Tuesday, August 21, 2018

AL & MICKEY WILLIAMS PRAISE BULLETIN, AUGUST 2018

PRAISE ITEMS:
1. ONLINE FACILITATION – The three online sessions went very well and the risk assessment we completed is now moving on to the next steps in crafting this project. The end result is that information will be available on languages and people groups who do not yet have access to the Scriptures in a language that speaks to their hearts. Our hope is that this information will generate prayer for these people and for God’s provision of personnel to translate the Scriptures for them. I (Al) have been asked to continue to assist with this project, so I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for this important project.

2. TRAVEL TO THAILAND – My (Al’s) trip to Thailand went very well. The group I went to speak to had scheduled me for a 20 minute session with the full group. Then they asked if I could continue for another 20 minutes the next day, and then asked if I could continue for a 60-minute session later that day. They work in some very challenging situations and the topic they asked me to speak on was how to deal with hostile interrogations.

Interacting with them has given me a great respect for them and where they work. It has also given me many things to bring to the Lord in prayer on their behalf. Thank you for praying for me during this trip. I hope you will join me in continuing to pray for our teams who work in challenging places.

After I left the conference, I went to Bangkok to conduct a security survey of the facility where we will be holding a leadership conference in October. It was a good visit and now I’m looking forward to joining with others on the security team to watch over that conference. I’ll be telling you more about that trip next month.

3. FAMILY TIME – On August 11 it was a treat for Al and me to spend a little time with our son Jeremy and his kids, his friend Sue Hutchinson and her kids (Sue and Jeremy were classmates in the Philippines and her parents are Wycliffe colleagues of ours), and my father (Elmer Shertzer) at his retirement home.

4. MICKEY’S HEALTH – Thanks for your prayers! Our insurance company gave its approval of the special CAM Heart Monitor that my doctor requested, so I wore it for seven days in July. A few days after I returned the monitor, I received a call from my doctor, personally checking to see how I was doing and to explain the results. There were many abnormalities and they correlated with the symptoms I was experiencing, so he wants me to see a cardiologist who specializes in the electrical workings of the heart. Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Bernabei as he sees me on August 27 and for Al and me as we process the information / suggestions for treatment.

PRAYER ITEMS:
1. THE MONTH AHEAD - I (Al) will be working from my home office for the next few weeks. The online risk assessment project team will next meet in Orlando, Florida in September, but because of other projects and needs, I have decided I will best be able to help them remotely rather than join them in Orlando. I will also be attending the Risk Management Network meetings in September, but this time they will be held in our area, so I can attend and still be home each evening. In addition to these, I’ll have the daily tasks related to the groups across Asia that I handle via email and internet calls. Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers. It is great to see the progress in the translation of the Scriptures in Asia and the impact this is having in the lives of the people there. Each of you play a significant role in that progress and we greatly appreciate your partnership.

2. COUPLES IN CRISIS – Our hearts are heavy as we write this. One of the couples we’ve been praying for and seeking to help is now in the process of divorce and two others look as if they are heading that direction as well. Please continue to pray for these couples who are near and dear to our hearts. Pray for wisdom for us and the counselors from whom some of them are still seeking help for their troubled marriages. And pray that each couple would draw closer to Christ and to each other and have a desire to work hard to restore their marriages.