Hafa Adai from the beautiful island of Guam!
A new “normalcy” of life has emerged here in Guam. For many, COVID testing has become routine and a ten-day quarantine expected. Some get vaccinated, not because they want to, but rather to keep their jobs and function “freely” in society. Others continue to fight the narrative, managing their lives accordingly. The new “normal” could be described similarly to resignation. It is difficult observing strong people making hard decisions against their will just to be able to “live their lives.” For some of our church folks, it’s caused a lot of soul searching and looking to the Lord for answers. The struggle has developed a new and different kind of strength that wasn’t there before, and I am amazed at how the Lord has “worked things together for good” during these difficult times.
The Lord continues to use me personally to lead people to Christ. Since the last update, 21 people have believed the Gospel and prayed with me to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Saviour. A man was sitting on a bench with his face mask off, so I decided to approach him and see if he would allow me to talk to him about the Lord. He nodded that it was all right for me to talk to him. I then noticed another man a few feet away and asked if they knew each other, and he said that the other man was his son. When I queried if I could talk to him, too, he called his son over. Now there were two people for me to talk to about the Lord. As I began to explain the Gospel, two women wearing masks approached and joined in—now there were four. All four allowed me to explain the Gospel to them. They all said they understood and believed and then prayed with me to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Saviour. When we finished praying, all four thanked me with happy, shiny eyes . . . and then fist-bumped me. I was amazed at how I had hoped to talk to one, but the Lord planned for four.
The longer I serve here, the more things seem to come full circle. In 2007, I led a man who had terminal cancer to Christ. He died shortly thereafter. Recently, his wife and family and his mother-in-law began attending Island Baptist Church.
Thank you for continuing to support us with your prayers and giving. Both help us continue to make a difference for the Lord in the lives of the people of Guam and to see things come full circle.
Please continue to pray for our health and safety, Island Baptist Church, Guam, and Micronesia.
In His harvest field,
Dan Rothwell and family