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t" 3

THE GREAT COMMISSION REMINDERAmong the tribes of Northern Siom

OZAHKBIBLIC

Joplin, Mo,nd tht hte lh t i t s h a l l

kaom that / em th t Lord,

wh ta / MheH b* sooc f i f l t d

inyou b0for* th t i r tjrts.£zk . 36 -29

OAtfmfliUd fr«« by

MEL ond JUNE BYERS

Tolot Chianohom,Cbongwot Chian^rai,

Thaikiad^ Asia

VOL. 8

€o y» into en the worltk

ond preech th e gospel.....Mark / c ; /5

Perwording ogint

MRS. ALLEN R. NICHOLS

2Mt S.E. Silvvr Spr ings Rd .Port lond 22» O rt gon

U.S.A.

JANUABY- APRIL, 1956 No. 1

SCHOOL at t h e LEPER VILLAGE

Looking toward the ent rance of the Leper Church.

The s tuden ts enjoy a sho r t r eces s .



STUDENTS WHO ATTENDED THE LEPER SCHOOL

0 , ^

•99,6

"I 'VE . m c m s ) TIIE TOP OP Tiro MOUNTAIN", was t h e ex

clamation of one l e p e r a s he noted t h a t h i s examinat ion

paper was marked 100^. For the past two months we have

been c o n d u c t i n g school a t t h e l e p e r v i l l a g e . The ageso f t h e 42 s t u d e n t s range from 4 t o 50 y e a r s , b u t t h e y

have one t h i n g i n common and t h a t i s a d e s i r e t o l e a r n .

Don, Dorthy Uhlig , Imogene Will iams and myself were

t h e t e a c h e r s . The c o u r s e s i n c l u d e d l o o k i n g up songs i n

t h e song book, a l l s t a g e s of r e a d i n g and w r i t i n g , B i b l e

c l a s s e s , and a c l a s s i n l eadersh ip t r a i n i n g f o r the Leper

c h u r c h .

T h e r e w e r e t h e u s u a l m a l a d i e s w h i c h a l m o s t t h r e a t e n e d

t o c l o s e t h e s c h o o l . The very f i r s t day a boy showed up

w i t h t h e m e a s l e s . A f t e r t h i s t o o k its toll t h r o u g h t h e

v i l l a g e , the students were plagued with chicken pox.

Each morning during chapel many new songs were taught

and t h e devot ions were conducted by t h o s e l e a r n i n g t o

preach. Right a f t e r chapel the vitamins were d i s t r i b

u t e d . t o s t i m u l a t e t h e t h i n k i n g process as well as t h e

general health of the school. I believe many learnedt h e new experience t h a t comes from thinlcing. Trying t o

t e a c h a d u l t minds t h a t have been d u l l e d by ignorance i s

l i k e p ullin g rusty n a i l s out of dry hard wood. Each day,

however, a few n a i l s were pulled and the machinery madea few r e v o l u t i o n s . This was v e r y encouraging t o a l l .

By the end of two months many questions had been



answered, some of the men had preached for the f i r s t

-time, and many had learned to find the numbers in thesong book, and many were complaining of headaches. Thusi t was when one f inal ly obtained a 100^ on his paper. He

exclaimed, "I 've reached the top of the mountain. I t ist ruly a moment of success when a leper learns to read —it brightens a l l his soul with l igh t .

Two months i s not enough - it wil l take many more butI am sure t h a t God i s honored when he hea r s a humble

leper shuffle the pages of His Word and haltingly but

surely pronounces the Words of l i fe with understanding.

IN HIM WAS LIFE; AND THE LIFE WAS

THE LIGHT OF MEN

;; W

TWO LEPER STin)ENTS IN WHOM THS LIGHT HAS BEGUN TO SHINE

On the closing day of school the man in the pictureabove made t h i s s ta tement . "Two years ago I came from

Indo-China. I did no t know J e sus , My l i f e was f u l l of

sin and under the power of Satan. Now I am learningwhat it means to have sa lva t ion and peace in my hea r t . "

And so i t i s that even lepers are coming home by the wayo f the cross.



