Fall 2008

Aloha from Kazakhstan!
In our last letter we mentioned that we’ve taken a financial hit in recent months and several people responded by sending gifts! We are very grateful. We are thankful for each gift and every prayer that keeps us strong in His service here. Along that line, yesterday we found out the Dr. in Los Angeles who performed Mark’s back surgery last summer (which has really worked, thank God!) has written off our after-insurance part of his bill – about $3000!
Taking Off
Our ministry is up and running with the new school year. Our attendance at International Christian Fellowship has been bolstered with a number of teachers and families who have returned from summer travels, and expats who have come to work in Almaty. We finished our summer sermon series on Ecclesiastes and will begin preaching through the Gospel of Mark this Sunday. Five small groups are being launched around the city. We will offer a ‘Welcome to Almaty’ weekend at the end of this month, offering guide service to expats new to our city. Hopefully, some will find their way to ICF, and most of all to Him.
This is the first autumn in ten years that Dayna has not taught at Tien Shan School. They are blessed with enough teachers and lots of students, and Dayna is quite busy too! When her substitute English teaching at the Intercontinental Hotel came to end, they did not want her to go! (In fact they surprised her with cake and coffee on her birthday, as you can see.)
So they created another English class for their Executive staff. Of course when Mark learned the benefit was continued membership in the Hotel Spa and Exercise Center, he decided Dayna needed an assistant! We’re loving it. Besides this class, Dayna is busy discipling women of ICF – expat and local – and has already been a substitute teacher at Almaty International School. Still much to do!

Shrub Hunting
In August Mark traveled to the south of Kazakhstan to be the Bible teacher for a church Youth Camp. About 100 young adults gathered for a week; enduring seven messages from Scripture! The rustic camp along the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan had almost all we needed; plenty of good food, games, music, and fun were all carefully planned. Just one small detail, no toilets! In fact, our ‘running water’ was a small stream, enjoyed by man and beast. Now
there was one pit latrine which under normal circumstances could be adequate. But sparing the vivid details, this latrine was not ‘normal’. So one of the most interesting – and essential - facets of camp life became scouring hither and yon for appropriate shrubs. We would exchange nervous social banter with those you met by surprise at all hours of the night or day, as the need arose. It developed into a level of closeness which I would have never expected! No toilets, no showers….well, let’s just say it was a in that way a long week. But these young people, not the cool and sophisticated big city kids of Almaty, were very open and sincere, with a great hunger and submissiveness to God and His Word. It was a privilege to be with them…no matter the circumstances!

Jesus Builds His Church
This semester Mark is teaching every week in two different Bible schools, one Presbyterian, one Methodist – ‘keeping it fair and balanced’! This is a time of anxiety for churches, Bible schools, and ministries as yet another law restricting religion is being discussed. The loud threats are that it will be approved at the end of the year. Meanwhile, we are trying to take advantage of every opportunity to teach and encourage leaders of His Church here. And we do so knowing ‘God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world: the world is peripheral to the church.’ Closing verses of Ephesians chapter 1 from The Message The church is where the action is from God’s viewpoint! That place we struggle to have enough Sunday school teachers, projectors that work, and people that stay awake during sermons --- that place is in the center of God’s global vision!
Four years ago, with your help, Mark was able to publish his first book – “The Privilege of Preaching” in Russian language. Since that time four other he has been able to produce four other books to resource Church leaders here in Central Asia, two
in Russian and two in Kazakh language. We are not quite sure where they have all gone, though we do get occasional testimonies from around our region. One brother recently took a serious risk to carry 40 copies into a nearby country which does not allow people to have more than one copy of any religious book. We printed 1000 copies of this first book and now they are all gone. There has been a request by local leaders for this book to be reprinted. The original translator is now making some minor corrections and we the printer says printing another 1000 will cost $ 1.40 US per copy. If you would like to support the printing of a few copies, we would be grateful for any special gifts. They can be sent as normal support to Pioneers, just let us know your intention for the gift and we will put it toward the cause.
Upcoming Travel?
Mark is supposed to have a Scan every six months (he waited 15 months for the first one!) as a follow up to his two cancer’s last year. It is time. Unfortunately, we cannot get this done reliably here. At the same time he has been invited to teach a one week pastor’s course in a country quite near. But present travel restrictions now make it quite far! So we are asking the Lord to guide our steps in this regard. We would love to be able to take care of the medical requirement and bless others.
We are very grateful for your prayers about this and all the ministry opportunities the Lord has opened to us here. Let us know how we can remember you before Him too.
Gratefully in Him,
Mark and Dayna Blair

Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USA
www.pioneers.org

Our Blog
www.blairstan.blogspot.com

Our Ministries
International Christian Fellowship www.icf.nursat.kz

Our Mailing Address
Blair – Almaty 43 – P.O. Box 13 – Kazakhstan 050043

Hot Summer News

Warm Greetings from Kazakhstan!

Almaty is about as far from the sea as one can get on this globe. As our temperature hovers around 100 F. this week, we’re pining for trade winds and the ocean roar. But we have been enjoying a five-star resort right in the city – free of charge! For six weeks we teach a Conversational English class to the manger employees of the Intercontinental Hotel. The class meets just three hours a week, but the compensation is membership in the ‘Spa’ – exercise equipment room, pool, sauna, and relaxation! Not quite Hawaii, but….

Church Family
Our International Christian Fellowship (ICF) moved into our seventh venue since 1995. We have up-scaled from a bar to a bank! We found a nice auditorium within a modern bank building in the central part of the city. After two years of church in a bar it hardly seems like a ‘real church’ without lingering smells of cigarettes and beer, somehow we are managing to cope. Seriously, we are so thankful the Lord ‘lifted the cloud’ and moved us to a cleaner and cheaper place to declare His glory. We are continually having new people come. Pray that we will be effective in reaching and discipling English speakers from many nations who live in this growing city.





