also seen a significant answer to prayer. After a couple months of serious drought, we received some good rain last week. Derrick’s cornfields have improved dramatically, even in the past week, with the much-needed moisture.

The dry spell was not only dry, it was often very hot. In an older farmhouse without air conditioning, nights can be very long as you try to sleep with temperatures in the 80s or 90s. I remember sitting at my desk one day last week, and noticing that it was 95 degrees inside.

But our faithful God who never forgets His children had a very special surprise in store for us. That evening, some dear friends drove into our driveway and backed up their pickup truck to our porch. In the back of the truck were two window air conditioning units! They helped us install the units in two of the bedrooms, and for the first time in many weeks my parents were able to go to sleep in a cool room.

That evening also marked a significant day for our farm. Our ailing barn had been damaged in high winds several years ago, and the trusses were sagging badly. Built in 1932, the old dairy barn still had a lot of aesthetic appeal, but the cost of repair and straightening the structure far outweighed its current usefulness.

Watching the coming storm from our bedroom window that night, there was a terrific thunderclap, and Derrick exclaimed, “that just hit our barn!” The old glass insulated lightning rods performed their duty, but the waterlogged roof dropped about eight feet. By morning the north wall had given way, and the roof collapsed into the barnyard.

Looking back, I was amazed at how this worked out. It fell in such a way that we were able to recover the antique copulas from the roof, which we hope to sell. If the barn had fallen to the south, it could have possibly damaged the wooden south wall and shed which was to house 50 young pigs, scheduled to arrive the next morning. But falling to the north, the primary weight was taken by a concrete block wall, and the floor joists remained unhurt.

We are grateful that it happened while we were home, and that no one was hurt in the process. Even the animals escaped injury. On Saturday we had a “family work day” and started disassembling and cleaning up the fallen ruins. I enjoyed the chance to get outside and work on a family project together. The Lord blessed us with nice weather, safety, and good progress on the project.

This week I am also preparing to fly to Winchester, Virginia for another Children’s Program where I have been asked to help with the story telling. I am really looking forward to the seminar next week, and praying that the Lord will use it in a special way in the lives of each of the teachers and children.



Praise Points:

  • Thank you so much for praying for us as Rachelle, Sarah and I taught at the Children’s Program in Shorewood, MN! It was really special to see the Lord’s hand at work, and the things that He was teaching us through the week. The Lord again raised up just the right teachers, and put the children on just the right teams.
  • I also want to say a big thank you on behalf of David and the others that served with the Heritage Ministry Team, leading two weeks of Bible Clubs in Minneapolis. Last Sunday evening we saw a video report and heard testimonies of some of the great things that God did through this outreach. Let me know if you want to read David’s e-mail report, and I will forward you a copy.
  • Thanks for praying for rain! It was a blessing to receive several inches of rain last week. Derrick’s crops would not have lasted much longer without it.

Prayer Requests:

  • Please pray for the Winchester, VA Children’s Program and Basic Seminar next week. I am flying out on Friday the 11th, and returning on Monday the 21st of August. It has been six or seven years since the last Children’s Institute was held in this area, so we will likely have children that are hearing some of these things for the first time. If you are led to pray specifically for us through the week, here are the main topics we will be covering:

Monday – Accepting God’s perfect design for us.

Tuesday – My response to authority.

Wednesday – Responsibility, clear conscience. *Important night

Thursday – God’s love for us, purpose in suffering. *I may share about Isaac

Saturday – Generosity, gratefulness, joyfulness.


Pictures:

A total of twenty children came to the Children’s Program, and were

divided into three teams for the small group teaching time.

A smile from one of our students.

I think I would have been scared too, from the looks of this guy! But

our “David” (Left) didn’t seem afraid to face “Goliath” in our skit.

Our prayers were answered as we watched the clouds

moving in to bring the much-needed rain.

That night our aging barn roof collapsed under the wind

and rain.

Our whole family gathered on Saturday for a family

work day to start cleaning up the debris.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family website, including many from the CI and our barn cleanup project.


Useful Link:

A few weeks ago a friend asked if I knew of a good program for viewing slide shows of pictures. After a few minutes of searching on the Internet I ran across a free program called the FastStone Image Viewer. I continue to be amazed at the features this program has, and I would recommend it to anyone who deals with digital photos. It works great for resizing and viewing pictures, and has some good slide show options, in addition to a full set of image enhancing tools. (No, they don’t pay me to write this, I was just very impressed with the program.)


Thank you for praying for us! I know that you will also share in the reward of what God is doing in and through our lives, and our Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)

I also want to mention here, please don’t feel guilty if you are getting these updates and might not be praying for us regularly. While we are grateful for the prayers of many, we also want to share with others what is happening in our lives and we just appreciate the fact that you are interested in hearing from our family.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Back to the home fields

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

When our family left for Mongolia in June of 2005, just one year ago, we were filled with excitement and an eager anticipation of what the Lord might do in and through our lives by this season of service together as a family. How little did we imagine the depth of the lessons that God had for us, or the riches of His grace that we would experience.

Arriving at the family farm in Wisconsin last Monday after several weeks of travel, meetings, and family reunions, we have been grateful for the chance to unpack and settle into more of a daily routine. Plans for the summer are quickly taking shape before us, but let me start with a brief look at our last few weeks in Mongolia.

The approaching departure date of our family on May 22nd added an additional pressure to finish some projects that our family was involved in. Among these was the printing of a set of A4 sized character posters for the first series of nine character qualities. Creating the template for these posters had been one of Isaac’s final desktop publishing projects in Mongolia, so it was special for me to see the job carried to completion.

This project is also a good example of some of the challenges that we often face overseas. In the States, you would typically finish your master copy, bring it to the printer, then pick up the final product, completed to your satisfaction. In Outer Mongolia, things are not quite that simple.  🙂

After finishing the first four posters, I made several trips to the printing company with our translators, trying to make sure I had covered every possible detail about what we were needing for this job. Understanding that we were proposing a several hundred-dollar job, with the prospect of future work, the company president was quite happy to concede to our unusually high quality requirements.

Receiving the call a few days later that the job was ready, Ideree and I went over to take a look. Another missionary had told me that every job his organization prints locally seems to have some type of quality problem, but I was pleasantly surprised as I reviewed the first set of posters. Other than some smaller blemishes and ink splatters, they seemed reasonable for the equipment that they were printed on.

The second set of 4 posters printed later was another story. More and larger ink splatters, and a heavy yellow cast to the animal pictures left me pondering how to better communicate what we were needing. It was only after writing and translating a detailed seven-page contract describing our quality requirements that the manager seemed to grasp what we were looking for.

Although they felt that the contract was too strict for them to sign, it seemed to have the desired result, and they assured us that we would be satisfied with the job. They reprinted the worst of the posters, and this time the color was really good. It wasn’t till we started making sets of posters back at our office that we discovered that they had been trimmed 3/8 inch smaller than the previous job.  🙂

I share this story not because I thought you had a great interest in the details of how to print posters in Mongolia, but to give you a little idea of the hours that are often spent on things that we take for granted in the States. I spent far more time working with the printer company on this project than I did on creating the actual posters themselves.

Often the greater testimony is not the work you do, but the character you demonstrate while doing it. I was so grateful for the Lord’s timing in some encouraging comments that were shared with my parents before we left. It was not the work that we did for CTI that impressed these friends, but our family simply being in Mongolia and living out our lives before them.