WHEREIN IS THE FIGHT ?

During th e l a s t world war the array code word fo r

Tha i l and w as SIN and French I ndo -Ch in a was EVIL. These

code words descr ibe a cc ura te ly th e forces a t work in

t h e s e tw o c o u n t r i e s b u t all t h e a r m i e s in t h e w o r l dlaunched agains t SIN and EVIL would not have conquered.

In Thai land our s t ruggle as wel l as yours i s no t

agains t f lesh and blood bu t agains t powers, darkness and

sp i r i t u a l wickedness in high places . Our s t rength must

be in th e Lord. "Be s t rong in th e Lord" i s a command.

To be s t rong in anything e l se i s s in . Hence our b igges t

battle is to let the battle b e t h e L o r d * s . If we s t a n d -

in the Lord-

th e foe wi l l be demolished, bea t ing i t s e l faga ins t the impregnab le bulwark of God.

In sp i t e of th e obvious, many are s t r iv ing in t h e i r

own s t r eng th . I f t h i s be our defense the impetuous d is

c ip le would have done more than chop a man*s ear of f .

Chr i s t would have employed His l eg ions and Paul would

have organized an anny to wage war aga in s t the tormen

t o r s of Chr i s t i an i ty . We could see fo r a moment th e

sp i r i t u a l forces which war aga ins t th e sou l - we would

dash fo r th e c i ty of refuge and make sanctuary in th e

shelter o f t h e r o c k .

In Thailand we wres t le agains t sp i r i t ua l forces .

America has won th e f r iendship of th e Thai by her g i f t s

of gold and mil i ta ry aid , but has not ye t subdued the

sp i r i t ua l wickedness t h a t con tro ls th e minds of th e

na t i ve . Against t h i s enemy th e church has commissioned

h e r s e r v a n t s . F o r a s e a s o n it seems that t h e s e s e r v a n t s

are consumed, overwhelmed by th e darkness . Anger, j e a l

ousy, pr ide , s e l f -w i l l — a l l bea t aga ins t the sou l .

Wave a f t e r wave i s launched b ut ev en tu ally the l i gh t be

g ins to sh ine fo r the "darkness comprehends it no t " .

T he w e a k e s t s e r v a n t is a b l e t o w i t h s t a n d this o n

s l augh t . I f s t rong in th e Lord we can descend in to the

d ark es t h ole , and when th e smoke from th e ba t t l e c lea r s ,

t h a t soul wi l l remain unsca thed. Every s t ra t egy of the

d e v i l c a n b e r e b u k e d . T he frailest e a r th en v e s se l c a nc o n q u e r .

The ba t t l e i s no t aga in s t f l e sh and blood. It i s

against the sub tle powers t ha t walk aroimd in yellow

r ob e s i n th e name o f Lord Budha . It is th e i n c e s s a n t

power tha t beats drums and gongs, lashing and whipping

the minds of men in to deeper darkness, ignorance and

servitude.



This demagog of hel l is a master a t sp ir i tua l sub

version warring against the soul of God's people with

sectarianism, group loya l t ies , prejudice and misxmder—standing. Resist ing these forces in our own strength,employing our own methods and donning armor of our own

design is only invi t ing sp i r i tua l suicide. Our for t if ica t ion becomes f l imsy cardboard. We become as a

cr ippled bi rd before a hungry t i ge r .

As a servan t of the church in a fore ign land the se

a re th e f o r c e s t h a t I f e a r . I t r emb l e a t th e i n d i f f e r

ence tha t prevai ls in regard to th is t ru th . God's

people s t i l l t rus t to human effor ts , materialism and

methods which ul t imate ly become gain for the enemy. I

do not fear the many diseases t h a t preva i l in a heathencountry. I do not fear maltreatment a t the hands of

na t ives . I do not suf fe r because of minor pr iva t ions .

