"Faithfulness before Greatness" by Daniel Kokubun

Faithfulness Before Greatness

Psalms 101:6

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me:
he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

Who doesn't want to be great? No matter what the field of interest no body wants to be a failure. And deeper still no one want to be average. Who is it that we lift up in society? Those men and women that rise above the status quo. Those who are proficient in their field. The favorite sports plays are of last second shots as the buzzer is sounding in the background, the grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth, and the winning touchdown pass in overtime. The favorite biographies are of men and women who faced adversity and overcame tragedy in their moment of opportunity. Greatness. So many desire the title, but do not realize what it takes to achieve that quality.

There was a young boy who at an early age in life was captured and taken hostage to another country. His parents were most likely killed in the attack with the destruction of the town he called home. Miles away from home in an unfamiliar land this young boy, scared, nervous, and probably intimidated, made a crucial decision in his life. He decided to engage his faith that he had been taught as a boy. His name was Daniel. You will find as you read the book of Daniel the journey of a boy who develops into one of the most famous Bible characters we read about today. Daniel goes through cultural changes, kingdom shifts, and incredible pressures in his years of captivity. We find a glimpse of his greatness in Daniel 6:10. The Bible states, "...he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel had developed a walk with God through the years....

There was another young boy many years before Daniel. He was the youngest son in the family. His older brothers were all men of war and they were his heroes. Growing up, everyone had to do their share in the home to keep things running. Coming from a big family, there were many responsibilities that had to be taken care of. This young boy was assigned to be the shepherd. He was to tend to his father's sheep in the pasture. What a design by God, for it was there that David developed a walk with God. David grew up to be the greatest king that Israel has had. When you read the Psalms you can't help but feel the intimate relationship that David had with God. So what made him so great?

Sin had filled the earth. In short time from Adam and Eve's sin darkness had corrupted the entire human race. God was going to destroy the earth because of its wickedness, but there was a man who found God's favor. This man came from an amazing family. He may have very well known Adam himself, for Adam was his great great great great great great....grandfather. Noah discovered something early in his life. He discovered how to walk with God. The Bible says in Genesis 6:9, "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Because of Noah you and I are alive today! I'd call that great!
So what's the point? So these men "walked with God"? I submit to you that David had no idea that he would be king when he started consistently doing right. Daniel had no idea that he would have to stand for right. Noah when he went out to pray didn't know that he wold be building an ark to save the planet. You see it was the consistent doing of right that enabled them to do amazing things. Let me make a couple of observations.

1. Greatness doesn't come randomly to anyone. No one wakes up one day and all off a sudden they're great. So many times we as individuals live in a fast paced, microwave society where everything has to happen now. May I say that greatness doesn't just appear, but is developed.

2. Greatness is in doing the simple fundamental things regularly. Longevity is becoming more and more a lost quality among men. Where are those people who hold a position at a company for decades? Men want quick fame and quick recognition without putting in the time to deserve such grandeur. It is the ball player that shoots hundreds of free throws in practice that when the game is on the line will hit that shot. No body sees the practice, but the one shot will be remembered. No body sees you read your Bible or pray on a daily basis, but when someone has a need and you have the answer you will impact that person. No one saw the thousands of times Daniel prayed, but after the lion's den, the whole country was to worship Jehovah God.

3. Greatness is not attained by pursuit of grandeur, but rather by faithful, unsolicited service. Notice that neither Daniel, David, nor Noah were looking to be great. They were simply doing what they were supposed to do, being where they were supposed to be, and living how they were supposed to live. God is the one who promoted them. You cannot attain greatness on your own. In fact, greatness is not even a prize to be won. It is a byproduct of humble service to God. You see God deserves all the glory for everything in our lives.

4. Greatness is not ours to glory in, but it is God who deserves our praise. If it were not for God working in your life, there would be no "greatness" as man terms it. God is looking for the faithful man that he can use to do his work. He is looking for a humble man who realizes that everything that he becomes is because of an almighty, merciful God who decided to use them. What an honor to be used of God. It is He who gets all glory and praise. So many times we abuse what little success that God allows us to have for our own glory. What a shame.

