2010 Year End Review

We have had a very good year in many ways. Even though our stipend from the mission had to decrease in order to pay down our debt there, our support level has remained strong. I am also very thankful for many friends who had stepped up and filled the gap of support for us with personal gifts. The attendance at our Bible studies has been good and we have added a number of new people and youth, as well as seen others move back to Micronesia or the mainland for various reasons. We continue to counsel people and answer questions from a Biblical perspective. Though we continue to see an influx into the Micronesian churches of false teachers and materials, etc. the Lord has used us to help. We continue to help people become more discerning and teach them how to protect their churches. Two cases come to mind. A few weeks ago we were informed that the Moonie school on the Big Island, to which a number of Micronesian students had been given free scholarships and some Micronesians were involved in the administration, has closed down. The article I wrote on my web site and also sent out as a special edition to the Pacific Waves Newsletter (which I am no longer financially able to produce on a regular basis) was posted on the High School of the Pacific’s (the Moonie school) web site. The Chuukese believe that that article had, at least in part, the effect of getting the school closed down. I had written that Sun Myung Moon had visited the school and claimed that he had gone to hell and taken a person from there into heaven. One of the administrators of the school, who is Chuukese, quit the school after hearing the information we presented as well as Moon’s claim. Please continue to pray for this situation as some of the Micronesian students have been transferred to one of Moon’s schools in Korea. We were also able to inform a number of Chuukese about a man who came to HI allegedly to do a “deliverance” ministry while practicing “slain in the spirit” and teaching false teachings. Some Chuukese pastors invited him here. A number of our Bible study people came to us with their concerns over what was happening, including their observation of one woman who claimed to be healed but after she went home was still having the same problems. She called this Ethiopian man to come to her house and he came and began to try to cast out a demon from her. While he was doing that the people who came with him became demonized. I have seen this happen, particularly with slain in the spirit tactics since it is not Biblical. We were able to get the word out, as I researched his background, which was in a church denomination full of false teaching, and I wrote an article I shared with the Bible study groups. I believe the Lord has us here not only to teach the Bible verse by verse but also help and be a resource to protect Micronesians from encroaching false teachings and movements. I am currently teaching a topical series I wrote called ”A Whole Lot Of Wishful Thinking These Days” in which I deal with a number of issues of wrong thinking these days seen from a Biblical perspective. I wrote it to give people help in dealing with issues so that they could use the short synopsis, Biblical references, and further reading links to articles. Our Bible study people really use our printed materials in many ways. Mom and I have also taught through Galatians, Daniel, Titus, Philemon and other books this year. I will finish up my current series in January and February of 2011 and then Juanita will teach Hebrews. I will then likely follow that up by teaching a series I did many years ago on the fruit of the Spirit since I just taught Galatians.

A minor difficulty we have had has to do with our health. Both Juanita and I have had problems with bursitis in our shoulders the last few months. This is a condition that apparently takes a long time to heal. I have gone off my statin meds as I suspected that the lowering of one type of cholesterol was actually interfering with my ability to heal from this tendinitis. My doctor allowed me to do so for at least a time. Please pray for our healing in that area.

I have been invited to Majuro for a conference for men and youth but the man who invited me last year just passed away so I am unsure of the status of that conference which was supposed to occur in January 2011. I have been invited to speak at a conference in Vancouver, BC in May 2011. They already paid for my tickets, which will also allow me to visit my daughter and son-in-law in CA on my return flight, as well as the Leuice family. I will be speaking on Indigenous People issues at the conference in line with my book called “Idolatry In Their Hearts” and will also likely have occasion to minister in the Leuice church in CA. Please pray for these conference opportunities.

In His hands,
Sandy Simpson