“…that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying…” Mt. 2:15 and others Our American world is all a flurry with excitement and anticipation because Christmas is just around the corner. It is called “The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.” Everyone is wondering about the gifts they will be receiving, and eagerly searching for the gifts he or she wants to give to others. Decorations are going up in stores and homes. The neighborhoods will be all aglow with beautiful lights and decorations of all kinds. Indeed, the land has entered into its most festive season. And all of us will enjoy it. As I began thinking about what I would write in my Christmas newsletter this year, I sensed that it should not be my usual format.  My mind turned to a different thought pattern. I began thinking in terms of where we are today in history. I also thought of the world into which our Savior was born. I realized that there are many similarities, but there are al...

Greetings from Beautiful Redding... Wow, hard to believe the holidays are upon us already. We trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did. We had a great time with family and friends, folks we haven’t celerated the holiday with for a long time. Now it’s time to get ready for Christmas. This will be a special one for us, we’ll have all 3 girls home for the first time in 4 years. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Father! KENYA The drought in Nakuru is finally over! It’s been a hard pull for Pastor Mathew and the orphans. But the crisis has passed and drinking water is now available close to home. Mathew recently reported that revival is still going on in his church and the impoverished neighborhood where he is located. He points to Mark’s time there as the beginning! That is truly an answer to prayer! And that shapes the goals of the March trip. We now have 3 specific goals: 1. Fuel the revival fire by revealing more of the Fathers heart, His character and the identity that H...

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 136:1 Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving I love this holiday we call “Thanksgiving.” It makes us stop our merry-go-round routine of daily living to reflect on the goodness of God to us in the current year. My family used to come to my house. I would cook for the better part of two days, and we would have a wonderful time together remembering, being thankful, laughing and having fun. Now, I go to my children’s home’s and they cook, and we have a wonderful time doing those same things. Wherever you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful time. After a very busy three months of travel and hosting nationals from Nigeria and India, last month was a welcome time of catching up with duties in the home office. And there was plenty of catching up to do. All was not quiet, however, as important communications from both Nigeria and India have been ongoing. Because there is too much to share ...

Greetings from beautiful, cool, Redding! Well, that was different. Summer to fall in about two days. Literally. In the 90’s one day, a couple of days later it’s in the 70’s and staying there. Whew, what a relief... at least for Mark. Julie enjoys the heat. Perfect! Julie gets 4 or 5 months of weather she enjoys, Mark gets a few months of reasonable cold. That works! Sometimes God gives us encouragement in, shall we say, unexpected ways. We (Mark and Julie) have been attending a mid-week class at church. Really good stuff, stretching and encouraging. But last week we met a lady from Romania. From Cluj Napoca. And she knows Pastor Adi. The lengths He will go to that we might be encouraged are astounding! ROMANIA The curriculum is coming together. Mark should be done with it in January or February. Creating this course has truly been a labor of love and a learning experience. Time spent thinking and meditating on the character of God: who He made us to be; what the work of the Ki...

“And the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ our Lord. I trust all is well with you in every way. In August, I was blessed with a wonderful visit from one of our sons in the Lord from Jos, Nigeria, Rev. Chuwang Davoe, who has been a part of our lives since 1989. Well, last month I was abundantly blessed again. This time it was with the visit of another one of our sons in the Lord - Rev. Bhalchandra Kamble from Pune, India, who has been a part of our lives since 1987.  At that time, he was only 22 years old and had just answered God’s call to become one of His leaders in the Body of Christ in India. During this visit, we talked about the increase that is being realized in the Indian church. Until recently, it has been reported that only 2% of the Indian population is Christian, no matter how much the popul...

Hello Everyone! We hope this month’s newsletter finds you doing well. We are settling into life here in Redding, getting to know our new church family, build new relationships and community. Redding is almost startlingly friendly and feels very much like home. ROMANIA Mark is continuing to make head way on the curriculum for the school of ministry. The third phase of the curriculum is focused on deeper theological study of the Word and practical application through outreach and working in the local church. The challenge at this stage is developing material that contains the depth and breadth of basic theology while being concise enough to teach in an accelerated program such as this. We are excited, though, to see how the Lord helps us put it all together. Mark ministering in Cluj The outreach portion of this phase in some ways is less challenging as this is the type of ministry Mark cut his teeth on. However, that doesn’t mean it is without its own unique set of circumst...

