Bethel Fellowship International

Editor’s note: Ernest Gentile reported the following via e-mail to BFI offices on January 8, 2013. Please continue to remember the Gentile Family in prayer.

Dear Friends:

Our family would like to give you and a number of our friends an update on Joyʼs condition, requesting at the same time our prayers for her during these closing days of her 82nd year on the planet Earth. She is soon to depart to a better place, and her faith and that of her family remain strong and confident in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have talked freely with her about her funeral and eternal things. Holding her hand, praying and talking about Godʼs goodness to us has been one of the great experiences of my life.

Thank you so much for remembering us in your thoughts and prayer. December has been an eventful month for us and the children; already, a host of people who know of our situation are praying. In November, Joy went in for a C-scan to find the reason for abdominal pain, and they recognized she had a case of diverticulitis. But, they also detected a white spot on her pancreas. A biopsy in San Francisco on Dec. 3rd revealed that she had pancreatic cancer.

We have discussed the situation with three doctors, and our conclusion was not to have surgery, chemo or radiation. We approached this decision with much prayer, deciding to come under hospice care which supplies a doctor and nurses and equipment with a 24 hr. phone line. Also, our 2nd daughter Debbie has moved in with us, and gives her around the clock care. She is a CNA (certified Nursing Assistant) with lots of experience.

Joy is failing rapidly and will probably go to be with the Lord within a very short time. She wants to go, feels this is her time, and the family concurs with her decision. If she were in the hospital she would be in great pain and misery. As it is, she is administered meds to keep her free of most misery, and Debbie is doing an excellent job of working with her, and the other daughters, Jan and Sharon are also working hard to maintain her spirit and comfort.

We had a Christmas party for our family at the new church “mansion” where the offices are. Joy’s condition has affected all of us in a most unusual way, and during our time together several people were dramatically touched of the Lord.

We all love Joy more than ever, and there is a concerted effort to befriend her and encourage her. This approach has taken the “sting” out of death, and is making our present one a time of farewell to a great woman of God who is preparing to take a journey home.

We all feel closer to the Lord than ever. Joy has joined us in planning for the funeral, and we believe that it will be a time that will bring great glory to the Lord. Joy is now very weak, but listens and enjoys as I read cards, emails and letters sent to her, but she is not able to talk much or be out of bed. Thank God for the victory we have in Jesus Christ: assuredly, whether we live or die, it is a “win-win” situation.

With much love and gratitude,
Ernest Gentile            5192 Cribari Hills, San Jose, CA 95135-1325. E-mail: ernjoy@me.com

Nils and Andrea Olson, BFI missionaries to Japan, write, “We want to thank you all for your encouragement all these years. Thanks for continuing to believe with us for this continuing miracle here in Munakata City, JAPAN.

Oh, Lord, let the big surprise happen quickly, like when my Dad would be driving the car and all us five kids would be making so much noise he would tell us all to be quiet with the word, “Shhhhh, be really quiet, okay? Shhhhh.” 

We would all quiet right down to a silence that could almost be felt, wondering, “What in the world?”

Then out of nowhere, in an bolstering voice, “BOY IT’S QUIET IN HERE!” . . . to scare us all into a giddy laughter of “Daddy, do it again!”

Nils reports details of finance and the contract to be signed in January 2013. Here is a rundown of where their church stands in the purchase of church property.

Current property fund balance: Â¥ 10,464,840 — $ 124,204.38      

Set aside for 1st downpayment: Â¥ 10,000,000 — $ 118,687.32

Balance toward next payment: Â¥ 464,840 — $ 5,517.06

Set aside for emergency needs:  Â¥ 737,920 — $ 8,758.18

Price of property:  ¥ 38,985,000 — $ 462,702.51

Downpayment 1/28/2013: ¥ 10,000,000 — $ 118,687.32

BALANCE to pay: Â¥ 28,985,000 — $ 344,015.19

We will sign the contract to purchase the property upon our return from Seattle-Denver in January. The contract will be signed before the end of January, so tentatively signature date is set for Monday, January 28, 2013.

According to the contract, the next payments of ¥10,000,000 will be due on January 30, 2014, January 30, 2015. The remaining balance of ¥8,985,000 will be due on due January 30, 2016. The contract will state that the least amount we must pay in a year is ¥7,000,000 ($ 83,081), the balance being added on and payable in the last payment on January 30, 2015. If we are not able to pay ¥7,000,000, then the contract will be ended and we will have to go back retroactively to the last payment and pay monthly lease fees of ¥90,000 ($1,068) per month.

Mr. S——- (our policeman elder) accompanies me in all meetings, so be assured I am not doing this on my own. The realtor and land owner are also pleased with his help. The realtor will also help the church in establishing our religious corporation status during the next three years. Once the property is completely purchased, it will be transferred over to, or donated to the Munakata Bethel Christian Center Religious Corporation.

The realtor has told me that official Japan Tax Office people are amazed that such a purchase of property is being done solely on personal relationship ties between the landowner and Olson. This is unheard of, so they say. God led us to this family when we arrived in Munakata over thirty years ago. God has used this family to establish the church in the community — our roots have been deeply established in the city. When we realized it was God’s leading to move to Munakata from Kurume more than thirty years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to us through Les Frye when elders/deacons laid hands on us after a Sunday night service saying, “I will give you my favor, my favor, my favor in the city.” 

