2017-2020 – Eighth Term – Panama
2017
We are back in Panama. We travel to Guyana to present seminars. Perry to the pastors on missions and Nancy to teachers of children in Sunday school. It is great to see the bible school, the children’s home and get to visit with friends.
Perry will travel again to Ecuador and Honduras to teach on missions.
We, along with a member of the Jibacam board, travel to Minneapolis to attend a training program about ministry to Muslims.
We attend the Jibacam congress in Bogota, Colombia. Perry is asked to continue as interim director for another two years.
Perry is once again invited to the Missionary Awakening camp in Colombia (third). This time he adds a new feature; he prepares a meal from a country around the world. This year it is peanut soup from Sierra Leone with options, mildly spicy or truly spicy.
Book 31 – Portals – As a result of our trip to Fotizo Perry writes a book to help people understand the beliefs of Muslims and the need to go to them.
Book 32 – Beginnings of Christmas – Perry prepares a 30-day devotional exploring the presence of concepts that form the basis of understanding the arrival of Jesus.
Book 33 – Intercessors Guide to Ramadan – In anticipation of Ramadan and to further develop understanding of how Muslims think Perry prepares a 30-day guide for devotions and prayer.
Book 35 – Cross-cultural Training Manual – We take all that we have learned and put it into the form of a manual with a teacher’s guide. Its focus is on preparing people to learn another language, live in another culture so they can be effective in sharing the Gospel.
T4 – Perry translates a book called Muslims, Christians, and Jesus.
T5 – As a result of the lessons learned in the cross-cultural training event we obtain permission to translate the Lamp manual which is the basis of the language learning element of the training program.
We travel to Jamaica with Jessica for Christmas
2018
Perry travels to Mexico presenting seminars on the pastor and mission in various locations. He starts the presentations during the national conference and is asked to repeat it for the local church and then to churches in Monterrey. In February Perry travels to Peru to be part of the annual Jibacam board meeting.
We organize and hold the 3rd cross-cultural training event in Petit Goave, Haiti. There are 10 participants from Iberoamerica and nine from Haiti.
While in Bolivia to present a seminar Nancy sends a note saying she doesn’t feel well. Perry cuts his trip short to return home. Three days later Nancy dies from cancer. The children come to Panama for a memorial service and then Perry travels to states to visit children and transport her ashes for burial. In June a memorial service is held for family and friends at our home church in Minneapolis.
Jeff asks if he can take his mother’s place on the trip that was planned for Mozambique. We travel together and I present a seminar on missions for the students of the bible college. The next week I present the seminar on evaluation and planning for missions to key leaders of the church. While I am doing this Jeff does soccer camps for various groups.
After we are done, we get to visit the Kruger National Park. We see all of the big five and much more. A surprise opportunity comes that allows us to touch a live rhinoceros that was being prepared for transport to another part of the park.
After returning from Mozambique I return to Mexico to teach a class at the bible school in Puebla. During the rest of the year, I travel to Trinidad, Costa Rica, Spain, and Chile to present seminars and am invited back to the missionary awaking camp. This is the fourth time to participate in this event. This year I prepares pepperpot from Guyana.
Book 34 – Fundamentals of Cross-cultural Evangelism – Another question, another seminar, and as a result another book.
Since Nancy wanted to celebrate Christmas in San Diego the family does just that.
2019
The annual Jibacam Board meeting is held in Costa Rica.
I present seminars in Equatorial Guinea, Ecuador, and once again am invited to the missionary awakening camp (fifth time). My friend Vickram joins me, and we prepare curry and roti. I am also invited to Argentina and also invited to present a seminar at the Alliance Bible school.
Fourth Cross-cultural training event – I attend the cross-cultural training event in Trinidad with six people from Iberoamerica and five people from Trinidad. This is also the first time to prepare future trainers for this program. Edgar and Eudilio are those chosen to begin this preparation.
I attend the international conference held in Barbados. This happens shortly after minor surgery on my knee.
Jeff and Heather have their first son. I will eventually be able to visit them.
At the Jibacam congress I resign as the interim director but am asked to continue as advisor to the board. I agree to do so. A key element of this congress is the presentation of two days of training in Muslim ministry.
Book 36 – Lives of the Wicked – the books on extreme training and Ordinary Women and men open the way to continue developing materials on the lives of people in the bible. This is now the people of the bible series.
Book 37 – Called and Willing – this project started several years before after observing the need for materials for mentoring youth in their call to missions. It is finally finished.
Books 38 &39 – Letters from the Ends of the Earth 1&2 – We had talked about this book before Nancy’s death and we both had started making notes. I decided to go ahead and go forward with the project. It is our autobiography up until the day Nancy died and is in the form of letters to friends and families. At the end of each there are questions to help one dig deeper into the issues presented. The goal was to share our life and so maybe help others as they navigate living in another culture.
Book 40 – Letters from the desk of the director – this is a collection of letters written to mission’s coordinators and national leaders over a period of 6 years. This material was written in Spanish and has not been translated to English.
Book 41 – Cultural Empathy – This is the result of consultation on preparing missionaries to do language and cultural learning. It grows out of this and the knowledge gained from the cross-cultural training events.
Book 42 – Book of Excuses – another volume in the people of the Bible series.
Book 43 – My book of Grief – This comes as a result of all I learned as I mourned the passing of my wife.
Book 44 – Theology of Inconvenience – A second book that comes from the consultation on helping people achieve longevity in their missionary service.
Book 45 – Loving and Going – This book is the result of a request from one of the participants in the cross-cultural training events. It is a study of Mt 28:18-20.
T6-10 – In preparation for the Muslim training aspect of the Jibacam congress I translate five short books for Muslim Evangelism.
Jessica and I travel to Greece for our mother daughter trip.
2020
Once again, I am traveling in Mexico to attend their 100th anniversary.
I attend the annual Jibacam board meeting which is held in Manaus, Brazil.