One of the bright spots in our ministry at International Christian Fellowship is the ‘Professionals.’ When they launched they called themselves the ‘Young Professionals’ but now some of them are pushing 25! There are a couple of foreigners but most are Kazakhstani. They meet weekly for sharing, prayer, and study of Scripture. Now there are about ten regulars. Recently, as I was walking out from their meeting for the bus home, one young man offered me a ride in his car – they ARE professional! As we drove I started with a simple question, “Tell me about your family.” Then B’s sad story poured out. He is a University graduate in his early 20’s with a good job in one of the biggest corporations in the country. He is a devout believer who has been a part of ICF for about a year. I had no idea he had such troubles at home.

The troubles stem from the one word that wreaks such havoc in so many hearts and homes here – alcohol. He and his sister have never known their father not to be a drunkard. In fact his parent’s entire married life has been marred by dad’s wild, drunken behavior. B shared that even his father’s father could never keep a job because he could not hold his liquor. Then he looked at me with firm resolve saying, “I will not touch alcohol.”

The sad details sound much the same in any home ravaged by this sin in any land. The whole family hurtles along on his drunken roller-coaster from his wild, terrifying, violence to his sobs of remorse and promises of ‘never again’ – and back ‘round again, and again. It just seems that there are so many tragic cases here. As we motored down one of Almaty’s newest modern roads, B shared his father is a highly educated road engineer. “Just look at all the jobs he could have with all the growth here!” he said. But alas, Dad just lost another job, again. Now Dad is sorry, sad, and yet starting to drink all over again!

Like most of our Professionals, B is the only follower of Jesus in his home. His mom is mildly sympathetic but thinks if B really wants to follow God, then he should be Orthodox like a good Russian. When he is sober his dad does not say very much. Once when his dad was drunk he stormed into B’s room and ripped a Christian poster off his wall and tore it into shreds. That was the only statement on religion B has heard his dad make. But B is praying faithfully, loving his family, living as a loyal son, and trusting that God can change even them. He mentions with hope that his mother has stayed with his father “all these years” despite his antics. Divorce is the norm here. B sees her endurance as a sign of God’s blessing and His better future for them all. Now I understand why when B was in our home for dinner not long ago he signed our Guest Book, “…Just being able to see the kind of family like yours is really inspiring…” ICF has become B’s real family. We are so thankful to be able to love and encourage him, and his Professional colleagues, they are the hope of Kazakhstan.

Cover Girl




One of our local friends who works for ‘Esquire’ magazine in Kazakhstan asked Dayna to share her favorite place in the city for one of their features. So Dayna stood in front of ‘Banya Arasan’ (the Turkish bath house) for a photo shoot which appeared in the magazine last summer. In the Russian text in the box she says the Banya is the next best thing to the beaches of Hawaii…

Going Postal
Mark, and our co-pastor at ICF, recently got a one year accreditation for ministry here in Kazakhstan. This is a procedure we go through every year, and each time it is a new excellent adventure! This time the biggest snag was in receiving the necessary documents from our American sending church. Despite the fact that they sent it properly, the regional Post Office where we have our box (Almaty 43) received no information about the vital letter. The on-line tracking info from USPS said the letter was in Almaty, but our branch workers knew nothing about it. So I went to the central Express Mail Service PO downtown. I gave them the tracking number of my letter and after 20 minutes of checking, in an office not much bigger than a phone booth, they said "It is not here, but we know where it is." It was accidently sent to another regional PO, Almaty 11. And if I came back tomorrow they would try to have it back at Central. Well, I did not relish spending another hour going to and fro across the congested city again. Besides, this day my co-pastor had loaned me his car and driver to collect this letter. (His accreditation has been waiting on mine as we did them together.) So as there were several PO workers who seemed to be just standing around the office idly, I announced that one of them needed to come in the car with us and go to region 11 PO. They looked at each other, and finally one stepped forward. Then I had to convince my colleague's driver to take her in the car. He was afraid he'd have to drive her back! After convincing him that I'd give her some taxi money to get back to Central, she came on board. Thirty minutes later we arrived at PO 11. She walked in and greeted the ladies at the counter like long lost friends, with kisses! Two minutes after walking into the back room, she appeared with the letter. Then when I offered her the taxi money, she said, "No thanks, I will stay here!" More fun in the outer regions maybe! So we even 'go postal' in Kazakhstan, they go with you! Thanks to God it all worked out.

Going South
This Saturday Mark heads to a city in the South of Kazakhstan. He will preach this Sunday in a local church there and then go with about 80 church members to be the Bible teacher for their summer camp. Dayna needs to remain in Almaty to continue the English class…and/or spa? We are grateful for your prayers.

Going Forward
It is our sincere desire to share the Lord Jesus in word and deed here. After ten years we have gained a good understanding of the people and place. We have great freedom and many open doors. And praise the Lord we are healthy and happy. But we are also severely financially challenged. For the last five months our monthly allowance has been finished by the middle or third week of the month. We are in additional debt from medical travel and care in April. We fully understand that we are not alone! We all face a global economic crisis. But we ask you to stand with us in prayer and giving as you are able. We do want to press on here.

Gratefully in Him,
Mark and Dayna Blair

Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USA
www.pioneers.org

Our Blog
www.blairstan.blogspot.com

Our Ministries
International Christian Fellowship www.icf.nursat.kz
Tien Shan School www.tienshanschool.org

Our Mailing Address
Blair – Almaty 43 – P.O. Box 13 – Kazakhstan 050043

Summer is Starting

Aloha from Almaty!

We are enjoying warm days in this city of blossoming trees. We pray this letter finds you happy in the Lord. We are well, busy and enjoying our work here. We are so grateful for your continued prayers and support.

Bedouin Bazaar

This week Dayna culminated her years of teaching Central Asian History at Tien Shan School with a Bedouin Bazaar. Her eighth grade students were treated to dancers, musicians, and foods from this part of the world. They worked hard all term on ‘Caravan teams’ earning ‘Central Asian Bucks’ for excellence and participation. They ‘spent’ those bucks on this happy day. After ten years of teaching at TSS, Dayna will finish this month. She will, of course, be busy with other ministries. Pray for the Lord to guide her.