Visible evidences of the Lord’s work through you are encouraging moments, but I don’t believe the Lord lets us see too many of these, lest we be lifted up in pride. As our family made preparations for leaving Mongolia, we shared some special moments with friends and families that have become dear to us over the past year.

Walking down to the open market on the Saturday before we left, I had a neat talk with Chinggis, one of our Mongolian staff. He was coming to help me buy a traditional Mongolian “del” jacket. Walking down the dusty roadside together, stepping around the open manholes, I shared how grateful I was that he was working with us.

I have long admired the maturity and Godly example that Chinggis has demonstrated as our finance manager for CTI, but I had felt inadequate to express this in simple English, so I regret to say that most of our conversations had been on more of a business level.

Just to give you an idea of the heart of this young man, the day after I purchased my del jacket, he gave David his very own (and probably only) del jacket that he had just purchased a few months ago. The next morning he paid $5 (a full day’s wage for many) to take a taxi to the airport for a final goodbye before we left.

Perhaps one of the most touching goodbyes for our family was at the Sunday service at Holy Way Church, the day before our departure. After the main service our family shared some brief words and sang a hymn together. Many were in tears as the pastors prayed over us, committing us to the Lord and asking for His guidance for us in the days to come. I also had the joy of teaching one more character lesson on the quality of forgiveness.

God’s hand of guidance and care was clearly upon us as we made preparations to leave. We learned that because of a technical detail with the way we had booked our tickets, and some changes in the airline regulations, although we had carried about 140lbs of checked baggage per person on our initial flight to Mongolia, we were only allowed 40lbs per person on the flight back to Beijing. Any excess would be met with a stiff fee of about $1 per pound.

Making a number of calls to our travel agent, my Dad tried to see if we could work something out, but as the days and hours ticked away, it became apparent that we would have to just do the best we could, pray, and trust that the Lord would work things out on the day of the flight. We were at the mercy of the airline agents.

Friends offered the use of their vans for the early morning drive, and soon we were weighing our bags at the counter. We had packed our carry-on bags as heavily as we could, but the final count left us 410 pounds overweight in our checked baggage. Asking to speak to the supervisor, Dad explained our situation.

After some further discussion, the supervisor made a final decision on the baggage. Hearing the news, I calmly walked over to the window, where our staff were anxiously watching from outside to see how we would fare. With a joy that I dared not express, I slowly unfolded a paper where I had written the message, “No overweight charges. P.T.L!”

Returning to the States, probably the biggest shock for me was to see all the lush greenery around us. A Mongolian winter gives you a new appreciation for the few blades of green grass poking through the gravel by the sidewalk. The months of gray and brown in Mongolia gave one the feeling of entering the tropical rain forests and jungles of America.  🙂  The grass looked so lush and green, and Indianapolis looked like a city built in a forest.

Our family was again graciously hosted at the IBLP headquarters in Chicago, and this gave us the opportunity for a couple days of rest before beginning three weeks of travels that would finally end at our farm in Wisconsin. Derrick had preceded us to the farm by a few weeks, to plant the fields and get started with farming, but he flew down to Chicago to join the family as we drove down to Nashville TN, for an annual home schooling conference.

Stopping in Indianapolis at the South Campus Training Center for a few days, we enjoyed catching up with friends and families that have been praying for us over these months. A Memorial Day picnic and outdoor games gave us the opportunity to enjoy the warm 90 degree weather. We learned that morning that our team in Mongolia got an inch of snow on the same day.  🙂  (Yes, that is unusual, even in Mongolia.)

The annual ATI Regional Training Conference in Nashville has been a special time for our family each year, and this year was no exception. Our family helped work at the International table, sharing with interested attendees about the international ministry branches of IBLP, and on one of the nights the International Director, Mr. Mattix gave a report of what God is doing in each of the nations that IBLP is currently serving in.

At the close of the session, our family was given the opportunity to share a little of what the Lord has been doing in Mongolia. Dad shared some truths that have guided our family, and some verses that have been especially meaningful to us through the time of Isaac’s Homegoing. The four oldest of us children were also given the opportunity to share for a few minutes, and then we finished by singing the Mongolian translation of “This Little Light of Mine”.

Many people came up to us through the week, some of whom we had never met, and told us that they have been praying for our family. Others shared of special memories that they had of Isaac. It was encouraging to be able to share of the Lord’s faithfulness and grace to our family, and to be challenged and blessed by the speakers and messages at the conference.

Following the conference we joined our extended family on my Mother’s side for a family reunion in Georgia. The Lord gave us beautiful weather, (actually cooler than it had been in Indianapolis) as we gathered at a campground next to a lake with the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. The colored shirts for each family gave a graphic illustration of the generations represented.

Driving back up to Chicago, we packed all of our baggage into the van and popup camper trailer for the drive to Minnesota. One of the many things we miss about Isaac was his skills in packing and organizing our things for a trip. Somehow David and I managed to get everything inside the limited cargo areas, and we traveled on to the Olson family reunion.

Although not quite as closely related as some, (my Dad’s mother was a cousin to Clarice Olson) we have enjoyed the rich spiritual heritage of this branch of my Dad’s family. The falling rain and cold weather confined us to the large machine shed at the farm where the family reunion was held that Saturday. It was quite a sight to see the colorful spreads of food, and rows of chairs winding around the huge tractors and farm implements.

Finding another more empty machine shed, David and I managed to stretch a rope across the middle, and soon we had a lively game of volleyball going with the younger generation as the others visited. Of course the happy players got dust in their teeth, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

On Sunday morning we arranged a large circle of folding chairs in an empty garage, and held our own church service together. It made me think of an underground church service, such as might be held in China, but what was lacking in atmosphere was made up in fellowship as we sang and shared together. Our family again had the opportunity to share testimonies of what the Lord has been doing in our lives.

Returning to our farm I was again reminded of the truth that moth and rust doth corrupt. Finding a forgotten bag of candy in my room, I made a fascinating discovery. Moths like the white chocolate, while the mice prefer the dark chocolate! Needless to say, we have been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing. It has been a year since we have spent much time at home, and spending some time on the mission field has a way of changing your perspective about the things are really important in life.

Plans for the summer seem to be taking shape before us. Dad is continuing his Engineering work, while taking time for various work projects around the house and farm. I was offered some computer programming work that I can do from home, so I plan to spend some time on that over the next few months.

The main farmer in the family, Derrick is keeping busy in the fields while Rachelle spearheads some cleaning and home improvement projects on the home front. David is assisting with a Bible Club training program and some curriculum development projects. Sarah and the younger ones are very excited to be back at the farm, and enjoying a farmyard with acres of areas to play, and endless possibilities for creative projects.

Many have asked us if we are planning to go back to Mongolia. As my Dad put it, “We are planning to go back in the fall, but we are holding this with open hands. We want the Lord to direct.” We would love to go back, but as we plan our way, we want God to direct our steps.


Praise Points:

  • We are so grateful for the Lord’s blessing in our travel as we returned from Mongolia. Safe travels, no extra charge for baggage, some fragile items surviving the journey were just a few of the praises for our trip.
  • In our travels down to Nashville, David’s laptop, (our only portable computer) picked up a virus that left the computer almost unusable for a week before I had time to work on it. Using my Uncle’s computer, I found some software to assist in the recovery, and we were back up and running with no data loss.
  • Last weekend our family was invited to share at a Christian campers club in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Lord gave us a very special time with this group, and several of us shared testimonies of God’s grace in our time of need. They also enjoyed the singing and music that we shared with them.