I fear only the forces tha t war against my soul and the

complete indifference with which the Chris t ian views

th e enemy camp.

Our f igh t i s not aga ins t f l esh and blood - but aga ins t

sp i r i tua l wickedness. About the only th ing tha t i s going

to help us very nmch in Thailand - i s prayer - and th epower you have in prayer by your own personal r e l a t ion

ship to the Lord.

g

i 4:

SACRED SffillNE CONTAINING A FRAGMENT OP BUDHA



HOW SERIOUS CAN WE GET? How o f t e n men f o r s a k e t h e ' '

teachings of Chris t t o clash i n theologica l sword fights'* '

over opinions and t h e o r i e s . I t i s encouraging t o note

that some a r e still more c o n c e r n e d w i t h w h a t J e s u s h a d t o

say.

How s e r i o u s s h a l l we t a k e t h e w o r d s o f C h r i s t ? The

C h r i s t i a n l i f e ? Discipleship? An excerpt from recent

news i s worthy o f our m e d i t a t i o n .

Ed McCully s tood w i t h four o t h e r young Americans w i t h

s i m i l a r backgrounds on t h e steaming r i v e r banks of t h e

Amazon's headwaters . Thei r o b j e c t i v e was t o reach 2,000

members of t h e savage Auca Indian t r i b e descr ibed a s one

of the worst people on e a r t h . Day a f t e r day the missiona r i e s sought t o make f r i e n d l y c o n t a c t . As t h e n a t i v e

f r i e n d l i n e s s became apparent the missionaries landed

t h e i r Piper cub on a sandy beach. This proving succe ss

f u l , they attempted the same thing several days l a t e r .

As a group of natives approached, they promised the homebase t h a t they would make radio contact again in a couple

o f h o u r s . The r a d i o c o n t a c t was n e v e r renewed.

Search planes spotted one body lying near the looted

plane. Six days l a t e r a search party located the bodiesof the other four. They had a l l died martyrs to theAuca Indians of spear wounds and machete slashes-. Aroundthe shaft of one spear was wrapped a few pages torn from

t h e B i b l e .

I t was my privilege to be a classmate of Ed McCullyin the School of Missionary Medicine. Graduation nightwas also a separation unto the ends of the world for

many. As a class we proudly presented before God andthe world our motto, "Be thou fai thful unto death".Some would say that i s nice but don't take i t too seriously. I am thankful and proud that Ed believed andmeant every word. He accepted the Word of God at facevalue. He was deeply earnest - radically sincere.

Jesus said, "Whosoever shall lose his l i f e shallfind i t . " How serious shal l we take these words? Again

"What shall a man give in exchange for His soul." Edsaid, "Nothing - not even l i f e . "

Many call themselves Christians but have never weighedthe price of true discipleship. Let us be more concernedwith the implications man places upon them. I am thankf u l some d o !



Bal. Aug. 1, *55 §1676.83

'RECEIPTS: Aug. 1, *55 to Jan. 1, '56

' HLmira Intermediate Gir ls $ 1.00-'El Cajon, Calif. , Friends 23.00Burns Church of Chris t 60.83

.,Multnomah Church of Christ 270.85R. E. T a r b e l l 20.00

E. H. McGee 10.00Molal la C h r i s t i a n Church 75.93

Coburg Church of Christ 50.00Florence C.E 15.00T r e n t Church o f C h r i s t 50.00

May S. Palk 10.00G a r i b a l d i

Church ofC h r i s t

50.001 s t Christian, Lebanon, Ind. Mis 140.75Milwaukie Intermediate Boys & G i r l s . . 10.00Milwaulcie Church o f C h r i s t 35.00

Court S t . Chris t ian Church, S a l e m . . . . 9.00

1 s t Christ ian Church, Roseburg 25.001 s t Chris t ian Church, Ashland 2.50C o r b e t t C h r i s t i a n Church 15.00

