I have some great news for you... our God reigns! He is sovereign, and He cares, and He is faithful.
I have been so encouraged as I've stayed in touch with some of you, since I last wrote in November, to learn about the testimonies that God is giving you as you walk with Him. Hearing about people growing in faith, sharing the Gospel with friends and family, committing to mission work/ministry, being challenged by God in current life circumstances, coming to know Jesus and His redeeming power in a deeper way.... it all points me in ONE direction that can be summed up by Ephesians 4:4-6: "There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
When I hear from you with respect to what I mentioned above, I can feel it in the deepest part of my heart that the Jesus you know in whatever part of the world you are in, is the exact same Jesus that I know over here in Japan. While each of us may be more aware of different specific parts of His character, which we have learned through our respective experiences and challenges, I am convinced of this Truth from Ephesians... it is the same God and Father "who is over all and through all and in all." This is part of the mystery of the Gospel and the Faith which we profess. Amen. And it is nothing short of an ABSOLUTE MIRACLE!Let me share a quick testimony of my own before I conclude, of which some of you I'm sure were catalysts of/a part of... the unit that I am part of just got a new company commander (my direct boss). At the change of command ceremony his first words to the Marines were him thanking God for this opportunity; this got me wondering if he was a Believer. I had to drive him and his family somewhere today since they don't have vehicles yet since they just got here (actually I was driving them to go pick up their new cars) and I had worship music on in my car. He asked me if I "went to church around here." Since he
asked, I dove right in to telling him my testimony since being on the island and what Jesus is doing in my life currently. I quickly learned that he too went to a small Christian college (Covenant College), and his wife grew up in different parts of Africa because her parents are missionaries, and that they are thinking about starting a Bible study for international people that are on the island, which is directly related to their heart for missions and reaching into all the world. How amazing is that! Here is how some of you were involved... as we were conversing in the car I was so FULL of the joy of the Holy Spirit. I knew, so much so that I could literally almost hear the prayers, that some people must have been praying for me to be surrounded by Christ followers, both above me and below me. I know that prayer had to have been said for a circumstance like this to have arose. So... your prayers are being answered. Amen. Thanks be to God. And thank you too.
I will conclude by asking you to pray for me to have an outlet to teach - Bible study, Sunday school, anything... I just feel compelled that I need to be doing that. I will also say that I would love to hear from you about what is going on in your life and how I can pray for you. I have started a blog http://okinawaone.blogspot.com/ if you want to check out my other, more frequent thoughts. I am going to Korea again in late February, but this time I am the only officer going with a detachment of 35 Marines. This is a great opportunity to have as a lieutenant, being the OIC (officer-in-charge) of a deploying detachment, and I can't wait. Finally, I will be promoted to 1st Lieutenant Haack in about a week. Motivating.
In Him who is able to do immeasurably more,
2ndLt Steven R. Haack
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