The faith I have to see this property purchase come to pass sooner than the contract details is NOT my own. I believe it is the actual faith of the Holy Spirit Himself operating in me. I have only experienced this faith one other time in my life — that was when God spoke to me and said, “Lease property and build.” The property we leased was the property we are about to purchase. As for the building, it was paid for within one year and without bank or believer loans. We sang an old song many, many years ago in Bethel Chapel Choir at Mirror Lake — “We’ve come this far by faith, trusting in the Lord. We’ll not turn back.” I cannot see God dumping us after all that He alone has done in establishing Munakata’s Bethel Christian Center.

Editor’s note: Donations for Munakata Bethel Christian Center property fund can be sent directly to: El Tora CABE (BFI), 1121 244th St SW Unit 27, Bothell, WA 98021-8546. Please designate in your MEMO: MBCC Japan Property

Greetings friends and family,

It has been a long time since I sent an update, for which I apologize. It’s been a very busy 6 months and Kathleen’s condition has changed.

In mid-August, she develop a blockage in her intestines, which prevents her from eating. It took a while to determine that it would not relieve itself, by which time Kathleen was quite weak from barely eating. At the same time she was trying to heal from a broken foot from a freak accident. In September she was hospitalized twice for various conditions related to the blockage. As you can imagine, with all of the rounds of chemo and surgeries she’s endured, there are a variety of problems in her body and organs.

After getting out of the hospital, we were able to obtain a special home health care insurance, which allows her to receive feeding from an IV, a daily visit from a nurse, and an in-charge doctor who comes to the house once a week or in case of emergency. This costs a bit of money, but is certainly worth it. We also receive assistance for some household chores, which is a huge blessing.

Kathleen is quite weak and just last week caught pneumonia, which was a real struggle. Fortunately, she has responded to the antibiotics and bounced back a bit. Mark is able to be with her most of the time, but when he must go out our son Andrew, who has halted his university studies for the time being and come back to Japan to help, is able to stay with her. Also, we will be getting some more help to be with Kathleen at times when Mark and Andrew need it.

Because of her weakened condition, she has not been able to receive chemotherapy for several months. We have made the decision to no longer aggressively treat the cancer, but rather live in peace and enjoy the freedom of no more harsh drugs, no more seemingly endless trips to the hospital. We are not dismayed or discouraged, but rather full of peace that our God is in control. These times are never easy for anyone, but we are so blessed to have hope that only comes from Jesus Christ and assurance that this life will be followed by one much better.

Kathleen has been fighting ovarian cancer for more than 5 1/2 years now. I have witnessed literally hundreds of times when she has put aside her extreme sickness and exhaustion to spend time caring for and ministering to someone else. My wife has been a wonderful inspiration to me and many others. Some of the situations we’ve faced have been very difficult, but some have also been intensively rewarding. Your love and support for us through all of these have been remarkable. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much.

If you are able to give to help with our medical expenses, that would be appreciated. More importantly, please continue to pray for Kathleen and our family. We are privileged to be serving our Lord in a land of great need and grateful for your support. We love you very much.

Mark

Note: Financial contributions for Kathleen Benton’s medical needs can be sent to Bethel Fellowship International, 1121 244th St. SW #27, Bothell WA 98021. Please designate your contribution for BENTONS Japan. Tax deductible receipts will be issued early next year. 

 

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — For 20 years, Matthew Lambert prayed he would not get the call.

It is not that the volunteer fire district chaplain didn’t want to help or minded getting up in the middle of the night. He just didn’t want people to suffer.

Inevitably, the calls would come and Lambert would go to offer his support to those who lost their homes or perhaps a loved one.

It was a meaningful calling. He considered the opportunity to help a gift from God.

“I think it’s the connection with families in distress,” Lambert said. “Many times they don’t know what to do. You come there and get to be like a family member.

Lambert has stepped down as a fire district chaplain. He remains a pastor for the Bethel Chapel in Mountlake Terrace. He’s been there for more than 30 years.

In 1992, he began to volunteer as a chaplain for the Mountlake Terrace Fire Department. He moved over to Snohomish County Fire District 1 when Mountlake Terrace merged. In doing so, he became part of a sprawling district that stretches from the Snohomish-King county line to south of Everett and serves roughly 200,000 people.

Lambert is thankful for technological advances, such as a GPS system that helps him find his way to door steps in neighborhoods he does not know.

“It really took a lot of the stress out of it,” he said.

Fire District 1 Assistant Chief Brad Reading figures he has been on hundreds of calls with Lambert over the years. They met at the Mountlake Terrace department when Lambert signed up. A year ago, Lambert performed the wedding ceremony when Reading remarried.

“We are definitely going to miss him,” Reading said. “He truly cares about people, and he has a great sense of humor. You can talk to him about anything.”

With church and family obligations, Lambert, 69, thought about stepping down many times over the years. The support of his wife, Su, kept him going

“I am a pastor, but often my wife was just as involved,” he said. “We always just prayed and asked for God’s guidance.”

Fires were just a part of the calls Lambert took. More common were medical emergencies.

Some people were believers; some were not.

Lambert said he would assess and respect each situation as he helped families through their grief

“You only do what they request,” he said.

For those who were receptive, he would sing to soothe them.

Reading said the role of chaplains is invaluable whether it is through prayer or practical advice.

“The good part is when the chaplains get there, they can take care of the families for us so we can do our job,” Reading said. “They usually stay involved well after we leave. They really help the fire personnel on the scene.”

Lambert could recall many cases over the years. Yet no two calls were exactly the same and the opportunity to serve was rewarding, he said.

“Every case is different,” he said. “Once you help them through the grief and the process and follow up, they are so grateful.”

Article source: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20121124/news01/711249973/1122/comm0609           (Everett) HERALD article by Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com