Friday, July 1, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Family Letter from June 2005
It seems appropriate that I begin The Gibson Odyssey with the letter I sent out last year first asking for prayer regarding this biggest of all moves so far for our family. Pictures from the June 2005 trip are posted below. Charlie
Dear Friends,
I’m writing to let you know some of the things God is doing in my life and to ask for your prayers. I wish I was better at keeping up with you all individually. Hopefully a general letter is not so impersonal as to fail to express my desire to stay connected to each of you.
As some of you may remember, Rae and I originally considered preparing for the mission field after college but I came to the conviction from Scripture that my initial desire is not all that is necessary to consider a full-time ministry call. Namely, we don’t determine our gifts on our own; if we are to be called to such a ministry, God’s people should confirm those gifts first. The sound advice of my pastor was to live out the Christian life in the community of God’s people (the church) and to trust God to make any specific call clear. In the years that followed, circumstances (marriage, children, work, etc.) seemed to all but bury my thoughts of a more specific call. Post college, Rae and I have always been very involved in the ministry of our local church and we have grown tremendously in this time--not so much in the ways we thought we needed to grow (getting our lives together) but in the ways that God measures growth (in our awareness of our need for Him, and of His provision for that need).
So, during the past 15 years of finishing school, getting married, raising kids, teaching school, and working at BibleWorks, I have been praying the prayer of Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Through our circumstances, the answer has seemed clear, “Just trust me.” This year, however, circumstances have changed and I believe I should seriously examine the status quo. With the counsel of my pastors and elders I will be doing several things this year to hopefully discern God’s call for the future. One of these things is a trip to Peru during the last half of June. I will be going to work with a mission in Trujillo, Peru. Their philosophy of ministry resonates so much with my own heart for ministry that I get very excited just reading about it. I would encourage you all to take a look at the mission’s website (PeruMission.org).
I am writing to ask you to pray for us during this time, specifically that God would give us wisdom in discerning His call in our lives. Should we stay here in Norfolk, living out our faith among the people with whom He’s already blessed us, and perhaps occasionally doing short-term trips like this one? Should I begin making plans to enter seminary? Is there something else entirely on God’s mind for us? Pray also for our faith--I vacillate between intense joy over who I am in Christ and near despair over who I am apart from Him. That despair isn’t a bad thing when I am focused on Christ. So please pray that I will not allow anything to cloud the truth of the Gospel for me. I am also often doubtful about the cost of the trip to our family. I am using up most of my vacation time (and therefore Rae’s and the kids’) on this trip, plus financial resources for the airfare, passport fees, etc.
I am very excited about the actual trip though. I will have opportunities to use my gifts to encourage a lot of people (and to brush up on my Spanish skills). Jason Dausman, my long-time friend, will accompany me and work in one of the mission’s medical clinics. I am hoping that Jason will be able to give me feedback on my service and calling as we work together at the mission. So pray for Jason, too.
I would like to bring a laptop and software to use in the training I’ll be doing at the seminary in Peru. I’d then leave them there for the mission’s use. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the laptop or software, make the check out to Charlie Gibson but send it to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1709 Colley Ave. Ste.302, Norfolk, VA 23508.
I know this is a lot to share in one page. I would enjoy talking to any of you in more detail. I’m sending this letter because I want you to be a part of our lives, through your prayers and your input. So please call or write if you have anything you’d like to talk about. We would love to hear how you are and what’s happening in your lives. We read and enjoy all newsletters and announcements!
Your brother in Christ,
Charlie
Norfolk
Dear Friends,
I’m writing to let you know some of the things God is doing in my life and to ask for your prayers. I wish I was better at keeping up with you all individually. Hopefully a general letter is not so impersonal as to fail to express my desire to stay connected to each of you.
As some of you may remember, Rae and I originally considered preparing for the mission field after college but I came to the conviction from Scripture that my initial desire is not all that is necessary to consider a full-time ministry call. Namely, we don’t determine our gifts on our own; if we are to be called to such a ministry, God’s people should confirm those gifts first. The sound advice of my pastor was to live out the Christian life in the community of God’s people (the church) and to trust God to make any specific call clear. In the years that followed, circumstances (marriage, children, work, etc.) seemed to all but bury my thoughts of a more specific call. Post college, Rae and I have always been very involved in the ministry of our local church and we have grown tremendously in this time--not so much in the ways we thought we needed to grow (getting our lives together) but in the ways that God measures growth (in our awareness of our need for Him, and of His provision for that need).
So, during the past 15 years of finishing school, getting married, raising kids, teaching school, and working at BibleWorks, I have been praying the prayer of Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Through our circumstances, the answer has seemed clear, “Just trust me.” This year, however, circumstances have changed and I believe I should seriously examine the status quo. With the counsel of my pastors and elders I will be doing several things this year to hopefully discern God’s call for the future. One of these things is a trip to Peru during the last half of June. I will be going to work with a mission in Trujillo, Peru. Their philosophy of ministry resonates so much with my own heart for ministry that I get very excited just reading about it. I would encourage you all to take a look at the mission’s website (PeruMission.org).
I am writing to ask you to pray for us during this time, specifically that God would give us wisdom in discerning His call in our lives. Should we stay here in Norfolk, living out our faith among the people with whom He’s already blessed us, and perhaps occasionally doing short-term trips like this one? Should I begin making plans to enter seminary? Is there something else entirely on God’s mind for us? Pray also for our faith--I vacillate between intense joy over who I am in Christ and near despair over who I am apart from Him. That despair isn’t a bad thing when I am focused on Christ. So please pray that I will not allow anything to cloud the truth of the Gospel for me. I am also often doubtful about the cost of the trip to our family. I am using up most of my vacation time (and therefore Rae’s and the kids’) on this trip, plus financial resources for the airfare, passport fees, etc.
I am very excited about the actual trip though. I will have opportunities to use my gifts to encourage a lot of people (and to brush up on my Spanish skills). Jason Dausman, my long-time friend, will accompany me and work in one of the mission’s medical clinics. I am hoping that Jason will be able to give me feedback on my service and calling as we work together at the mission. So pray for Jason, too.
I would like to bring a laptop and software to use in the training I’ll be doing at the seminary in Peru. I’d then leave them there for the mission’s use. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the laptop or software, make the check out to Charlie Gibson but send it to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1709 Colley Ave. Ste.302, Norfolk, VA 23508.
I know this is a lot to share in one page. I would enjoy talking to any of you in more detail. I’m sending this letter because I want you to be a part of our lives, through your prayers and your input. So please call or write if you have anything you’d like to talk about. We would love to hear how you are and what’s happening in your lives. We read and enjoy all newsletters and announcements!
Your brother in Christ,
Charlie
Norfolk
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