I sent the latest blog to www.projectpartner.org  Kristen Levitt, the Director of Project Partner is now back in the U.S. She will be posting updates regularly. You can go there and subscribe so you won't miss a thing. Thanks for your great support. I will post here a day afterward so there will be an archive for the trip. Gary

We saw patients today as a team (I’m not a doctor so you don’t want me working on you). I’m so impressed by the professionalism of this team. There are 41 of us including doctors, nurses, lab techs, cardiologists, pediatricians, hospital administrators, dentists, etc. One doctor, who is also the team leader, brought five from his hospital staff. It is so impressive to see them dive right into the work of seeing the patients.  This hospital we worked ( I guess technically I should call it “practice”) at today is rural and has a very simple setup. Many of the patients are poor. The local church partners with the medical team by supplying ongoing resources. This way the patients can get the appropriate follow up care and prescriptions to support long term progress.
Another piece of this trip for our team is education. One third of the team is in the classroom today teaching. They are covering subjects like birth control and AIDS prevention. Still another group is doing general physicals for the poor. And there are dentists here doing exams and teaching general care for your teeth. It is a privilege to see the passion and love that is pouring out through the team. Our leader said this has been a difficult place for the church to spread the gospel. The team is demonstrating the love of Christ even when they can’t share the Good News as openly as they would like.
We at Project Partner bring American medical personnel and when we add this to the mix it is dynamic. There is cross cultural learning and the connection around the love for the patients is obvious. All of this serves to place the church in a position that is favorably received by the government. They are here watching and supporting the process. This is the kingdom of heaven advancing not by proclamation but by demonstration.

Today (actually a day old now) we got a chance to catch our breath from our 30 hour trip. We spent the day in Hong Kong. I love this city! I got up early for a 4 mile run along Victoria Harbor. The views are spectacular. The run is right on the waterfront on the Kawloon side. We did a quick debrief over breakfast. I wanted to be sure that the team knew the history of Project Partner and the purpose for the trip. We want to clear up as many assumptions as possible.
The first stop for sightseeing was Stanley Harbor. It is a market on the back side of Hong Kong Island in Recluse Bay. It is a lot like what  we would call a flea market but some of the products can be quite expensive. It is one of the few quiet spots on the island. We rode a double-decker bus to get there. For lunch we went up to The Peak. We rode the Peak Tram to get there. It was built in 1880. It was really crowded because this is a weekend. From the Peak you can see all of Victoria Harbor. It is one of the most breath-taking views one will ever see. Today there were a lot of clouds but it is still a real treat. We ate at Bubba Gumps’ for a taste of home. In the afternoon we headed back down to Central Station on foot. That can be exciting with all the crowds and traffic. We rode the Star Ferry back across to Kawloon. From there we took a cab to the China Ferry terminal for our trip into China. So far so good.
I love how God uses these trips to reveal His love for all people.  Today in our devotions we talked about the Great Commission Jesus gave His disciples. We tried to imagine what words the Father had for Jesus before He sent Him to earth. We decided maybe it was the words of Isaiah 61 which Jesus quoted in His first message recorded in Luke 4. He came be Good News for the poor—not just to speak it but to embody it. This is our message for today. We won’t be preaching or teaching but we will be the Good News to people we many never really know. It is one of the ways the kingdom of God comes to Hong Kong. More later.

I'm at the airport on my way to a medical mission with www.projectpartner.org If you want to follow the progress check back here at my blog or on the Project Partner Web Site.  I'm excited to lead a team, no, I'm not a doctor but even the doctors needs support! I'd love to include you in a future trip. More later, they are calling the plane. Gary

Life is full of the unexpected.I'm sharing my personal experience with you because I know you care and I need your help.Recently my doctor informed me that I have a hernia and need surgery right away.

This unexpected surgery caused many of my plans to change. I intended to go to China in three weeks to lead a Project Partner trip to deliver resources to our Chinese partners to rebuild Yin Lee’s school. It is a great story. However, now I cannot go because of the surgery.

I now need to raise $4,500 to cover non-refundable travel expenses.This will also cover the cost to send Belinda, as I feel it’d be beneficial for her to go.

I was going to run the KC half marathon to raise these funds. Now I can’t run (although Paul Pfannenstiel will run for me). And I can’t go. I would love to see this project and the trip go forward without me. I’m humbly asking for your help.

Would you pray with me for God’s solution? If you feel led to support please donate through Project Partner. You cangive onlineor send a check to:  Project Partner, 2111 E Santa Fe Dr., Suite 149, Olathe, KS 66062

I’m comforted by the fact that Kristen and Belinda will both be leading teams and working toward this project in my absence. Please join me in praying for them. I’m sure God has a bigger story. Together we can do this and God will be honored.

I’ve been training for a half-marathon (13.1 mi) in Kansas City October 15. I won’t lie the training is tough but I’ve been looking forward to the run. I also planned to use the run to raise money for a Project Partner mission trip. I planned to visit a school in China and take them resources to rebuild. Check out this link: http://bit.ly/pDsiJGI learned on Friday that I have a direct hernia. My doctor advised me to have surgery ASAP which means I would miss the race and the trip and now my fund raising effort is also in jeopardy. I was hoping to raise $4,500. I stand to lose it now.  What a disappointment! Several of the things I love the most are in jeopardy. You’d have to know me to know how devastating this is. So what do you do with disappointment?

You have it too right, just around your own set of important things. It could be around things happening in your life, your home, with other people and your ministry—sometimes you get lucky and hit the trifecta where you have disappointment in all these going at the same time.

So here is what I’m doing and maybe it will help you too.

