Author Archives: Ken & Anne

It’s been years since we have used this blog! Life got busy for us and although we wrote a newsletter 10/12 months a year, we did let this blog go for a while.

Ken retired two years ago, a bit earlier than planned, and has been a huge help to our daughter and her family as she navigates her cancer diagnosis. Anne kept working these last 2 1/2 years but the time is now right for her to stop working as well. Having 40 extra hours in the week will be a help to our family.

We’ve jumped right in because school is out for the summer. Our daughter has three sons with the two youngest 7 and 9 years old, so we’re joining her daily to do events and life together. We also have a few trips planned this summer which should be fun. One of them includes visiting our other daughter, her husband and our newest grandson! Yay!

Once Fall hits, we can see what else God has for us to do. We also want to come and see our supporting churches and many of you who have been walking by our side these last 34 years as we served with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

In the meantime, I’ll try to keep in touch a little more often as we move forward.

A colleague just shared this story with us. It was such an encouragement. I hope it reminds me to keep praying for everyone and not give up on the work God is doing.

In my home country I was among the very devout. I was a fervent Muslim and had the position of an imam.

One day – it was the feast of Ramadan – I went to the mosque. I was dressed in new clean clothes, ready to do my prayers. On my way I saw the Christian sweeper who used to clean our street.

I felt sorry for him because he had to work on a day like this where everyone else was celebrating, and I de- cided to give him some money.

The man thanked me and asked whether he could pray for me. This was a surprising request and I thought: “How does this Christian want to pray for me? It is nei- ther the right time nor the right place for prayer, and when we Muslims pray, we wash ourselves and wear clean clothes. And he wants to pray with dirty hands and dirty clothes in the middle of the road!”

But I wanted to make him happy and permitted him to pray for me.

And so he prayed, “Lord, thank you for this man, for this money and for this time. God, please show him the way, the truth and the life. Amen.”

I was surprised to hear this prayer, even though it confirmed my opinion that this poor man just didn’t know how to pray the right way.

Six years later God changed my life and caused me to find the way, the truth and the life in Jesus. At that time God reminded me of the sweeper: “Do you remember how six years ago one Christian man prayed for you? This is the answer to his prayer.”

This sweeper never knew that the imam for whom he had prayed would one day become a follower of Jesus. But his prayer had been answered.

And this is why I keep encouraging other people: Pray for Muslims! Don’t give up, even if you don’t see results. You don’t know what God will do.

Lord, stir Christians to follow in the example of this humble sweeper. Touch lives and draw people to Jesus.

Ken and Anne, along with our staff, were able to serve our missionary residents with a delicious meal a few weeks ago. We interspersed the courses with a time to share stories of how God showed His love to us in special ways in the past. We sang songs of His love as well.

Everyone talked about how special the night was for each and everyone of them. I’m so grateful for a group of creative, hard-working staff who love serving each and every day.