Prayer Requests:

  • Please continue to pray for our team in Mongolia. Right now they only have four American staff, including the director and his wife. Things are slowing down for the summer, but we are praying for the Lord to raise up laborers for the late summer and fall. We feel the need for both American and Mongolian staff, but particularly for more Mongolian translators.
  • The Lord continues to give our family opportunities to share testimonies of what the Lord has been doing in our family, and in our lives personally. Pray that God would use these times to deepen our message, and bring forth lasting fruit.


Pictures:

The green grass and trees seemed so vivid when

contrasted with the Mongolian landscape below,

where our staff had joined some Christian students and

professors from MIU for a holiday outside the city.

The Blom generations. (My Mother’s family) In the pink

and gray are my grandparents. (The yellow shirts designate

Wallers, as you probably already noticed.)

Finally home. I climbed the silo to get this picture of our

house as we worked to unpack our things and dry out

tent and camper.

Lydia, our animal lover, was delighted to find some wild

baby rabbits in our front yard.

You can see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family website.


Interesting Fact:

The original part of our home in Wisconsin was actually a log home built in the 1870s. The wooden pins used to connect the logs are still visible in the attic. The more recent addition was constructed in 1916. The hot water heating, plumbing, and bathroom were all added later, which makes the plumbing configurations somewhat interesting.


Thank you for your prayers for our family! God’s grace has truly carried us, and continues to carry us through each day.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Taking up the torch

Adam's Updates

Saturday, April 29, 2006
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

Filled with a series of projects with tight deadlines, the past seven weeks have been left little time for writing updates. Now the task lies before me of trying to summarize so many significant events into one update newsletter.

First of all, I would like to say a special word of thanks to those who have continued to pray for us through these weeks, even with little or no news from the front lines. It is often the weeks of silence that indicate additional pressures and responsibilities, and a greater need for God’s grace.

Looking back over these past two months, let me start back at the second week of March. It was at this time that our director Tim felt that it would be good to move forward on printing some of our character training materials to sell in Mongolia.

I have enjoyed helping with some desktop publishing projects from time to time, but in the past I have usually turned to Isaac’s greater level of experience and expertise in this area. After coming to Mongolia with my family last June, one of Isaac’s projects was to procure the needed software and set up a computer for desktop publishing work.

We never realized at the time that this would be one of Isaac’s last projects in Mongolia, and among his final works was a set of stickers, bookmarks, and large posters for the first nine character qualities that we teach. The foundation that he laid in this area has prepared the way for us to continue on with desktop publishing projects after his departure.

It was with a feeling of taking up the torch passed by Isaac that I began working on some of the desktop publishing projects and learning the InDesign software program. Using one of the templates that Isaac had left for us, I was able to finish A4 sized posters for the first nine character qualities.

Excited by the progress, we began contemplating another much larger project. Our translation staff have been working for the past several months to do a final revision of the Basic Seminar Workbook in the Mongolian language. Doing all the text and layout in Microsoft Word, the workbook was modeled after the English workbook, but a side-by-side comparison left some things to be desired on the layout of the Mongolian pages.

Would it be possible to use a template from IBLP headquarters and make a professional looking Mongolian workbook? Maybe even in time for the Basic seminar scheduled next month? These questions had to be put off for a week as Rachelle, Derrick, Cindy and I left for four days of character training in Erdenet, an overnight train ride from Ulaanbaatar.

The time in Erdenet was filled with many joys and challenges. The poster project and other responsibilities the week before left me with very little time to plan for our trip, but the Lord was very merciful and worked out many details that could have caused great complications in our time there.

Every day we had trainings morning, afternoon, and sometimes evening as we did character trainings for a group of leaders from six different churches, two groups of World Vision staff, a group of local pastors and church leaders, high school students from two schools, a large group of school teachers, and a few government leaders.

Everywhere people were very receptive and excited about the character training. The World Vision and church leaders in Erdenet had been asking us to come since last fall, and they wanted to make the very most of our time there. Concluding the last training, we hurriedly filled out the final paperwork details and jumped into the van, barely making it to the train station in time for the evening train.

The strain of the week, coupled with maybe some poorly kept food that I ate on the way back to Ulaanbaatar left me sick for a couple days upon my return to the training center. Our Character English class team valiantly took over my Saturday English class, and by Monday I was able to start on a new desktop publishing project.

With all the work that our translators had been putting in on the Basic Seminar Workbook, Tim felt that it would be good to move ahead with an all-out push to get the workbook layout in InDesign completed as quickly as possible in the two weeks that we had before the seminar. Not having much experience with the program, I felt that it was probably doable, although it would not be an easy task.

Tim and the others were able to take over my other responsibilities so that I could focus as much as possible on the workbook project. While I enjoyed both the work I was doing, and the project I was involved in, the speed and accuracy I tried to maintain required a concentration and attention to detail that often left me mentally exhausted at the end of the day.

After some adjustments to each page of the layout after importing the QuarkXPress file to InDesign, I would take a section of the English text, convert it to the correct font, and then, line-by-line, copy each sentence or paragraph of Mongolian text and paste it into the workbook file. After copying the text, I usually had to adjust the layout again to account for the Mongolian translation often being longer than the English text.

Macros and keyboard shortcuts greatly improved the efficiency of the project, but the 80+ pages of text and diagrams gave me a wonderful opportunity to gain experience in using the InDesign program. It is so exciting to see how the Lord uses experiences in our lives that not only help us now, but they prepare us to be even more effective later.

David of Bible times was performing a very needed function in caring for his father’s sheep, but God was also using this very experience to prepare him for a time down the road when he would lead the nation of Israel. A few years ago, I was serving a company working as a network administrator, little imagining how God would be using these skills today in Mongolia.

In the pressures of finishing the workbook before the seminar, God brought a very special encouragement the day before the seminar began. Visiting our church on Sunday, a young lady came over to Tim and Angie’s apartment after the service for some further discussion.

Taking a few pages from the newly completed Basic Seminar Workbook, Tim and Angie explained a chart on the development of reprobation, how we experience the consequences of sin and the deception of Satan when we move away from God’s moral standards for our lives. Seeing her life pictured in this diagram, she broke down in tears, and came to Christ for Salvation.

More of her story unfolded in the following days by way of letters she gave to our staff. She had known many that called themselves Christians, only to later learn of hypocrisy in their lives. Finally she was convinced that all Christians must be fake. Her life had then taken a path of misery and despair.

As Tim and Angie related this story to me, I felt tears come to my eyes, not only for the joy of her salvation, but for the Lord’s lovingkindness in giving us a little glimpse of the fruit that He would bring forth through the Seminar workbook project. Many times we never see the fruit that God brings through the investments of our lives, but the Lord in His great love knows just when to bring us that needed encouragement.

The Lord in His great love not only knows when to encourage us, but He knows when to bring us chastening. One Saturday morning I was reading the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a huge tree, and how when he was lifted up in pride, God humbled him. “That’s a good reminder,” I thought, “about the importance of not letting pride creep into our lives.”

That evening, the first words in my journal were: “Well, my tree sure got felled today!” That day we had taught the final lesson of our five-week Character-English class series on patience. In the pressure and busyness of the previous days, I neglected to consult with Tim on some decisions with the class and as a result, incurred some misunderstandings between us.