5. Greatness is really defined then as God using you in supernatural ways for his glory. I so want to be used by God, but God is looking for faithful men who will do the simple things consistently. Faithful means being full of faith. God designated a whole chapter in the Bible of faithful people in Hebrews 11. What makes them so special? They were found faithful by God so that He could use them in supernatural ways.

Let us strive to be faithful in our service to Christ so that He might find us able to be used of Him. What an incredible honor and opportunity!

December Prayer Letter for the Hubbard family

December 2011

Dear Praying Friends,

I write to you from the plane on my way home from Ghana, West Africa. Three men and I journeyed to Kumasi to see our Ghana Team. The purpose of our trip was to observe the work that has been established there and get a visual example of what we hope to accomplish in Peru. What a trip! Packed full with activity, we preached in public schools, met with pastors, saw churches that were started, observed their college in session, and met with the team members. We spent ten days learning as much as possible. What a privilege it was to go there and see their work.

Bro. Ted Speer and his team are doing a phenomenal job. If I may share with you, we
were able to go out personal soul winning and preach in a village and a school. We were able to preach to hundreds of children, with many of them raising their hands to
receive Christ as Saviour. The Ghanaians are so hungry for the Truth. After our time spent there, though, we are happy to arrive home to be with our families once again. I also reflect on the tremendous team that God has assembled. What a privilege to get to go to Peru with topnotch people.

I ask you to continue to pray for us and our team while on deputation. Our team members, Junior and Jessica Martin, were in a terrible car accident last month. Their car flipped three times, ejecting Jessica from the vehicle and severely breaking Junior's ankle. This is the second family to be involved in a serious car accident.
God divinely protected both families from serious injury. Please continue to pray for His protection as the Peru Team travels thousands of miles across this great country.

Christy is nearing the end of this pregnancy. Pray for a safe delivery and His perfect timing.

On an ending note, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you enjoy spending time with family and friends. I thank you for your sacrificial giving and investment in our future ministry. Now having visualized our team in Ghana, I know that God has something great ahead of us. I love you and appreciate you.
May God bless you richly.

For His glory,

Dan Hubbard

Martinez family Prayer letter for December

December 2011

Dear Praying Friends,

We hope your holidays were a joy as you celebrated Christmas and the bringing in of the New Year. My family and I were able to be home for a few weeks for a relaxing Christmas break with relatives. December is a wonderful time of the year to remember our Saviour and His purpose for coming to earth. Although we should be in thought of this all year round, it is still nice to have a day to go all out and celebrate. Another joy of December was marrying Chrystal 8 years ago this month. We celebrated our anniversary on the 13th.

Our meetings in December were phenomenal. We attended one missions conference in Lakeland, Florida, with Pastor Jose Ramirez at the Iglesia Bautista Maranatha. It is always great to be in a church that upholds the Great Commission as their greatest priority. Pastor Ramirez and his members are examples of this. They are working on building a new building for their church. They have purchased property but still need more funds to build on that property. Please be in prayer with us as we pray for them to soon have this need met.

It was a great blessing to return to the Believers Baptist Church in Elberton, Georgia, with Pastor Dotson. We were with Pastor Dotson back in July. Upon our return, we learned that he is now battling lung cancer. It seems that he is not letting this slow him down, however, so please keep him in prayer. Also while in Georgia, we visited a few other great churches. Thank you to each pastor and church that allowed us to visit in December. We are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to share with you our burden for Peru.

While home for the holidays, I visited my old bus route I had in college, hoping to find some of my old bus kids. I was unable to locate them; however, I ran into a man by the name of Jorge. I went through the plan of salvation with him, but towards the end he chose not to trust Christ. Although Jorge did not get saved, one thing is for sure, a seed was planted.

Thank you to all our supporting churches for your support and extra support you gave us in December. We greatly appreciate your generosity. Please continue to pray for our family and team, especially for the Martin family, as they are still recovering from the accident back in November.

