ads:International Crossroads is here. The international student outreach our church is starting has an official name, logo, and even a facebook page. During my apprenticeship here at University Bible Church the main area of my focus of ministry will involve working with international students studying at ISU. I will also be working with others in our church to develop a ministry team that will continue to work with internationals after our family returns to Thailand in two years’ time. I have been blessed to see how many people in our church have a heart for the nations and we currently have about 20 people who are helping me as we begin reaching out to international students through friendship and fellowship. We have hosted three events, giving international students a chance to get to know us and also a chance for us to get to know them. We were amazed to see that at our first event we had over 40 students, many of whom had just arrived in the States, attend and receive some free furnishings that were donated by members of our church. At our second event an ice cream social, we were able to make 12 new contacts and also fellowship again with some of the students we met at our first event. Our third event involves tutoring and helping students with their studies and English understanding. We are hoping this will be a weekly event and that many students will come for the free tutoring and English help but stay for the fellowship. It has been exciting to meet students from all over the world. I feel blessed to be able to relate with a lot of them, because during my time with the Jesus Film I was able to visit their country. They are always amazed to meet someone here in America who not only knows where their country is, but also visited their home town. It has been really fun meeting all these new students, and we are trusting God to use our family during these next two years to really reach out and minister to them with the love of Christ. I ask you to please continue to pray for our family and also our church body as we work with the international community here at ISU. Cross-cultural communications are always difficult, and our constant focus is to show them the love of Christ without offending them, in hopes that we can share the gospel of Christ with them receiving it. Every student is unique, and as a team we are working together to try to create opportunities to deepen our
friendship with these students and help them to see that we truly care about them as individuals and want them to feel a part of our families. This can be extremely challenging, and we need your constant prayers for wisdom and creativity as we seek to minister to these students. I am thankful for this opportunity to work with international students, and we are praying that God will continue to lead us to those who He has brought here to reveal who He is through the lives of His body ministering in His name. Thank you for your prayers and I am looking forward to updating you of God’s workings over the next weeks. Yutapahn:
“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:16
On August 20th, our family celebrated our son Yutapahn’s 1st birthday. When he was born, we were 99 percent sure he was going to be a girl and so we had a lovely girl name picked out for him. We were excited to see he was a boy but we had to rush to find a name for this new little guy. His English name was easy, I always knew that if I had a boy I would name him after the man I admired the most and that would be my Father. But finding a Thai name proved to be a little harder. We knew we wanted it to be a name that was masculine but also Biblical. I had no ideas, but my wife suggested we name him Yutapahn, which was a word I didn’t know in the Thai language. She showed me Ephesians 6:11 where it was used and what it meant, “Armor of God”. Instantly I knew it was the name for our son and that is how Yutaphan Kyle got his name. I share this story with you, because God has been teaching me a lot about Yutaphan, not just our son, but mainly about the armor of God.
Starting in verse 13 Paul writes, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
These five verses found in Chapter 6 of Ephesians are well known to most of us. From our earliest days in Sunday school, even during our teen and adult years at conferences and camping retreats, we often hear talks on the armor of God. But knowing something well doesn’t mean we will do it well. And this is often the case with this passage of scripture. We can all probably name all the pieces of armor listed here, but can we honestly say we live our daily lives with them on. Think about it, do you daily wear the belt of truth or put on the breastplate of righteousness? How about having the readiness of the gospel for our shoes or carrying the shield of faith? Do we wear the helmet of salvation and carry the sword of the Spirit or are we worried about messing up our hair and looking silly carrying the Bible around with us? The truth is that Paul urged his readers to daily take up the whole armor of God so that they will stand firm and be able to withstand when the days are evil. The days are evil, and sadly we see many believers not standing firm but rather bowing to influences of this wicked world we live in. I am not writing this to condemn others but instead to share how I too have been struggling and how God has graciously been using these verses to remind me to daily live my life with the whole armor on and not just parts of it. The one piece that I seem to forget to take with me daily is the shield of faith. I’m not saying I don’t have faith, but I need to daily hold up the shield of faith in order to extinguish ALL the flaming darts of the evil one. Not some, not most, but ALL of the darts. We are at war with a determined and cleaver advisory, which is always attacking us with the newest weapons on the market. Thankfully God promises us that through faith we will be able to withstand anything Satan throws at us. Doubt, Criticism, Uncertainty, Fear, Worry, Anger, Reproach, no matter what it is, God will protect us and that is why we need to daily take up the shield of faith.
