20,000 miles later

David and Sylvia with Napa Valley in the background.

From April to the end of June, we were privileged to speak 28 times in 27 different churches as we traveled across the United States from New York to Idaho, Kansas to California!  We met many "old" friends along the way and made heaps of new friends.  We were blessed with a place to sleep every night, wonderful food, and a faithful car that became our home!  We met face-to-face those of you who are our strong and faithful supporters.  More than any previous home assignment, we noticed that God opened the door for us to connect with many friends and family - some that we had not seen in the last 30 years!  You provided gracious Christian hospitality that warmed our hearts and renewed relationships.   Sometimes we were treated like royalty and sometimes we were just part of the fam.  It was all SO good!  Your faces and words of encouragement are fresh in our minds and hearts!  We praise God for his protection and blessing and provision!

"Thank you" is such a feeble way of expressing our deep appreciation.  We hope in your generosity that you have known the joy and satisfaction of being channels of blessing because that is what you have been to us - channels of our prodigal God's abundant love!

Enjoyed Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in Delaware Park with Jeff.

We've enjoyed our weeks of vacation here in Buffalo.  The highlights have been a weekend and an evening of Shakespeare in the park with Jeffrey and an entire weekend of caring for our grandgirls while Joel and Bekah celebrated their 5th anniversary with a 3 day bike trip.

Sylvia picking a tiny flower in the park.

 In this last week of our vacation, we were beginning the task of packing our suitcases, distributing all the stuff we had accumulated to take back with us so that each suitcase was under 50 pounds.  On Tuesday, Sylvia had a breast biopsy done.  We thought it was a case of her doctor requesting the latest available means to make sure that the usual suspicious things seen on her mammogram were simply cysts.  On Thursday, the radiologist called to confirm that Sylvia has breast cancer.

Dora among the daisies.

Our departure from the US, scheduled for tomorrow, was postponed and we started a journey on a new path that we've never walked before.  Sylvia will be anointed for healing this Sunday morning .  There are lots and lots and lots of questions to be answered and decisions to be made! 



In the midst of all this, we have both been experiencing tremendous peace and are encouraged by Moses' words to the Israelites in Deut. 31:6, "Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give [this news] a second thought because GOD, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you” (The Message).  We appreciate your support in prayer for our family!

HA Chronicle #4 - Our First and Only District Tour for 2011

Usually we have about 3 or 4 district tours during our home assignments, but this time we only have one.  We were scheduled to speak on the Pittsburgh District for seven days (twice on Sundays and every night of the week), April 10-17.  We had spoken on this district several furloughs ago, so we were excited about returning.  Jean Brake has been the district NMI deputation coordinator for many years and she does a great job!  Jean and her husband, Frank, invited us to stay at their lovely home near Confluence for the first 3 days of the tour.  One of the days they took us around to see some of the interesting sites:

the place where the UA flight #93 crashed on September 11, 2001,

and Fort Necessity in Maryland constructed by George Washington before he was president.

We enjoyed all the people that we met and enjoyed some fabulous potluck dinners too.  One of the churches had their children present a special bell choir.  Sylvia thought this would be a great idea for the kids in Vanuatu!

We are always delighted to be able to spend some time with missionary friends as we are traveling.  We were pleased to stay in Dale and Pat Stotler's home who were missionaries in Lesotho.  We also enjoyed lunch with our PNG missionary colleague, Carolyn Myatt.

This was a wonderful beginning for the next 3 months of speaking across America! 

HA Chronicle #3 - The Long-Awaited Meeting

While Sylvia (Abu) was enjoying the conference, David continued driving toward Buffalo, with an ETA of Monday, April 4th.  She had some fears that Dora and Sylvia might be afraid of her since they had only known her via a computer screen.  The first morning after Abu's arrival in Buffalo, the girls met the 3 dimensional version somewhat cautiously.  The road-weary Grandpa arrived later in the afternoon.  It seemed from their quick acceptance of Grandpa that Dora and Sylvia liked him best, but with some patience on Abu's part, both girls have come to offer their love and attention equally to both of the adoring grandparents.  April 9th rolled around all to quickly and we bid farewell to drive to our first district tour in Pittsburgh District.  We are so blessed to have had these days to get acquainted!  It is very gratifying to hold these dear girls in our arms again,

reading stories,

taking walks,

and stacking blocks...

after months of aching to do all those things but needing to be content to only know them through Skype and Facebook.

HA Chronicle #2 - The WHWC Conference

Sylvia had been looking forward to this conference for at least 6 months.  The North Central Ohio District granted her a district preacher's license for the first time in 2009.  Our DS, Rev. Steve Ward, and others have encouraged her to pursue ordination, so she is completing the required pastoral training courses through Nazarene Bible College's online program.  The Wesleyan Holiness Women's Clergy  Conference would be an opportunity for her to meet with other women who are also following God's call to be a minister of the Gospel.  Her prayer partner Mary Beth, joined her for these days of challenge and encouragement.  She was able to attend several workshops by her professor from NNU days, Dr. Diane LeClerc, and received some very helpful advice about preaching.

Some of her favorite memories from the conference were: lovely tulips in front of the hotel on her arrival and the lovely "warm" spring weather; the beautifully enacted, historical vignettes of significant women in the history of the holiness movement; uniting of the various holiness denominations in worship and fellowship; and the sometimes unexpected, but very delightful meetings with old friends and new from all around the world.

