Newsletter, 4/28/16

April 28, 2016, Prayer Letter

As I write Kathy is packing.  She keeps coming to me bringing things, “Do you want to take this home, leave it here, or throw it away?”  Not a bad metaphor for life.  What is worth taking up space, hauling around, and consuming the energy of life as I allow it to continue to be a part of my life? When I leave--either where I am right now, or when I take leave of this earth—what will I leave behind, anything of eternal value? What are the “weights that slow me down” that ought to be cast off, so I can more effectively run the race (Hebrews 12:1)? We leave the lovely nation of Palau in less than forty-eight hours.  We’ll be in Guam for the PIU baccalaureate and graduation, then visit with our sons and their families, and arrive home in VA the evening of the 14th. So, what will we leave behind?More than anything else, we’ll leave behind relationships.  It makes it hard to go.  Our prayer is that they will last until we return.   Just yesterday Kathy spent the afternoon with a young lady from Papua, and then a lovely evening with a missionary colleague, and a pastor’s wife.  We have built and strengthened relationships with several church leaders, our students, our landlord, our neighbors, and others.  Palau is a place where relationships are very important. We leave behind the knowledge and growth that has come to our students.  All three of our academic students plan to continue taking classes.  Our most faithful nonacademic student is planning to plug-in to whatever further opportunities we offer.  We have been privileged to be part of the conversation surrounding the Palauan Evangelical Church’s commitment to send one of their own couples to Indonesia.  We stand with our fellow LMUSA missionaries, Steve and Anne Stinnette, who are key trainers in this process.  We didn’t accomplish everything we hoped to, but, by God’s grace, we’ll leave some worthwhile assets behind. What will we take with us? A profound sense of “This world is not my home.”  For a long time I have referred to our house in Covington as “Kathy’s house.”  We decided that our place in Palau is “Howard’s apartment.”  Really, our home is in heaven.  We will take plans for the future home with us.  Our plan is to be here for the Spring Semester of 2017.  It is likely that I’ll be here to teach the classroom part of a hybrid online/classroom class sometime during the Fall Semester.  We’ll go home with hearts full of thanks—gratitude that we have been privileged to be involved in this ministry, and invest in lives here, and appreciation for the gracious way the Palauan people have received us.  We go back to Virginia with deep thanks for your investment in our lives, an investment that has resulted in treasure being sent ahead to heaven. What will we throw away? I don’t have a specific answer for that, but we want to live our lives in a way that counts for the Lord.  If something is in the way, we pray that God will give us the ability to trash it.  We look at that question with clearer focus than before. In addition to what you read above, here is some information about the next eight months. < >I’ll continue in leadership, though from afar, with PIU-Palau.  There are plans to be made, decisions, classes for which to prepare, and relationships to maintain.I’ll enter the other phase of my new “job.”  I’ll be working with Global Ministries Director Bill Schuit.  Our goal is to encourage and assist missionary candidates and their churches.We have work to do at “Kathy’s house.”We’ll have some opportunity to spend time with family.I’ll be preaching at CBC the Sunday after we arrive home.  I’m preaching at First West Fairbanks, Chad’s church the week before that.  I’m open to filling pulpits and ministering in churches as my schedule allows.Kathy completed the first phase of a major writing project at the kitchen table here in my apartment.  Pray with us that she’ll be able to identify what to do with it.  We have already sent out some feelers. experience discoveries in God’s word is priceless!  Seeing two of them share PIU-P with a crowd of perspective students was very special as they shared their passion for PIU & God’s word from their hearts!  It made us very proud of them!!  We will miss our twin 5 year olds next door!  I could go on and on!   We ask your prayers as we return to Covington to some more transitions.  We are really looking forward to seeing all of you at some point in the next eight months.  I must say Mesulang again!

I wanted to upload some more pictures, but the internet here is really slow.  Starting at the top: Palau is full of lovely flowers.  Junia, a young lady from Papua, who is here to learn English came over for a visit with Kathy.  Howard two buddies; Meluwat is from Palau, and Erpin from Papua.  When we visited Peliliu we landed on the same runway used first by the Japanese and then the Americans in World War 2.  Two of the young ladies taking classes at PIU-Palau, Shamira and Melvira help us promote PIU at a guys High School.   The guys, their chillin'.  Kathy at a lovely spot just a short walk from our apt.  All missionaries are required to have a sunset picture.  Kathy took this one on a trip out with the ladies. Palau is known for the Story Boards its craftsmen produce.  This one was made as a gift for one of the University's partners, commemorating two anniversaries.  The real story, though is being written on the hearts of the students we are able to touch.  Thank you for partnering with us. Praise: Except for one brief spell of flu for H. we have been healthy. Deepening relationships with some key people. Opportunities for ministry both in and beyond the classroom. The growth in our students’ lives. Friendship with our neighbors where we live. The marvelous team of supporters who have made our ministry here possible. Prayer Requests: Between now and the middle of May we’ll drive half-way across Palau (not that far), fly half way around the world--we’ll actually go back a day as we fly from Guam to Hawaii—and then drive close to 2,000 miles visiting family and heading home. Our four months here has been a good start.  Pray that it continues. We need more students.  We have seen some interest.  Pray for follow-through. In the USA we take internet for granted.  Not here.  Pray that we get back online at our classroom/office. Our friends Anne and Steve are training a Palauan couple who will head to Indonesia as missionaries.  This is a first for the Palauan Evangelical Church.  We have been involved in this in a small way, and have tried to encourage in a big way.  Pray for the success of this big step. Please ask the Lord to guide us and empower us as we move into our State-side ministries. There is more, but that’ll do for now.  Please call or write or stop by.  We’d love to visit.   H&K Howard & Kathy Merrell 2106 S. Carpenter Drive Covington VA  24426 hmerrell@piu.edu 540 7841195, 540 691 6539, 540 691 4438 Our mailing address is: Howard & Kathy Merrell 2106 S. Carpenter Drive Covington VA 24426