Oregon City J r . Endeavor 7.65Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Lewis 10.00

Mrs. 0 . E. Hobar t 10.00

Mrs. John P o i n t e r 5 . 0 0

Mr. and Mrs. J . C. S h i e l d s 30.00

David Dowdy 1.00Oregon City High School Class 5.00McKinley Indian Mission, H. S. Class 10.30Church of Christ , Holyoke, Colo 20.00 972.81

$2649.64DISBURS3SMENTS: Aug. 1 , »55 t o J a n . 1 , *56

Household $ 184.48

Food*335.86

Film 1 1 . 3 4

Cbrrespondence 31.83Language t e a c h e r , books

(both Thai and English) 138.62Repair 17.85P e r s o n a l 148.59

T r a v e l 3 0 . 3 2

Supplies from Stateside 75.00Archer P l a s t i c , Inc 16.50The Photo L i t h Co 26.90

* Repatriation deposit 1231.27 $2248.56



RECEIPTS Total $ 2649.64

DISBURSEaiENTS To t a l 2248 .56

Bal. January 1, 1956 S 401.08

* Repatriation Deposit. According to passport regulations th is repatr ia t ion fund is supposed to be onhand a t a l l times. We shall need approximately $2,500.I f there i s money above our monthly expenses we shal l

s e t it as ide fo r fur lough expenses .



THE GREAT COMMISSION REMINDERAmong the tribes of Northern Siom

And M# Imo lh t n s hoU

hnmrthet / ont tht Lord,

irA«« / sho tI bo sane t i f iod

inyou boforo thoir ojrot.

Piiblitkctf 0ii4 Mollatf fr«« by

MEL and JUNE BYEftS

Talot ChicngkoM,

CkaA«««f Chicngrvi,TteoilOM^ Atio

VOL. 8

JAM

V-.1

I % T*

* I 1

MAY - JUNE, 1956

ffo yo into oU tho world,

ond proock tbo gosp*!.....Mark 16US

Forwarding ag«nt

MRS. ALLEN R. NICHOLS

2 lt l S .C. S ilM f Spr ings Rd.

Portland 22» Oregon

U.SJ^

No . 2



FOR I AM NOT ASHA.MED. Three Miao tribesmen walked intoa Thai restaurant, sat down and ordered their food. Be-»

fore partaking, they humbly bowed their heads while oneled in prayer. The Thai stood around and mocked.

The Thai natives regard the mountain people as inferior. They are supposed to possess the mind of ananimal. They have no written language. They are slavesto Devil worship. They have been exploited and corrup

ted by opium.

The th ree t r ibesmen were obl ivious , howe.ver, to th e

taunts and laughter of the Thai - they were Christ ians.Thei r fa i th in th e saviour was not ye t one year old ,

but they were walking bravely that humble, narrow roadtha t leads heavenward. They had cas t away the i r tobac

co and opium. Their manner was humble and sincere.The al tars for demon worship had been exchanged for across . These humble mountain people who bowed t he i r

heads for prayer were walking uprightly in the face ofr id i cu le . They were not ashamed.

Have you ever sat in a restaurant and fe l t a l i t t l e

bashful about bowing your head in a gesture of thanksgiving to God? Have you, as husband and wife, everfe l t ashamed to approach each other concerning the fami ly al tar? Were you ever in a conversation with yourfel low workmen and blushed to speak concerning the Son

of God? Are you afraid of r idicule? Can you walk

through every phase of l i fe without having the color

rush to your face a t the mention of Jesus Christ? Are

you timid about walking before men as a Christian?These t r i b e smen were a wi tnes s to rae who reg ard Je su s

as the most impor tant person in the i r l ives - and aren o t a s h amed .

"For the Sp i r i t tha t God has given us does not im

part t imidity but power,and love, and self-control ."I I Tim. 1:7 (Williams)

" I heard" i s not as good as "I saw". - Chinese Sage

Religion i s meant to be bread fo r dai ly use , not cake

fo r spec ia l occas ions .



