Summer Plans

We are in the process of getting ready to staff another Crossroads Discipleship School at Salem Oregon with YWAM again this summer (June-August).

Excited about the challenge, the learning, the helping, and more time with Jesus without TV, golf, and the home routine.

Prayer needs:
* Health needs
* Time away from family
* House needs
* Time away from our home church

Thanks for partnering with us.

Do look at the posts by Tom and Lisa plus Kevin and Becky listed on our opening page- one couple returning to the Philippines and the other just retuning from the Philippines.

Soar In Trust Always

Our Journey

1. Our story/our journey:

Change of Plans
As told to Twink DeWitt
By Denny DeWitt


The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” Psalm 91:14 (New Living Translation)

The warm ocean water swirled around my feet on the sandy Hawaiian beach. I waded deeper and felt the power of the undertow trying to pull everything in its grasp out to sea. My wife Twink loves the ocean and was already body surfing. She and several friends encouraged me to join them, but I didn’t share their enthusiasm for those ominous waves. Gritting my teeth, I trudged toward my fun-loving wife of twenty-seven years.
Once I got beyond the breaker line, Twink showed me how the swells come in sets. If we missed one, another would be right behind it. As a tower of water passed by, I worked up courage. Then, following Twink’s lead, I threw my six-foot-two frame into an eight-foot wave and rode it to shore.
She’s right. This is incredible! Eager to go again, we joined hands and plowed back through the churning water to where others waited for the next “big one.”
Another magnificent wave rumbled in. As I lunged ahead of its massive power, it launched me toward the beach. The brief exhilaration shattered as the surge of water wrenched me and slammed me onto the hard ocean floor.
Crack!
A deafening noise resounded in my head. The jolt stunned me and everything went black. When I opened my eyes, I was floating on my side. Another wave flipped me and I watched the sand surge out along the bottom. Underwater, my body turned uncontrollably. I’ve got to get up. I tried to stand. I tried to kick. My legs wouldn’t move. My arms floated uselessly. What’s wrong? As the undertow dragged me away from shore, I held my breath longer. My lungs burned for air.
I raced through an earnest prayer, “Lord, I may come to you right now. That’s okay. But I want to live. You’re my only hope.” For endless seconds I drifted helplessly in God’s hands. I knew I could drown, but for some reason, I was not afraid. All I could do was force myself to hold my breath longer. I bumped against a swimmer and rose to the surface. Air! I gulped it in.
“HELP! Over here! H-E-L-P!” the woman shouted.
I heard anxious voices as people raced to surround me. A male voice cautioned, “Careful, don’t jostle him. Probably a broken neck.”
They put their arms under my limp body and floated me to the shore. I could breathe. I could talk. I could not move.
Lying on the sand, grateful to be alive, I wondered how this could be happening to me. “Where’s Twink?”
“Right here, Honey. Holding your hand.” I couldn’t feel her hand, but knew she was praying, with her blue eyes looking directly into mine.
A lifeguard pushed his way through the crowd. He knelt down, assessed my situation, straightened up, pointed at a bystander and said, “You. Call 9-1-1!”
He fired questions at me. I answered each one.
“Did you swallow water?”
“No.”
“Any difficulty breathing?”
“No.”
“Did you lose consciousness?”
“No—it went black for a second. That’s all.”
Another lifeguard rushed over with a backboard. They stabilized my head and neck with a cervical collar.
As we waited for the ambulance, a doctor friend in our group checked my condition. He took my hand. “Can you make a fist?”
I tried but felt nothing.
“Great. Great!” the doctor shouted.
I sure didn’t understand that.
He explained I had slight movement in one finger.
Maybe he thought it was great, but I knew I was in trouble.
After the ambulance arrived, I lay on the gurney waiting as the paramedic talked to my wife several yards away. In the quiet, I closed my eyes and relaxed, grateful to be alive yet wondering where all this would lead us. In my mind, I heard the Lord say two words, “Trust Me.”
Wondering if anyone had spoken, I opened my eyes and smiled. No one else was there. “Okay, Lord, I think I’d better do that.”
Late that night, a tiny single-engine medivac flew my wife and me to Honolulu. There I lay in a hospital bed, unable to move. Twink and I had plenty of time to reflect on our past and discuss our future.