Thinking back to our class just a few hours before, I remembered explaining to the attendees how sometimes we might be facing a difficult situation at work, and often our first tendency is to try to escape from the pressure. Instead of looking for a way out, I told them, we should use it as an opportunity to grow in character by choosing to have a right response. Now I was getting a chance to practice what I preach.

I am grateful that the Lord has allowed a restoration of this situation, and through this experience has taught me a number of other important lessons. No one likes to be misunderstood, but even in the best of relationships, we are going to have times when we misunderstand each other. That is why it is so important to have our focus on pleasing the Lord. He never misunderstands. He knows the deepest motives of our heart.

I believe that this is what gave David strength when he and his men returned wearily to Ziklag, only to find their city on fire, and their families led away captive. David’s loyal men turned on him and were about to stone him. -But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. David went on to lead his men to victory because his focus was on being approved unto God.

Some very encouraging news in the past few weeks came in the way of a phone call from Ideree. You may remember that in December of 2004, I began working on a project to make the Mongolian Bible text available as a module for The SWORD Project, a free Bible software program. (see http://crosswire.org/sword)

Over those next few weeks, the Lord worked out some divine appointments, and I learned of another missionary that actually began working on the same project at the very same time. I helped in a few little ways over the next few weeks as Ewen finished the module, and our Mongolian staff began testing it.

For the next year or so, neither of us had time to work on the project. I needed to meet with the Mongolian United Bible Society to talk about copyright and distribution, but just could not seem to get the time to move forward. Then, a few weeks ago, Ideree called to tell me that not only was the project back underway, but the Bible Society wanted to get a master CD completed that could be taken to Korea for mass duplication.

As soon as I finished the other desktop publishing project that I was working on, I set forth on this new project in an earnest effort to finish an installation program and master CD by last Saturday. Working all afternoon and into the evening on Saturday, I finally talked to pastor Dash at 11PM and we decided that it would probably be better to wait a little longer to allow adequate time to test the new CD.

Finishing up some other pressing projects this week, I was able to finish the master CD on Thursday, and after a little more testing, it should be ready to send to Korea. The Bible Society is not quite ready to allow the distribution of Mongolian Bible module for free, but at least this will be the first step in making it available for the people of Mongolia.

I mentioned a little earlier that sometimes the Lord gives us the opportunity to see a little bit of the fruit that He is bringing forth through our lives. Last Monday our family witnessed a special example of this. You might remember Baigalmaa, a Mongolian lady that owns a bakery business with her husband Bat. Receiving Christ after a character training a couple years ago, Baigalmaa has had the privilege of also seeing her husband come to Christ.

Known all over the city, the Batbaigal bakery is famous for their decorated cakes. They started about ten years ago, and now employ 60 staff, and produce about 150 cakes every day, in addition to other bakery products. Bat and Baigalmaa have a very special heart for their workers, and are constantly looking for ways to invest in their lives.

From our first meeting almost two years ago, I have really enjoyed working with Baigalmaa and the bakery workers. Most of their staff have come from the countryside and many of the principles of character are new concepts for them. Responding to the personal illustrations that make character application practical, many of the workers still remember my stories about forgiveness and other character qualities.

Every other week we have a character training for their workers. On Thursday morning they even delay the regular deliveries so that as many of their workers as possible can attend the character trainings at their bakery. It was with special delight that my family and I accepted their invitation and set up a time when my family could come and visit the bakery and meet their staff.

Bat and Baigalmaa greeted us outside as we arrived, and led us up the stairs to their building. Inside we heard applause and cheering as we stepped in to find all of their workers lining both sides of the hallway to greet us as we came in. If their workers were not so shy, I should have brought a video camera to capture the special moment.

We had a special time of sharing with their workers, and my family was able to sing some hymns and play some music for their staff. After the meeting, we had an extended tour of the bakery, finishing with a beautifully prepared meal in their newly completed staff room. You will have to see the pictures on our website to get a better picture of the generosity and kindness expressed to our family in that visit.

Our time in Mongolia has gone so quickly! It is hard to believe that we only have about three weeks left until we fly back to the States on May 22nd. We want to be open to however the Lord might direct our family, but we applied for an extension of our work permits in anticipation of our family possibly returning to Mongolia in the fall.


Praise Points:

  • Even with many farming responsibilities waiting for him at home, my brother Derrick took the time to be with our family in Mongolia for several months before heading back in early April to start planting the fields back in Wisconsin.
  • I praise the Lord for bringing about the completion of the Mongolian Bible software project, equipping pastors and other Mongolian Christians here with more tools to study the Word of God.
  • Thank you for praying with us in the finishing of an article honoring Isaac’s testimony for the Lord. You can read the completed article at: http://ati.iblp.org/ati/family/articles/eternalinvestment/
  • This week we had the special privilege of welcoming Tim’s mother, and Roger and Ann, two friends from New Jersey for a three week visit to our team in Mongolia. This is the first time that Tim’s mother has been to Mongolia. Roger and Ann were here for a visit three years ago, and are very excited to see all that has transpired since their last visit.

Prayer Requests:

  • Several weeks ago we learned the unexpected news that our Mongolian pastor Enkhee was diagnosed with liver cancer. The cancer is at a more advanced stage, and was also found in his stomach. After much prayer and consideration, Enkhee and his wife Sodnom are traveling to Hawaii for rest and possible treatment options. They remain strong in faith and are a wonderful testimony to the believers here, but pray for wisdom and grace in the difficult decisions ahead.
  • Last summer we were able to buy several used computer monitors at a very reasonable price. The vendor was quite willing to exchange them if there were any problems, but in the unexpected events of Isaac’s death and my family’s return to the States, we were not able to get everything resolved last summer. Pray that we would be able to get the three monitors exchanged in the next few weeks before our family leaves.
  • On May 8th, our family has been invited to share at a special meeting of three schools where some of our team has been teaching character over the past several months. We are not sure exactly what to expect, but pray that we would be good testimony for the Lord in this opportunity.


Pictures:

Having our whole family in Mongolia adds a whole new dimension to

our visits with Mongolian friends.

One of the highlights of Derrick’s time in Mongolia was to go out to the

countryside for a week with Dorjoo, one of our Mongolian staff. Derrick

and Dorjoo helped a missionary family with several projects, including

building this tool chest.

Derrick visited Dorjoo’s family one afternoon. Dorjoo’s mother (far left)

came to Christ after attending Isaac’s funeral.

At my Mom’s suggestion, Matthew and I took one day to do a wood

project together. From going to the market to buy the wood, to screwing

in the final screws, Matthew loved every minute of it. We built a small

cabinet with a hinged mirror on the front.

Last Friday our whole family visited the MIU classes where some of our

staff teach three classes twice each week. Dad shared about how we try

to build character as a family, and then all the children sang the

“Gratefulness song”.

You can see many more new pictures on our family website.

The pictures page for this update includes a number of pictures from our time at the Batbaigal bakery.


Interesting Fact:

The heating for most of the buildings in Ulaanbaatar is supplied by a central hot water system for the city. On Monday, May first, we anticipate that the hot water heating will be turned off for the summer. It is quite common to have occasional snows after May. (In fact, we had snow flurries this morning.)


Thank you for praying for our family and the team! May the Lord bless each one of you today.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Reports from China

Adam's Updates

Friday, March 3rd, 2006
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

So much has happened in the past week, it feels like we came back from China a month ago! Thank you for praying for our family as we traveled down to China to help with the first two Character Family Seminars to be held in Mainland China.