The Martinez Family

A Merry Heart by Jessica Martin

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…”

Weeeeeee’re Baaaaaaaaack! Oh, how deputation has missed us! :) After having to cancel all of our meetings in December & most in January, we were able to have our first meeting since the accident. Ok… so it was only about 40 minutes from our house, but we did it! I don’t know if we will ever get back to being out on 7 or 8 week trips, in different churches Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, but we are starting again to take steps toward Peru. I’m not gonna lie… it felt pretty good.

We really enjoyed the meeting. The pastor & his sweet wife were so understanding and kind. We had so much fun! We laughed & joked with all of the bus kids and church folks. I smiled the whole time. I knew this because my cheeks were killing me after the service! I have a couple of fractures in my cheek bones and let me tell you ~ I felt ‘em. Alot. We were on our way to lunch with the pastor and I was digging through my Mary Poppins type purse (I’ve got everything in there! ) for some tylenol, when my mom {who had come to help us} began to tease me about smiling too much. Junior joined in and just as they were ganging up on me, I made sure to note: “Well, this doesn’t say alot about the two of you. If I haven’t had pain like this before today, it must mean neither of you make me smile and you’re not funny. At all.”

I was kidding. Sort of. But it got me to thinking. We truly have had alot of fun together since the accident. Now you have to understand, alot of things might seem as average happenings to most people, but there were alot of pills involved so we thought they were absolutely hilarious! You also have to factor in, that for the first few weeks, we didn’t get out much. Well, not at all really. So, that might have something to do with why we now think the other is the funniest person alive. Crazy… maybe. But it made for lots of fun times.

At the hospital in Nevada, the therapist gave Junior what he calls “the grabber”. It’s a metal thing-a-majig {technical term} with a button that moves a hook on the end to pick stuff up for him. One day, I was walking by his chair, and he pinched me with the grabber. I went to snatch it out of his hand when I lost my balance and fell into the chair. The recliner then completely flipped us both backwards ~ go ahead. *insert fat joke here* . We were both on the ground, laughing so hard. Junior even had tears in his eyes. Actually, that might’ve been from his leg with pieces of metal sticking out of it now being suspended in air… nah! It was definitely from laughing!

Everywhere we go shopping, I love watching Junior use the electric scooters. I seriously just laughed right now thinking about it! I have lost feeling in part of my lip from where it was sown back together, and without fail, every time I take a drink, it doesn’t all make it in! I spill on myself every day. At least this has made me drink lots more water! Must. Save. The Clothes. Junior does a great old man impression as he tries to get through the crowds at church on his walker. We have all of these inside jokes now. We have bonded on a whole new level. We are constantly cracking each other up ~ even though laughing hurts my ribs, it’s totally worth it!

We have been spoiled, too! Thank you to all of our really awesome friends that came to visit us and brought a happy spirit with you. Thank you to every person which sent us a gift! The Edible Arrangements, flowers {especially all the gorgeous ROSES }, homemade goodies, chocolates {my weakness }, more flowers, gift cards, teddy bears… we were overwhelmed with your tokens of love. Thank you to everyone who sent a card. Words are powerful. All of your kind written words made us smile. Same for all of you that called or sent messages, texts, & e-mails. You all have lightened our hearts, brought joy, and made our hearts oh so merry.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to paint the picture that we are always all smiles and the pain just brings a laugh a minute. That would not be honest. We have our moments of frustration. There have been many tears. But I am so glad we are able to laugh. That smiles are common. That a joyful current always flows even if the moment happens to be sad or filled with pain. I believe it has helped us heal. It may not have fixed my husband’s ankle or mended my cuts and bruises, but it has aided in putting back together what was injured on the inside. Sometimes that is the hardest to heal. God is so smart to tell us about the medicine that no doctor here could ever give us.

“The JOY of the LORD is my strength…”

Attitude Is Everything.

~ Jessica

Rader Family Prayer Letter

December 2011

Dear Praying Friends,

I stand amazed of how greatly God has used my wife and me this year. During the month of December alone, we were able to win over 40 people to Christ. We visited two churches this month and I was able to take an incredible trip to Ghana, West Africa. Although my wife did not have the opportunity to go, she did enjoy time spent with her family in North Carolina and going soul winning with her dad. I want to say a special thank you to the churches who gave offerings specifically to help finance this trip to Ghana.

