November Update

Dear Friends of Pacificministries,

Every four or five years or so, the wristwatches I'd buy seem to quit.  No matter if they were expensive or the Wal-Mart brand, they just didn't endure.  Several months ago I found myself in search of a new watch, again.  I was determined to find a good quality timepiece, even if I had to pay extra.  I went to my local Fred Meyers (liberal return policy) and over the course of several weeks, purchased four different watches exchanging each for a new one because, well, they just didn't feel right.  (thanks Freddy's)  Finally, I found it. The Timex Expedition Rugged Field Watch from the Special Operations Tactical Supply store.   It included these wonderful features:

• The face was large enough for me to see the numbers without my glasses,
• A comfortable leather band (I can't wear those metal ones),
• Equipped with a backlight for night vision (for late night illumination to find bathrooms in strange countries),
• A trusty and reliable brand  (remember... Timex: takes a licking and keeps on ticking...except they don't make that ticking sound any more)
• Even an uncharacteristically stylish look (according to my son Paul who approves all of my fashion accessories)

But it was not until I returned from my expedition from Russia that I understood why the watch was a perfect fit. 

Expedition in the dictionary is defined as:

1. a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
2. an organized group of people undertaking a journey for a particular purpose;
3. a journey organized for a particular purpose

I believe the Holy Spirit is mobilizing a relational military force designed to establish His Kingdom objectives in foreign lands.  This spiritual army is destined to proclaim God's love and destiny for the land and the people that dwell within its borders. 

Recently, I had a very graphic dream.  I was with several travelers on an expedition.  My friend Delight was driving and I served as the navigator in an old van traveling on Highway 53.  I knew instinctively we were on the wrong road.  We needed to get back to Highway 51.  While there were many more details to the dream, I believe the Lord was clearly inviting us to move from a:

Psalm 53 mentality (... foolish people say in their hearts 'there is no God'... God wants to see if there are any who understand and to trust in Him... won't those people ever learn?)  and return to a,

Psalm 51 mindset.(... create in me a clean heart... renew a right spirit in me... restore unto me the joy of your salvation... then I will teach your ways... let "Delight" be your driving force)

Both the watch and the dream simply illustrate our expedition, our desire to walk in relationship for God's Kingdom purposes with renewed delight of a clean heart and a renewed spirit.  We then have a responsibility to teach and impart His ways to people in spiritual darkness.

Recently I returned from such a Kingdom expedition.  My good friend Pastor David Park from Seoul Korea and I flew to Vladivostok in East Russia.  Our primary purpose was to encourage pastors, leaders, and the people.

Frankly, I was taken aback at the overwhelming spiritual oppressiveness which hung like a heavy black cloud over the land.  Russia's history of hundreds of years dominating and controlling governments has spawned a spirit of fear.  It affects land and steals the joy of life from its people.  In the smaller city of Nakhodka where we held our primary gatherings, large smokestacks belched literal clouds of black smoke from coal burning power plants, and the large Stalin-style apartment buildings are marked by decay.  Larger than life statues of Lenin loom over the city, and memorials to the triumphs of communism dominate town squares.  Most homes have large iron bars protecting outside windows and virtually every apartment is guarded by massive steel doors with multiple locks.  The people supplement their meager income with gardens in their yards, and because of the global economic downturn, many are facing critical financial futures. Alcholism, gambling, and the Russian mafia dominate the culture.  And tragically, divorce affects over 80% of families.

Yet Russia belongs to the Lord.  God created this land and it's vast beauty for his glory.  It does not belong to the communist government.  God was faithful to reveal his heart for this land, and to bring wisdom and revelation to our expedition.  Two themes emerged:

1 God has given Russian people a gift of dance.  He has designed in their spiritual DNA an expressiveness and joy in the delight of who they are, and who God is.  Think of the beauty of the Russian ballet, the music of Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff, and the Russian folk dances.  Even in restaurant's, Russians create open spaces where tables can be moved aside so they have room to dance.  Yet the enemy has stolen this joy, this delight, this expressive worship.

2 God loves this land.  He loves the Russian people... deeply and with abundance. 

But this revelation did not come at once.

Two days into our expedition, I began to be affected by the darkness and fear.  I could not sleep, and asked for angelic protection and for God's heart to be revealed with clarity.  Yet, there seemed to be no breakthrough, and Pastor David and I began to ask the Lord to give us his heart and strategy to bring a word that would restore the joy of the Lord to this land and to its people.  I was scheduled to share the second evening of our three day conference, and as I began to prepare, I had this brief exchange with him:

Lord: I want to break through tonight.  I desire to open heaven here... tonight.

Me: Okay Lord, just how do you want to do this? 

Lord: Sing. 

Me: Sing what?

Lord: Don't worry about that, just open your mouth and I will give you the words.

Me: Lord, they have a toy electronic keyboard with no sustain pedal and...

Lord: (silence)

Me: Okay



I whispered to the Russian interpreter Eva, that the Lord had changed the message that evening.  I invited her to sing the interpretation:

Though You Are a People Who Dwell in a Land of Great
Darkness... Behold Your Light Has Come... Arise Shine... Lift up Your
Heads... the Glory of the Lord Is Here, Jesus the King of Glory.

The black cloud of fear began to lift, and the people began to rejoice...and, dance!

      

I am sometimes asked why I travel to these places as an intercessory/worshiper.  This song is why....songs of deliverance.
Captured here, is a 2 minute audio recording:  My Beloved Russia  

In just two weeks, I fly to Sri Lanka on a new expedition.  Then, Carlene will join me in Thailand for 10 days, before we return to the Northwest December 2.   We are only a part of a mighty spiritual force whose delight is in the Lord, who bring words of encouragement, edification, and comfort; sometimes simply expressed... in a song.

Thank you for praying for us.  Despite the economic climate, we feel the Lord is challenging us with the truth he is not affected by the world's financial markets.  This is a great time to let him finance our expeditions.  We step expectantly into difficult and dark places with his joy.  The Church in Sri Lanka has experienced recent persecution and Thailand is politically unstable.  Perfect timing.  I'm remembering my new watch: the Timex Expedition... just keeps on ticking.

Bless you,


Darrell and Carlene 

Updated Itinerary

November
    1-4  Port Townsend              Assisting Carlene's mother
    4-6  Victoria, BC                  House Church gatherings
    9     Worship at the River     6pm Pacificministries will provide Carlene's Famous Italian Family Spagetti Dinner! (detailsforthcoming in an upcoming email)
    13-21 Darrell Columbo, Sri Lanka Pastor's Gathering
    21-2   Carlene and Darrell   Chang Mai, Thailand Pastor's Gathering