Missionary Schuler Family Update on Situation in Roatan

Psalm 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

I want to thank you SO much for praying. God was so very good during all of this, and He gave us great peace through this whole thing. I am delighted (REALLY delighted) to report that Felix tracked south of Roatan, a direct and unmistakable answer to prayer. We spent a lot of time in prayer about this, and God so mercifully answered. Normally, hurricanes swing to the NW as the approach the coast, and if Felix had done so, it would have hit the islands. Instead, it took a straight westward track and passed south of Roatan, hitting a sparsely populated area of Nicaragua and Honduras. Roatan got some rain, but nothing extreme, as far as we have been told. Having said that, we do need to continue to pray for those affected. The Nicaraguan coast is poor and very low lying, and people are suffering there tonight.

In His service,

Mark

A Word from the Schulers.....

In response to the prayer request I posted for the Schulers, Missionaries to Roatan, Honduras, I received a nice email from Mark and Susan thanking all of us for our prayers regarding Hurricane Felix that is threatening Honduras. Here is their note:

Thanks SO MUCH for putting this out. We are still in the US and are scheduled to return (to Roatan) on Saturday (we are in Philadelphia now). I really appreciate this. The worst thing about it from a personal perspective is that we can't be there to make preparations, so the windows and such will not be boarded up if the storm hits. More importantly, we need to pray that there is no significant loss of life; a house can be replaced. We prayed in that regard when Dean came through a couple of weeks ago and God graciously answered. Please pray that God would protect everyone in the path of this terrible storm. This situation is in God's hands and we are praying for His abundant protection.

May the Lord bless you, and thanks for thinking of us and praying for us. We will keep you informed as we learn what is going on down there.

In Christ,
Mark & Susan Schuler

Prayer Request for the Schulers in Roatan ~~ Hurricane Felix

Psalm 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.


Hurricane Felix, a CAT 5 storm, may be making a bee-line for Honduras. Our dear missionary friends, Mark and Susan Schuler and their son, Joel, are missionaries to Roatan, Honduras ~~ a long narrow island off of the north coast of Honduras. They have been on deputation in the States but were to return to Roatan about now. Their work in Roatan, Honduras includes church planting, evangelism, youth ministry, orphanage ministry, and education ministry. I am asking you to pray for the Schulers and for the people to whom they minister as the hurricane threatens that country.

Missions ~~ A Biblical Mandate

Biblical authority for missions appears first in Genesis, 12:1-3, where Abram is blessed so that through him and his descendants, all the "peoples" of the world would be blessed. The Great Commission was first given by Jesus Christ in all four Gospels: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, and John 20:21-23. The Great Commission is also given in Acts 1:8. The most compelling verse to many is found in the New Testament, where Jesus instructs the apostles to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19). This reference is understood by Christian missionaries as the Great Commission to engage in missionary work.

A missionary is a person who chooses to participate in the mission of the Church by serving peoples of other cultures, often in a foreign country.

We are in touch with our Missionary friends~~ the Schulers~~ as they currently are in South Florida today presenting their mission work and their burden for the people of Roatan, Honduras. Please pray that churches will catch the vision of the Shuler's work and will come alongside them in both prayer support and financial support. The picture above was made on our last evening before their departure from Pensacola last Thursday. We pray God's richest blessings upon them during this time of deputation.

Farewell to our new friends~~ The Schulers

2 Corinthians 13:11 ¶ Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.



It was HARD to say good-bye to the Schuler family this morning (picture at right). Mark, Susan, and Joel were here in our home for a little over a week as they attended missionary candidate school, met with the mission board, and became our "official" missionaries to Roatan, Honduras out of our church and from our GoForth Mission Board. During that time, our hearts were knit with their hearts, and we bonded as friends as well as brothers and sisters in Christ. They will be traveling around the Country on deputation as they seek more support for their ministry until such time as they return to Roatan on September 8. I know they would appreciate your prayers for their safety as they travel the highways and byways of America and then fly back to Honduras. May God smooth the way and prepare hearts as they meet with God's people for the next three weeks. They look forward to getting back to their ministry in Roatan. Please pray for that ministry and for those they minister to while the Schulers are away. And one more prayer need: They are very interested in what Hurricane Dean is going to do as Roatan is an Island off the coast of Honduras.

Bye Mark, Susan, and Joel. We love you guys!! ~~Susan

The Blue Angels ~~ Flying High in the Sky This Morning...

Psalm 37:4~~~ Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Sometimes you just have to do fun things with a teenage missionary guest and a teenage grandson who are staying at your house. This morning, it was my fun privilege to take Joel Schuler and my grandson Jarrett out to the Naval Air Station to watch the Blue Angels practice. The Blues do this a couple of times per week and it is so much FREE fun to go out and watch. Their practice lasts for 45 minutes and is pure exhilaration the entire time. After their practice, we made our way to the Museum where the six Blue Angel pilots assemble to sign autographs after their flight time. Joel (age 16 ~~ pictured below) has aspirations to be a missionary pilot so he was especially awed and inspired by the BLUES today. I am going to remember Joel in prayer as he has one more year of high school and then will be pursuing his desire to serve the Lord in missions aviation. As for me? I love the Blue Angels and consider it a privilege to see them any time that I can ~~ just 20 minutes from our front door. WOW!!!

Schuler (Missionary) Family Update

....Distributing to the necessity of saints.... Romans 12:13

It is certainly our blessing to host the Schuler Family in our home this week. As servants of Christ on the Island of Roatan, we count Bro. Mark and Susan as dear new friends. Their son, Joel (light blue shirt) is a neat 16-year-old kid. Their son, Brandon, (age 19) who is a sophomore (music major) in our college this fall, has spent some time at our house this weekend. This evening, he played his banjo for us. He is VERY good!! Besides banjo, he plays trombone, dobro, guitar, and the mandolin. His music major is performance/trombone.

We are glad that the Schulers' stay has been extended for a few days and that we will have the pleasure of their company until sometime mid-week. May God bless them as they raise financial support for their continued work on the island of Roatan ~~ off the northern coast of Honduras. (NOTE: Thir oldest son, Matt, is in Roatan for the summer but will be returning to college next month for his junior year. We look forward to meeting him!!)

May God bless the Schuler Family as their labor for Him.

Our Missionary Guests This Week ~~ The Schuler Family

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 28:19

{teach: to make disciples, or Christians of all nations}

Richard and I are so very blessed to have a missionary family staying in our home this week. Bro. Mark, Susan, and their son Joel (age 16) arrived on Tuesday evening and will be with us through Saturday morning. We have so much already enjoyed our fellowship with them. They are missionaries to Roatan which is an island off of Honduras. They are coming on board as missionaries with GoForth Baptist Missions and are here this week attending candidate school. I am sharing their missionary card (front and back) as well as a pic I made of them this morning. If you would like to mention them to your pastor, Mark and Susan would be blessed to come share their heart for ministry with your church. Their contact information is on the back side of their prayer card which is shown above. May God bless them as they continue their established work in Roatan.

P.S. If you click on the pic of Mark and Susan at the top of this post, they are standing on the deck of their home in Roatan and that beach scene is what they view daily.... God's gift to them as they minister to the Roatans!!