Long day traveling. Sun Valley. Boise. Salt Lake. Cincinnati. Driving. Flying. Sitting. Talking. Reading.

One flight remaining. Seat 6A. Window gazing. Sunset glowing. Blankly staring.

Next door: plane boarding. Ground crew closing. Gate signticking: one minute till leaving. Pushback coming. They are going: Columbus.

Remembering. That flight. Memories flooding. Youth for Jesus. Church board meetings. Bible workers. Nealls’ wedding. Many times: Delta flying. CVG departing. CMH arriving.

Nameless faces. Windows framing. Luggage stowing. Cell phones talking. I am wondering: Who are they? Where are they going? Do they know Jesus?

Wait…. We’re moving. Reversing. Leaving. One is looking. He is waving. WAVING!

I am waving.  We’re connecting. He is smiling. Passing…. Slipping…. Fading….

Traveling.

Yay! I’m a proud uncle again!  Born this morning, 5:57 a.m., 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Congratulations to mom and dad!

Happy Holidays!

I awoke early this morning with several prayers on my heart. I felt impressed to share these burdens with my friends, knowing that you are men and women of prayer! Here’s what was mainly on my mind:

1) Alistair’s recovery.  The good news is that each day Al’s getting stronger!  But I know there’s a long road ahead, and I’m praying that whatever virus/bacteria/immune reaction that occurred won’t recur or cause more complications.  Pray for patience and a complete recovery!

2) Current fundraising needs. 2007 is nearly over, and there is one project that is especially weighing heavily on my mind.  As many of you know, OHC has begun a media major focusing on video production.  We’re very excited about it, especially at the prospects of not only training but also producing mission-focused materials.  We’ve submitted a bid to do our first production, and have several students enrolled already.  We’ve also gone out in faith and bought some equipment to start with.  But in order to both prepare the students and do the work we want to do we need to a) equip our auditorium with proper lighting, sound, and cameras, and b) pay for the electronic field production equipment we’ve already bought and still need.  The bids prepared assumed at least the basics would be in place. Please pray that God will provide for the needs of His work! I know He will.

I feel better just having shared these thoughts with you and knowing that prayers will be added to mine. What a privilege we have in prayer! I don’t know how those who don’t know Jesus survive when their hearts are burdened.  It is such a relief to cast our cares on Him!

May the remaining days of 2007 be your best yet!

Chester

Luke and Alistair, Ouachita Hills College canoe trip, May 2007.

So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17 NASB.

The enemy of souls has made desperate, frontal attacks on two brave soldiers of the cross this week. First, on Wednesday morning, he attempted to take the life of Alistair Huong, who was at that very moment putting the finishing touches on the logistics for the GYC (www.gycweb.org) meetings to begin that very day.  The devil struck while Al was typing at his computer, and suddenly began to experience neck pain.  While the doctors are still undecided as to the diagnosis, Alistair quickly became incapacitated and virtually paralyzed from the neck down due to a spinal cord abnormality or injury. 

Yet Satan’s efforts have been defeated on several fronts.  First of all, the GYC meetings went off virtually without a hitch – a testimony both to God’s power and to Alistair’s wise delegation and careful organization.  Volunteers already in place took up the slack and the meetings composed what were from some accounts the best GYC yet.  The Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way through young speakers and in the lives of young people.  The devil was defeated.

Second, God’s army of young people were drawn closer than ever to Jesus as they united with Alistair’s friends around the world to pray for his healing.  Many searched their hearts and examined their lives, compelled by a renewed sense of the fragility of life and the importance of making each day count for the Lord.  The devil was defeated.

Third, Alistair’s own testimony of surrender to God’s will even in such difficult circumstances has been a witness to all who have come into contact with him.  On Friday evening, Pastor Finley led out in an anointing service by Al’s hospital bed.  He reminded us that Jesus performed no less than seven miracles of healing on the Sabbath day.  Together we read portions of the chapter “Prayer for the Sick” from the Ministry of Healing, and from James chapter five.  We were reminded that when such instructions are followed, God does hear and answer.  God will heal in answer to the prayer of faith – in His perfect timing.  The most important thing is that Alistair, as well as his family and friends – each one of us – be surrendered to the Lord and His purposes.  Al’s testimony, along with his family’s, is that God is still in control and trustworthy.  Again, the devil was defeated!

Fourth, Alistair has shown definite signs of improvement.  Yesterday he was strong enough to breathe without the ventilator and was extubated.  He has been growing stronger, and is able to move hands and feet on both right and left sides.  We are hoping and praying for a complete and speedy recovery. Despite the enemy’s efforts, Al’s life has been spared!  The devil is defeated!

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28.

As prayers continued to ascend for Alistair, especially from the OHC and GYC family, the devil attacked again.  In what might be termed a freak accident, the life of Luke, an OHC student, was instantly snuffed out. At the last minute Luke decided to catch a ride with a vehicle going his direction instead of taking the bus home from GYC for Christmas.  Along a treacherous stretch of icy highway in Wisconsin, a tow truck was extricating a vehicle from the ditch when the van Luke was a passenger in lost control and struck the truck.  Luke was killed instantly.

