Author: Larry Eddings

WIND OF THE SPIRIT MINISTRIES Newsletter

JUNE 2016

HAVING A FAITH THAT YOU WOULD DIE FOR!

I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN
By
Rev. Larry Eddings
As I read this account of our trip to India a few years ago, I felt led to share it with you again as it served to re-ignite the flame in my heart to continue sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for as long as I have the strength of his Spirit to do it. Truly, I will never be the same again!
It had been a very full two weeks but now we were moving along in the crowded Jeep, a vehicle designed for five passengers but now carrying seven plus luggage. Because of the harassment of the local officials and Hindu extremists, our missionary hosts in India felt it best that we leave the area a day early and cross over in to the neighboring state.
The two weeks had been exciting and had included a three day retreat that had been organized by our hosts. It was planned specifically for the families of the children who were involved in their after school tutoring program for poor families. Two busloads of children and adults exited the city. They were followed by the extremists to find out where they were going and why. They took pictures of the people as they boarded the buses and also followed them along the way to the state line. No one has ever treated the poor families [read lower caste] with such favor! “Where are you taking them, and why?”
Though the caste system in India has been outlawed for over 60 years it is still very much a reality and those in the potter caste are often mistreated and held in subjection by those of a higher caste.
The retreat brought together Hindus, Muslims and Believers in Jesus Christ. I had opportunity to share with them about my faith in Jesus, how God is our Healer, the One who Forgives, the One who saves us by his Grace and not by good works and the One who gives Assurance of Eternal Life when we believe in Jesus. The people were hungry to hear and listened with rapt attention. We worshiped, we sang, we danced, we had a campfire and we enjoyed the love of a people who have long been subjected to ill treatment. Almost all of them did not know what a retreat was nor had they ever experienced a campfire.
Now that the retreat was over, the local officials, under pressure from the extremists, were harassing our hosts to find out why they were doing this. We all felt it best that we depart to avoid further harassment for our hosts.
On the way we stopped back at the retreat center for an overnight stay before proceeding on. One of the young men who had been on the retreat and who was helping our hosts with their tutoring program was traveling with us. At breakfast the next morning I was informed that he would like to take baptism and he would like for me to do it. He was a member of a Muslim family.
He had already been learning about Jesus because of his association with our host family, but now he wanted to take the step of baptism that would move him out of his cultural religion into a relationship with Jesus Christ. That move, of course, would cause him to risk the loss of his life, a fact that he knew very well.
I asked him the usual questions related to baptism. “Do you confess and repent of your sins?” “Do you desire to be baptized in this faith?” Then I asked him the very important question that I was instructed to ask, “Is anyone forcing you to take baptism?” This is an important question because it is illegal to do so. He replied to that question, “No one is forcing me from the outside, but Jesus is pushing me from the inside.”
We made arrangements to go to a place on a river where the baptism could be held in secret and I had the privilege of baptizing him into the Body of Jesus. It was a transforming time for him and a life-changing time for me. He had a passion for Jesus, meaning that he was willing to die for that in which he believed. Continued

Wind of the Spirit Ministries
Rev. Larry Eddings PO Box 175, Silverdale, WA 98383
Phone 360-550-2422 email woseddings@msn.com

This was in total contrast to once being in a religion in which many believe that you must kill for what you believe. Seldom have I seen the level of passion for Jesus that I saw in this young man.
As we stood in the river, the small group of accompanying people saw a cobra endeavor to crawl out of the water and head toward us. Then it dropped back into the water and swam upstream away from us. The local Believers saw that as a sign from God. The devil had to leave because he had lost his battle for the life of this young man. And he did! Jesus won the victory and there was rejoicing among his people.
In the very few months since, this young man has impacted his personal family through his living the life of a Believer. His example of love, commitment and personal lifestyle has caused his mother and sister to search for a relationship with Jesus. He has a gracious and caring father who, we believe, will also come to have the assurance of eternal life because of God’s grace and not because of his good works that give him no assurance.
And too, ten young Hindu men and women have since come to receive Jesus as their Savior. It was not simply because of my faith sharing at the retreat, but is the fruit of the tireless work of the resident missionaries who daily work among the poor and the outcaste, sharing the love of Jesus even as they work with them in their various employment.
The Holy Spirit of God is still at work among the poor, giving them hope, showing them love and giving them assurance that in Jesus they have the gift of eternal life. I witnessed it happening and, as a result, I will never be the same again.
Recent communication with this young man, who is now married and has a family, indicates that he is still walking with the Lord and sharing his faith at every opportunity. Let us continue to keep Zaifeer in prayer, giving thanks to God for watching over him and his family as they live out their faith in sometimes hostile environments.
Jesus warned his disciples, “A time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” John 16:2
“O Lord God, also instill in us the faith that enables us to share the Gospel of your love in difficult and hostile circumstances. Amen”