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain….” John 15:16 Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus, in whom we live and breathe and have our being. We who live in Florida are rejoicing that Tropical Storm Erika lost all of its potential for becoming a hurricane. We are spared once again. Thank you, Jesus. A WONDERFUL TIME IN LOUISVILLE, KY The Worldwide Missionary Evangelism Fellowship’s Global Roundtable Connection in Louisville, KY last month was a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord in every way. We were blessed to have Reinhard Bonnke as our main speaker. He brought a rich word on the fire of the Holy Spirit. It was wonderful. In fact, every speaker brought timely words that challenged and encouraged us in our own ministries. The diligent labors of the WME leadership were very fruitful. Thank you, for your labors of love in behalf of our Lord and the Fello...

Greetings from Smoky Redding! We are fortunate in that we have only had to deal with the smoke. However, the fires across the Pacific Northwest are causing untold destruction and we need rain. Your prayers for lightning-free rain are greatly appreciated. On a personal note, we found an apartment! We’ve been in a short-term sublease for the summer while we looked for a permanent spot to land. The Lord has been so good to us and provided a place that has been completely renovated. All we have to do is unpack! We are so very thankful for His provision and we again have a place to call home. ROMANIA Mark had a truly wonderful trip to Romania. It was quick trip; however, a lot was accomplished on two fronts while he was there: On the ministry school front, Mark met with Adi Cristzea, the local pastor we are working with, to discuss the progress of the school. During their time together, Mark and Pastor Adi were able to flesh out more of the details for the school. Staffing is a...

“…we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37 Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am rejoicing in His goodness to all of us who have put our faith in His sacrificial death and resurrection which give us greater-than-normal hope for this life and provide for us a sure hope of our eternal future with Him in glory. I am happy to report that my recent travels have truly been blessed by the Lord. My first trip out was to chair LTI’s Annual Board of Directors Meeting. The Lord met with us in a greater way than He usually does. There was a heightened awareness of His presence to assist us in our deliberations; to which all of us attested. In fact, it was a lot like those wonderful church services where no one wants to go home - you just want to stay and bask in His presence. I am so happy that He is involved with us in everything we do for His glory – even business meetings. My second trip out was to attend the L...

Greetings from Beautiful Redding! As we write this, Mark is just 12 hours from departing for Romania... so this will be short and (hopefully) sweet. Everything is ready for the trip. Messages are polished, phase 2 of the School of Ministry curriculum is done, ministry  time is lined up. All that’s left is to pack and sleep. A little anyway. We have to leave Redding at 4:00 AM for Sacramento. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Mark will try and update you on the trip via Facebook. If your not FB friends with him already, shoot him a friend request to see the pictures and read the stories. We’re excited about this trip. The opportunity to minister to the Gypsy community is wonderful. This is an under-reached people group that needs to hear the Gospel. What a privilege! Please pray for effective, anointed ministry to this group. The Kenya trip is shaping up. Mark received an invitation to speak at a second church. We still don’t know if Mark will be joined by the church from...

  “Peace I leave with you...” John 14:27a Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus, in whom we live and move and have our being. I trust all is well with you and that the blessings of the Lord are overflowing in your life today. The words of a little chorus are buzzing around in my soul today. It says, “I’ve got peace like a river, peace like a river. I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.” And I do. I hope you do too. In spite of all the turmoil that is taking place in the earth today, including our own country, we can and should be at peace because Jesus left us His peace that surpasses all natural understanding. In life, we will encounter troubles along the way. Some more severe than others. Nevertheless, in those times we go to God for His help and He helps us. He will help us today with whatever we are facing in our nation, or in our personal lives. We can be assured of that. So, I encourage you today to let the peace of God rule in your hearts by Christ Jesus, n...

Greetings from Sunny Northern California! We finally made it! After 7+ years of praying about this move, several false starts and numerous disappointments, we finally are here. And it’s everything we expected and more. We’re settling into life quite easily and enjoying it already. The trip south was an adventure. I (Mark) intended to do some fishing but a broken leaf spring on our trailer took my fishing time and money. Stuff like that gets real expensive in northern British Columbia. You see, there aren’t very many people, in fact I’d guess there are literally more bison and bears than people in the region. But goodness is it beautiful! All in all a nice trip, full of wonderful scenery and wildlife. And the best part... seeing my beautiful wife at the end! Romania is set. I leave on the 24th of July and return on August 3rd. I’m looking forward to meeting with Pastor Adi again and ironing out some details for the School of Ministry. Speaking of the School, please lift that ...

