A Chain of Connections

When first we set our eyes toward this western horizon, Cathy, a close college friend, put us in touch with the pastor of her church.  Actually, Eric had met Mark Mitchell years before, and had even preached at Central Peninnsula Church (CPC) in its early days.  This thriving church, in the shadow of San Francisco (a miracle in itself), felt very much led to support international ministries focused on leadership development.  One thing lead to another, and they have become a key player in sustaining our ministry among Micronesians.  We were thrilled then, when Rob Hall, pastor of their Milbrae sattellite church, contacted us to announce that three of their pastors were heading to the Philippines to lead a pastors' seminar and they would love to stop by Guam.  "Stop by Guam?," Eric inquired.  "Nobody 'stops by' Guam!"  Sure enough, last Sunday at 11.55 p.m., Senior pastor, Mark Mitchell, CPC Milbrae pastor, Rob Hall, and young adults pastor, Justin Buzzard, "dropped by."

Eric swung by Day's Inn the next morning and picked up the three travelers for a brief hike and snorkel adventure (Hey, someone had to do it!).  After suffering floating around in the warm turquoiuse waters of the Philippine Sea, the team headed back for a quick shower and then to lunch with Karyn, PIU president, Dave Owen, and Steve Stinnette, VP of Advancement.  After a quick coffee fix, the campus tour followed, complete with a visit from a brown tree snake who plopped to the ground, stunned, after a couple student's climbed up for coconuts (special thanks to our late friend, the snake, for adding an unusal "twist" to the day's events).  The day was rounded off with dinner at the scenic home of Drs. Bill and Christel Wood, with six of our brilliant students.  They sang for the three from CPC, and joined us for a couple of hours of casual conversation.  A quick trip back to the hotel closed out a busy day.  After all, the guys from CPC were off to the Philippines at 4 the following morning!

As missionaries, we've learned that's the way these things work.  Someone puts us into connection with someone else, who leads us to someone else, who . . . and the last link is the key relationship God has in store.  Obviously the chain of connections continue, because now we're exploring how CPC might get more fully involved in the ever-expanding work of Pacific Islands University. 
Perhaps you know someone who might know someone who may just know someone God has in store to be a key player in our work in Micronesia.  Let us know, we'd love to follow the chain of connections!  To check out CPC, go to http://www.cpcfc.org/.