Exloring Life Eternal

March 10, 2005

"But that great city of Ninevah has many people who do not know their right hand from their left ... should I not be concerned about that great city as well?" - The Lord (see Jonah 4)

Dear Friends & Family,

May the Lord bless you in every way!!

The verse above was the final deciding factor about 13.5 years ago when I realized that if I were to follow Jesus, then I must do my part to help make the Name of Jesus & His Word known to those who had not heard. The years that followed were filled with study of the Bible, as well as many other things which I once did not believe would be of any benefit. They were filled with many struggles with the ups and downs of life and dealing with the reality that "I can do nothing without Him." And ... finally, the ongoing drama of meeting & coming to love Sheila & grow together in discerning His will for our lives & how to work together in unity.

Although I would just as soon avoid it & settle for a "normal" life, it
seems that in wrestling with the Lord, God has blessed us to reach some
people who are not necessarily in the range of current outreach. I dare say that I have felt as though I limp at times, my weaknesses are so many & so evident. Yet, God's grace is not limited by my lack of strength or wisdom. Those of you who have not had the privilege of getting to know Sheila deeply, do not realize the help that Sheila has been in reminding me to seek the Lord first & foremost. With all our flaws and foibles, we are His. Please pray for us as we seek to put into practice what we believe is His will.

Lord willing, we will be moving to Detroit & be somewhat settled in by Father's Day weekend this year. This is an awesome challenge: There are still more worldly goods to dispense with. There are some folks I'd like to meet before the move. There will be a need for gathering together with some other solid believers & finding just the right niche for service in the Detroit area. However, as I was reminded recently, there are over 500,000 Arabs in that region and many of them Muslim, in addition to other ethnic groups with strong Muslim representation.

PRAISE THE LORD WITH US FOR:
- We are both past the 1/4 of a century mark, & God's mercy is _still_ new every morning (even when we don't recognize it), and He is _still_ faithful!
- He is still Lord of all peoples.
- Mert's brother, Tim, is taking some definite steps in seeking God's best for his life.
- Sheila's skill in quilt-making is growing, as is Mert's skill in basic
house repair.
- The church seems to have a clearer direction for the use of the house.
- Some doors closed ... indicating that there are other doors that will
open! (See Paul's journey & how the Spirit did not initially permit him
to enter Asia)
- Several items Mert shared via a network of folks who love Muslims seem to have be of some use.
- Some trees planted last year in the yard survived the winter ... as did some bulbs!! God guards the garden.
- Continued blessed interaction with various Asians here in South Arkansas.

Please PRAY WITH US REGARDING:
- That God would be glorified as churches & ministries unite to reach those Muslims lost apart from Christ, whether they are in downtown Jakarta, Dubai, Delhi, Detroit, or wandering in a desert.
- God's salvation of all out family members (Some in Indonesia, some in the USA, nearly or distantly-related.)
- God's dynamic boldness, faithful-love, and disciplined restraint in every area of our lives & the casting down of fear (1 Timothy 1:7).
- The anticipated move to Dearborn. (Mert will be traveling around to visit churches & ministries that may be interested being part of the ministry.)
- The continued work of the Lord in churches here in El Dorado. I've heard some good reports. Let's pray it continues ... and that a prayer guide gets posted on the web soon.

OUR NEEDS:
- 500+ regular prayer partners for us (Mert & Sheila) & our ministry.
- Churches & workers who will join in the outreach to the lost in the metro-Detroit area.
- The right agency / ministry partner.
- Provision for daily needs & a base for service in the Detroit area.
- Moving details: selling / giving away unneeded stuff (Praise God we don't have a lot in the first place!!), packing of what we will take with us, transporting the stuff, finding an appropriate residence (We are wanting to buy a house, when the right one is available at the right price in the right location.), unpacking, etc.
- Language learning: Mert needs some sort of gift to communicate in Arabic & Indonesian (language school, personal tutors, computer courses, or ?)

INTERESTED IN PARTNERING?
... If you would like to help encourage churches & saints to pray for us ...
... If you would like to partner regarding any of the above needs, ...
...please email: mailto:mertaka@everybody.org .


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PROVERBS:
When folks only see the problems of men, faith sees the promise of God.

Any dead fish can go with the flow, it takes a live one to swim against the current.

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THE CALL & GOD'S WILL: How can I know if God is calling me to pursue
long-term missions?
==> from an article by Robert E. Speer, chairman of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions in 1901.
"If people are going to draw lines of division between different kinds of service, what preposterous reasoning leads them to think that it requires less divine sanction for a man to spend his life easily among Christians than it requires for him to go out as a missionary to the heathen? Is it not absurb to suggest that a special call is necessary to become a missionary, but no call is required to gratify his own will or personal ambitions? There is something wonderfully misleading, full of hallucination and delusion in this business of missionary calls. With many of us it is not a missionary call at all that we are looking for; it is a shove. There are a great many of us who would never hear a call if it came." (If you found this helpful, and have other questions regarding missions, check out:
www.thejourneydeepens.com )

LANGUAGE:
Are you wanting to learn the basics of a language, translate a word, or just find a proverb in another language? check out: www.yourdictionary.com .
For a more thorough introduction to some major languages of the world check out: www.rosettastone.com .

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CONCLUSION
Be careful of twisting truth, my friend. Of writing volumes, there is no end, and much research wearies the body. Now that you've read this far ... here is the conclusion of the matter: Revere God & do what He says, this is why we are here! In the end, God will evaluate everything, inside & out: Is it good or is it bad?
- Today's Preacher 12:12-14 (IPV - Internet Paraphrased Version)

If you desire to stop receiving these messages, please send an email to that effect, or log on to
http://lists.everybody.org/merts-memo ... or you can also subscribe there. If you know 5 other people who would like to join in praying for us & otherwise be interested in a ministry of advocacy for the Arab Peoples, especially the Yemeni, please pass this email on to them. Also, email me if you would like the quarterly print prayer letter which will be coming out soon.

If you desire to send any other contributions to our ministry, you may send them to
Marrable Hill Chapel
110 Chapel Drive
El Dorado, AR 71730
USA
... just be sure to make the check out to "Marrable Hill Chapel" and attach a note indicating that it is for the ministry of Mert & Sheila Hershberger

Mert (& Sheila) Hershberger
mertaka@everybody.org
1-800-376-5876
www.pray-ap.info

Pursuing God's glory by with ...
the whole Church sharing the whole Christ with the whole person
of every person of every people in every language
of all lands for all time with all confidence,
with a focus on the least loved, the least reached, and the least prominent.