Marathon Man

In May our eldest son Nathan completed the Eugene, Oregon Marathon, his third. We’re proud to say he recorded his best time yet, 26 miles in 3 hours, 24 minutes. Nathan wrote: “I had a bunch of my friends at the finish line helping out…It was a great race... Heather and I memorized Isaiah 40.30-31 the night before and I recited it in my head when the going got tough. It was great to have scripture to push me along.” They’re news is good as they enjoy married life. Heather completed ‘Doula’ training (mid-wife assistant) and will be participating in her first birth any day now. They’re both working, very active in the College Ministry of their church, and seeking the Lord’s will for their future.

Prayer Update on Chinese Brother

In our last letter we asked prayer for Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti who was arrested for his faith in China. His trial was on May 27. He was allowed legal representation from two lawyers who were permitted to be present during the trial. But his wife, Gulnur, and the media were prohibited from entering the courtroom due to the Government’s claims of the sensitivity of the case. The verdict was that the case be sent back to the original prosecuters due to “insufficient evidence” against the accused. On Monday in Beijing a US delegation led by assistant Secretary of State, David Kramer reinstated human rights dialogue and raised Mr. Yimiti’s case with the Chinese Government. Mr. Yimiti’s wife, Gulnur, restated her husband’s innocence of separatist activities. She pleaded for the early release of her husband. She said her two year old son points to his father’s picture everyday and tells visitors that his dad is busy buying toy cars for him and will return soon. Gulnur thanked the many people around the world for their continual support and prayers which to strengthen her faith through this difficult time. From Website: http://www.chinaaid.org/ http://www.monitorchina.org/

KECS Graduation

Last week we attended the 15^th Graduation ceremony for Kazakhstan Evangelical Christian Seminary. It was a joy to see 19 students recognized for their accomplishments. This semester Mark taught Old Testament Survey to the first year students. As the Old Testament is not yet complete in Kazakh (about one third is published, two thirds is nearing final draft stages!), students here are usually not as familiar with its contents. Yet, their enthusiasm to learn these timeless Words was inspiring. One day we had spent time in concerned prayer about restrictive legislation the government is proposing against the church; then we began studying Ezra and Nehemiah. We saw the opposition the people of God faced several hundred years before Jesus birth was not unlike the very issues we are facing here. Yet, God heard their prayers and intervened for their protection and His glory. We trust Him for such in our day.

Summer Thoughts

From Mark’s recent pastoral letter to our International Christian Fellowship here in Almaty: For some churches and Christians ‘summer schedule’ means stop. Surely we need some time to refresh and get ready for autumn’s demands. But walking with Jesus knows no stopping. The Bible has much to say about ‘fruitfulness’ and being ready for ‘harvest.’ Summer is a time for growing. We pray you will grow this summer, closer to the Lord, your family, and your family of faith.

When I was a young Christian (way back when!) my pastor shared a verse with our church in California one summer. "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved" (Jeremiah 8.20). I remember thinking at the time how strange that verse seemed. Even more, my pastor had tears in his eyes, pleading that this verse would NOT be true for us! More than thirty years have passed, I understand those tears now.

Jeremiah knew those tears. He was called the ‘weeping prophet’ for his tender concern for his fellow citizens of Jerusalem. Despite the grim destruction of their northern brothers in Israel by Assyria, Jeremiah’s kinsmen in Judah were deaf to God’s Word. Jeremiah was the brunt of their anger, because he bluntly foretold the coming Babylonian conquest if they did not repent. By contrast, there were dozens of ‘popular prophets’ who told their complacent kinsmen to take it easy. God, they said, did not see their ethical corruption or religious hypocrisy - no worries! Yet Jeremiah worried so much he wept – for Judah and most of all for the honor of the Lion of Judah.

Hear his strong words from Jeremiah 8: "'At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped…Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle… my people do not know the requirements of the LORD. "'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD, "when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious."Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush… "'I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.'" … O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away:"… "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." from Jeremiah 8.1-20

Notice how they hurtle downward - trusting in men - worshipping the stars - clinging to deceit - refusing to repent - charging into sin - lies replace truth - loss of treasures - empty promises of peace - taken into exile - barren and fruitless! Do we see any of these dangerous trends in our nations? In our churches? In our families? In our hearts? May God help us!

I don’t know what God’s Word through Jeremiah says to your heart this summer. Perhaps He challenges you to renew your commitment to grow in Him. Perhaps you need to repent of some lingering sin. Perhaps you need to restore some broken relationship. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your ‘Daily Planner’ and put the Ancient of Days back in the center. Those are some of my thoughts for myself. May we each hear His voice and follow fruitfully.

Jeremiah’s antidote to tragedy has not yet expired. God still holds out His mercy. The Lion of Judah has come. ‘Repent and believe’ is the path of blessing. The summer is starting, may its end find us – and many we love and pray for – saved.

Gratefully in Him,

Mark and Dayna Blair

Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USA
www.pioneers.org

Our Blog
www.blairstan.blogspot.com

Our Ministries
International Christian Fellowship www.icf.nursat.kz
Tien Shan School www.tienshanschool.org

Our Mailing Address
Blair – Almaty 43 – P.O. Box 13 – Kazakhstan 050043

Amazing Disco Easter

Greetings in the Name of our Risen Lord!

Once in a while someone will ask, ‘Why did you ever leave Hawaii to come here?’ That question can get us wondering, especially in winter. I am sure Paul also did his wondering. No doubt there were a few down-days in those prison cells when he’d think, ‘what am I doing here?’ But his questions led him back to the unshakeable truth of the empty tomb. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead”

(1 Corinthians 15:14,19,20). The resurrection of Jesus was good medicine for his doubts.

“I will build my church….”