The Thai l i ke to ca rry t h e i r l oads on a bamboo pole

across t h e i r shoulder . The above p ic tu re was t aken

whi le l o s t fo r a day in th e jung le .

MAN AND WOWAN FHOM THE KHAMU TR IBE

(This is another tr ibe in our area s t i l l unreached)



CIUNGED LIVT^IS KIAiCE A DIPFEtlENCE. God ha s u s ed weak ;

vesse l s a t t imes to explode the pre ten t ions of the

wise . In the eyes of the world, a l epe r i s a "despised

t h ing" . He i s considered base and repuls ive . So it

was t h a t Nai Tha and o the r s were forced from v i l l ag e s -

pushed out by r e la t ives - os t rac ized by the law to wan

der in the jungles , grubbing roo t s and sc ra tch ing out

a l i v ing l i ke a jungle fowl . Thei r bodies slowly

r o t t ed away by l ep rosy and malnu t r i t i on . Infec ted

sores swarmed with f l i e s . The sp i r i t of these lepers

became bitter w i t h r e s e n tm e n t a n d retaliated w i t h a n

ger , t h e f t , and begging . Thus they accepted banish

ment from th e brotherhood of man of which they were a

pa r t .

Weary - alone and almost b ro ke n, some found t h e i r

way to th e l epe r v i l l age . Thei r du l l , b i t t e r minds

began to absorb some l i gh t . Through the th ick dark

ness o f t h e i r minds , unders tanding would come fo r a

few minutes and then d isa pp ea r. Slowly they l ea rned .

Gradual ly they bel ieved . Experience made it r e a l . Like

un to every con t r i t e hea r t they found a washing in the

c l eans ing b lood o f th e Lamb. Bi t t e r n e s s t u rned to lo v e .Anger melted and was poured in to the mould of meekness.

Ignorance was t ransformed in to unders tanding . Deformed,

despised bodies were clothed with joy and thanksgiving.

Some o f t h e s e r e - c r e a t e d lives wen t ba ck to their

former v i l l ages and r e la t ives and spoke of God and of

J e s u s Ch r i s t and a b o u t salvation. Th e i r w i t n e s s was

humb l e - their l o v e sincere.

Las t week a l epe r asked roe to go to h is v i l l ageand t each about J e sus . Somewhat doubt fu l , I went . I

was rece ived and close a t ten t ion was given to my teach

ing . The leper was also there t a lk ing and encouraging

h is v i l l a g e r s to fo l low Chr i s t . I was amazed. The

v i l l age r s were l i s t en ing to a despised l epe r . Late r I

l e a r n e d t h a ^ interest had been a rou sed when two Ch r i s

t i an lepers had v i s i t ed fo r a few days. The v i l l age r s

knew their f o rme r lives and wer e amazed at t h e trans

fo rm a t io n . T h e i r lives had be en r e - c r e a t e d and God had

taken these base and "despised th ings" and had opened

t hem like a book t o be r e a d o f all men . Here was a

message th e v i l l age r s could not arffue - or deny. 3ud-

hism or dev i l worship had never accomplished t h i s .

There was onlv one choice and t h a t was to i nves t i ga t e .



j .They were in teres ted. God had used a leper - to con

f o und t h e w i s e .

What is missions? What is world-wide evangelism?

Men would have us believe that i t is something in t r ica te

and involved. Something that has to be worked up, So.-ne-

thing that revolves around high powered promotion andthe employment of methods designed by the world. Godsays - jus t give me a leper and I will explode the pre—tentions of the wise. God says,'^ive me something 'weak*,something 'base ' and I will show you missions and evan

ge l i sm t h a t knows no bounds . "

Missions and evangelism today are being thought up,

launched and promoted by the flesh. The pages of his

tory and God's Word point a mocking finger at i ts emptyfruit.