As I mentioned before, that God has been teaching me a lot over the past few months, and most of it is dealing with faith. I have always believed that I had great faith, and sometimes people even complement me on my faith, but the truth of the matter is that I too struggle with a lake of faith. In fact it is not something new, but has always been an issue in my life. I was not going to do something unless I first make sure everything will work out. There is a place for planning and seeking council, but we sometimes justify not acting in faith by saying we are acting responsibly. Take for example our families move back to America. Yes, I knew it was time to come back, yes I knew God would provide a way, but I still tried to put it off as long as possible because in all honesty I was scared. Being a missionary living in Thailand was hard, and we had to have faith that God would provide for all of our needs in this distant land. In all honesty though it was easier to live as a missionary trusting God to provide 100 percent of our financial needs in Thailand then it was going to be living in the US and still trusting God to meet that same 100 percent mark. In Thailand our family could live off of $1200 a month and if we had months where that much didn’t come in, we could still get by without worrying too much. But I knew moving back to America, it was going to be nearly impossible to live off of $1200 a month and if we ever had less money come in then we needed, then it was going to be very stressing. So for months before the move back across the seas, I was stressing and trying to figure ways to help us find enough money to support us while we were in the States. We have been here in the States now for five months, and every attempt I have made to try to increase our support level has failed. So here is where the shield of faith comes in, Satan is attacking me, he is throwing darts of feelings of doubt, rejection, uncertainty, anger, despair, and even feelings of giving up and moving back to Thailand. Daily these darts are flying at me, and if I am not daily taking up the shield of faith, then I am in danger of my life, my family, my ministry all being destroyed by these fiery darts. But if I stand firm with the whole armor of God including the shield of faith, then I will be able to continue serving the Lord full time during this time in the States. I ask you to please continue to pray for me and our family during this time in America. Finances are a huge concern, and if we allow these worries to penetrate our thoughts then our faith will be shaken and our ministry affected. May we continually take up the shield of faith and trust that He who has called is He who will also provide for us. Every night we pray as a family asking God to lead us to more people who will be willing to financially give to help provide for our daily needs and to partner with us in our service here at University Bible Church and our ministry to the international students of ISU . We daily thank Him for the supporters who are currently giving and how God has used them to provide food, shelter, clothing, vehicle, and other necessities for daily living. Please, please prayerfully consider joining our support team? Also if you know of friends or a church who might be interested financially supporting us, would you please contact me and help me make contact with them. By faith, our family has moved back to the States for the next two years, and by faith we are trusting that God will provide for all of our needs during that time. So by faith we are asking you and others to partner with us during this time through financially supporting our family as we serve with University Bible Church through the ministry of International Crossroads. All financial gifs are tax deductible and checks can be made out to UBC Worldwide Ministries and sent to: University Bible Church 4700 Philibin Road Chubbuck, ID. 83202
Please also email me at dan.rutledge@universitybible.org and let me know if you would like to:
Join our support team.
Join our prayer team.
Find out more about International Crossroads.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this latest update, and thank you for all of your prayers during the past five months we have been here in the States. Mam and the children are doing well and we all are slowly adjusting to life here in America. Please join with us as we daily put on the full armor of God so that we can boldly stand firm as witnesses in this world we live in trusting that others will clearly see the glory of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Hope He offers for everyone who calls on His name. Let us daily stand firm for our Lord through His strength.
Your fellow servants through Christ
Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge 