For the past several years, the Character First! team in China has been working with a handful of businesses and corporations to implement principles of good character in the workplace. Rather than starting off in as many companies as they could, Peter and the team wisely choose to work with a smaller number of businesses, but with a greater degree of involvement in each one.

Touring a couple of these companies, I was impressed with first-hand reports of the difference that the character focus has made in the workplace. One company had gone from many work-related accidents requiring compensation to twenty-four months without a single accident. Another told us that after implementing Character First!, they saw such a change in their company that the leadership in their United States office also decided to adopt the program.

Traveling from Ulaanbaatar to Shanghai, I remember walking out to our vehicle thinking, “It is amazing to be in China -without feeling any jet lag!” Traveling from America to meet us in Shanghai, Mr. Fahrenbruck didn’t get this advantage, but he still did a great job of leading the main sessions for the Family Seminars.

Meeting in Peter’s home on one of the first days, we had the opportunity to spend some time with the Character First! China staff. There is not much that I want to say here, but they really have a special team! After some fellowship time and introductions, we talked over the logistics and details of the Character Family Seminar. After doing so many things in Mongolia with little or no preparation, I had a real appreciation for the planning that Peter and the others had put into the seminars.

My brother David led the Children’s Seminar, assisted by the rest of my siblings, while I shared some sessions for the teenagers. A number of local families also joined Peter and the Character First! team, so overall, we had about 20 staff to help as nearly a hundred families came to attend the Shanghai seminar.

Understanding that our life will often communicate a far greater message than anything we say, I decided to use a lot of personal illustrations as I taught the teenager sessions on the topics of praising family members for character, and making appeals. The Lord answered prayer in giving the students a real interest as I shared about Isaac’s life and example, my own experiences of standing alone at my first job, and other personal examples.

Visiting the parent’s session, I watched as after learning how to praise for character, husbands and wives praised one another for demonstrations of specific character qualities. I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I watched a wife, perhaps for the first time, praising her husband for the character that she had observed in his life. Although I could not understand the Chinese, the joy on her face as she looked up to her husband with tears running down her cheeks was a picture that I will not soon forget.

Towards the end of the seminar, my Dad was invited to speak for a few minutes on how we have worked to build character as a family. Although our family of eleven was in some ways a contrast to the one child policy in China, the simple truths that my Dad shared seemed to resonate in the hearts of the parents.

After my Dad finished sharing, he asked if I could come up and share a few words. With a joy and boldness that only the Lord can give, I shared about the importance of the choices we had made as a family. We still have many things to learn, but as I look back on the life of my twin brother Isaac, I know that the choices to build character as a family are choices that we will never regret.

After the session a couple guys came up and started talking with Dad and I. They said that they really appreciated what we had shared, and after some more conversation we learned that they were also Christians. Although we had been very careful not to use religious terms, they had sensed a deeper message in our lives, and wanted to know more about what we were doing in China and Mongolia.

We saw God’s hand working in so many details of our trip. One example was in the teenager session that we did in Beijing. Of the 15 or so students that came that morning, a few of them did not know English, so they were grateful for Jenny’s translation. In the afternoon session, however, all of the students understood my English. Without needing time for translation, I was able to share in much more detail the material that I was covering.

What none of us realized was that a couple hours later, Jenny would be needed to translate for the final sessions of the seminar. Looking back, we could not have planned it better. I was able to cover much more material with the teenagers, and Jenny was able to have a little rest so that she could be ready for the additional translation work.

In between the planning and seminars, Peter had arranged for our family to do some sight-seeing in Shanghai and Beijing. This was our first opportunity to spend a little time in China, and I found things to be such a contrast to Mongolia. A city with a population of three million, -the entire population of Mongolia, wouldn’t even show up on most maps of China!

Visiting a Carrefour store, it felt like we were walking through a four story Wal-Mart! I could hardly believe the vast array of things for sale. The food section alone was bigger than most grocery stores. You could buy live frogs, turtles and eels, and just about anything else you could ever want.

I remember watching a lady walking through one of the isles, placing various household items in her cart. I wonder how many people go through life, buying all the material possessions that they could ever want, but lacking in the basics of family relationships. Material possessions often portray a mirage of happiness, but behind this illusion lies the wreckage of millions of lives, destroyed by the love of money.

There is a true joy that can only come from right relationships. First, a right relationship to God through Jesus Christ, and then having strong relationships with our family, and those around us. All of our things are just going to burn up one day, but the ways that our life has touched others can bring fruit that is eternal.

Right now I believe that Mongolia is in a very important stage. A time when individuals and families are making the choice to pursue the things of this world, or to embrace the ideals of character. Enjoying new freedoms, people are faced with new choices. Do I spend my money on drink, or to buy food for my family. Do I study for my exams, or watch movies with my friends?

I believe that God is doing some special things in Mongolia, and I believe that the Character Training Institute has been a little part of this plan in turning people to righteousness. All around us we see an increasing interest in character training. When we got back from China, Tim told us that while we were away, more requests continued to come in almost daily for us to do character trainings for schools, businesses and organizations.

We have arranged our schedules to try to help with as many things as we can, but we still cannot keep up with the requests. On Tuesday a journalist came, asking if we could do a one hour interview with Channel 5, one of the most popular channels here. She was a former coworker with Khishgee, who works for WindFM, where we do a weekly call-in character program.

I normally do not jump to volunteer for these kinds of things  🙂 , but when God clearly brings an opportunity to make His ways known, may I not shrink back from proclaiming His truth to the nations. In myself I have nothing to offer, but in His Word, God has given us timeless principles and truths that bring joy and peace to those that follow His ways. It is God that has made us able ministers, and it is His grace that empowers us.

At church we are also seeing great things taking place. Last Sunday our pastor introduced the district leaders, mostly young men under thirty, but with a dedication to God that puts to shame most of our American youth groups. We also heard testimonies from several that publicly asked forgiveness for offending others, and another lady shared an incredible testimony of God’s provision for a financial need as she took steps to apply God’s ways to her life.

We continue to hear exciting reports from the weekly cell group meetings, as the Mongolians learn and apply Biblical principles in finance and other areas of life. Our friend Ganbaa was going to share a testimony about clearing his conscience and asking forgiveness for stealing, but there were so many other testimonies that he didn’t get the chance.

Back on the home front, Ganbaa, the crippled boy that we took in after finding him shivering in our stairwell with frozen ears when it was predicted that night to reach a temperature of -50F. Now rooming with one of our Mongolian staff, Ganbaa is taking great strides in Spiritual growth and character development.

Amidst the amazing advances that we are seeing around us, we also see very real challenges that remind us of our daily need for God’s grace. You might remember the Morely family, a missionary family that runs an orphanage on the outskirts of the city. (Derrick brought a western saddle from America for them when we returned to Mongolia in January.) They were recently facing some difficulties with the local authorities in getting their new building inspected, but never anticipated the fiery trial that they would face a few days later.

On Sunday morning Tim and Angie received a call from the Morelys and we learned that on Saturday night their house had caught fire. The guard was awakened by neighbors at midnight, and called for help from the fire department. Arriving in record time, the firemen worked with the badly leaking hoses in -22F weather to battle the fire that was blazing through the roof.