This season of Lent / Easter has given us new joy and confidence in the Lord as we see more of the good work He is doing in Central Asia. One promise of Jesus was, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Words of confidence and words of caution; the job will get done, but not without difficulty. I can hear the world snicker as we make this claim. “Christian church!?! Oh, do you mean those empty Cathedrals, or those disgraced Televangelists, or maybe that homosexual bishop?” Yes, there is much to be sorry and ashamed for – hypocrisy and heresies – beginning with us! Yet, sometimes despite us, the Risen Jesus is making good on His Word. In ways beyond our plans and imagination, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The building rises.

Earlier this month I had the privilege of teaching twelve pastors from around Kazakhstan. This is a new theological academy where I had never been. And this was the first time to spend a week with local pastors since our return. These are not easy days. The value of the dollar is sinking here too, and the intensity of government obstruction to the work of the Gospel is increasing. We know a number of pastors who have given up their calling, a couple who have given up their faith. I was curious to meet these twelve. We spent the week looking at Paul’s letters to leaders – Timothy (1 & 2) and Titus. It is always a great joy to teach the Bible, but there is a special joy when leaders who struggle in service gain fresh insight and encouragement from the Word and Spirit. God blessed us with such a week.

A., the young pastor in the yellow sweater, is married with one daughter. The church he serves near the Uzbekistan border is located in a poor area of his struggling city. A number of kids that come to their church are already alcoholics, several even pre-teen. Gifts their church sacrifices to give these kids are often taken by ‘parents’ and sold. There is a deep feeling of hopelessness in the city. Yet, their church has a good core of mature believer who generously provide financial support for ministry, they are eagerly working and praying to see God awaken the city. As a young pastor A. was especially glad to study 1 Timothy 4.12 and know that he has a ‘right’ to serve, especially as he strives to be a good example in life and ministry. He asks prayer for more confidence and courage in ministry.

Z. is a woman in her sixties. When her “M”/pastor and his wife arrived in this city in 1991, she was one of the first people they met. Before long she became a believer in Jesus and in time a leader in their newly planted church. She says many people who came in those early days remain faithful in their walk with Him, holding on to the Gospel. Z. now serves as a leader for their ‘Academy of the Grey Hairs’ - fellowship and Bible teaching for people over 60, plus a catered lunch! She appreciated Paul’s specific instruction about the care and ministry of widows in 1 Timothy 5. Z. asks for prayer that she will be more effective in this ministry, especially caring for new widows. There are ten other wonderful testimonies from that class which would warm your heart. Someday we’ll have the joy of celebrating all Jesus’ victories. He is building His Church. He is risen, indeed!

In addition to the on-going courses we are teaching here, I will have two weeks of intensive teaching for leaders in April - one in this city and another in the Olympic capital ‘east’ of here. That trip next door will be the first leg of a journey back to Singapore. One year ago we left there having passed through several surgeries for cancer. Now it is time for a check-up. We’d appreciate your prayers – for continued good health, but most of all that He will build His Church.

Resurrection Witnesses for the Next Generation

Dayna has been teaching at Tien Shan School since August 1998. Each year it has been a joy to impact the lives of these “M” young people. I have taught many subjects. I now thoroughly love the challenge of teaching 8^th grade History. We are on a week of Spring Break and I am preparing for my next course, Central Asian History. This past Term I taught Geography: Map Skills to 14 great international, multilingual, and competitive students. They’re from Korea, USA, and Singapore. I challenged the students at the beginning of the Term that if they wanted an “A” they had to work very hard because I required a lot of work. Well, after completing their grades there were 10 students that earned A’s, the rest got B’s or C’s. It is my passion to not just teach facts and locations, but to give them a vision of what God is doing in that nation. They have learned about more than 200 nations! A few years ago I discovered a compilation of ‘Geography Songs’ to help students learn facts through catchy tunes. They really help. As we ‘sing and learn’ in class, former students who pass by in the hallway join in the singing! A 10^th grader from America was recently in the States on Home Assignment with her family. She told me she “breezed” through Geography because she remembered the songs from 8^th grade! My prayer is that as they learn about a nation’s features, cultures, and peoples, they’ll gain a burden that many of these peoples have not heard the good news of the Risen Jesus. One former student, a class mate of our Nathan’s, is now sharing with Muslims in India, another is in China. May the Lord call more these students to peoples and places He created. (If you and your family want to pray for the nations, get a copy of Operation World.) The greatest joy in teaching is to see students love God and His world and realize they have a part in making Christ known to all peoples.

Amazing Disco Easter

Our Easter day was wonderful. We had a tremendous celebration at our International Christian Fellowship. As you may remember, we gather in a well known Dance club in the middle of Almaty. One crowd clears out about 5 a.m. on Sunday’s, and those who have something better to dance about arrive about 10!

We had people from every continent come to glorify Him who made every constellation. We had the privilege of baptizing two high school girls who have been faithful participants of our music team. Their testimonies of Him who died and rose again for us were a strong encouragement to us all. And, as you can see, we also remembered the Lord in communion.

Following our service, we shared lunch and fellowship together. Then we ended the day watching the film “Amazing Grace” on the life of William Wilberforce. (By all means watch it if you can.) What a great day. We worshipped the God-Man who saved the world, and then watched the story of one man who changed the world in His Name. It was a good reminder of our calling to be the earthly ‘hands and feet’ of Him who ascended to reign.

We are so grateful for your generous support and faithful prayers which keep us thriving here.

We pray that you too will know the joy of His Risen power in the coming days.

Gratefully in Him,

Mark and Dayna Blair

Even our Stuff - February 2008

Aloha from Arctic Almaty!

Back in 1990 Bishop Maseri Kauma asked Mark to preach in a Bible Conference at Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala from what seemed at the time a rather strange text:

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:21-23

As we carried our suitcases up the dark stairwell and into our apartment here in Almaty early one morning a couple weeks ago we thought of God’s goodness. The God who long ago carried the Hebrews from Persia had brought us back to Central Asia. The suitcases we had fussed over --- get as much in there as you’re allowed! --- had winged their way with us across the Pacific, across China, and into Almaty airport. It is hard to say whether those God-fearing migrants carried any Starbuck’s Coffee, Hawaiian calendars, or Old Spice Deodorant (manly smell and easy on the armpits….aaargh!). But surely they looked to Him – the giver of every good gift – as they planned, packed, and pressed on across the miles. God is good…even in the details of our life journey.