LARRY TO SERVE AS INTERM PASTOR FOR SUMC
The Staff Parish Relations Committee of the Silverdale United Methodist Church as invited me, Larry, to serve as Interim Pastor for the month of June. The Senior Pastor has been appointed to a church in Florida and will leave the end of May to assume that position. The new pastor for Silverdale will be arriving in July, thus the need for pastoral leadership during the month of June.
It is an honor to serve in this capacity in a church at which I had the privilege of being pastor for thirteen years—1970-1983, before being appointed to a ministry of evangelism beyond the local church.
The Silverdale Church has provided office space for Wind of the Spirit Ministries for the past 18 years and we have enjoyed a rich and rewarding relationship during those years. We praise God for the shared ministry in the community as well as on the mission field.
The month of June has remained open on the Wind of the Spirit Ministries’ calendar, providing opportunity for his interim ministry time. I ask that you keep the church and me in prayer as we endeavor to continue in providing the vital ministry that this church has been offering to the community in previous years and under previous pastoral leadership. We look forward to receiving our new pastor in July.
PHILIPPINE MINISTRY
We are excited about the upcoming ministry trip to the Philippines in July. A team will be leaving on July 14 for ministry in local churches and in Bishop Rudy Juan’s Convocation for Pastors and Church Workers that will be held in Baguio, Philippines. Team members include Gary Wright and Donna Kirkpatrick, in addition to Larry Eddings. Please note the schedule in the Ministry Calendar.
In addition, this year we have a team of nurses and medical people who will be conducting three medical clinics while we are there. The first will be held in Bohol, where a medical clinic was held on our last trip there. The second will be held on July 25 at Morong, Bataan and the third will be conducted on July 28 in Montalban. Medical persons include Amivic Clark, Connie Bartolome and Beatrice Chen, in addition to local persons from the areas where the clinics are conducted. These will also serve on our various ministry event prayer teams.
A very successful fund raising dinner was conducted at the Silverdale UMC on May 22 to help raise funds for buying, packing and shipping medical supplies for the various clinics. We give thanks to our Filipino brothers and sisters who work so hard to put the dinner together that served around 200 persons.
Donations to help with travel expenses for the team may be made to Wind of the Spirit Ministries, marked “Philippine Mission.” We wish to offer our services to the Philippine communities without cost to them as a gift to our brothers and sisters there.
HAWAII SEMINAR
Larry, along with Gary Wright, will travel back through Hawaii the first week of August, where they will be joined by Jeremy and Joy Ellington, to conduct a seminar on Prayer at the Kailua United Methodist Church where Tim Ellington, Jeremy’s brother, serves as pastor.
The Seminar will be conduced on August 5-7 and is entitled “Led by the Sprit—a Prayer Revival Weekend.”

WEB-PAGE
Wind of the Spirit Web Page address is
www.wosm-nw.org

METHODISTS, by Garrison Keillor
We make fun of Methodists for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed, and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese.
But nobody sings like them. If you were to ask an audience in New York City, a relatively Methodist-less place, to sing along on the chorus of “Michael Row the Board Ashore,” they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their underwear. But if you do this among Methodists, they’d smile and row that boar ashore and up on the beach! And down the road!
Many Methodists are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony, a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person’s rib cage.
It’s natural for Methodist to sing in harmony. They are too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison. When you’re singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you it’s an emotionally fulfilling moment. By joining in harmony, they somehow promise that they will not forsake each other.
I do believe this: People, these Methodists, who love to sing in four-part harmony are the sort of people you can call up when you’re in deep distress. If you’re dying, they will comfort you. If you are lonely, they’ll talk to you. And if you are hungry, they’ll give you tuna salad.
Methodists believe in prayer, but would practically die if asked to pray out loud. Methodists like to sing, except when confronted with a new hymn or a hymn with more than four stanzas. Methodists believe their pastors will visit them in the hospital, even if they don’t notify them that they are there. Methodists usually follow the official liturgy and will feel it is their way of suffering for their sins. Methodists believe in miracles and even expect miracles, especially during their stewardship visitation programs or when passing the plate.
Methodists think that the Bible forbids them from crossing the aisle while passing the peace. Methodists drink coffee as if it were the Third Sacrament. Methodists are willing to pay up to a dollar for a meal at the church. Methodists still serve Jell-o In the proper liturgical color of the season and think that peas in a tuna casserole adds too much color.
Methodists believe that it is OK to poke fun at themselves and never take themselves too seriously.
You know you’re a Methodist when:
It’s 100 degrees, with 90% humidity and you still have coffee after service.
You hear something funny during the sermon and smile as loudly as you can.
Donuts are a line item in the church budget, just like coffee. When you watch a Star Wars movie and they say, “May the Force be with you,” and you respond, “and also with you.”
And it takes ten minutes to say goodbye.”

P. O. Box 75,Silverdale, WA 98383 Phone: 360 692-9813 Email: wosmnw@yahoo.com

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JUNE 2016

“He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up ...attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11

PLEASE POST AND PRAY FOR THIS EVENT
OTHER MINISTRY EVENTS ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES
Eddings Email address: woseddings@msn.com

JUNE: Larry serves as interim pastor for Silverdale UM Church
21—Jeremy and Joy Ellington Arrive from India
24-26—Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, Puyallup, WA
JULY
14 Ministry team travels to the Philippines
17 Larry preach at St. John UMC 64th Anniv., Pastor David Sablan
19-21—Speak at Bishop Juan’s Convocation for Pastors, Baguio
21—Medical Clinic, Bohol
24—Larry preach at Kamuning UMC
25—Medical Clinic, Morong, Bataan
28—Medical Clinic, Montalban
31—Dedication of Montalban UMC with Bishop Juan
AUGUST
1—Tavel to Hawaii for Prayer Seminar at Kailua UMC
5-7—Seminar: “Led by the Spirit, a Prayer Revival Weekend.”
17-20—Wind of the Spirit “Journey Within” Seminar on Healing of Emotional Hurts, Silverdale United Methodist Church.