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October Newsletter

SHANNON’S CORNER
October 2018

Recently, I have been reminded of a book I read about two years ago called, “Peace Child”
by Don Richardson.  The book is about a missionary family who served a cannibalism tribe.  The missionary wanted to share with them who Jesus is but did not know the tribe’s language.  At one point during the missionary’s time with the tribe God shows him a way to be able to share with the tribe who Jesus is in a way that the tribe would understand.  The tribes would be constantly at war with one another until there came a point when the warring tribes would present one another a peace child.  The peace child was the youngest child of the tribe that would be given to the other tribe to take care of the child.  Both tribes would exchange a peace child as an offering of peace.  As long as the child lived there would be peace between the tribes.  But if the child died then the tribes would be at war once again with one another. Jesus came as a baby, a peace child. He is the Prince of Peace.

I have know many who have had a baby this past year and this past month there have been two who have been born here in the Dominican Republic.  Babies are a blessing.  They are a sign of new life and new beginnings.  When you are in the presence of a baby it’s like you are mesmerized by everything about him or her.  Babies bring people, families and friends together in a way that nothing else does.  God has blessed me to see such an experience of how God used a precious peace child to bring people together.  Seeing how God answered my prayers in a most beautiful and mind blowing way has been priceless.  God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.

Our missionaries in Jarabacoa have met together twice this past month for our study on Conflict Resolution.  We are reading the book, “Peacemaker” by Ken Sande, which many of us had read prior but it’s always good to reread, discuss and put into practice.  We talked about what causes conflict and our approach to conflict.  Our natural instinct is to either avoid conflict at any cost or to attack it or the person(s) involved as a way to place the blame on someone else.  Now our focus has turned toward what is God’s approach to conflict.  Our last session was on how do we glorify God while in the midst of conflict.  Have you ever stopped to think while in conflict what is it that God wants me to learn from this?  Knowing who our enemy is, Satan and how he wants to destroy our peace in any way that he can.  As believers in Jesus Christ we are commanded to seek peace with others by loving them as Christ loves us.

In our women’s bible study we have continued our study of the names of God.  This
month we have studied, Elohim Shama, “The God Who Hears” and El Shaddai, “God Almighty,” “All-Sufficient One,” “All-Bountiful One,” “God of the Mountain”.  A hearing God is obviously a living God.  A hearing God is an all-knowing God.  What comfort it is to know that my God hears me.  He is actively listening to me and cares for me.  This is Elohim Shama.  Knowing that God is sufficient and He is more than enough for any need I may have.  God has power to fulfill His promises.  He has power to do what He says He will do. When I am trying to do everything on my own or in my own way then I am really saying that God is not sufficient for me.  What I learned with Abram is that God told Abram he would be a father of many nations yet for years passed and nothing was happening so Abram and Sarai took things in their own hands to fulfill the promise that God gave Abram.  Abram made a mess of things.  In Genesis 17, God tells Abram that He, God is El Shaddai. What comfort to know my God is faithful and true in keeping His promises.

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, 
the Lord appeared to him and said,
 “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ 
Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.”
Genesis 17:1

PRAYER REQUESTS
Praise the Lord for Dave and Connie Rhodes being here!
Praise the Lord for the birth of Sophia the daughter of Christina and Moises!
Praise the Lord for the birth of Bibiana the daughter of Romulo and Kami!
Pray for our Missionary Retreat November 2nd-4th.
Pray for Women’s Bible study.
Pray for the missionaries in Jarabacoa as we continue studying Conflict Resolution.
Pray for wisdom and discernment.
Pray for my spiritual life that I long and thirst for time with my Lord.

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