Greetings from snowing/frosty New York.
This year we have had the joy of spending the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with family here in the States. Our children and grandchildren are in California and New York, so we divided our time between the two. We had the joy of having Helen’s sister, brother-in-love, niece and her family join us in California for Thanksgiving. What a blessed time. Here is a group shot of our country Thanksgiving gathering:
Can you recognize anyone? We spent 2 and a half wonderful weeks in California.
While out West, we met with our S.I.M. board and mapped out projects and goals for the coming year. Dick and Donna Sorenson hosted our meeting in Boise, Idaho and we all went away encouraged and blessed. In 2020, S.I.M. will be starting a branch office in Portugal to help facilitate mission initiatives in Europe and Africa. This year the Kindlebergers were sent to Madagascar and Ted and Sandra Hahs have joined us to work in the San Francisco Bay area. I believe, 2020 is a year for expansion and much fruitfulness.
On the way East, we stopped by Kansas City, (or more specifically, Harrisonville), to “matar saudades”, (no good translation…get caught up with), with dear friends and church family. It was an important stop on our cross-country jaunt, and I believe will bear fruit for the future. Now we are in New York and getting ready for all the Christmas festivities. 20 of us will be in Ithaca at Nathan and Tara’s Bnb. Does anyone have any remedy for losing weight and still feasting on Nathan’s cuisine, Mary’s pies and Catia’s bacalhau? We’ve tried breaking the food in small pieces so that the calories fall out, but to no avail. Our breadth is ever expanding!
After the New Year, we will be back home for a time. Trips to Mozambique, Eswatini and Madagascar are planned for February and March and then back to Germany in April. So many doors have opened for the training of indigenous workers. Our Angolan partners have taken on the goal of sending Angolan missionaries into all the nations of Africa. They will need specific training in church planting and in Muslim evangelization. The goal of S.I.M. is to close the gap between the Western sending churches and the “mission field”, by mobilizing all churches to respond to the Great Commission, no matter where they are in the world. Every place is a mission field and we are all missionaries; (in other words, “sent ones”.).
One highlight this last Fall was the arrival in Portugal of two lovely daughters of the Abraham family, (New Hope Centre – Manzini, Eswatini.) They were sponsored by S.I.M. to share their testimonies and minister in several churches in Portugal. It has been a privilege to partner with Elizabeth Hynd and her staff in sowing into the lives of these precious children.
Many of you have asked about our health. Well, other than getting older, we are doing fine. While in Angola, I received a healing of a degeneration of the knee and the prostrate cancer is completely gone. No need for further treatments. “Thank you, Jesus, my Healer.” I have renewed energy to travel and minister around the world and write books. The 12 booklets on Church life is done and being translated in several languages, the fourth of my devotional books is completed in Portuguese and I am now starting a series of books on Spiritual Warfare. You can follow us more via our site: www.simissions.org and Helen’s art on: www.fineartbyhelenreimer.com.
We wish you all a blessed Christmas and New Year. May our loving Heavenly Father wrap you in His arms and reveal His great love to you all.
In Christ
Jim and Helen