Myanmar Project - COMPLETE!

Our team leaves Saturday for Myanmar. While there we will be involved in teaching/training Bible College students, caring for orphans, visiting villages, worshipping with the believers, taking part in a baptism service, and participating in a seminary graduation service. The dates for our trip are Oct 1-12. We deeply appreciate your prayers for safety, health, strength, open doors, and many opportunities.

One of my goals in short-term missions is to make sure that our teams are a blessing to the nationals and not a burden. While they are always eager to host American visitors, it is a tremendous strain on them physically and financially to care for foreign guests. I strive to make it our ambition to leave them refreshed and energized not exhausted!

For this particular trip, I had four projects in mind to “refresh” the saints of Myanmar. By the grace of God and the generosity of His people, these four projects are achieved!

1. Brand new ESV Study Bible for every graduate. COMPLETE!
2. Permissions from the gov’t to visit the villages. COMPLETE!
3. $1,500 to purchase a new outfit for every student (44) and orphan (21). COMPLETE!
4. $1,000 to provide food for the students and orphans. COMPLETE!

In addition to these blessings, my family and I want to bless Pastor Joseph and his family. I am bringing him 5 of my personal favorite books, right off of my shelf, for his enjoyment and edification. For his family, our family is going to give them a special gift to care for their needs. For his son, Jedidiah (you may not know that Pastor Joseph asked me to name his son. Jedidiah means “beloved of the Lord”) Haddon and Talitha are sending toys, clothes, and pictures.

To God be the Glory!

Great Things He has Done!

p.s. And there is more to come. Stay tuned! God is good.

Waiting......now Expecting!

Most of you know by now we have some very exciting news....my wife and I are expecting our third child!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!! 

We are excited because we believe that children are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Yes, they require you to have much more responsibility, much more energy, much more patience, and plenty more self-denial. The outcome though is more than worth the effort. Children are a joy. In fact, you don’t really understand the joy of giving, sacrifice, and love until you have a child, or two, or three. There is really nothing that comes close to sharing special moments with your little ones like praying together, playing together, birthdays, family worship, helping your kids see, embrace, and then follow Jesus! I cherish every single one of these splendid gifts from God! I simply will never tire of hearing “I love you, Daddy” or getting a big Goodnight hug!

What most of you may not know is that Summer and I have wanted another child for some time now. Haddon will be 6 years old by the time that our next child is born. We had planned for a much smaller age difference. God’s delay in sending this next bundle of joy proved to be a time of teaching and stretching for us. We never shared with others that we would really welcome another baby so it made for awkward moments when family or friends would jokingly ask when we were going to have another. Somewhere inside I would feel helpless and yet hopeful. Helpless because I knew our circumstance. Hopeful because I knew God is ultimately in control. It was in those times that God stretched us and reminded us of some of life’s greatest lessons.

1. God is Sovereign. You can’t read the OT without realizing that God opens and closes the womb for His greater purposes and glory. His sovereignty extends to both the male and female. In other words, the “closing” and “opening” of the womb could just as easily be a matter involving the husband as it involves the wife. Yes, we wanted a child. But no, we were not pregnant. With our first two children, we were expecting very soon after planning. This time was very different. This time we really began to understand that God oversees all of His creation. Conception is not merely a matter of natural operations! Conception is a miracle wrought by the hand of Almighty God according to His wise, sovereign timing.
2. God is Good. Sometimes our desires, even if they are really good desires, may not be the best plans for our good and God’s glory. How is one to know this? You simply have to trust in the wisdom, love, and goodness of your heavenly Father. When He says, “Wait,” it must be good for you. When he says, “No,” it must be good for you. For some reason that we cannot see today, it will be better for our family if our third child is much younger than Talitha and Haddon. 

So what if Summer and I would not have been able to get pregnant again, ever? Believe me, we discussed this possibility as well. I’d like to share some thoughts tomorrow on that very issue. How does the sovereignty and goodness of God apply to couples who long to have children but are never able to conceive?