Mr. Morely and others worked to drag furniture and personal items from the fire, using all the available fire extinguishers in an attempt to slow the fire’s advance as the truck drove back to the city to refill the water tank. Five hours later the fire was finally out, but the entire roof and part of the house was destroyed. The weary firemen were covered with ice from the leaking hoses, and had to drag start the fire truck before they left.

On Sunday afternoon we bought some food and drove out to visit the Morelys. As we looked over the charred remains of the fire, something caught my eye. There on the top of a pile of rubble and burned books, I could still see the large words on the title of a songbook “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. What a neat picture of the hope and confidence that we have as Christians! Even when we are staring at the charred ashes of our circumstances, we have the confidence in the promises and faithfulness of God in working all things together for good.

As the Mongolian guard told us a little later, the important thing is that no one was hurt. A house can be rebuilt. I was very encouraged to see the faith of the Morelys as they trust God through this situation. It was not that long ago that Mr. Morely was standing by my side in the death of my twin brother. What a wonderful picture of the love of God’s people as we hold up each other’s arms, and encourage each other to an ever deepening trust in our Faithful God.


Praise Points:

  • Thank you so much for your prayers for our family while we were in China! We had a very full, but very special time with the Character First! China team. A good friend of ours traveled several hours to meet us in Shanghai, and we had many other special visits with like-minded people in China.
  • My parents were able to take a few days away last weekend for Mom’s birthday. It was a blessing for them to have some time to catch up on rest, and to have a little break from the responsibilities here.
  • Last Saturday we started our Character English Classes with the largest ever number of paid registrations. Nearly ninety students came to the first class as we taught on the character quality of patience. We are grateful for the generosity of the Mongolian International University staff in allowing us to use their facility. (Using their school classrooms and auditorium allows us to expand beyond the 20 person limit in our classroom.)
  • A specific answer to prayer from my last update is that we were able to locate a programmable phone for our new phone system. We found a good used one, which was far less expensive than a new unit.

Prayer Requests:

  • This week we began a weekly training schedule with the Batbaigal bakery staff. Baigalmaa came to know Christ a couple years ago after a character training, and her husband Bat has also recently believed. I am really excited about the potential of working with their company in the weeks to come. Pray that the Lord would use the character trainings to make a real difference in the lives of their workers.
  • Yesterday Erin, Cindy and I went to the Channel 5 TV studio to tape a one hour program that is scheduled to be aired this Sunday. I was able to share about Isaac’s life and example of character. Pray that the Lord would give wisdom to the engineers as they put together the program, and that it would touch the hearts of many people.
  • On Monday of next week we have the early registration deadline for the English and Russian Basic Seminar planned for early April. Pray that many English and Russian speaking Christians would be able to come and hear practical truths from the Word of God.
  • We are very grateful for the phone system that the Lord provided through some friends in Minnesota. A few days ago we were able to the phone lines connected into our phone system. The good news is that it is now in operation, but the bad news is that in the initial setup, some unforeseen power loading issues with the battery backup may have caused some internal damage to the unit. Pray that the Lord would give wisdom in getting this repaired next week.
  • Please pray for continued grace and strength for the Morely family after the fire. They have been a testimony of God’s grace through this time, but I know that there are many decisions that have to be made and projects that will require extra time and resources.


Pictures:

Our staff gathered in front of the school where we held the very

first Character Family Seminar in China.

In between the preparation and seminars, we were able to do some

sight-seeing in Shanghai and Beijing. This picture was taken at the

“Summer Palace” in Beijing.

On our final day, we spent the afternoon at the Great Wall.

You can see several more pictures on our website at the link below.

The Morely’s house on the day after the fire.

This is the sight that touched my heart as we surveyed the charred

remains outside the back bedroom.

P.S.

If you would like to write a little note of encouragement to the Morely family,

please send it to me, and I would be happy to forward it on to them.

You can see many more new pictures on our family website.

The pictures page for this update includes over a hundred photos, mostly from our visit to China.


Interesting Fact:

Here in Mongolia, cheese is fairly expensive, but one interesting detail is that all of the cheese is white in color. Even Cheddar and other cheese that would normally be yellow in America looks white, just like Mozzarella.


Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. It has been exciting to see all that the Lord is doing in these days and weeks, and I often feel like the updates just barely scratch the surface of our daily adventures. -You will just have to for a visit and see for yourself.  🙂

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Touch and Go

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, February 7th, 2006
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

I usually like to spend more time in writing my updates, (often four to six hours), but with our family leaving tomorrow to spend two weeks in China, this one might have to be finished a little quicker. (I will explain more about our China trip later in this e-mail.)

After finally finishing our packing the night before, our family left from Chicago on the 19th of January to return to Mongolia, the land we had left so unexpectedly two months prior. Our time in America was a very full two months, but a fruitful time as we shared with family and friends of the faithfulness of the Lord. His grace continues to carry our family through this time of adjustment to our family without Isaac.

We were all looking forward to our return to Mongolia, although we knew that we would experience more emotions as we returned to the place where we had last been with Isaac. Taking advantage of the number of people in our family that were traveling, we arranged to carry as many supplies and materials as we could fit in our bags, while still meeting the 50 pound weight limit.

Privileged to stay in the same home at IBLP Headquarters that our family had stayed at on our return from Mongolia, we enjoyed some final visits with friends and a short but good night’s rest before heading to the airport early in the morning.

Even at the airport we saw the Lord’s hand prospering our way as we began the 30 hour journey to Mongolia. You can imagine the wagon train as our family brought over 40 pieces of luggage through the glass doors into the Chicago airport. After watching us take several trips up to the counter with large bags, a kind man from the United check-in area helped move our baggage, and went on to arrange all of our tickets so we could sit together on the plane, and have our luggage checked all the way through to Mongolia.

As we prepared to board the aircraft, I thought back to another divine appointment that had taken place the day before. While our family was at Headquarters, I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours talking with Phil Garvin. With a heart to share Christ with those he meets in daily activities, Mr. Garvin is sharing the Gospel and leading people to the Lord almost every day.

When teaching others how to share their faith, one of his favorite questions in reference to evangelism is: “Do you feel that you are a seed sower?” “God doesn’t call us to be seed sowers, He calls us to be fishermen. Fishermen go out expecting to catch fish.” Together we prayed that the Lord might even give me the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone on the plane the next day.

Knowing that all of our seats were booked together, I had to smile as I saw God’s divine hand at work. My seat was on the end by the window, and next to me was an empty chair. As the boarding continued, I was joined by a Chinese man about my age who seemed very friendly. As the flight got underway, our conversation deepened beyond basic introductions.

Six years ago, my friend had left China to take a job in America. Now with a wife and family back in the States, he was going back to China for the first time to spend the Chinese New Year with family and his mother who is dying of cancer.

Asking about his church background, I was surprised to learn that he had visited church a few times in America, and actually had a friend that took time for Bible Study and discussion together. Although he was a Buddhist by tradition with his family, he seemed open to the message of the Gospel. He listened as I shared of God’s love in sending Jesus to be the substitute for the punishment we deserve for our sins.

As our conversation moved on to other topics, I began sharing with him about my twin brother Isaac. He laughed as I shared some of the interesting things we have done together as twins, and then listened as I shared about Isaac’s service in Oklahoma City, and then with our family in Mongolia. His interest deepened as I shared about Isaac’s unexpected illness, and the race for life in those final hours.

