Dear Joanne and your teammates,

Grace and peace to you from our heavenly Father and our LORD Jesus Christ.

I thank God whenever I think about you. I am greatly encouraged by your passion to share gospel with others. It is God who places you in the team and sends you to the country.

I know you are so different in many ways. But I want to remind you that you are all beloved citizens of God's kingdom. Your eternal citizenship is the same. Being citizens of God's kingdom, your future can not be more safe in His good, strong hands. This fact gives peace in my mind and heart so I do not have fear in me when I thinking what you are going to do in His name.

I also want to remind you that your ego in doing this is not for yourself, not even for the people of that far away land, it is always for God. You all go there to worship God, give Him praise, this should be your purpose. While you are worshipping God over there, you pray that God will bring the locals to join your worship team. You are a worship team, you will have great joy when God make your team strong and bigger.

When the Daniel in Bible was rescued by God from lion's den, king Darius wrote to all the people, nations and men of every language throughout the land:

"I issue a decree that in every part of my Kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God and he endures forever;

His kingdom will not be destroyed,

His dominion will never end."

God, who created heavens and earth, who performs signs and wonders, made Daniel's worship team so big. May He do the same to your team!

In His name I pray.

Much Love,

Karen (Joanne' mom)