God quickly brushes the ways of men aside and says,"I want you —only you- to become base and weak, thatthe power of God might be manifes t . " God wants to re

crea te you and then open you as a book to be read of

a ll men. Against this the world has no argument - noden ia l and only one choice .

"Rut God hath chosen the foo lish thinfrs of the worldto confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak

things of the world to confound the things which are

mighty; and base things of the world, and things whichare despised, hath God chosen "I Cor. 1:27-28.

FAST MEETS 'ITEST

(Rinda Marie and ayoung g i r l from th e

white Miao Tribe)

V



^^RS, ALLEN tt. NICFIOLS. Sixteen years ago I was a high

school s tudent s tru gg lin g to f ind fa i th in Chr i s t . I

was a member of the Multnomah Church. Klery A. Parrishwas the minister. Mr. and Mrs. (Rex and Pearl) Nichols

were the youth counselors. Through the guidance andpatience of these and many others my l i fe found an an

chor and a vision for service. For the past eight yearsMrs. Nichols has been acting as home representative for

me while on the mission f ie ld . Many of you have re

ceived le t ters and information from her - thus I thought

it well to become be t te r acquainted. She i s a member of

tha t s i l en t army of servants who perform fa i thful dut ies

without pra i se . In case you are not f ami l i a r with thework of a forwarding agen t , here a re a few of her du t i e s .

She handles a l l the monthly contributions - keeping ac

counts - banking and mailing New York drafts - answering

l e t te r s - sending receipts and many other things which

I probably don't know about. The publishing - folding

and stamping of the news le t te r is her responsibi l i ty .The burden o f T ha iland i s a l so he r s and on occas ion s she

i s cal led upon to show pic tures and give information concerning the work here. There are always items to be pur

chased and e r r a n d s to be r u n .

June and I cannot say enough to show our love and

app rec i a t ion fo r t h i s se rv ice o f f a i t h and l ove .

At presen t Mr. and Mrs. Nichols a re members o f th e

Milwaukie Church of Chris t . Alger P itch , p asto r.