Deeply touched as I shared of Isaac’s death, he reached across and took my hand. “I am so sorry!” With his own mother in the final stages of cancer, the reality of death could not have been far from his mind. He looked down again at the tract that I had given him as I shared the confidence that we have as Christians. We will see our brother again because he had taken the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. “Yes, I will really think about it.” He told me.

I was so encouraged to see how through the testimony of Isaac’s life, he had gone from a polite understanding to a serious interest in the plan of Salvation. He asked if there were any Christian churches in Beijing that he could visit while he was there. Pray for my friend, that God would open his heart to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he might receive the eternal gift of Salvation.

Arriving in Ulaanbaatar after over 30 hours of traveling, the weary travelers were encouraged to see a number of our staff and friends that came to welcome our midnight arrival and carry our baggage to the waiting vehicles. One bag was lost in transit to Beijing as the tag tore off in handling. This bag was located in Beijing and sent up on another flight a few days later.

In preparation for our return, our Mongolian staff had graciously worked to clean our apartments, and Dorjbat and his crew worked long hours to finish the remodeling work and move furniture back into the rooms. Only those who have lived in our CTI apartments can fully appreciate the transformation from mismatched wallpaper and years of coal smoke into nicely painted walls and trim.

Grateful for a few days rest before work started on Monday, our family began to make the adjustments back into our home in Mongolia. We were all pretty tired after the long flight, and had some simple meals of oatmeal and rice before we could get out to do our regular grocery shopping.

Tim, Angie and Erin returned a week later, bringing our team back up to full strength after several months apart. The opportunities before us are sometimes overwhelming, but the God that has given us a Great Commission has also promised us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The times that I get overwhelmed are the times that I try to carry the burden myself.

Almost every day we are getting requests for character trainings, and our schedule is rapidly filling up. Tim has given me responsibility for the character training side of our operations here, overseeing the translation work and scheduling character trainings. I nearly missed lunch the last couple days as I met with inquirers that wanted to schedule more trainings.

Like Moses as he took on the responsibilities of leading God’s people, the Lord has given me grace to match the task before me. God never promised that it would be easy, but He did promise that we would always have the grace to do His will. I am so grateful for the joy and peace that this grace provides, and for the team that God has raised up to assist in the work.

Often working on my own, I have not had very much experience in delegating tasks to others, but these new responsibilities have given me a chance to grow in this area. It is so neat how the Lord often works through our authorities to allow us to grow in skills that we would not have thought of ourselves.  🙂 It has been a joy to work with David and Rachelle as they oversee the training and translation operations, respectively.

Moving on to our present life in Mongolia, I should mention that last week our family had the opportunity to participate in Sagansar, the biggest traditional holiday for the people of Mongolia. Probably something like our Christmas, it consists of several days of feasting, visiting relatives, and giving small gifts. Each Mongolian also turns one year older on Sagansar.

Although many families, and especially young Christians are faced with the pressure to drink and other unhealthy practices, our family and staff was blessed to receive invitations to some very gracious families. Responding kindly as we blundered through the traditional customs, our hosts took great delight in answering the phone and telling other friends that they had twelve Americans visiting their ger.  🙂

You will probably enjoy the pictures section of this update, where some digital photos will save a few thousand words in describing the food and traditional dress associated with this holiday. One tradition was to have some of the people take turns singing a song. Of course they all wanted to hear the Americans sing, so we sang a few songs together. David, Derrick and I were glad that we had brought our harmonicas and played a couple songs, much to the enjoyment of our host family.

Tomorrow afternoon our family is scheduled to fly to Beijing, China, then on to Shanghai where we will join with a team of others in China to conduct two Character Family Seminars. The Character First! training material is currently being used in several large companies in China, but this will be the first time to introduce a seminar to help families learn how they can focus on character as a family.

David has been coordinating most of the details for this trip, and will be leading the Children’s program. I am scheduled to lead some sessions for the teen-agers, while Mr. Fahrenbruck from Oklahoma City will lead the adult sessions. The Shanghai seminar registration exceeded expectations and swelled to some 275 families, while the Beijing seminar remained significantly smaller.

Please pray for our family as we prepare for these seminars. We will have an all-day seminar in Shanghai on Saturday, and a second seminar the following week in Beijing. The China team has worked mostly with businesses, so this will be a neat opportunity for us to train their team on how to run a children’s program and family seminar.

“Touch and Go”, the title of this update, refers to the aviation maneuver of landing and airplane on a runway, then taking off again. It has reference to our brief few weeks in Ulaanbaatar before leaving for China, but pondering the words brings out a deeper meaning. In a sense, it represents the opportunities that we have in our lives, to take the brief opportunity to touch the life of another, before we move on to the next thing.

In reality, we can do a lot of “going”, so to speak, but it has to be the Lord to “touch” the hearts and lives of people that we come in contact with. Please continue to pray with us that the Lord would use our often brief contacts with those around us to touch lives for eternity.


Praise Points:

  • We are so grateful for the diligence of our Mongolian staff as they ran the entire operation in our absence. In addition to the added responsibilities of remodeling several apartments, they handled requests for character trainings, the weekly call-in program with the radio station, and even did some character trainings on their own!
  • Praise the Lord for some very good call-in radio programs in the last couple weeks as Cindy and I discuss the character quality of sincerity on WindFM. In addition to callers by phone, people have begun sending questions by text messages for us to talk about. We have had some very good opportunities to discuss Biblical principles in dealing with relationships. (Although we don’t mention God or the Bible.) I found it quite encouraging last week as a caller sent a text message in English with something like the following: “Thanks for the character program! I can really sense the Holy Spirit! God bless you!” (No, we didn’t read that one on the air.)
  • Among the more interesting things in our baggage, Derrick successfully managed to bring an entire Western Roping Saddle for some missionary friends. Their dad was having trouble riding the small wooden Mongolian saddles at their orphanage project outside the city.

Prayer Requests:

  • The Lord has given me the opportunity write an article in honor of Isaac’s life of service to the Lord. Planned for the website of our homeschooling organization, pray that the Lord will give wisdom in making the final edits and use this article to touch the lives of many others.
  • Pray for the Waller family and Erin Randall as we travel to China for the seminars. Pray that the Lord will give us a quick adjustment into a new culture, and that we would be an encouragement to the International student families that attend our seminars.
  • We are currently working to get our phone system into operation again. I carried a donated phone system to Mongolia to replace our smaller system that died just before the Basic Seminar last summer. Pray that the Lord would allow us to easily locate a used programmable phone that we can use to set up the system. (We understand that they are available, but have not been able to get one quite yet.)


Pictures:

Sunrise on the 19th, the beginning of our journey back to Mongolia.

This round tent-like structure is called a ger. (“Gare”) It is the traditional

Mongolian nomadic home, and still quite common, even in the city.

Nordema, a student for one of our character classes, invited our family to visit her ger.

The round tower on the center of the table is built from bricks of fried bread.

It is stacked taller or shorter, depending on the age of the oldest member

of the family. On top are little sugar cubes, dried yoghurt and other little dainties.

Altan-hoyig, a young man from our church has been working as a missionary

in the countryside for the past several months. He came to get some

materials and advice as he prepares to teach our character materials in

his countryside town, hundreds of miles from Ulaanbaatar.

You can see some more pictures on our family website.


Interesting Facts:

Have you ever wondered what the weather was like in Mongolia? Last week the weather of Ulaanbaatar was predicted to dip to -50 F, with a “realfeel” temperature of -100. While some areas probably did get that cold, the temperature outside our apartment only dropped to -31 or so. Thankfully the hot water heating system kept everyone warm through the cold snap.