Few American Evangelicals today even have a ‘Theology of Stuff’ – perhaps because most of us are convicted that we have too much of it. But surely we must know that He is our Giver and Keeper. (Maybe He is the one prompting us to get rid of some of what we don’t need and bless those in greater need. But hey, now I’m preaching….yikes!) So we give praise to Him who has kept us – and our maximum baggage allowance – in His gracious care!

Our Time ‘Next Door’

One thing that made our journey back to Kazakhstan more interesting was not having a visa to get into Kazakhstan. For reasons explained only as ‘that’s just the way it is here’ we got on board the plane with a promise but an empty space in our passports. We anticipated friends in the faith from the big country next door to be waiting for us at their Capital City Airport. After a warm reunion we were taken to an apartment in a new area of their sprawling Olympic city. Four years ago it was a big field, today 325,000 apartment dwellers are planted there. On Sunday we were privileged to meet with a group of brothers and sisters - gathered behind the locked doors of one apartment - worshipping Him who once transcended locked doors and said, ‘Shalom!’ It was a joy to bring a message from His Word to them.

First thing Monday morning we made our way to the Kazakhstan Embassy in that massive city and found friendly helpful people. By the end of that day we had one year multiple-entry visas to Kazakhstan stamped into our passports. About midnight that day we were in line for our four and half hour flight onward to Almaty. How true - "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him…and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:23

New Tasks in the New Year

As we slip along the icy sidewalks of Almaty we look back with fondness on the sunny days of blessing and warm fellowship we enjoyed in California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Oregon. Our local friends are saying this is the coldest winter they can ever remember in this city! Surely this is not the kind of history we want to make! We are certainly grateful for your prayer and support which keeps us serving Him here. We feel well and are excited to resume the work He has put before us.

Dayna hosted the Tien Shan 2007 Grads for a dinner in our apartment.

Dayna is teaching four days a week at Tien Shan School. She has greatly enjoyed many glad reunions with students and colleagues there. The Lord’s hand of blessing has been on the school. Now about 200 students pack into their crowded corridors; this year the teachers move from class to class to ease the kid crunch! By December 2008 they must vacate their now sold premises. So the push is on at their new construction site. Pray for favor with authorities (always lots of hoops to jump through) and blessing upon their building crew. They anticipate a big need for teachers for 08/09. Check out their web site listed below.

We have found the International Christian Fellowship in great shape. The colleague who served as an Interim Pastor in our absence has consented to join Mark as co-pastor. This is a great blessing. Both he and Mark are involved in teaching and mentoring national leaders. So together we will be able to serve the needs of the ICF and encourage the work of extending His Church across Central Asia.

Mark is preparing for teaching ‘Life of Christ’ and ‘Old Testament Survey’ at the Kazakhstan Evangelical Christian Seminary this term. He will also teach a class on ‘Ephesians’ at a newly formed Presbyterian school. As always, we ask you to join us in prayer for God to raise up leaders to plant and grow His Church in this part of the world.

Mountains and Pebbles

Someone once said it is not the mountain we have to climb that is difficult – it is the rock in our shoe along the trail! Even the work of ministry brings small but serious pebbles. While having a dinner with a couple of leaders in the big country to our east last month, we met a perplexing question. Boaz (not his real name), our host, is a second year seminary student, husband, father, businessman, and elder in his church. He eagerly anticipates the opportunity of being ordained to the ministry. But he knows the issue has become a firestorm. Most of the thousands of house-churches there are of the ‘Brethren’ tradition which opposes a rigid Clergy/Laity distinction. Indeed many forbid ordination, calling everyone ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister.’ A number of these precious ones suffered through their ‘Cultural Revolution.’ One ‘Brother,’ now almost 90, endured 22 years of harsh imprisonment. He emerged with a conviction that their churches needed more devoted and recognizable leaders so he travels the country ordaining those who manifest God’s call. This Elder Brother was in his second year of seminary back when he was wrenched from the classroom to the cell. Thus, he was never ‘properly ordained’ in the eyes of those who hold that stuff as important. Now Boaz is learning about a whole new tradition of ordination. The seminary he studies in was founded and still guided by workers from an East Asian nation with tremendous church growth. And the ordination from the seminary – and its churches - is still rigidly controlled by those from this neighbor nation. For Daniel to have any ‘street cred’ in their eyes he better bow down to those holy foreign hands! And yet, the church he now serves, and wants to remain in, has a whole different spin on the topic. Should anyone even be ordained!? Is this Elder Brother the God-appointed ‘ordainer’? What happens when he goes on to receive his heavenly-ordination? So as you pray for our brothers and sisters to build His Church in their lands here, ask God to grace them to scale the mountains and to endure the pebbles.

May God bless you in your Kingdom-trek. Press on!
Yours in Him who moves Mountains --- and pebbles,
Mark and Dayna Blair

Nathan marries Heather December 8, 2007

Nathan and Heather Blair surrounded by (clockwise) Dayna, Mark, Aaron, Josiah, Masha, and Maylee.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67.1,2

Twenty five years and eleven months ago a California guy with cool 'Afro' hair and a lovely Hawaiian girl heard their pastor read this Psalm during their wedding in Hilo, Hawaii. In the years following they dwelt in the smile of God's face as they shared His salvation among the nations. Three sons were born during their eight years in Africa - grew during their seven years in Hawaii - and matured during their nine years in Central Asia. Last weekend the guy – now with a diminishing amount of white hair – spoke these same words of blessing for their first born son and his bride.

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Psalm 67.3

We rejoice in the smile of our gracious King! What a joy to see Nathan and Heather proclaim their love for Jesus and one another. Family and friends gathered from far and wide – even Masha and Maylee from Kazakhstan – to support the happy couple. While we shiver in Oregon, we envy them in the sun and surf on their Hawaiian honeymoon.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Psalm 67.4.

