Just to report back to you all who have been praying for Cecilia Slat, a Bible Study teacher who has been leading the group I attend when at home, she had the first phase of her surgery  Tuesday, and it went very well.  Only half of her thyroid gland was removed.  Depending on the biopsy, a second surgery may be done to remove the second half.  Then there are bone spurs in her neck which will have to be attended to.  Please continue to pray for healing mercies.

Yesterday, per request of Cecilia, I led the Bible Study and we focused on the importance of studying God's Word.  There is a troubling trend occurring at present-- a weaning of evangelicals away from the Word of God.  We looked at the rise of experiential worship and how it is being emphasized over the study of and adherence to sound Biblical doctrine.  The people which comprise this group come from different denominations so it was interesting to hear how things are faring in regards to how different church groups are dealing with this trend.

The article we were looking at was written by TA McMahon and had been posted on the website www.the bereancall.org   In it he writes  "Although the Bible has been under various attacks for centuries, the latest "Yea, hath God said...?" strategy may be the serpent's most deadly.  The process involves weaning evangelical Christians away from the knowledge of, an understanding of, and a dependence on the Word of God,  The objective is to produce biblically shallow Christians who are functionally illiterate regarding what the Bible teaches, and who therefore have no accurate basis for, or interest in discerning biblical truth from error.  By functionally illiterate I mean that such evengelicals know how to read, and they have Bibles, but they rarely read them, preferring to get their biblical content from some other source."

Who would have thought that we Christians would now be accused of being enemies to the good of mankind because of our "intolerance (of sin)". and tendency to "exclusivity (by trying to avoid evil and live a Christian lifestyle)"?  To cope with this bad PR many churches are trying to "adapt" the Gospel to current worldly trends and regroup to form "seeker friendly" assemblies or do a spiritual makeover as the emergent church is trying to do in order to "fit in" with the new age type of mindset.

What a blessing it is to find a group of like-minded Christians who want to study and follow the Gospel teachings found in the Bible.  I strongly encourage you to get deeper into God's Word and if possible to join a Bible Study group (evangelical).  This is the only way to avoid being swept away in the ever stronger current of this present degenerate Age. 

As I get ready to return to Haiti I have been keeping informed as to how things are in Dariol as regards the H1n1 virus.  So far there seems to be little flu activity in our area there.  The nurse reports normal flow of typical types of colds and upper respiratory cases that do increase when school starts up and all the kids are together again.

This may change of course when relatives from the states start visiting Haiti in late Fall and at Christmas.  We will stress the importance of handwashing and for parents to keep kids at home when there is evidence of fever.  The ability to keep air -born illnesses down is very difficult as Haitians are always squeezed so close together whether it is in their public transportation, schools, markets or in the home where some families all sleep in the same small room.

Please pray for the Haitian people that God will give them health mercies during this flu season.  We are already praising the Lord for the quiet hurricane season this year!

As I prepare for my return to Haiti I have been busy trying to procure really special music for the Christian Radio Station that Gospel Growers founded and supports.  Music is a very important tool in evangelizing.  It also serves as a wonderful way of encouraging and stirring those who are already saved.  The messages in the songs are just as edifying as a sermon.

Because of this, I have been searching for websites that might have the kind of music that would be understood and appreciated by our largely Haitian audience.  I was blessed by discovering 2 sites that have a fantastic selection of evangelical Creole music on cds.  I also found some great Spanish Christian music.  Haitians like both Spanish and English cds.  There is travel between the Dominican Republic and Haiti so many know enough Spanish to appreciate music in other languages besides their own.

Please continue to lift up Cecilia Slat for her thyroid problem.  As she will be off for awhile I will be serving as a substitute Bible Study teacher.  We are in Philipians so I will be continueing where Cecilia left off-- Philipians 2.  Please pray that the Lord will guide me in preparing for class this Wednesday.

As I think about my trip back to Haiti, I find myself also reflecting on that other trip that I hope will soon be happening before long-- the Rapture.  Many people seem to be little interested in that day when Jesus shall call us home.  In fact, some seem to be very comfortable here and are not looking forward to the dawning of that day any time soon.  All I can think about is how glorious it will be.....    

Jesus made it quite clear in his teachings that prayer was not only possible but  ESSENTIAL in the spiritual battle which we are engaged in while waiting for His return.  It is only through prayer that we can lay claim to the mighty spiritual power that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As darkness encroaches ever more and more throughout the world, and faith seemingly wanes, we should shake ourselves and address ourselves to this battle before things pass the critical mark. We need prayer warriors to stand up and make use of the spiritual weapons that God has made available to us-- the greatest being the actual word of God itself and prayer.

I am asking for you all to please pray for Cecilia Slat, our Bible study teacher who has just been diagnosed with a thyroid problem.  She is doing such a wonderful work here getting God's work out its hard not to see this as a direct attack.  Please pray for her healing as she is scheduled to undergo surgery next week.

I am scheduled to return to Haiti the first week of November and am looking forward to getting the substation set up in Dariol so that our Christian Radio station can stay on the air for longer periods of time.  This can also be a prayer request.

Please seek a closer walk with the Lord in the coming weeks as it does seem apparent that the Lord will be returning for his people soon....