Greetings in the name of Jesus. I pray that God will bless you in every area of your life.

In early September, JoAnn and I enjoyed being part of a mission group to Honduras. We spent a week there and traveled to a remote mountain village. As we ministered God's power was manifested and many people accepted Jesus as their savior.

In the book of Acts we read about Paul and Barnabas going to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch where they strengthened the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith saying, "... through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." Doubtless Paul understood tribulations. He made this trip shortly after being stoned and left for dead in Lystra. (Acts 14:19-22). We must note that God did not prevent the stoning but raised Paul up afterwards.

We may not understand fully why tribulations come upon God's people, but we must know that they will come, and afflictions will crucify the flesh while maturing us spiritually. Paul left a clue concerning this when he wrote to the Romans and said, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: For My sake we are killed [smitten, afflicted with deadly intent] all day long; we are accounted as sheep to the slaughter. [Re: Ps 44:22]. Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39 N.K.J.).

Paul knew about the distasteful things which come upon the flesh of God's children, but he also knew that good things come through suffering. Jesus said, "... There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and the gospels. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time [this life], houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions [pursued by sufferings]; and in the world to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30).

Like many others JoAnn and I have faced such suffering and God is good, even in the distasteful times. During the last few months thousands of people have prayed for JoAnn's health. For this we are thankful. She desired a miracle but this did not occur. Therefore, after we returned from Honduras we made a decision that she should have a modified-mastectomy on her left breast. This took place Monday, September 27, 1993. Before the operation she said, "Whatever they do to me they do to Jesus." She knew that He is with us always and He would be with her through the operation. In recovery she awoke with a smile instead of the normal groaning. The doctor and nurses were astounded because she had no pain after the operation. On Tuesday, the day following the operation, she felt so well that she wanted to go home. However, she was not released until the third day. At home she is doing well. She even has a full range of motion in her left arm and should recover quickly. The cancer has been removed but JoAnn must now undergo chemotherapy. Her spirit is high and we believe that she will go through this as easy as she did the operation. Thank you for continuing to pray for her.

I have told these things that you may be encouraged in times of trouble, something which is common to Christians. Sometimes Jesus sets us free quickly, but at other times He does something else. We see an example of this in the story of the "pool of Bethzatha." Jesus healed one man and left others as they were. (John 5:2-9). We do not know why, but God's ways are above our ways. Therefore, we give thanks in all things while knowing that God is in control.