In God's good providence we've seen Him praised among many nations in 2007. Central Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, and the islands of the Pacific. Jesus rules and reigns and His Kingdom advances. We have so enjoyed your rich fellowship and warm hospitality. Several years passed since we'd been with many friends and churches. What a joy to know that through those years you have faithfully upheld us before Him who rules and guides with justice. Mahalo nui loa! (Thank you very much!) As we enter 2008 we affirm the promise of this Psalm. No matter what – He rules! The challenges we face within our world, our churches, our families, and even in our bodies are part of His Sovereign plan – working for our good, achieving His glory.

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67.7

How could the Psalmist write with such confidence? Because in the fullness of time the blessing of God came in the babe of Bethlehem. The gracious face of God was revealed in Jesus our Emmanuel. Through Him we have received one blessing after another. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. So we wish you His blessing this 'Advent' (Latin for 'come'). Our wish comes in the strong confidence of Him who came, has come, and will come again!

After we share Christmas and the New Year with family, we leave for another term of Kingdom service in Kazakhstan on 10 January 2008. We ask for your prayers and continued support. The door of opportunity remains open for us in Central Asia. We have been given an unique privilege to help equip and encourage young Christian leaders to plant and grow His Church in lands where few know Him. It is always hard to leave the comfort of family and friends here. What a kick it's been to ride the waves in the Pacific, graze In & Out (over graze I'm afraid!), and cheer the University of Hawaii through their first undefeated football season! But what a greater kick to see ALL the nations rejoice and sing for joy in Him. Someday we'll gather with them all around His glorious throne...wow! That will be BIG Screen and HIGH DEFINITION big time.

Yours in our Advent King,
Mark and Dayna Blair
Our Mobile
541 - 743 – 6837

Our Blog

http://blairstan.blogspot.com/

Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USA
http://www.pioneers.org/

Our Ministries
International Christian Fellowship http://www.icf.nursat.kz/
Tien Shan School http://www.tienshanschool.org

Our Mailing Address
Blair - 190 Ululani Street - Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Nathan Marries Heather!

Hawaii News Autumn 2007

Aloha from Hilo, Hawaii!
We are very thankful for your continued support and prayers. God is Good!
After four years away, we are very glad to be home in Hawaii for a couple months. It is a joy to reunite with family, friends, and churches here. Not to mention all the good food and the amazing beauty of this place. We are thankful for good health and ability to take advantage of hiking in the Volcanoes National Park and swimming in the clear blue sea. If it sounds like we have missed this place…you’re right! (Our Mobile 541 - 743 – 6837 until January)
Life has not been all play here in Paradise. We are privileged to be sharing in our supporting churches on Sundays and meet with friends interested in our mission work during the week. We have been invited to share in classes and chapels in some of the Christian schools in the area. Also, Mark is teaching a ten week Bible study on the Book of Revelation on Wednesday nights.
And now we have a blog! Thanks to a new friend in Southern California. http://blairstan.blogspot.com/
News from Kazakhstan is good. Tien Shan School is off to a good beginning of their academic year. Praise the Lord for providing all their staff. Please keep the building project they have recently undertaken in your prayers. A great friend is serving as Interim Pastor of the International Christian Fellowship in Almaty. Please keep him and his wife in your prayers as they lead that ministry in our absence. When we left in June four other elders also left as their terms of service in Almaty ended. But we hear good reports of how the Lord has been raising up others to serve and lead. We miss our church family there and look forward to being with them again in January. (Health tests are good!)
All three of our sons are in Eugene, Oregon. Josiah has joined Aaron at Lane Community College in order to work toward his degree. Masha and Maylee are back in Almaty. Nathan and Heather are both working and planning their wedding. They’re also both quite involved in ministry through their church there. Please open the attachment on this letter regarding Nathan’s ministry project for Mongolia.
September 23 - Puna Congregational Christian Church, Keaau, HISeptember 30 - Kalahikiola Congregational Church, Kohala, Hawaii
October 7 – Trinity Community Assembly of God, Hilo, Hawaii
October 14 - Central Kona Union Church, Kealakekua, Hawaii
October 21 - Mokuaikaua Congregational Church, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
October 28 - Hawaii Kai UCC, Hawaii Kai, Oahu
November 4 – Living Waters Assembly of God, Hilo
November 11 - Waipuna Chapel, Kula, Maui
November 18 - Wailuku Union Church, Wailuku, Maui
November 25 - North Shore Christian Church, Kauai
December 2 - Fly Honolulu to Portland, ORDecember 8 - Nathan Blair weds Heather Madison in Eugene, ORJanuary 10, 2008 - Fly from Portland, OR to Beijing - en route to Kazakhstan
Yours in Him who Reigns,Mark and Dayna BlairOur Mobile541 - 743 - 6837Our MissionPioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USAhttp://www.pioneers.org/Our MinistriesInternational Christian Fellowship http://www.icf.nursat.kz/Tien Shan School tienshan@pactec.kzOur Mailing AddressBlair - 190 Ululani Street - Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Dayna in Esquire

Welcome to our new blog!

Back in Action - July 2007

Greetings from Southern California,

We are so thankful for your prayers and encouragement. Due to our nomadic lifestyle these days we have not been able to get out an email update until now.

We praise the Lord for again extending His healing hand through skilled surgeons! Mark walked out of the hospital the day after back surgery on July 10 (for herniated disc). Best of all the intense pain which he had in his leg for several months prior is 95 % gone. He still needs to avoid ‘B.L.T.’ - bending, lifting, and twisting - which means that Dayna is getting ‘buff’ arms from carrying our luggage! Pray for her back now!

It has been a blessing to catch up with family, friends, and supporting churches here. It has been a strong encouragement to meet those who have so faithfully kept us before the Lord. As you can see from our schedule below, we will be traveling quite a bit in the month ahead. We appreciate your continued prayers for recuperation, safety, and most of all that we would be a blessing to those who have so blessed us.