You may ask yourself, “Why would a missionary to Peru need to visit a mission team in Ghana?” The answer is one word, “Preparation.” The four of us Team Peru men who made the trip are so glad that we made this trip before getting started in Peru. We got to see first-hand and study the success that Dr. Ted Speer and his team are experiencing. They are not only training pastors to start churches, but also training pastors to train other pastors to start churches. Team Ghana has had a part in starting at least 23 churches and 4 Bible studies in the past 15 months.

While in Ghana, we were privileged to visit just one of Dr. Speer‟s trained pastors, Collins. Collins, who has only been pastoring for one year, has started four additional churches in the past six months and is currently training 3 more pastors. He is still training these men as they pastor, but WOW!! Isn‟t that AWESOME!! Five churches in one year! Do I believe that we can train men in Peru to start five churches in two years? YES! It is being done in one year! The wisdom we obtained from this trip far exceeds the cost of the airline tickets. We learned their team dynamics, modular college training, and much more. Not only did we increase in wisdom, but also our faith was greatly increased.

We also had the opportunity to preach to over 800 people in the public schools and at a village service. The majority of those to whom we preached decided to trust Christ as their only hope for eternity, but it was impossible to count them. One afternoon I was witnessing to 3 children, and by the time I was done, a crowd had gathered. Over 30 were saved that afternoon. The trip was very productive and profitable.

The Tuesday after Christmas, Team Peru had a meeting. We discussed the Ghana trip, the upcoming year, and much more. Team Peru is truly ready to „get at it‟! We ask that you will be ready with us in prayer. Pray with us. Fast with us. We ask that you will go to God and ask in faith believing.

My wife and I want to thank you for helping to make our ministry possible. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. May God bless you as you reach your mission field. Happy New Year!

In Christ,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah, and Paul Rader (on the way)

Foust Family Prayer Letter

December 2011

Dear Supporting Churches and Praying Friends,

What an exciting time we’ve had since our last letter. It’s hard to believe we could fit so much in to such a short amount of time. We started November with a great conference in Durham, North Carolina. We had a beautiful drive down and a refreshing time with Pastor Finley and his family. We were so blessed and challenged by this great church that works all year long preparing for their missions conference.

At the “Missionary Christmas,” we got loaded with gifts that we could never imagine buying for ourselves. All we could say was, “WOW!” One of the greatest sights of the week was the “Missionary Parade.” Each of the missionary families supported by their church was represented by a child carrying a sign with the family name and field of service. It was for me a great visual of the global impact for Christ one church of faithful people is having.

We loved being way down South in Thaxton, Mississippi, at Watchmen Baptist Church. What a great time we had soul winning with faithful people truly excited about what God is doing.

We enjoyed our last Thanksgiving Stateside with my family and were encouraged by visiting missions-minded churches nearby. What a privilege to see so many churches increasing their vision for world missions.

We enjoyed a great service with Calvary Baptist in Canton, Illinois. Please pray for Audrey, the pastor’s granddaughter, as she continues to heal form heart surgery.

I was asked to accompany a ten-day training trip to see our team’s work in Ghana, West Africa. I was touched by how happy the team members are serving the Lord in what I saw as very difficult conditions. The team could only talk of their love and respect for each other and excitement at the growth in their disciples and converts. I was struck by how well-trained their national soul winners were and the thrill with which the college students learn the Bible. Bro. Isaac accompanied me soul winning and was a passionate soul winner and excellent translator. We saw three people trust Christ that day. During our time there, we had the privilege of preaching in public schools and conducting a village service, with hundreds raising their hands for salvation.

We ended our travels before the holidays at Community Baptist of Smiths Creek, Michigan. We were thrilled as the church voted to take us on before I said anything. I wanted to sit down quietly before I opened my mouth and messed it up. We would like to thank Fellowship Baptist Church in Durham, International Baptist Church in New York, Watchmen Baptist Church in Mississippi, and Valley Baptist Church in Arizona, as well as Mrs. Hines-Stringer, for their new support and gifts.

