@quest4god@revelife - To be honest, I believe in the bodies capability to self-heal, given time.  I don't regularly take medications (of any kind, except Advil) and I firmly believe that God is sovereign over all things.  At the time I wrote this blog, the plane tickets were already purchased and I could not back out of the flight --- I had to go for VISA reasons.  If I stayed one more day in Taiwan, they could have revoked my Visa and sent me back to the USA for 5 years.  Not an option in our book.

That said.... I do understand there comes a point where prolonged pain in growing intensity points to medical necessity.   My body was cramping all night, it hurt to be sure, kept me awake.... but it wasn't debilitating to the point where I couldn't walk, eat, sit, lay down or what have you.

In the case of my Appendicitis from 2 years ago, I endured nearly 25 hours of pain in growing intensity before I finally said "Ok, it's time to see a doctor."  God gave us just the right people at that point in time to take care of all that was necessary, even though we were in a foreign country!! (We were in Macau... didn't have insurance... didn't speak the language...  didn't know anyone from there even.)  God took care of all things from the moment I said "Ok, it's time to see a doctor." and even the medical bills were covered by his Grace.  That trip was also a VISA run, but we planned it as a vacation as well.  Turned out to be a lousy vacation spent in a Macau hospital... oh well... God was gracious non-the-less.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
acknowledge him in all that you do
and he will make your paths straight.

All of your heart = in every one of life's situations
He will = a promise which you can rest on.

I've lived my life on those two premises.

@quest4god@revelife - Unless I have a "green card" (in Taiwan it's actually called an ARC) I am only allowed to stay 180 days in the country at a time.  What this works out to is that every 2 months I have to take a trip to a city named BanQiao to visit the Foriegn Immigration Office, have them review my paperwork and give me a 2 month extension on my Visa.  At the 6 month point, I have to fly out, no if's and's or but's.  It only has to be for one hour.... but I have to fly out of Taiwan and back.  General cost = 180 US to fly to Hong Kong and back.  The trip usually takes anywhere from 5-8 hours depending on the layover.

My wife and I have been slow on getting my ARC --- the first time we applied (3 years ago) it cost us 10,000 NT (about $380 US) and they denied me... but kept our money.  Gotta love bureaucracy.  Anyway, they told me that I had the wrong paperwork (Taiwan Economic / Cultural Office in Chicago told me I needed a police report from my home city.  ARC in Taiwan tells me I need an FBI report, translated into Chinese --- ONLY ACCEPTED TRANSLATION .... Washington DC.  Thus I have to get an FBI report while here in Taiwan, send it back to Washington DC to have it translated, and pay for all the shipping & mailing & translation work.... Total nearly $400+.)

I don't have a job in Taiwan.  We live (comfortably) on my wife's government salary (she's an elementary school teacher).   From what she makes we are able to save $10,000 NT a month.  But.... the appendix cost us $120,000 NT.  That trip cost us another $50,000 NT (My wife wanted to go to Macau to see the Cirque Du Soleil performance --- we at least got to do that before my appendix got super bad.).  A trip to America last year (Which I wasn't pleased with / by.... but was expected to go on) to spend time with her parents (who live in Taiwan........... ) and family (only one of which lives in America......) cost us over $200,000 NT.   A car accident I had this last May (I blogged about it) wound up costing us $60,000 NT.  And so it goes --- we have no savings from the last 3 years.  To be honest, I have put my foot down and told my wife "NO MORE TRAVELING!!!!" for the next 3 years.  Her desire to go places outside of Taiwan is costing us valuable $.

In any case --- every 180 days, until we get the ARC matter taken care of --- I have to fly out of the country.  Just so I can fly back in and have my passport stamped one more time.

@quest4god@revelife - When I became a missionary, I decided to do so solely by the grace and provision of God.  What I mean by that is I would not go through a large "Missions" organization (Which often have their own agendas to push as well as the Gospel --- or --- they often seek to support themselves THROUGH the missionaries own funding and support.) neither would I openly and actively and aggressively seek financial support without first giving something back to the other person supporting me. (I sometimes sell CD's on Ebay with the disclaimer that the proceeds go to help our missions work.  We sell a lot of  $ .99 CD's which gives us something... but also gives our "supporter" something as well.)

I did this.... came to this conclusion... because so many today are so actively involved in drumming up "missionary support" that they haven't actually been able to reach the "Mission fields" they aim to.  Likewise, most missions organizations will require their missionaries to come back home after 5 years in order to bounce around the nation "drumming up support".  You've seen them speak at your churches, no doubt.  I've talked to them in private, and almost all of them have spoken in grief on how they had to leave the mission field just at a time when the work seemed crucial and their efforts fruitful.

I aimed to take a simple message: Repent, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation.

The message of the Cross comes with an understanding that we are sinners, enemies of God (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 4:18-19), and that even our feeble attempts at chasing God is really idolatry masked. 

That's not really a popular message in today's "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" church and para-church organizations.

I guess what I am saying, my friend, is that I don't seek support, so there's no apologies necessary.  God provides as we have need, and that has always been sufficient enough for me.

I am a missionary by choice.  I am a Christian by grace.  I am provided for, overall, by the Love of God which knows no boundaries, depths or insufficiencies.... and for all that, I simply say --- I am an unworthy servant who merely does as he is told.

As we all must, as well we all must.

Amen?

(BTW: for the record, non-the-less, thanks  for the prayers --- those are most precious and valuable indeed.)