-.•-•43

MRS. NICHOLS



< ^

Ra l . J an 1 $ 401 .08

RECEIPTS: J an . , ? eb . , March, *56

Burns Church of Chr i s t $ 4 .72Coburg Church of Chr i s t 40.00

T r e n t Church o f Ch r i s t 30 . 00

MrSo Cora McCauley • • • • 10.00

Gleaners Class , Molal la Chr i s t i an ... 13.25

Sou t hwe s t Church o f Ch r i s t 10 , 0 0

El Cajon, Cal i f . Friends 9.00

H i l l s b o r o Ch r i s t i a n Chu r ch 25 . 00

A F r i e n d 200 . 00

Mi lwauk i e Chu r ch o f Ch r i s t 90 . 0 0

Sa lem Cou r t St. Ch r i s t i a n Mis s i on Fd . 28 . 50

Ann i s J e n s o n 1 0 .0 0

M o l a ll a Ch r i s t i a n Chu r ch 20 . 00

Ar c h i e P i e r c e 150 . 00

Ga r i b a l d i Chu r ch o f Ch r i s t 30 . 0 0

Mr. & Mrs. Allan Smyth 10.00

Co r b e t t Ch r i s t i a n Chu r ch 10 . 00

Mr s . J ames E . M i ll e r 25 . 00

F r i e n d s 70 . 00

Mul tnomah Chu r ch o f Ch r i s t 150 , 00

F l o r e n c e C. E 15<,00

1 s t Chr i s t i an Church, Lebanon, Ind .Mis . 12.00

Eastside Christian Church, Albany.. . . 28.10 % 990.57

Tota l Bal $1,391.65

DISBUllSEMENTS: J an . , Feb . , March, '56

Household supplies &glghlgfin? $ 224.32

Food s t u f f s 79 . 5 6

Film and pr in t s 66.57

Correspondence, misc . , f r e i gh t ,

and r epa i r s 26.00

Language t e a che r - books and Tha i

ma t e r i a l 50 . 3 5P e r s o n a l - c l o t h e s - med i c i n e 92 . 31

T r a v e l 47 . 1 0

Immigra t ions and Customs 34,06

The Pho to -L i t h Co 37 .80 $ 658.07

Tota l ba l . Apri l 1 , »56 0 733,58



3

'm E GREAT COMMISSIONREMINDERAmong the tribes of NofttfefefewtiCl^^

And th e he a t hen s h a l l

know that / am the Lord,

mhen / s h a l l b e s anc t i f i ed

in fou before their eyes.£zk.3e- .23

Publi thtd and moiltd free by

MEL ond JUNE BYERS

Tolot Chiengkom,

Chongwaf Chiengrai,

Thailond^ Asia

Vo l . 7 DECEMBER,1 9 ^

Go ye into all the world,

a nd p re ac h the gospel...

Forwording agent

MRS. ALLEN R.NICHOLS

2IM S.E. Silver Spring* Rd.

Port lond 22 , Oregon

No, 3



keepinq the sANcnir op ghrisimas

I like Qndstmas* I like to see the colored l i^ts ands^se the gaiety and good -will that reigns in eveiy home.

Ilike to feel

the coldair,

catch aTf»hiff

of roasted v^cken and hear a hearty 'Iferry Christmas." I e-ven liketo get lost in the rush and scramble to buy gilts# Ito see my otm cherished memories reflected in little chil-

Christmas gif t s .

The other day a native asked me, "l^ere i s the s tory ofthe Christmas t ree in the Bible?" His question caused me

to re f lec t more ser iously on th is cherished t radi t ion#TYhere does t r a d i t i o n end and th e f a c t o f C h ris t 's b i r t h b e -

gin. As the n ativ e vratches us observe Christmas he has

t radi t ion and facts a l l mixed up* IVhat tiould the native

believe if he watched yoy? As Chidstmas I believe -m are

obligated to restore the sanct i ty of the Chrisianas message*

Advertising and big business concerns have hypnotized

Christians into the i r guile. S l e i ^ be l l s , holly, carolsand the baby Jesus have been used to s e l l everything from

Bibles to beer . "Silent Ni^ t " i s an mixed vp ifriLth "I 'mDreaming of a liUhite Christmas" as a e ro t i c st imulus s e l l

ing eveiything from candles to cigarettes. This old sinful"srorld i s l icking i t s greedy fingers over the manger of Christ

I t loves to hear the j ingle of bel ls - in the cash regis ter .

The m>rld loves to see Chzdstians go Christmas mad.

2^h i e a l t radi t ions and facts are a l l mixed tgp. This i sT)hy I believe the native asked, "V/here i s the storh of the

Christmas t ree in the Bible?" This id "sdiy a l l the major

c i t ies in the ivorld, and most of them are pagan, are cash

ing in on th is yearly gold mine -without the s l i ^ t e s t knowl

edge of i t s meaning. This i s vdiy one merchant advert isedth is "joyous season" by hanging Santa C3aus on a cross.

May we th i s season res tore the sanc t i ty of the Christmass tory . l e t us enjoy our t radi t ions and customs if we must,

bu t l e t us f im l y divorce them from the bir thday o f Clod's

only Son. May we sanct i fy both our homes and the Churdi

as a place to remember the Lord's b i r t h , separate from th i^

world - i t s madness - i t s greed and i t s f i l thy reproach

on th e Son o f God.



THIS COMING lEAR THERE WILL BE TORK TO DO AT HOME



THE CHILDREN ALSO CONTBTOE TO GROW

IN EXUBERANCE

(Rebecca Ann)

V

IN CDRIOSITX

(Rinda Marie)

, , , AND NEW EXPERIENCES

(First trip to a big city)



h- -

/• •'

THERE WILL BE MANY DATS OF TRAVEL

« «

-3 ;

a .;7?i

T|

\o /

-N?VU

Bi'MfliWl

M



REACHING TRIBES THAT SIT IN DARKNESS

YOUNG MAN WHO V/DRSHIPS

sm SPIRITS

YOUNG WMM CRUSHED

IN PAGAN CUSTOM



"WHAT IS IHE TIME??

