Hafa Adai (Hello) from the beautiful island of Guam. Guam is located in a Western Pacific path known as “Typhoon Alley.” Since it is “Typhoon Alley,” our last rainy season brought many storms that threatened our island, with some of those storms turning into typhoons and super typhoons. We experienced God’s protection firsthand as storms came and went one after another. One typhoon passed over with a slight breeze, turning into a super typhoon out at sea. Even the scariest storms that threatened our island passed by calmly without harm. This weather was very unusual with so many storms, but the dry season that followed this rainy season was just as amazing! The dry season only lasted a few months instead of the normal seven months, with February being the driest on record without a drop of rain. This is unusual, because it normally rains a little bit in February, and the driest part of the dry season is April and May. But February had no rain, causing extreme dryness and fires, and February ended the dry season! God used this unusual weather to begin to get the people’s attention!
These weather changes have played a part in causing the people to be more open and receptive to the things of the Lord. One memorable soul-winning experience I had included the brother-in-law of a faithful church member. Our church prayed for this particular man for over a year while he was being treated for cancer. I went to see him in the hospital when he didn’t have long to live. His wife let me in but with some hesitation. His sister was there, too, and all three seemed unusually reserved and guarded. What I didn’t know was that the Charismatics had visited him previously and had asked to pray over him, and then they had proceeded to try to “cast out the evil spirit of sickness” while shouting and mumbling. This really upset them, and they didn’t know how to handle it. So when I came to visit, they didn’t know what to expect either. After talking with them for a while, they relaxed and allowed me to share the Gospel with them. All three prayed and received Christ as their Saviour. They thanked me for visiting and seemed appreciative and very happy! A few weeks later, he died. At the funeral his sister and his wife said to me with heartfelt sincerity, “You’re the one who prayed,” and they smiled at me. This made me feel like I had made a difference in their lives.
For the months of January and February, the Lord used me personally to lead 32 to Christ.
Island Baptist Church folks continue to experience the Lord working in their lives in wonderful ways, teaching and showing them that “praying without ceasing” allows the Lord to “work all things together for good” for them.
Thank you for praying and financially supporting our ministry. Please continue to pray for my family, our health and safety, Island Baptist Church, Guam, and Micronesia.
In His harvest field,
Dan Rothwell and Family