Thank you for praying for our family as we serve overseas! I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit knows just how to encourage us at the right time through your prayers.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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Preparations to Return

Adam's Updates

Saturday, January 14th, 2006
Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Dear Family and Friends,

You know you are a missionary when you hear comments like “When we get back to Mongolia things should be more normal again.” This was spoken by my Dad a few days ago at the dinner table. These weeks at home have been a busy but fruitful time.

One thing that continues to amaze me is how God gives special wisdom to our authorities as they are faced with decisions that affect those under them. In December, my parents were discussing the idea of making a trip to Maryland to see a number of close friends that we had gotten to know during the couple years we lived in the area.

Although this sounded like a wonderful opportunity, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure if it might be too much for our schedule to do another cross-country trip just after Christmas before heading back to Mongolia on January 19th. Since both Mom and Dad felt that it would be good to make the trip, I decided to just wait and see what the Lord might do through it.

A further confirmation came on Christmas Day as we learned that Nell Pryde, a 90-year-old dear friend of ours had taken a bad fall and was in the hospital with serious head injuries. This is one of the friends that we had wanted to visit out east, and we all prayed that the Lord would give us the opportunity to see her again.

Who but the Lord could have foreseen how badly Nell needed that visit. After surviving the brain surgery to the surprise of the doctors, she still knew our family and remembered our names. She is a strong Christian and ready to meet her Savior, but as she told us, God must still have some work for her to do.

It was a joy to meet with many friends and families, most of whom we had not seen since we moved to Wisconsin four years ago. One of the highlights for me was to see the Wold family. We had known them in Maryland, and some unexpected events in their lives left an impression that I never forgot.

While September of 2001 marks for many a major event in history, the lives of the Wold family were forever changed the year before. Our family was planning to get together with them on September 8th, but plans changed and we had to postpone the dinner. Then, that very evening as Mr. Wold was jogging near their home, a car came around a curve and struck Mr. Wold. Airlifted to the hospital, he passed away in surgery a few hours later, leaving a family of nine children and one on the way.

My family joined hundreds of others at the funeral a few days later to witness a powerful testimony of a family that had taken hold of God’s grace through this seeming tragedy. I still clearly remember seeing their family sitting in the front row of the church, with a confidence and joy that shone through the tears. Testimonies by Mrs. Wold and their oldest son Daniel proclaimed God’s faithfulness through this unexpected loss.

How little did I realize that just five years later, it would be my family sitting on the front row of a large church in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and I would have a similar opportunity to boldly testify of God’s grace. Memories of the Wold family often came to mind as we walked through this experience as a family, and like the Wolds, we were surrounded by God’s grace and the love and prayers of others.

Our visit to the east coast was marked by many special visits and opportunities to share of God’s faithfulness. Looking back, I am so glad that we went. It was a lot of miles to travel, but the rich fellowship with friends left us with special memories as we returned to the farm for the final packing and preparations for our return to Mongolia.

The Lord continues to give us opportunities to share with others of the grace that God has given us through this time. Last Sunday we were invited to share at a small church in the area. Our family shared some special music, and I was given the opportunity to preach the message.

Perhaps what made this opportunity especially significant is that one of the families that attends this church lost a five-year-old daughter in a farming accident last Spring. The Quimby family was a real testimony to the community as they shared the confidence they had that their daughter was with Jesus. (See: http://www.burnettcountysentinel.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=8766&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=20)

Going through an experience like Isaac’s death gives a new depth in relating with others. I never realized before how many people have gone through difficult losses in their lives. I believe that this is a part of the fruit that God brings through these challenges. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This is one thing that I am looking forward to in going back to Mongolia. God has given us a door of opportunity, and now God has given us a deeper message to share. As Mom was sharing with me while traveling home in the van last night, this is our message. We are not wonderful or special people. We have had many failures and many mistakes as we try to walk in His grace, but God in His great love and mercy has chosen to shine through our weakness to show His power.

Missionaries are not some special type of people that have achieved a measure of status that sets them apart. We still go through very real challenges and struggles, just like any other family. That is why we so appreciate your prayers for us. We have been strong through this time because God’s grace has carried us. The Eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

With our sights turning to Mongolia, we look forward with eager anticipation to the work that God has before us. Our Mongolian staff tell us that calls continue to come in from different groups asking for character training. A few days ago a well known company asked if we could do training for their staff. Another meeting brought the proposal to get materials for the next nine character qualities translated and printed as soon as possible.

In February we are scheduled to travel to two cities in China, teaching Character Family Seminars to the students and families of some International schools. David has been preparing the curriculum for the Children’s Seminar, and I am planning to do the training for the teenagers while Mr. Fahrenbruck leads the sessions for the parents.

Many things are just waiting for our return to Mongolia, so I have a feeling that we will “hit the ground running”, so to speak, when we land in Ulaanbaatar next week. Please continue to pray for us as we work out the final arrangements for packing and travel.


Praise Points:

  • We are grateful for how the Lord continues to provide for our family, often in interesting ways. A good friend asked if we needed any firewood, and brought three cords of dried sawmill slabs. Another friend from church said, “yes, but you need some chunk wood too.” He arrived a few days later and unloaded a semi load of hardwood logs onto our woodpile!
  • Some of our relatives thought it would be prudent for me to have some blood tests done here in the States before going back to Mongolia, so I paid a visit to the doctor last week. I know that my times are in the Lord’s hand, but it was nice to see that everything came back as normal.
  • Praise the Lord for a good visit to Maryland, and the safe travel along the way.

Prayer Requests:

  • Pray for our family as we do the final packing and preparations for our return to Mongolia. We are planning to drive down to the Chicago area on Tuesday, and fly to Mongolia on Thursday, the 19th of January.
  • Please pray that we would have good health for the trip, and a good adjustment to Mongolia. Sarah is recovering from strep throat, and the is some illness going around our area.
  • Pray for the team in Mongolia as they work to finish some remodeling projects in the main apartments. We appreciate the hard work of our Mongolian staff as they replace the aging wallpaper and paint the floors in the midst of all the other projects.


Pictures:

Taken while our family still lived in Maryland, this picture shows

one of the Wold boys playing trumpet between Derrick and Isaac.

You can read more about their story on their son Daniel’s website.

“Well, you need some chunk wood too.“, a dear friend from

church told us, arriving a few days later with “some chunk wood.”

(A semi load of hardwood logs.)

Although we miss Isaac, it was great to be together as a

family for Christmas.

“Been traveling long?”… Matthew was finding creative ways

to enjoy the trip out to the east coast.

Out in the field, Derrick was excited to see the corn harvest

coming in from our fields.

Sunrise over our home a few days ago. We enter this new

season in our family with a deeper confidence in the

all-sufficient grace of our loving Savior.


In most of my updates, I have struggled with the decision of how many pictures to put in my update. I usually select several, but have to narrow it down to just a few to keep the e-mail size small enough for our friends with dial-up connections. Now, with our family website, I have posted some additional pictures for those that are interested.

You can visit http://www.cadlinx.com/wallerfamily/index_files/Pictures/06-01-14.htm to see the other 32 pictures.


Thank you for your prayers for our family as we head back to Mongolia. It was such a joy to see so many that have been praying for us over these past months.

In Christ,

– Adam


Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

Family Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily

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

If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list.  – Adam

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