I ' v e o f t en "wondered - -what is t ime

Slipping by so f a s t ,

A day, a year o r - any t ime

Now it's here and then it's past#

"Who r e ckons th e t ime - all th e t ime

From beginning to end,

TJho watches and knows - every t ime

I betray or help a f r iend .

H ie t ime I've was t e d - a s h o r t t ime

In a dreai^y id le way,

Irflien added up makes - a long t ime

Precious t ime >Tasted away#

One person says I 've - l o s t scrnie t ime

VMle another seeks to gain.Yet others t r y to - make some t ime.

But t ime moves on th e same .

Western, Eastern o r - Mountain t ime

TVhat t ime does your clock say .

Dayl ight , Standard - o r Country t ime

Can you add o r take away?

"What i s the s tu f f tha t - makes up t ime

Can man measure or weigh i t s s ty le .

He mus t set h i s wa t ch - all t h e t ime

TShile the s ta r s keep t ime and smile .

I Tdl l be glad when ear thly t ime

Twenty four hours a day

I s f ina l ly changed to - endless t ime

Reckoned in heavens way.

. . . ILW.B.



k mi PERSPECTIVE >s

The old year i s past . Many T»ill say good riddance, for

they are eager to -wipe the s la te clean - turn over a newl e a f and make hold s ta tements about th e fut i j re# Before tub

crumple tqp this old y3ar and ^ b l y toss it into the iirastebasket, l e t us ream ourselves Tdth some of i t s lessons# Per^

haps there are s t iU ruins in the old year that can be used#

As "s?e s t i r about in the ashes of yesterday "we find much

•wisdiJmi. With the fingers of memory -we fondle a blackened,charred piece of time - the ashes of time spent foolishly*

Not long ago it was shiny and new - fresh f lm God*s hand -

and we id ly consumed it upon our lusts# We blush for we wouldl i ke to hide t h i s evidence. But waxti Let these ashes help

us to confess our s in - and gain forgiveness for the future#

Picking up another piece of t ime's residue, our hear ts skip

a bea t and a lump comes to our throats . Again memoiy i s re

freshed. !I3iere were times o f rea l comfort, joy and compan

ionship. Cherished segments o f time forever locked in our

hear ts . Li t t le things tha t counted. These ashes speak to

VLs o f t ime consumed wise ly . ^Meditat ively we scrat<di about and l e t the ashes o f the old

year s i f t th rou^ the fingers of memory# Ife f ind a varietyof odds and ends. Scraps of t ime. Times "sdien W13 s incere ly

t r ied but fa i led. (Rimes iidien we meant well , but were mis-xmderstood# Often we retal ia ted with times of anger, despond

ency and bi t terness . Now nothing remains but ashes# LetTis heed its counsel#

Amidst the burned out hours and minutes of yesterday there

are fragments isfliich are shaip and heavy# !Ehese tw is ted ru insof l as t year feel heavy in our hands# Once again memoiysqueezes the heart and ws want to forget# Tragedies, deaths

and disappointments# But waiti In the wreckage of thesetwisted moments there i s s tabi l i ty and purpose# Let the tearscome again and wash the window of your vision# Recall idiedeep impressions of l i fe that were so vivid in th<»e despe3>-ate hours# Recall the vows you made before God# Press th is

rusty old piece with i ts sharp edges to jrour l ips and -KhanVGod.

No, I shal l not toss these rel ics away but shal l l e t them bethe foundation and guiding force for the nefw year. Thlg newyear. The new year is before us. A brand new shiny fragment of time. The flower of the old year wil l blossom withbeauty and charm if we plant it in the ashes of the old#

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