Finishing up and heading back.

Wow,

A friend of mine used that word in sharing a devotional at a kind of impromptu retreat that several of us shared in the lovely Rock Islands of Palau.  Enjoying the time away were fellow LMUSA Missionaries Steve & Anne Stinnette, Hiob & Leah, the pastor & wife of the Koror Evangelical Church, Chris and Johanna, missionaries from LM Germany, three kids, a young lady from Papua, our guide Adolf, and us.  We stayed in a house about the size of a two-car garage, with a big wrap-around porch.  The porch rail is only about 20 feet from the water at high-tide.  Most of us slept on the porch, so we could enjoy the sound of the ocean and sea-breeze.  Adolf, Hiob and I went fishing, we ate well, and very much enjoyed one anothers company.  I hate to name drop, but the place belongs to the High Chief of Koror.  The food, sunset, scenery, fishing, and fellowship were all worthy of my friend’s “Wow.” 

Our camera needed batteries so we didn’t get any pictures.  One of our friends took a lot.  Anne shared them with us.  I uploaded a picture of the house where we stayed below.  If you want to see more pictures go to Facebook, anne spell stinnette posts.

Our time for this term of ministry here in Palau, “The Rainbow’s End,” is coming to a close.  The time has gone quickly.  Again Wow!  Our students are doing well.  We have been building and strengthening some key relationships.  We have had a couple of opportunities to do some recruitment for PIU.  We have some more on the calendar.  In order to shorten the time between visits, to Palau, I (HM) may come out here, by myself, in the fall semester and teach a compressed schedule class.    We would appreciate you praying for us as we make plans.  We are keeping busy.

·         Today I filled in for Pastor Mac at the Koror Evangelical Church, English Fellowship.  Mac isn’t feeling well.

·         Wednesday, we will share the opportunities at PIU with a group of high school seniors.

·         Friday I’ll be doing what I’ve dubbed a “Theology-O-Thon” with the missionary candidates being trained by Anne and Steve Stinnette.  A couple from the Palauan

EEvangelical Church, and a couple from Liebenzell Germany will be heading to the Island of Papua.  My session Friday will be a whirlwind tour of Bible Doctrine. 

·         We also have our usual schedule of classes, Monday – Thursday.

Beyond that, let me tell you about what the next couple of months look like for the Merrells.

·         We’ll pretty well finish-up classes on the school week of the 18^th – 21^st.

·         The next week will be reviews and exams, with a presentation at a youth conference thrown in.

·         I’ll be preaching at the Palauan service at Koror Evangelical Church on 24^th.

·         We’ll need to do a quick pack-up of our apartment on the 28^th.

·         We leave for Guam very early on the 29^th.  We’ll be there for PIU’s graduation.

·         We leave Guam on May 2, stop-over in Hawaii, on May 1, and arrive in Monroe Louisiana May 2.    J

·         It will be our joy to attend our oldest granddaughter’s High School graduation.  On Mother’s day I’ll get to preach at the church my son, Chad, pastors.

·         Our car is in Louisiana. We’ll drive to Texas for a visit with Chris’s family and then drive home in time for me to preach at Covington Bible Church May 15^th.

It goes on from there, but that’s enough for now.

I began by telling you about our Wow-inspiring trip to the Rock Islands.  Our little group included 4 Americans, 2 Germans, 6 Palauans, and 1 Papuan.  That is reflective of the ethnic diversity of this little Island nation.  The fact that we stayed at the chief’s house is also reflective of life here in Palau.  Tradition is very important.  Some of those traditions are very helpful—the way Palauans show hospitality, for instance—others not so much.  With TV, internet, and other inputs from East and West, North and South, some are struggling to hold onto the old ways, while others are all too eager to feed the old traditions to the fish.  What is really needed is a generation of people who see the world through Biblical lenses, who can help sort out what to keep, what to redeem what to leave behind, and what to reject.

We believe the potential is great.  Thank you for partnering with us as we pour our teaspoon of influence into the Pacific.