ETERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
Dear Family and Friends,
The Apostle Paul’s exclamation after detailing God’s plan and ways for 11 chapters in his letter to the Romans is,
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”
What a humbling thing it has been to experience His plan and ways powerfully carried out in the lives of others, and even in nature, over these past two months.
Here is a small sample of what happened:
“Developing Eternal Relationships Now” Conclave in Kathmandu, Nepal. From October 31st through November 3rd, 27 staff leaders and 10 student leaders representing 11 Tyrannus and Lydia Halls from 5 South and Southeast Asian countries gathered for a couple days of fellowship, equipping and encouragement. Here is a link to our 38-page program guide comprised mostly of annual reports from each Hall: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtAq0FuxjXNriJNet71H6uzMmX9hyA?e=0IukcL.
On the last afternoon, the staff were having a workshop on dealing with their most challenging obstacles to a well-functioning discipleship community. When I entered the room to say we needed to be wrapping things up, I found them all standing, holding hands and praying in mass, each in their own mother tongue…19 leaders representing 15 different mother tongues! It was a little bit of heaven now: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev 7:9-10). Here is a 25-second video clip of them praying together: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DtRoEer45v5VwdMh6.
The Conclave closed with a powerful message by Chacko Chacko, Chairman of the Tyrannus Halls Educational Trust and Principal of South Asia Institute for Leadership and Cultural Studies. Here is the link to his 22-minute challenge, “Thy Servants Are Ready To Do Whatsoever My Lord The King Desires”: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AtAq0FuxjXNriJQCyJ3D8VUcSBzYeQ?e=LXP5pA.
Pikey Peak Discipleship Trek, Nepal. Three students from the Kathmandu Tyrannus Hall and I had the chance to spend 6 days with each other hiking to Sir Edmund Hillary’s favorite spot from which to view Mt. Everest, also from which seven of Nepal’s eight 8000+ meter peaks are visible. We hiked under a starlit night sky to reach it at 5:40 AM. Unforgettable. The trek was student-led, always with daily time in God’s Word together and nightly reflections: developing eternal relationships and memories now. Here is a 48-second video clip of what it looked like upon our arrival (be sure to unmute it): https://1drv.ms/v/s!AtAq0FuxjXNriJQBdhpAnHRrNggpiA?e=9ISLEy.
Olomouc Lydia Hall, Czechia. Julie and I were encouraged to see Monika and Mojmir and the progress on the new Olomouc Lydia Hall. Mojmir is pictured at right with Anička, his daughter-in-law who is interested in being the OLH staff when the Tichys no longer can do it. Funding is needed to complete the Hall by next summer in time to open for the next academic year in October. The Tyrannus and Lydia Halls Board of Directors is presently collecting funds to help them. If you would like to help, please be sure to designate “OLH” on the memo line. (Until the new TLH website is completed, donations must be made by check to Tyrannus and Lydia Hall, PO Box 191, Wheaton, IL 60187.)
Mt. Sinai, Egypt. While on vacation with good friends Pavel and Mila Štifterovi and their grandson Maty Cimala, I was able to climb Mt. Sinai with Maty (training for the Himalayan trek). Maty and I were the only ones on the mountain…sort of like Moses and Joshua 😊. We’re pictured together in front of the alleged burning bush, where St. Catherine’s Monastery was later located. Without a single tree for shade on Mt. Sinai in the blistering sun of this desert, I now know why God had Moses come up in the morning (e.g., Ex 19:16; 34:2)! We didn’t…and maybe that’s why no one else was around. Kudos to 80-year-old Moses for doing this hike half-a-dozen times or so. It was grueling.
I’ll mention one last humbling and memorable highlight, because it stands out in my mind as another example of how God is carrying out His plan to transform us into His image, an image as Jesus describes Himself is “gentle and humble in heart” (Mt 11:29). This time it was in a formal setting: a lecture opportunity with second-year seminarians at the Protestant Theological Faculty in Cluj, Romania. My assigned topic was to teach from the Heidelberg Catechism (Questions #27 and #28) and show how it related to discipleship. I am still in amazement at how God brought us all together under His Word and gave us a greater love for and desire to live under His sovereignty, especially in difficult times. We were all impacted. October’s prayer request to “wholly lean on Jesus’ name” was answered not just for me but for all in that classroom. Thank you for praying.
That all would experience the deeper, eternal kind of relationships with God and one another now,
Steve