But no one who knew Luke has any doubt regarding his commitment to Jesus.  He loved the Lord and was entirely committed to working for the salvation of souls.  The devil could touch his body – but not his spirit.  Luke is now safe beyond the pale of Satan’s influence, sealed by the infinite God till the resurrection morning.  The devil is defeated!

Please continue to uplift Alistair, his family, and the family of Luke during this challenging time. And remember – if you are abiding in Jesus: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

Chester Van Clark III

Every few years my mom works hard to get all of the kids together for a few days of family fun and fellowship.  This time she used airmiles to take us from North Carolina, Florida, and Arkansas to Banff, Canada.  We’re not only enjoying each other, but some rest, relaxation, and a healthy dose of exercise too!

This week my brother Jon, his wife Jill, their son Andrew, my older sister Karen, her son Carl, my sister Amy, my parents, and I are spending time relaxing together for a few days in Canada.  I don’t have time to post many pics now, but I thought I’d at least share one of Andy. 

Here’s a photo journal from my recent trip to Bulgaria for
lay evangelism training.  Because our
programs in Bulgaria were to
be held on two weekends, the week between was spent in Turkey doing a
self-guided study tour of the seven churches. 
Although we only intended to see two of them, we ended up visiting all
seven sites!  It was such a blessing.

Thanks to the generosity of a friend my parents and sister
Amy were able to go along to help with the training and go along with us on the
study tour.  It was such a
blessing!!  I have always dreamed of
going to Turkey
to the seven churches, but it never seemed that likely to happen.  The five of us – my parents, Amy, Leasa
Hodges (ASI), and myself had a wonderful time.

On the way back it was much cheaper for us to travel through
Greece (the train from Sophia to Thessaloniki was about US$40) than to fly back
from Sophia, so we took a couple of extra days to see Thessalonica, Kavala
(Neapolis), Philippi, Amphipolis, and Athens.

I hope you enjoy the pictures! The most amazing thing now that I look back is that we did it all in just two weeks.

BULGARIA

The main purpose of our trip was equipping lay members to do
personal (and small-scale public) evangelism using the New Beginnings DVD
studies.  We trained the members and
equipped them with a player, the New Beginnings disc, and a printed book of the
25 New Beginnings sermons.  Altogether we
trained about 400 members.

Our first weekend was in Kyustendil, a city southeast of
Sophia and very near the border of Macedonia.  Here is a large Gypsy community which has
been transformed by the power of the gospel and the Adventist message.  In the past five years the Adventist Gypsy
population has grown from around five to around 3,000.  In Kyustendil Gypsies were gathered from
around the country.

The Gypsies are still very much discriminated against (even
within the Church) and lack the basic human rights and many services that we
take for granted.

Each of us had parts of the training which we
presented.  Here I am giving an overview
on preaching evangelistic sermons.

Here’s my Mom.

Leasa
Hodges.

My wonderful sister Amy.

The next weekend we trained in one of the main churches in
Sophia.  Here are the members after they
received their equipment and training.

I confess.  I fell in love in Bulgaria.  The Gypsy
children completely stole my heart. This little boy had a shirt full of
cherries.

Please join me in praying for the members who are now
working to win their friends and associates to Jesus and His end-time message. 

Many, many biblical sites are to be found in Turkey.  Five days is hardly enough to scratch the
surface!  We found the people in Turkey to be
incredibly warm and friendly, and we felt very comfortable there.  I rented a car and we drove all around the
western side of the country, the ancient region of Anatolya.  I’ll post in the order of the seven churches
found in Revelation chapters two and three.

This city has some incredible ruins and I took hundreds of
pictures!  Everywhere you turn are ruins
of temples or fountains dedicated to the gods, mythical figures, and emperors
that are so well known. Here I am at Ephesus,
in front of the façade of the library.

Here we are in the theater of Ephesus where Dimitrius made his
speech against Paul, crediting him with the falling off of the worship of the
goddess Diana (Artemis) and the sale of her images.

Funny how the great Diana of the Ephesians isn’t much of a
power in our world today, but the God how Paul preached is worshiped around the
globe.  It’s also interesting to note
that in this city where the female goddess of fertility was worshiped Mary
worship continues (at the ruins of what is purported, based on a nun’s
supernatural visions, to be the home which John provided for her) and the
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was adopted.  Here is all that remains of the temple of Artemis, once the largest and grandest
of its kind in the world. 

My sister traveling Paul-style.

I had to include this one.

Also in Ephesus
is the ruins of a huge basilica which was built over the tomb believed to be
that of the disciple John.

Now the city of Izmir, the
third largest in Turkey, Smyrna still offers view
of a well-preserved Roman Agora (market) where undoubtedly both the disciple
John and the apostle Paul visited.

Here I am in the lower floor of the Agora.

Above ground.

Above the city of Smyrna
was a fortress, mostly Byzantine but which was begun during or soon after the
time of Alexander the Great. Here’s Amy and me inside the Kadifekale.