On a final note, we would appreciate your prayers. Please join us in praying for a good pregnancy, a healthy baby, a wonderful birth, and strength for mommy!!!

Forgiveness: Accomplished, Applied, Ongoing

Forgiveness of our sins is expressed in three ways in the Scripture.

Category 1 could be called Forgiveness Accomplished. This is part of what Christ accomplished, achieved on the cross. His sacrificial, substitutionary death secured the grace of forgiveness for us. Colossians 2:13-14: ...God made [us] alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us...nailing it to the cross.

Category 2 could be called Forgiveness Applied. This is what occurs when we cry out to God, through faith and repentance, for salvation. When we come to Christ, acknowledge our sin, embrace Him as the only hope for forgiveness and salvation, God applies to us the forgiveness that Christ accomplished for us. Acts 2:37-38: Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Category 3 could be called Ongoing Forgiveness. This is what occurs with us daily as believers when we confess our daily sins to God. He grants us ongoing forgiveness based on the Accomplished Forgiveness Christ secured for us on the cross. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Categories 2 and 3 spring from Category 1. On the cross, Christ secured forgiveness for us by paying the penalty for our sins. When we come to God in faith and repentance, at the new birth or in daily communion, God grants forgiveness to us!

Thank God for His grace of forgiveness, abundant and available, because of Christ!

Having received God’s gracious forgiveness, live in the victory Christ has won for you!

Help Wanted

ANNOUNCEMENT: Search And See is looking for a volunteer bookkeeper who lives in the Fresno/Clovis area. The duties normally require around 5 hours of work each week. A modest stipend is given when available. If interested in donating your time and talents to a ministry that reaches around the globe with the Gospel, please reply to searchandsee@att.net.

Myanmar Project 2011 Update

As part of our mission to Myanmar, we desire to bless the saints and share Christ to the greatest potential possible. Thus far, we have completed 2 projects.

1. ESV Study bibles for all 20 graduates. COMPLETE.
2. Permission from government to visit villages. COMPLETE.

We have two more projects to complete before our departure on Oct 1.
1. $1,500 to purchase a new outfit for every student (44) and every orphan (21).
2. $1,000 to purchase a year's supply of rice and beans for the seminary and orphanage.

If you would like to partner with us in this endeavor, please send donations to Search And See, PO Box 1304, Paintsville, KY 41240. Be sure to designate your gift "Myanmar Project."
Blessings!
Wil Owens

Search And See - September 2011 Update

Dear Friends:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I trust this update finds you well and rejoicing in the Lord’s salvation. Thank you for standing with us in prayer and supporting our efforts to further Gospel efforts around the world.

• MYANMAR PROJECT!!! We would LOVE to raise $2,500 before we depart for Myanmar on Oct 1. $1,000 will be used to purchase rice and beans for the orphans and students. $1,500 will be used to purchase a new outfit for the orphans and students. We have ESV Study Bibles to give each graduate and the funds to purchase permissions for visiting villages.
• Myanmar Trip: Oct 1-12. Team of 4. Training Bible students. Visiting orphans. Visiting villages. Services nightly. Sunday worship gathering. Sunday afternoon graduation.
• BIG NEWS: A lot of interest is building for the Bible College graduation in Myanmar. Many university students and Buddhists will be in attendance. Please pray for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
• Sermon Ministry: 368 downloads last month in 28 States and 14 Nations. Broadcasting weekly in Liberia.
• Annual Financial Report was posted last month.
• Annual Board Meeting was held last month.
• Pastor Whittman, from Kenya, lost his wife to fever last month. Please pray for him and his orphan ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Search And See is looking for a volunteer bookkeeper who lives in the Fresno/Clovis area. The duties normally require around 5 hours of work each week. A modest stipend is given when available. If interested in donating your time and talents to a ministry that reaches around the globe with the Gospel, please reply to searchandsee@att.net.

Blessings!

Wil Owens

Galatians 2:20