Newsletter Archive

Merry Christmas 2004 from the Borthwicks

Christmas - the celebration of the amazing reality that Jesus Christ came to earth - provides the basis for our hope, our lives, and our ministry. Of all the things we are grateful for, life in Christ is certainly at the top. We're also grateful for Jesus' faithfulness in our lives, so we invite you to celebrate with us a great year in the ongoing adventure of life.

Married 25 years! On a personal level, our 25th wedding anniversary this past May was certainly the highlight. We love life together!

Egypt. In April, we joined our entire DAI staff team in Cairo and then Alexandria, Egypt for planning, prayer, and team-building. We also enjoyed our time with believers at one of the largest churches in the Arabic-speaking world.

Resource ministry. We're coming up on seven years since we moved from our Grace Chapel ministry into resource ministry (speaking, writing, consulting) and international leadership development with Development Associates International (DAI). The opportunities to influence churches, leaders, students, and readers continue to increase for which we thank God. For the latest DAI newsletter, go to www.daintl.org.

Relationships across cultures. 25+ years of ministry together has deeply enriched our lives through our international friendships. This year included visits with friends from Egypt, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Nigeria, and more - not to mention incredible global networking opportunities at conferences in South Africa and Thailand.

You, our friends & supporters. We thank God for dozens of people who pray for us regularly, encourage us through emails and calls, and donate to our support and our various projects. Thank you!

Counseling. In September, Christie transitioned from part-time to full-time student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She's in the Master of Arts in Counseling program.

Humor. As we get older, we realize the need to laugh and take ourselves lightly. Christie laughed at herself as she entered the seminary classroom and waffled between "This is the best thing I've ever done" one day and "What was I thinking?" another. Paul's funniest moment was open-air preaching at night in Nigeria. With his head surrounded by insects, he realized that these bugs identified his bald head as just a big light bulb. The students enjoyed the moment too.

Residency #3 completed. Aiming towards age 50, Paul started his Doctor of Ministry pursuits in the Summer of 2002. He still has the dissertation ahead, but this summer we celebrated the completion of all of the official course work.

International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) has been one of our prime focal points in 2004 for international leadership resource ministry. The fruits of long-term relationships took Paul to Marburg, Germany as a resource to the international leadership team and to Abuja, Nigeria as a plenary speaker at one of the largest student mission conferences in African Christian history.

Students are also a very significant part of our local ministry as we both are involved in mentoring and investing in the lives of Paul's present and past Gordon College students.

Thailand. A trip to Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand in late September/early October included DAI staff meetings and participation in a conference with over 1500 leaders from 130 countries.

Milestone birthday. Paul celebrated his 50th birthday. Thank God for good health, energy, and a God-given anticipation of the future - for both of us.

Alliance Biblical Seminary (ABS). May brought a return trip to the Alliance Biblical Seminary in Manila in the Philippines. One of the joys of our ministry with DAI is the ability to return to locations (like ABS and Lanka Bible College) where we can invest in future leaders over a period of years.

South Africa. The August Christian Technical Support (CTS) Conference in South Africa highlighted investment in people who dedicate themselves to partnering with the poor for community transformation through Micro Enterprise Development. (CTS is now "PEER Servants", see www.peerservants.org)

For more detailed reports on ministry trips to Egypt, Manila, South Africa, Germany and Nigeria, go to www.borthwicks.org/news. Thanks for your prayers, your interest and your support.

Merry Christmas
Christie & Paul

Your end-of-year gift is welcome and needed.
Tax-deductible gifts to support on ongoing ministry can be sent designated "Borthwick support" to:

Development Associates International
P. O Box 49278
Colorado Springs, CO 80949
ATTN: Cheri Matas