I had retired two months earlier, after twenty-five years as a military dentist. Our whole family, including our three sons—two with treasured fiancées—came for my retirement party at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. Thrilled with our plans, they sent us off to the tropical beauty of Kona, Hawaii, to attend a school for missionaries—three months of lecture, followed by a two-month field service.
Once I arrived at the hospital, I faced an entirely different learning environment. The X-rays showed my neck was not broken. Swelling of the spinal cord had caused the paralysis. Each day the doctor ran through a series of neurological tests. “Grip my hand.”
I squeezed as hard as I could…nothing happened.
“Doctor,” Twink said on the third day, “we came to Kona to prepare to serve for several years on a Mercy Ship in Africa. What should we tell the school and ship personnel?”
He turned to me. “I’ve heard about that ship. What would you do?”
“I’m a dentist.” I looked at my hands lying motionless on the bed. “Will I ever get the use of them back?”
The physician shook his head. “I wish I could encourage you. I can only say wait and see.”
When the doctor left the room, I looked at my wife. “Okay, we’ll wait. But no matter what, we’ll do something with our retirement.”
She smiled, “Honey, even if you can’t move a muscle, we’ll find a way to serve. We don’t know God’s plan, but we’ll rely on Him to take care of us.”
She stood by my bed and we each talked to the Lord silently. I closed the prayer with a heartfelt, “Thank you, God. We trust You.”
On the fifth day, the doctor walked in and took my hand. “Can you squeeze it?”
Mustering all my energy, I tried. A grin broke across his face. “You did it!”
My fingers had moved. Twink jumped up, throwing her hands in the air. I did the same in my heart.
For the next twelve days, I steadily gained movement in my hands and then my feet. I anxiously awaited rehab and then hated the excruciating pain. I learned to walk, to pick up blocks and then buttons. I begged them to release me to go back to school. On the eighteenth day, with neck brace, cane, and pain my constant companions, I returned to Kona. I had a long way to go, but I was on my way.
Our son Dennis came to help us. He spent hours working with me to retrain my muscles. We played what might be called Frisbee. I carved strange looking animals out of Ivory soap and regained some of the twenty-five pounds I’d lost.
Less than a month later, Twink and I went with our classmates on a two-month field service trip to Asia. During this time, we walked twice as much as I had in years. We slept on floors and used outhouses. But I had a story. In Korea, China and the Philippines people listened—intrigued by my experience and encouraged by my trust. They too could rely on God to take care of them in every circumstance.
When we returned to Kona, we made a difficult decision. We couldn’t go to the ship because I still couldn’t navigate the massive amount of stairs onboard and my hands weren’t ready for dentistry. Instead, we moved to East Texas to work at the Mercy Ships International Office.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
With fifteen years of hindsight, we know this plan far surpassed our original dream. We both plunged into our full-time volunteer jobs. Regaining my motor skills within two years, I continued to recover while directing the Mercy Ships Dental Department. I organized the procurement of supplies and equipment for all the ships. Leading dental teams to Central and South America thrilled me the most. Twink joined the teams, to help in various ways including her favorite part—loving the people.
Meanwhile, Twink served in the Mercy Ships Communication Department where she discovered her knack for writing. Twelve years later we began helping with Youth With A Mission writing schools. We now travel to work with several YWAM schools, preparing missionaries to go into the field or write what’s on their heart.
While few people go through experiences similar to my episode on the beach, retirement often includes health challenges. Soon after we arrived in Texas, we both encountered serious medical problems which could have limited or stopped our quest to serve. Twink tells people I’ve almost died four times. That sounds a little extreme, but I guess she’s right.
When necessary, we get our bodies fixed up, perhaps take a vacation, and back we go. Challenges present other opportunities to serve where we find more joy and excitement in the vast field of missions.
A few months ago we returned from our second mission trip to the Philippines. Someone asked us how many countries we’d visited since we retired. Astounded, we counted six continents, twenty-six countries, and more than half the fifty states.
Retirement could be easier.
But it couldn’t be more fun.

