A very busy December

December has been extremely busy for the Schultz family. We held the wedding for Mandala and Anna at our church immediately following the Sunday morning service. We had so many guests that the church was nearly filled to capacity. I preached a message about marriage. I tried to emphasize the fact that a husband's love for his wife should be like that which Christ showed for the world when he laid down his life for our sins. No one was saved that morning but some good seeds were planted.

At the conclusion of the wedding the bride and groom climbed into a taxi that was decorated with ribbons and balloons to make the 1.5-mile trip to their home. Before the taxi even left the church it ran out of gas. Taxi drivers here always live on the edge. A neighbor happened to have 3 liters of gas that he offered to sell the driver. Because the car was on a slight hill the car still wouldn’t start even after the newly acquired gasoline. We pushed the car to a flat surface and tried again. Unfortunately, with all the previous attempts to start the car the battery was now mostly dead. I used our jumper cables and the taxi quickly sputtered to a started. Now we could begin our journey to the house for the reception. I will spare you the details that remain. To say that it was a long day is an understatement. However, it was a blessing to see these two new Christians desire follow the Bible’s teaching for their lives.

We had one very disappointing item the week before Christmas. While on furlough earlier this year I saw a 16 ft swimming pool on sale for 50% off. I jumped on this opportunity and quickly stored it in our 40 ft container. Last week the boys worked very hard leveling out the yard and sifting sand to spread out under the pool liner. When it was all finished we dug into the container to get the swimming pool out. As I opened it I knew something was wrong. I realized that someone had purchased this pool used it for quite some time and then put it back in the box. The liner was ripped in half and all the metal framing was missing. I feel like a fool for not checking the box before shipping it halfway around the world but it did look like it was factory sealed. I told the kids that this was what God wanted for us right now. Maybe someone would have gotten hurt. Or maybe he will provide a better pool for us. They are content with that answer and actually are waiting to see God’s solution to this situation.

Our new house is full of boxes from our recent move. We were able to find our artificial Christmas tree and decorations and get it all set up in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, we had many days with no electricity so the Christmas tree was hardly lit at all. Combine that with the 90 degree days and it didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It was a good Christmas in spite of the beautiful weather.
Christmas is a day that is celebrated here by most regardless of religion but not with much fanfare. There is not much thought or effort put into it. I heard one lady tell her child, “Here is some money go pick out your gift for Christmas”. Others I talked to hadn’t begun to shop and it was already Christmas Eve while others look at Christmas as a time to have a few days to vacation. Because of this I spent the last 4 sermons preaching about Christ and his birth. This Sunday I will preach about “The Days Following Christmas.” The shepherds told everyone they saw about the birth of Christ. This is our theme for the new year; telling the gospel to everyone. I am praying that many more will be saved this year as a result of our church’s effort in telling everyone the gospel.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and emails. They really make a world of difference.

Please pray:
Cathy’s health: She has a blood infection but is beginning to recover
For our church as we reach out into the community with the gospel
Safety for our family