Home Assignment (HA) Chronicles #1 - Familiar Faces

We arrived in the US on March 30th, a day later than we expected since our first flight in the long journey - Port Vila, Vanuatu to Nadi, Fiji - had been canceled due to mechanical problems.  It was the first in a series of flight issues that ultimately kept Sylvia from arriving at her hoped-for and long-anticipated destination of Buffalo, New York, where her little granddaughters were eagerly awaiting her arrival. :)  David had taken a separate flight from Los Angelos to Oakland, California, in order to pick up the VW Jetta that Mark and Elizabeth had offered for our use during our home assignment.  He slept one night and then began the long drive with God as his traveling companion to Buffalo.  It took him 4 long days of driving, stopping to visit family in Colorado Springs and Kansas City and Wesley in Mount Vernon. 

Back to Sylvia, although she didn't make it to Buffalo, Air Trans Airways provided wonderful accommodations for her in Atlanta, Georgia, and then flew her to St. Louis, Missouri, making it possible for her to arrive on time at the Wesleyan Holiness Women's Clergy Conference.  She was well cared for all along the way by airline agents, baggage customer service, and ground transport personnel.  While in the Atlanta airport eating a late night supper provided by the airline, she looked up and was delighted to see familiar faces.  The airport had large, framed photographs of PNG warriors displayed on all the large pillars in the airport atrium.  Everywhere she looked were faces, fierce-some to most viewers, but quite familiar and somehow very reassuring to her eyes.  God has an interesting way of dealing with our anxieties.

"Do not be anxious about anything... the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  

Philippians 4: 6,7

Mission Vanuatu 2011 Conference on Evangelism

Twenty-five representatives from 5 Nazarene Churches and 4 preaching points located on 3 different islands in the country of Vanuatu met March 3-5 for the purpose of "igniting our passion for making Christlike disciples."  We sensed God's presence as we gathered for worship on the first evening led by Pastor David Tasso of the Malapoa Church. 

  Sylvia began by sharing about our theme and purpose borrowed from the recent M11 Conference in Kentucky, USA.  She explained what it meant for something to "ignite" and then further described the word "passion."  David and Sylvia both shared from the Great Commission passage in Matthew 28:18-20 and encouraged each representative to take seriously Christ's call to make disciples.     

We broke into small groups to study from the Bible what it means to be a disciple.  We learned that a disciple is - a BELIEVER, a FOLLOWER, a LEARNER, a WITNESS, BAPTIZED, and a MULTIPLIER.  Sylvia shared about the web of friends and family and work relationships (oikos relationships) that make witnessing a natural part of our lives.  We all took time to write down as many names of people in each of our "webs" who are currently not in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We were challenged to pray for each of them and make the most of our opportunities together to be disciples of Jesus.

On Friday evening we learned about how we carry out the Great Commission.  It must be our lifestyle, just like it was for Jesus, as we live the life of Christ before others, invest our lives in making disciples by giving of our time, participating in Bible study, enabling others in ministry, all done in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Sylvia shared about the strategy of Sunday School and small groups as our foundation.  She further explained this in the Saturday morning session with those who will be serving as Sunday School teachers in their local churches.  Sunday School for adults is a new concept for many of them, but they agreed that it is needed in order for us to grow in our relationship with Christ.

Lay pastor Morrison (L) receiving the offering from William

It was a blessing that Morrison, the lay pastor from the island of Tanna, was able to be with us for the conference.  He is overseeing 3 different preaching points that were the result of an outreach effort last June.  In the last 2 months they have experienced two devastating cyclones that wiped out their gardens.  Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has been able to assist with some food relief during this time for the communities that were hit.  The local Nazarene churches in Port Vila also wanted to take part in  compassionate ministry and presented Morrison with a cash gift of over $100 while we were together Friday night.  

We want to thank all of you who have been praying for us during the conference.  God is working in the lives of our leaders as a result of your prayers.  One young man from the Black Sand Church has been struggling spiritually for the last 4-5 months.  We encouraged him to take part in the conference and he came!  When he returned Friday evening, it was obvious just from the look on his face that something had changed in his heart.  This morning he eagerly led the morning worship service at his church where David is the pastor.  William, the interim pastor for Ohlen Church while the Isaac's are on home assignment, stood Friday evening and shared his personal goal of being an example for Christ in every area of his life.  Sylvia will continue to meet two more times this month with the Sunday School teachers to prepare and equip them for their ministry.  On Sunday, March 27, the churches in Port Vila will gather at Vila North School where the Ohlen Church is currently meeting for our Sunday School Launching Event where the Sunday School teachers will be commissioned for service and pastors and church leaders will commit their support.  Pastors Peter and Jenny will continue the work of equipping these leaders after we leave for home assignment on March 29th!  

"Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge:

'God authorized and commanded me to commission you: 

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, 

marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.  

I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.'"

Matthew 28:18-20, The Message

Cast-Off Day!

Sylvia Irena is cast free!  Hip Hip Hooray!

Sylvia standing in her cast

No, we didn't throw away any old clothes and we didn't set sail for Tanna either!  Today was the day that Sylvia Irena "cast-off" her body cast that she has been wearing for the last 4 months!  She is free to crawl and stand and walk now.  When she first had the cast put on we prayed that the Lord would give her and her parents grace to endure this time of "confinement."  God has answered our prayers in abundance!  She learned to roll over in her cast and crawl, and lately she was even standing in her cast!  She is a determined little girl!  In a few days the girls will celebrate their first birthday.  We praise God for his hand of protection in their lives and for his grace that has been more than evident in Joel and Bekah's lives as well as our sweet grandgirls.

Dora (left) and Sylvia (right)

  Luke 5:24-25 - Jesus to the paralyzed man:

"I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home." Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on,

and went home glorifying God!