“…let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...” Hebrews 12:1b, 2a Happy greetings to you today. May your day be filled to overflowing with the presence of the Lord. I am gearing up for a very busy summer this year, and “busy” is good. Here is what is on the agenda. At my Pastor’s request, I have begun writing a 13 week study titled, “Preparing for the Mission Field,” to be taught in our church as a simple introduction to missions text for anyone desiring to go on any of the many foreign mission outreaches our church is involved in each year, as well as our very active local home missions endeavors. Once it is finished, it will be published so that anyone – pastor/church, missionary, Bible college/institute, or individual – can obtain it for their own use if they so desire.   Beginning June 23rd, I will be leading a nine week Women’s Bible Study every Tuesday evening in my home church. The ...

Mark and Julie send their warmest greetings to you today, but they are so busy with their move from Juneau, Alaska, to Redding, California, that they have asked me to write for them this month. Julie is presently holding down two jobs: her new job in Redding, and helping her former employer in Juneau for a time via the internet while they make their transition with new employees. Needless to say, she is a very busy lady right now.  Mark is still in Juneau, wrapping up two jobs he was committed to when this move came into view, finalizing the curriculum for the school of ministry in Romania, and reducing their possessions and packing what they are taking to Redding. Likewise, he is one very busy man. Mark will be leaving Juneau on June 10th, going north to Skagway, Alaska, via the sea-going ferry, (there is no road in or out of Juneau) then by land connecting to the Alaska-Canadian, aka ALCAN highway into Washington State onward to Redding, pulling an enclosed trailer filled w...

“ It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, sayeth the Lord of hosts.” Zachariah 4:6 (KJV)   Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Seasons come and seasons go. For most of us, Spring has officially arrived and brings with it new hope and new life.   The big story for LTI this month is about Mark and Julie, details of which are revealed in their column “News From the North.” In fact, you may want to read their column right now to see what is going on. All of us are very excited about these new events and we are looking forward to all that will be forthcoming as a result. God is good. All the time.   The next story is that my fourth great grandchild made his entrance into this world on April 23rd at 10:25 PM, weighing 8 lbs. 2 ozs., and measuring 21 in. long. Hunter Ryan Groth is his name, and we welcome him with open arms. In just 21 months, I have been blessed with four - I say four - great grandchildren. Three boys and one gi...

 Greetings from the beautiful North, We hope this month’s newsletter finds you all doing well. Since our last newsletter, so much has happened it will be hard to fit it all in as our “suddenly” season continues. In January of 2005, we decided to do a cross country road trip to visit with family and friends before heading to Nigeria. One question we had before the Lord on this trip was, long term, where could we find a place more convenient than Juneau for ministry purposes that we would both be happy to call home. One of the stops along the way was Redding, California to visit the “favorite” cousins. While we were there, the Lord started placing Redding in our hearts. At that time, it didn’t really seem to make sense and we couldn’t imagine why God was saying Redding, but we kept lifting it to the Lord, knowing we were hearing Him. When we returned from Nigeria, Redding was not an option. So, we did what was before us to do, continuing to lift Redding to the Lord trusting His...

“ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,...’” John 11:25 (ESV) Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus – the only name by which any person, young or old, can obtain salvation. We must continue to declare His name until we no longer have breath for speaking. If we who know Him do not declare the truth of who He is and why God sent Him into this world, how will the world who does not yet know Him learn of Him? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Last Sunday, the choir in my home church sang God So Loved the World , which is a beautiful rendition of this very verse. As they sang, the phrase “ should not perish ” rang loudly, over and over again in my spirit. It has continued to ring over and over, non-stop, in my mind and spirit ever since. Should not perish! Shoul...

Greetings from the Sunny North, We’ve been blessed with some amazing weather these last few weeks. Juneau is dressed in her finest when she is all decked out in her Spring duds! Isn’t it funny how Spring can happen overnight? What seems like a never ending winter suddenly becomes green, fresh and full of life. Sometimes seasons change like that: seasons in nature, and seasons in our lives. We are definitely in a “suddenly” season. After a prolonged period of waiting, now we are running to keep up! Over the last couple of weeks our youngest daughter has been accepted into a school of ministry, landed a job, pretty much has all her housing arranged and will be heading out mid-May. The two boys we have been fostering are moving to their forever home next week. And, we believe the Lord has given us a timetable for moving to the Lower 48. A chorus from Ghana says it so well - “Cause when the Lord gets ready, you’ve got to move, move, move, move, move.” This month we want to share ab...