Re-Entry

"Re-Entry" as it's called (returning from a developing nation on outreach to the developed world we normally reside in) was difficult..........even with a shortened outreach length.

Much rest was needed, long drive home from Oregon to Texas, medical issues to address, then living in a home and 'doing all the things' we hadn't needed to do for five months..... (i.e. cook meals, wash dishes, fix the car, on and on). I think the challenge resurfaced when we went to the stores and saw too many choices for goods we didn't even need!

But the blessing remains being home with our family (albiet still not living close enough to us), friends, church friends, and church family. These make "re-entry" tolerable and do-able, for we must re-enter to repair, get well, and get ready to "go" again.

Keeping Him in mind.

Soar in Trust

Blessings, Balloons, Baptism

What a busy week and a blessed one as well.

Thursday -20th. A group went to Kukabay - small village next a dump near La Banc and maybe 20 minutes from Valley Cathedral. God met us there as Tom and I were requested to pray for an elderly man, then Tom was asked to pray for a leader in the village whose home had become the village school. This man wanted Jesus in his life, Tom prayed and we with him....................then he asked to be baptised and Tom with the church 'zone leader' carried out the ceremony in the stream the ladies used to wash their clothes. What a joy and a testimony for the village and a new name in the Lambs Book of Life. Tom made animal balloons and blessed the children...............all 30+ received a balloon and many tried themselves to do Tom's skill event - we had fun.

Friday -21st. It rained all day............. no surprise.

Saturday -22nd. Twink and I were asked to speak at a local Bible study, an arm of the Valley Cathedral Church (they have planted over 45 churches and have a pastors' training program too......plus several schools for children). It was raining again that day but we went anyway and prepared by taking a blue tarp to make additional area for attendees. Well the site was a cooking room maybe 6' by 8' and the tarp extended out another 6' by 10' to allow the 35-40 men, women, and children to be present. What a blessing. Opened with worship, then two or three testimonies and then Twink and I gave a message from the heart. I'd been pondering and preparing a message on 'hearing the voice of God' so I gave a synopsis of this and Twink gave my testimony about 'Trust Me' and God's saving me from the ocean and healing my paralysis.
Again this is an arm of Valley Cathedral church, literally hundreds of Bible studies helping people know God and praise Him together.

Sunday - 23rd. Twink stayed back and was asked to bring a word in the church service. And she did bring a word of encouragement. The focus was 'age makes no difference in friendships. The church service was smaller but still over 200 people that day. Denny went with 11 Crossroaders to the minimum security prison just outside of Manila. It held over 8,000 men and Sunday was a key visitor day with an atmosphere of carnival (if possible) and openness - albiet with walls and barbed wire all around. All entrants were frisked (just like an ordinary airport experience for me with my pacemaker) and the men got a huge stamp on their forearm to distinguish the guests from the prisoners! Howard our leader brought a moving message and Fred led the English portion of the worship - what a fellowship time.

Mon/Tues 24/25 local ministry and preparation for departure on Wednesday 26th.

Thursday the 27th should be a very long day and feet finally on the ground in San Mateo.

Soar In Trust

Busy Feet

Howdy again............Twink has very busy feet Bible study on the waters edge/village site, feeding program, mentoring students/orphans coordinating more ongoing activities and still having fun. Her dental work went well and she receives her crown today.

Oh, by the way Tom and Lisa (referred to on our front page) have a much more detailed blog with video and many pics that show the heart of what is going on. Tom also has a great balloon ministry that children of all ages love.

Soaring in the Philippines

Feet on the ground

Ministry going well and different areas touched daily. The Valley Cathedral held a "camp" with two full days (0500 - 2200) of flag raising (National anthem followed by exercise), prayer groups, class teaching, sermons, and all..........alot like our VBS but more time involved in each day! Our group gave testimonies, preached, sang worship songs (individually [trio] and entire group), visited a small squatters village (we might call it a slum but they do not) where a Bible study was held by about 40 women and nearly that many children again where testimonies and prayer were the focus. A healing did take place there too...........Twink was part of the four ladies who attended. Tutoring of the children at the orphanage starts today and will continue for the next two plus weeks we are here. We plan to visit the jail, take a jaunt to Corrigador (island next to us maybe 30 min boat ride) on our day off.....Monday, and begin attending to more ministry that opens up daily. In the nest few days we'll pick up trash around the school yard.

Twink is now at the dentist with a small problem we think will be resolved in a normal fashon - our leaders have gone to this Filippino dentist each time they have been here. She trained here but did some additional training in the USA albiet uncomplicated items.

Thanks for your ongoing prayers.

Soaring in Trust

Wow in the Philippines

We made it after three legs of flights and it's wonderful. Now we're at Valley Cathedral Children's Home in Niac ( pronounced NIEK which is about 2 1/2 hours south of Manila).
There are about 45 children living here and they are wonderful. Two Canadian couples currently are live-in staff and love the children.

The organization in the USA is called Potters Field Ministry out of Glendale Arizona, dunno if they have a website or blog.

Our tasks here are about 85% love on the children and the rest help them with reading skills, math skills, hold them, play with them (basketball, swings, play ball), be of service the the admin staff.....'exta hands' for them. Yesterday at church Twink prayed with a young woman - not from the orphanage to receive Jesus. Awesome.

A Korean couple who took their CDTS in Kona (which we staffed) came up to us at church! they have a small orphanage they've just started. What a joy to connect and see them in full time.

All the families are doing well and the CDTS children especially are loving on the Filipino children sincerely. Joyful to see.

Just getting started and we have three weeks of excitement ahead of us here.

Soaring in Trust

Our posts most likely will be weekly on Mondays for a while.