God is blessing wonderfully. There is no way letters could contain it all. Our ministry would not be possible without your faithful support. We have enjoyed meeting you all and hope our paths cross again.

His for souls,

Zach, Karin, Zachary, Caleb, and Logan Foust

December Prayer Letter for Junior and Jessica Martin

December 30, 2011

Dear Praying Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope that each and everyone of you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season. There is something truly wonderful about this time of year. Our Christmas tree is up, the lights are glowing, a chill is in the air, our home smells of gingerbread, and family is coming together. Too much food has been eaten, and the gifts have been open all because the greatest gift was given to the world over 2,000 years ago! “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:15) The reason for this season, the reason for us going to Peru, the reason for our very being is what Jesus did for us. Amen!

Jessica and I had a wonderful Christmas. Realizing this would be our last Christmas with our family for a long time, we had much anticipation going into this season. I am grateful that we were able to be home this month and spend a lot of time with our friends and loved ones. I hope each of you were able to enjoy your Christmas as much as we did!

December has been a very slow month. God definitely wanted to teach me patience! Canceling all of our meetings and being home for the entire month have taught me a lot. My “stir-craziness” has given me an appreciation for my health and the “little things” in our daily routine. All in all, God knew exactly what we needed, and this has been a good month of rest and recovery. Since our last letter, we have many updates concerning our recovery. All of Jessica’s stitches and staples have been removed, and she is doing much better. She is still battling some pain as she waits for her cheek and ribs to heal properly. I underwent my second and, Lord willing, last surgery on my leg two weeks ago. I have two plates and fourteen screws in my leg and am currently in a protective boot. I will be starting therapy just after the first of the year and will still be non-weight-bearing probably through the end of February. I am very thankful to my dear wife, who although has her own injuries, has been such a help to me and my inmobility. I am so glad I married well!

Please continue to pray that we will be able to complete our deputation in a timely manner. I know that we are in God’s perfect will and on His timetable. At this time, we have canceled all but three meetings in January. My prayer is that we will be able to begin traveling consistently toward the end of January. Obviously, we are very anxious to finish deputation and get to Peru. We continue to grow closer to our goal, and I am grateful to all of our faithful supporters and especially those who have partnered with us this month: Harvest Baptist Church in Pennsylvannia and Central Valley Baptist Church in California.

For the last several years, I always looked forward to giving my “State of the Ministry” address for my bus routes, in which I would recap the year and present my vision for the upcoming year. The year 2011 has been an amazing year! As we started this journey last December, I had no idea what we were in for. God has superceded all of my expectations! It is hard to believe that in 2011 we drove 45,758 miles, flew 9,020 miles, and shared our vision with 106 churches. It makes me tired just thinking about it! In addition, God allowed 24 churches and individuals to believe in us, allowing us to reach 80% of our needed support. God is so good! And if that is not enough to praise God about, we were able to see a total of 157 people put their faith in Christ throughout our travels! The year 2011 has been amazing, and 2012 is going to be even better!!

I have several goals and prayer requests for 2012. I would love to have our support raised by the end of April. We have rescheduled many of our canceled meetings, and currently will be traveling into April. This should still allow us to reach our financial goal. Secondly, our goal is to make our move to Lima in early June. This will ensure that our health is where it needs to be, as well as give us the time needed for some intense training and to care for paperwork, shipping, and loose ends at home. Thirdly, please continue to pray for our medical bills. God has been so good to us, and I know He will continue to provide. We are working very closely with our insurance company and waiting for a response from the insurance of the other driver. Please pray that this is resolved very soon, as we have many bills already, and they will continue to grow due to my therapy. God has already answered one prayer by helping us with a new vehicle! We now have a well-maintained van that is being leased to us by a family in our church. This is a huge answer to prayer because we will not have to resell it before leaving the country and we will be able to use our insurance check toward other expenses.

Thank you again to everyone who has prayed and sent gifts, love offerings, cards, and letters. God’s people are so gracious. We are so happy to be where we are in life. I can hardly wait to see how God will continue to “wow” us in this coming year. Happy New Year!

Your ambassadors to Peru,

Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3