A Reunion, a Report, a Request, and a Reminder

Dear Friends,

A Reunion

Carlene and I are celebrating the return of our number two son Matthew after nearly 7 months serving in Iraq.  There are no appropriate words to describe what it meant to our family to see him turn the corner at the Portland airport and embrace him.  There are no substitutes for a hug.  Matthew is grateful for many who prayed for him and he recalled situations where he was totally depending on God's wisdom to accomplish his mission. His unit was the last Marine Company to leave Iraq, and Matthew was selected out of a hundred fellow Marines to receive a medal.

He's a great storyteller, and we laughed at his creativity and impact on his fellow Marines.  I'll share briefly one of these stories:

The Marine commander of his unit required all military people to destroy shelters that had been constructed during their operation and in the 120° heat, left the Marines with literally no shade.  Matthew promised his buddies on their return from a daylong mission that somehow he would have shade for them.  Matthew's primary role was an engineer working with large earth moving bulldozers which were effective in destroying earthen berms which insurgents utilized to conceal their activities.  Matthew decided to uproot palm trees with his earth mover and literally created an oasis in the desert with the transported trees.  The guys strung up lights and built a barbecue pit... and the result?  Matt's Bar and Grill, complete with palm trees for shade.






A Report

On another note, Carlene and I were a part of a leadership event which brought together leaders from Spokane, Vancouver British Columbia, Seattle, and the Portland area.  Our guest was Jim Watt, an 86 year old "young man" who is the last surviving elder of the 1948 latter rain revival.  His vision for the four cities of the Pacific Northwest was powerful.  He has been a mentor for us for seven years.  You may find information concerning his Ministry on his web site:

A Request

Equally meaningful were the prayers from our Pacificministries fellowship and other leaders for my trip to Mongolia.  I leave Sunday, August 30 for eight days in the capital city Ubantar, where pastors and other leaders will gather from other cities for worship and encouragement.  I will include updates for this assignment and specific prayer points in a few days, and you can follow all posts on our blog.  I will also include audio podcasts and pictures. We especially hunger for your prayers for our family while I am gone.  The timing of this mission is difficult for our family.  Thank you for your intercession.

A Reminder

Please mark your calendar for:

Worship at the River

Sunday, September 20, 2009  6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
(please note that this is the third Sunday in the month, but beginning in October, we will consistently meet at our Troutdale community center on the second Sunday's of every month from 6 to 9 p.m.)

Sunday, October 11

Sunday, November 8

Sunday, December 13

Thank you for praying for our family and for the Mongolian team.

We bless you,

Darrell and Carlene

PS
If you'd like to give to Pacificministries, you may use any major credit card (or Paypal) for a tax deductable donation HERE.