The second verse came when I was seeking God's direction after spending a year in Chicago studying at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I was sitting in the old Alliance Church (the beehive shaped one) in Nipawin one Sunday morning when God impressed this verse upon me. "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord" Ezekiel 37.14. That was in 1995. Shortly after receiving that verse we moved to Cambridge Ontario where I began to work as a Millwright. On a mission trip to Tunisia in 1999 I received a very special filling of the Holy Spirit which consisted of 1 1/2 days of waves of God's Spirit coming over me. I consider this as an anointing for the ministry that shortly followed and a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37.14. During a layoff from work in 2001 I preached at Rosedale and became its full time Pastor. These nearly twelve years at Rosedale fulfilled God's 1995 word to me from Ezekiel.
I have always had a desire to serve overseas. Gloria and I seriously attempted to serve overseas at one point in our lives. I have also always had a desire to teach God's Word. In 2012 a third verse was impressed upon me from Isaiah 42.9 as I began to think it was time to end my pastorate at Rosedale. "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them". The former Ezekiel verse was fulfilled and a new direction was in store for Gloria and I. Please take the time to read from verses 5 to 8 of Isaiah 42. They outline my new job description and a serious warning to give all the Glory to God. In searching for a mission to work with, by God's guidance He led me to World Evangelization for Christ (WEC) and through WEC working in Chad was suggested. Chad may not be my final destination for overseas work but God has led in that direction for now and I am rejoicing in that calling.
I trust this will give you a fuller background to what may seem to some as a rash and radical decision to go to Chad. My goal is to please God and I am thankful that God is allowing my adventurous spirit, boldness, and inquisitive mind to be satisfied in following His will.
Yesterday I mailed out my application for a visa for Chad to the embassy in Washington DC.
Thank you to those who have sent in support for this 4 month trip to Chad. For information on finances see the blog entry <The Holy Spirit and Means> from July 5th.
This week I purchased my ticket to Chad. I leave on September 2nd on Ethiopian Airlines arriving in Chad on September 3rd via Addis Ababa.
I finalize my vaccinations with a Yellow Fever shot and my second Hepatitis B shot on Friday.
I bought my 220 volt to 110 volt converter/adapter.
I am thrilled to report that 27 people have asked to be on the private weekly prayer email that I will regularly be sending out. This will not be a long email and will have specific prayer requests each week. The first email will be sent this week. If you would like to be included in this mailing send me an email <rtulip231@gmail.com> and I will add your name to the list.
I think I will be returning home from Alberta at the end of July as there is not much work for Packer drivers at this time and there is maintenance needing to be done at home.
I have been reading two "can't put them down" books on the history of Islam and Shari'a and understand much better the present turmoil and some of the conflicts and factions within the movement. Islam has a rich heritage but over the centuries has struggled to determine the true way of Islam and how to interpret and apply the law, a fascinating struggle that all religions go through.
Send up a prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters who love Jesus and are willing to die for that love. How precious is our God and Father, His Son Jesus, and the Word He has left us to treasure.
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