Update: February 24, 2007: My Son, Whom I Love
We want to ask you to be in prayer for our son. We awoke this morning to temperatures of -22 degrees Celsius (-8 degrees Fahrenheit). During our morning visit, He was very mellow and seemed tired. When we arrived for our afternoon visit, they told us we would not be able to see him because he was sick. He is running about a 100.5 degree fever. The baby house has a great full-time doctor who has been very kind; at the same time, we can't help but to want to be the ones to take care of him. But for now, we will pray that he begins feeling better soon and ask you all to do the same.

Throughout our journey to this point, there is no question that God has been teaching us many things. We obviously are learning more and more each day about the Father in heaven who has adopted us as His children. I can't wait for Easter Sunday when I have the opportunity to preach on that incredible truth! But our Father's relationship to His children has not been the only picture we have seen over the last week. Through our time here in Kazakhstan, I have become increasingly convinced of our need to wake up to the purpose for which we were created. Let me explain...

A few days ago, I was reading from 1 Corinthians 4, where Paul writes to the church, "In Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord." Here is Paul, whose ambition was to proclaim the Gospel among all nations, particularly those nations which had never heard the Gospel, saying that he sees his relationships in the church as a father to a son. He calls Timothy his son whom he loves!

(Watch out... here's a sermon coming on...) Do we see the picture here? When I think of all that I have learned about being a father in this first week in Kazakhstan--longing to see my son, aching to be with him, rejoicing in his successes, giving my life to protect and provide for him--what if these kind of relationships are intended to be at the heart of the church? What if the way to make the Gospel known among all peoples is to start investing our lives in others, like a father does in his son's life, so that we long to be with each other, rejoice in each other's successes, support each other's weaknesses, and literally give our lives to protect and provide for each other in Christ? Could this be the crux of what it means to make disciples of all nations?

If so, then the question we really do need to stop avoiding and start asking in the church is not how great our programs are, not how big our buildings are, and not how successful our projects are, but who are we laying our lives down for? Who are the men and women in our lives for whom we are sacrificing everything so that they might be "faithful in the Lord"? As I’m surrounded by a land full of so many people unreached with the Gospel, I am reminded again that we cannot sit back, wring our hands in pious concern, and go on with business as usual in the church.

As we embrace the call to parenthood in our physical families with such joy, let us embrace the command to make disciples of all nations with even greater joy--yes, an even greater joy!--for we know that the fruit of our faith and obedience will be a multitude of "sons" and "daughters" from every tribe and every nation one day worshiping the Father who is worthy of all praise. Father, may it be so in Your church...

We love you and miss you!
--David and Heather

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