It’s Been a Great Week at Maranatha

I’m writing this note just before 10 PM on Friday night. This evening I finished my final message at Maranatha Bible Conference in Muskegon, Michigan. We had a wonderful week. For one thing, the weather was superb, even better than I remember from four years ago. Clear days, warm but not hot, low humidity, a slight breeze, conditions so good that you wanted to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

This week we were blessed to have the mission representatives from JAARS, the technical support arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators. They brought with them two planes—an older plane that runs on avgas and a brand-new plane called the Kodiak, so new that they have the first plane off the assembly line. It uses a turbine engine that runs on jet fuel. Because avgas is both scarce and incredibly expensive, the Kodiak represents the new wave of missionary airplanes. And because it is a brand-new plane, JAARS needs to raise $100,000 to train pilots who are used to flying the older planes. The people attending the conference gave $30,000 toward that goal, with more money coming in tonight and tomorrow.

This afternoon I had a special treat when Craig and Megan Hammond came for a visit. For many years Craig served as Youth Pastor and then Pastor of Student Ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. He and Megan recently moved to Oregon where they will serve in a college ministry called Campus Ambassadors. While they were in the area visiting Craig’s parents, they dropped by Maranatha to say hello. It was great seeing them again—and their young daughter Madelyn.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day that starts in Michigan and ends in Oregon. I’m getting up at 4:15 AM to catch a flight from Grand Rapids to Cincinnati, and then another flight to Portland, Oregon, and then an hour and 45 minute drive to Cannon Beach Conference Center where I will speak tomorrow night. It’s that last part that has me a wee bit tired (to borrow a phrase from Ian Leitch) so I’ve decided not to think about it.

Special thanks to Tim and Eileen Ostrander and to Terry and Kay Agal, and to the excellent staff at Maranatha for their many kindnesses to me this week. I told the folks tonight that Maranatha feels like a combination vacation resort, Bible conference and family reunion.

That’s the news so far. It’s been a great week and now it’s time to go to bed.