This week we shared in Mark’s hometown of La Canada, California. The local paper ran the article below -

Kazakhstan missionary Mark Blair to speak at La Canada Presbyterian Church
A life-changing experience at a Crescenta-Canada Family YMCA camp set Mark Blair on a journey halfway around the world, from Catalina Island to the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan.
Blair, a 1973 graduate of Crescenta Valley High School, is a Christian missionary in Kazakhstan with wife Dayna. He will talk of his work Sunday morning (July 29) while preaching the sermon at all three of La Canada Presbyterian Church’s worship services -- 7:55, 9:25 and 10:55. The church supports the ministry work of the two.
Blair says his spiritual journey began when he was in high school and attended a summer camp on Catalina Island. “It was through the YMCA camp when I heard the Gospel at Camp Fox that I became a Christian,” he said.
After attending Glendale College, he got a degree from Covenant College in Tennessee and began a life of missionary service, working in Uganda, serving as a church pastor in Hawaii, and then, in 1998, moving on to Kazakhstan.
It was an obscure posting -- until Hollywood trained one of its spotlights on the country last year. “When we meet people, often the first thing they say is, ‘Oh, yes, I know about Kazakhstan from the Borat movie,’ “ Blair said. “It’s an entry point for conversation, I guess. It kind of put the place on the map.”
Blair and Dayna had been crisscrossing that map for years before then. He trains and equips national church leaders, and is pastor at the International Christian Fellowship in Almaty. She teaches at Tien Shan School.
It can be challenging work. “Kazakhstan is a very secular place,” Blair said. “It’s Islamic, but not devoutly Muslim -- more secular Muslim. It has a history of 70 years of Soviet atheism. Most people really don’t think much about God and don’t have any religious practices, so initially they don’t seem very interested in spiritual things, but at the same time they’re searching for something deeper in their lives.
“Right now there’s something of an economic boom with the oil and a lot of money coming in. So there’s a lot of materialism. It’s not long before people realize that that doesn’t give them a lot of deep satisfaction, so it opens up a spiritual search.”
La Canada Presbyterian Church is at 626 Foothill Blvd. For information, visit www.lacanadapc.org.

July 29 La Canada Presbyterian Church
August 5 Meadowlark Community Church, San Marcos, CA
August 7 - Begin drive from Southern California back up to Eugene, Oregon
August 17 - Fly from Portland, OR to Philadelphia, PA
August 19 - Grace Bible Fellowship Church, Harrisburg, PA
August 26 - Maple Glen Bible Fellowship Church (near Philadelphia, PA)
August 27 - Fly Philadelphia back to Oregon
August 31 - Fly Portland, OR to Hilo, Hawaii
September 2 - Hilo Missionary Church, Hilo, HI
September 9 - Waimea Assemby of God, Kamuela, HI
September 16 and 23 - Puna Congregational Christian Church, Keaau, HI
Open for other meetings in Hawaii
December 2 - Fly Honolulu to Portland, OR
December 8 - Nathan Blair weds Heather Madison in Eugene, OR
January 10, 2008 - Fly Portland, OR to Beijing - en route to Kazakhstan

Yours in His Living Hope,
Mark and Dayna Blair
Our Mobile
541 - 743 - 6837

Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 - USA
http://www.pioneers.org/

Our Ministries
International Christian Fellowship http://www.icf.nursat.kz/
Tien Shan School tienshan@pactec.kz

Our Mailing Address
Blair - 190 Ululani Street - Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Local Boy in the News

Don't Waste Your Cancer - great thoughts!

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1776_Dont_Waste_Your_Cancer/

Don't Waste Your Cancer

Download:

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By John Piper February 15, 2006

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[Editor's Note: Our friend, David Powlison, of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, who also was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, has added some helpful expansions to John Piper’s ten points. Indented paragraphs beginning with "DP:" are written by David Powlison.]
I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.

DP: I (David Powlison) add these reflections on John Piper’s words the morning after receiving news that I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer (March 3, 2006). The ten main points and first paragraphs are his; the second paragraphs are mine.

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.

DP: Recognizing his designing hand does not make you stoic or dishonest or artificially buoyant. Instead, the reality of God’s design elicits and channels your honest outcry to your one true Savior. God’s design invites honest speech, rather than silencing us into resignation. Consider the honesty of the Psalms, of King Hezekiah (Isaiah 38), of Habakkuk 3. These people are bluntly, believingly honest because they know that God is God and set their hopes in him. Psalm 28 teaches you passionate, direct prayer to God. He must hear you. He will hear you. He will continue to work in you and your situation. This outcry comes from your sense of need for help (28:1-2). Then name your particular troubles to God (28:3-5). You are free to personalize with your own particulars. Often in life’s ‘various trials’ (James 1:2), what you face does not exactly map on to the particulars that David or Jesus faced – but the dynamic of faith is the same. Having cast your cares on him who cares for you, then voice your joy (28:6-7): the God-given peace that is beyond understanding. Finally, because faith always works out into love, your personal need and joy will branch out into loving concern for others (28:8-9). Illness can sharpen your awareness of how thoroughly God has already and always been at work in every detail of your life.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

DP: The blessing comes in what God does for us, with us, through us. He brings his great and merciful redemption onto the stage of the curse. Your cancer, in itself, is one of those 10,000 ‘shadows of death’ (Psalm 23:4) that come upon each of us: all the threats, losses, pains, incompletion, disappointment, evils. But in his beloved children, our Father works a most kind good through our most grievous losses: sometimes healing and restoring the body (temporarily, until the resurrection of the dead to eternal life), always sustaining and teaching us that we might know and love him more simply. In the testing ground of evils, your faith becomes deep and real, and your love becomes purposeful and wise: James 1:2-5, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Romans 5:1-5, Romans 8:18-39.

