September 5, 2007

Dear Friends,

Gloria and I decided to write a special mission letter this time to let you know about a big event that’s about to unfold in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is called Mission Challenge ’07.

During October, 47 PC(USA) missionaries will spend a week sharing the stories of their ministry in 143 presbyteries. That’s more than 80 percent of our presbyteries. The hope is to put speakers in 700 churches that month to share the news about how mission work is being carried out everyday around the world, bringing hope to thousands of people.

PC(USA) mission work has many faces, but the thread that is common to us all is our transforming and life-saving message of hope and good news. So many people suffer from the ravages of wars, famine, ethnic confrontations, basic health and sanitary problems, educational deficiencies, and more. This is a time to remember the efforts being made in the name of Jesus Christ—and thanks to your faithful efforts—to build the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

Another part of Mission Challenge ’07 is an appeal to every church in the denomination to support Presbyterian missionaries like us. We have written about the mission work that Gloria and I have been involved in over the years, now is the chance to hear what so many other missionaries are doing.

In mid-September, a letter will go to the pastors and clerks of session in all 10,884 churches in our denomination. This will inform them of materials coming in early October that interpret the excellence of the Presbyterian Church as a mission-sending agency and invite them to offer financial support to Presbyterian missionaries through World Mission.

During the first week of October, a box will arrive in every church with bulletin inserts equal to the church’s average Sunday attendance. The inserts include a call to action, inviting all to participate in mission by praying faithfully and giving generously. These are accompanied by a DVD featuring our new director, Hunter Farrell. It contains two brief but compelling videos that bring to life a representative sample of our missionaries.

We can’t send a missionary to every church this October, but the hope is that all churches will participate in Mission Challenge ’07 by choosing a Sunday to view the DVD and distribute the bulletin inserts. Will you support and encourage your church’s participation in Mission Challenge ’07?

The Wheelers' youngest daughter, Grace, is starting her senior year in college.

On a personal note, Gloria and I are doing well. We found some time to take vacation during the end of August and visited our daughters. We took Grace, our youngest daughter, to college to start her last year, which seems incredible since it isn’t that long ago that we were writing to say she was starting her first year. She is doing very well and has applied to medical school already with an eye on being able to serve other people through a ministry in health. Apparently, growing up in Honduras and translating for medical mission teams had quite an effect on her. She recently wrote the following personal statement.

She was a grandmother, skeptical that her life could offer any more surprises. Doña Guadalupe was also a patient seeking cataract surgery from one of the medical brigades I traveled with that summer. I will never forget the moment the bandages were removed from her eyes, and how her expression became nothing short of amazement. “The trees have leaves,” she exclaimed as she glanced out the window, “and such vibrant colors!”

Gloria had a full summer of mission teams and educational study tours full of people who came to learn about the challenges facing rural communities and the programs that empowering them.

Tim finished country program reviews in five countries in the region—Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Haiti. These are aimed at strengthening the work of Heifer Project International in each country.

Once again we thank you for your interest in our presence and for your faithful support for mission work.

Yours,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.59