Grieve it. Acknowledge the disappointment. Give it words. Speak frankly and honestly to God out loud about it. Tell people you trust. Write it in your journal. Talk to those who can give you perspective. In my case I talked to my family, my doctor, other runners, Project Partner staff and volunteers, our partners in China, my prayer team and friends. Don’t hide it but there is no need or benefit in wallowing here. Tell the truth. It is what it is. You don’t need sympathy and you don’t want people feeling sorry for you but an understanding heart here is a great gift.

Learn from it. Review what happened and ask God to show you anything that you could have done differently or should do next time. Give yourself grace. You are human and finite in your understanding. Ask the appropriate questions of the right people and don’t be afraid of the answers. Sometimes we are so defensive or afraid of being wrong we don’t learn the lessons we could learn if we were humble and teachable. In my case I visited the Doctor in August and suggested this was a problem but his nurse practitioner didn’t find it. She thought it was a pulled muscle in my groin area. Although I thought she was wrong I didn’t ask for a second opinion until on my ten mile run I had pain I knew wasn’t in my muscle. So I waited too long to get a second opinion. If I had acted sooner I could have had the surgery, healed and made the trip. Bummer!

Accept it. The sooner we can make peace with reality the better. It is what it is. A good leader can define reality and make appropriate plans. Embrace it and make the most of it. Why is it that we can stand in awe of things we can’t understand in nature and science and then be mad at God for things we can’t understand in our lives? He is God and He has a master plan. The sooner we can accept that He is in control and we are not the healthier we will be. And we are less likely to miss the benefit that is surely going to come if we do it this new way. There will be a blessing or a silver lining. Look for it. Expect to meet God along the way. In my case perhaps there is a different way to raise this money. Maybe God will lay it on someone’s heart to help. And maybe there is a reason I need to rest and be here in KC on those dates. I believe God for better things. God can do things I cannot do in ways I could never dream and I’m asking Him to do just that with this.

Grow from it. In every disappointing thing there is the possibility you could grow. Perhaps it is as simple as learning new levels of trust. But you might also learn a new way or meet new people who could share the load. If you are humble and teachable it the likelihood is that you will see things from a different perspective and if nothing else be wiser for the experience. Notice I used words like possibility and likelihood because growth is not a given. Sometimes I’ve taken laps around the same desert because I refused to learn the lesson so God patiently repeated the process. If you get stuck in disappointment and don’t grieve it, learn from it, accept it and grow from it you will likely get more of it.

As you can tell I’m coaching myself in this note and hopefully you can apply it to the situations of your life. We must accept life, the good and the bad, to be able to praise God in all things. Life and people will disappoint us. And frankly we will disappoint ourselves but in all this God is Good and His mercies are new every morning. Great is His Faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-25. I watch with expectation to see what good comes out of this and how He is glorified.

This Tuesday night, March 30, 7:00 p.m. at Indian Creek Olathe, room 25, Kristen Levitt, Tim Stout and I will share about our recent mission trip with Project Partner. You will see pictures, hear reports and be amazed at the provision of God. Learn how you can be involved in what may be the greatest revival in the history of the world. Do you think I'm overstating it? Come hear and decide for yourself.

Sitting for hours in the middle of the night beside my Dad’s bed praying and feeling rather helpless to ease his suffering as he struggles to breathe is agony. It is also a great time to think. The world is dark, the activity is stilled and time seems to crawl. If you don’t contemplate the meaning of life, death, prayer and love then you are in big time avoidance. I’m learning during this time and I’ll be a better husband, father, Christ follower and pastor for it. I don’t know that I can organize my thoughts well at this moment but these are a few things I can share.

Much of what really counts in life is lived in the in-between moments. It isn’t usually the speeches we plan but the unguarded words spoken in the fray that carry the most weight. I told my Dad today that he taught me how to live and now he is teaching me how to die. I’m so proud of him for the kindness, the patience, the godly attitude he’s displayed during this time. The staff at the hospital and now at the Hospice Home commented repeatedly about his attitude. Nurses have come by while they are off shift to see him, check on him and to speak about the witness of his/our faith.

Live with the end in mind. Do the will of God while you can. There are many things that beg for our attention and time but living with the end in mind helps us prioritize the important over the urgent.

Invest in people; it is the investment that will last. My Dad loves people more than any person I’ve known. He extends grace to all. He treats people equally. He makes enemies his friends. There is something magnetic about him that draws people. That investment draws people to Christ. That investment leads people to the ministry. My Dad has lead people into ministry everywhere he’s gone. Four of them were in the room at one time this week telling stories about ministry and it brought a smile to his face. Kristen Levitt, my daughter, Director of Project Partner, told me she laughed so hard she cried. It seems like laughing and crying go together in times like this and that is as it should be.

Tell people you love them every time you get a chance. You don’t know when it will be the last time you get to say it. My family has loved lavishly during this last month. We’ve talked about good times. We’ve forgiven the difficult times. We’ve talked through final wishes. We’ve made plans for a memorial service. We’ve held each other. We’ve remembered good times and told and retold our favorite stories. We are living the life of no regrets. In all the difficulties of this path we haven’t fought, we haven’t argued, each opinion was heard and valued, we pulled together and we are richer for it.

Today Belinda lay in the bed beside my Dad and I sat in a chair holding his hand. He can’t speak now above a whisper and he fades in and out but there are moments here and there where he is lucid. Belinda and I each had a hand of his in ours and she said we are walking the road with you. And we are going to go as far as we can. But there will be a point where we can’t go any further. She started to cry so I picked up the thought and added, Jesus will meet us there and take your hand. We will have to return to our life here, but He will take you forward to your reward.

I don’t think that reward is very far away now—or many it is already unfolding.