Praises:
Glad for further direction about PNG.
Prayer Requests:
Safety on the road, December meetings, and Lily’s visa
The Garcias, Ayden, and The Haveman Trifecta
The Garcia family has always been a special family to the Schworers over the last 25 years. Pastor Garcia is one of those men that is genuinely so nice, all the time. Mrs. Garcia is one of the hardest working pastor’s wives I know, but she always has time to smile and show that she cares. They have always been great examples for my family to look up to, and so it was great to see them in Hayden, Idaho. And my long-time buddy Ayden! What a great guy (he’s single, ladies!), and it was so good to see him too and how God is using him as an intern at Cornerstone Baptist.
There are a lot of tricky and interesting routes and maneuvers that missionaries do on deputation, but I have to say I have never heard of anyone else attempt what I am calling “The Haveman Trifecta” – that is to visit all three Haveman churches in a row. It was one of those funny things that just worked out because we were heading West to East: we went to Heritage Baptist in Post Falls, then Sunrise Baptist in Kalispell, and finally Open Door Baptist in Bismark. It was great to see all the Haveman sons faithfully pastoring in each church, and then to see the Haveman patriarch himself, John Haveman, in the last church.
Advanced Missionary and Chaplain Training in New Philadelphia OH
We spent a little over a week at Calvary Baptist Church, home of All Points Baptist Mission. It was so good to see brother Morrision, Loop, Black, Smith…. so many good people. One of the hardest things about writing prayer letters is not being able to talk about all the people God leads across our way, because every single month we are blessed by so many people.
The classes were helpful and encouraging, and the camaraderie of other missionaries and chaplains was very uplifting. The Lord gave me specific direction regarding some areas of methodology which was needed. We are thankful for a mission board that truly puts the authority of the local church first and foremost, all the while doing everything they can to help the missionary along the way.
Prayer Request for Lily’s Visa and Meetings
The Lord worked it out for us to stay in New Philadelphia for a few extra days and meet with a veteran missionary to Papua New Guinea. He and his wife were very kind and patiently answered many of our questions, and then offered to sponsor us into PNG and to do the lion’s share of the paperwork needed for us to go! That is a huge blessing! We were, however, saddened to hear that except for a 60 day visit Lily may not be able to go to PNG as she’s turning 18 in November. To summarize all the rules: she can’t go between 18-25 unless an exception can be found. It is being looked into, so please pray God’s will be done!
Lastly, please pray we can schedule meetings in Texas for December, and that we can get the support we need this year. It’s our heart’s desire to be in Papua New Guinea in February, should we can get the support in time. We are content for deputation to take as long as the Lord wants it to, but our desire is to go.
Thank you,
Rick Schworer
