With Grateful Hearts

 

by David Nakhla
Administrator of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries

As we come to the end of hurricane season and into Thanksgiving season, it’s our privilege this year to give thanks to the Lord for his kind response to those pleas for mercy lifted up at the beginning of what was predicted to be an active hurricane season.  2021 was in fact an active season, yet the Lord, by in large, spared the OPC of the brunt of the storms. Of course, we are reminded to “give thanks in all circumstances”, and so we rest in the hands of our almighty God, reminded that the worst faced in this life is but a “light momentary affliction…preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (II Cor 4:17). This reminder was poignant in the OPC Disaster Response video released in 2019. (If you haven't yet seen it, you’ve really missed something…check it out here.) What a gift to live day to day in that reality. We rejoice recently reaching the goal of 300 registered disaster response volunteers.  If you have not yet registered, you could be within 5 minutes of clicking here!
Maybe you have been waiting in the wings for COVID restrictions to lift in order to serve in a short-term missions capacity. You may be excited to learn that the fields (and borders) are beginning to open back up. Praise the Lord for His provisions! Missionaries, serving near and far, have spent much of these past two years without the encouragement of regular visitors. Check out the STM opportunities now—and check back often, as more should surface in the near future!
And thank you for joining in the labors of both OPC Short-Term Missions and OPC Disaster Response in 2021 by way of your time, talent, and treasure.