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

DP: God himself is your comfort. He gives himself. The hymn “Be Still My Soul” (by Katerina von Schlegel) reckons the odds the right way: we are 100% certain to suffer, and Christ is 100% certain to meet us, to come for us, comfort us, and restore love’s purest joys. The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” reckons the odds the same way: you are 100% certain to pass through grave distresses, and your Savior is 100% certain to “be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress.” With God, you aren’t playing percentages, but living within certainties.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.

DP: Paul describes the Holy Spirit is the unseen, inner ‘downpayment’ on the certainty of life. By faith, the Lord gives a sweet taste of the face-to-face reality of eternal life in the presence of our God and Christ. We might also say that cancer is one ‘downpayment’ on inevitable death, giving one bad taste of the reality of of our mortality. Cancer is a signpost pointing to something far bigger: the last enemy that you must face. But Christ has defeated this last enemy: 1 Corinthians 15. Death is swallowed up in victory. Cancer is merely one of the enemy’s scouting parties, out on patrol. It has no final power if you are a child of the resurrection, so you can look it in the eye.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).

DP: Cherishing Christ expresses the two core activities of faith: dire need and utter joy. Many psalms cry out in a ‘minor key’: we cherish our Savior by needing him to save us from real troubles, real sins, real sufferings, real anguish. Many psalms sing out in a ‘major key’: we cherish our Savior by delighting in him, loving him, thanking him for all his benefits to us, rejoicing that his salvation is the weightiest thing in the world and that he gets last say. And many psalms start out in one key and end up in the other. Cherishing Christ is not monochromatic; you live the whole spectrum of human experience with him. To ‘beat’ cancer is to live knowing how your Father has compassion on his beloved child, because he knows your frame, that you are but dust. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. To live is to know him, whom to know is to love.

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.

DP: What is so for your reading is also true for your conversations with others. Other people will often express their care and concern by inquiring about your health. That’s good, but the conversation easily gets stuck there. So tell them openly about your sickness, seeking their prayers and counsel, but then change the direction of the conversation by telling them what your God is doing to faithfully sustain you with 10,000 mercies. Robert Murray McCheyne wisely said, “For every one look at your sins, take ten looks at Christ.” He was countering our tendency to reverse that 10:1 ratio by brooding over our failings and forgetting the Lord of mercy. What McCheyne says about our sins we can also apply to our sufferings. For every one sentence you say to others about your cancer, say ten sentences about your God, and your hope, and what he is teaching you, and the small blessings of each day. For every hour you spend researching or discussing your cancer, spend 10 hours researching and discussing and serving your Lord. Relate all that you are learning about cancer back to him and his purposes, and you won’t become obsessed.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

DP: Our culture is terrified of facing death. It is obsessed with medicine. It idolizes youth, health and energy. It tries to hide any signs of weakness or imperfection. You will bring huge blessing to others by living openly, believingly and lovingly within your weaknesses. Paradoxically, moving out into relationships when you are hurting and weak will actually strengthen others. ‘One anothering’ is a two-way street of generous giving and grateful receiving. Your need gives others an opportunity to love. And since love is always God’s highest purpose in you, too, you will learn his finest and most joyous lessons as you find small ways to express concern for others even when you are most weak. A great, life-threatening weakness can prove amazingly freeing. Nothing is left for you to do except to be loved by God and others, and to love God and others.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.

DP: Show the world this different way of grieving. Paul said that he would have had “grief upon grief” if his friend Epaphroditus had died. He had been grieving, feeling the painful weight of his friend’s illness. He would have doubly grieved if his friend had died. But this loving, honest, God-oriented grief coexisted with “rejoice always” and “the peace of God that passes understanding” and “showing a genuine concern for your welfare.” How on earth can heartache coexist with love, joy, peace, and an indestructible sense of life purpose? In the inner logic of faith, this makes perfect sense. In fact, because you have hope, you may feel the sufferings of this life more keenly: grief upon grief. In contrast, the grieving that has no hope often chooses denial or escape or busyness because it can’t face reality without becoming distraught. In Christ, you know what’s at stake, and so you keenly feel the wrong of this fallen world. You don’t take pain and death for granted. You love what is good, and hate what is evil. After all, you follow in the image of “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” But this Jesus chose his cross willingly “for the joy set before him.” He lived and died in hopes that all come true. His pain was not muted by denial or medication, nor was it tainted with despair, fear, or thrashing about for any straw of hope that might change his circumstances. Jesus’ final promises overflow with the gladness of solid hope amid sorrows: “My joy will be in you, and your joy will be made full. Your grief will be turned to joy. No one will take your joy away from you. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy will be made full. These things I speak in the world, so that they may have my joy made full in themselves” (selection from John 15-17).

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).

DP: Suffering really is meant to wean you from sin and strengthen your faith. If you are God-less, then suffering magnifies sin. Will you become more bitter, despairing, addictive, fearful, frenzied, avoidant, sentimental, godless in how you go about life? Will you pretend it’s business as usual? Will you come to terms with death, on your terms? But if you are God’s, then suffering in Christ’s hands will change you, always slowly, sometimes quickly. You come to terms with life and death on his terms. He will gentle you, purify you, cleanse you of vanities. He will make you need him and love him. He rearranges your priorities, so first things come first more often. He will walk with you. Of course you’ll fail at times, perhaps seized by irritability or brooding, escapism or fears. But he will always pick you up when you stumble. Your inner enemy – a moral cancer 10,000 times more deadly than your physical cancer – will be dying as you continue seeking and finding your Savior: “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is very great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose” (Psalm 25).

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.

DP: Jesus is your life. He is the man before whom every knee will bow. He has defeated death once for all. He will finish what he has begun. Let your light so shine as you live in him, by him, through him, for him. One of the church’s ancient hymns puts it this way: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger” (from “I bind unto myself the name”). In your cancer, you will need your brothers and sisters to witness to the truth and glory of Christ, to walk with you, to live out their faith beside you, to love you. And you can do same with them and with all others, becoming the heart that loves with the love of Christ, the mouth filled with hope to both friends and strangers.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Pastor John