Hooray for God! Hooray Taipei!
Herb and Lulie Thomas are in our community group. They signed up two years ago to be a “mentor couple” while we went through a Tim Keller Bible study with two other couples (Jennifer & Grant Farrell, and Jackie & Adam Tarnow) and have since moved into an “advisory role” in the group. Basically, they love us too much to leave us and the feeling is mutual–but they also have their own community group that they attend weekly!
This couple is amazing. They have a wonderful story of redemption–as individuals and as a couple. Lulie is known around town for the awesome post-abortion recovery ministry she started at our church called Someone Cares–after going through one herself many years ago. She was a very wounded woman when Herb wooed her 30+ years ago, and she didn’t decide to work through the damage until 10+ years into their marriage. But God restored what the locusts had eaten. He healed Lulie’s broken heart and set it on fire for Him. And Herb stuck with her–through thick and thin–and found the Lord along the way! Precious. And so they comfort others who have been where they have been–both in the post-abortion recovery ministry and doing pre-marital (and post-marital!) counseling for couples just like us. We aren’t exactly sure when they sleep because they also stay quite busy with The Thomas Law Firm.
Anyway, Lulie met a girl who knows someone who knows someone somewhere, and somehow she’s been asked to go to Taipei, Taiwan for two weeks and speak about post-abortion healing to all the women that the Lord rounds up there. Herb is not going to be left behind. No sir! He’s going, too. And it’s only fitting because they belong together. They are like peas and carrots. Anyway, we are so fired up for them and this HUGE opportunity that the Lord has put before them. I have been praying one of my favorite verses for them–Isaiah 61:1-4:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on Herb & Lulie, because the LORD has anointed them to preach good news to the poor. He has sent them to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
They are scheduled to leave on February 23rd and there are many details that need to fall in place between now and then–from curriculum for the program to travel logistics to work coverage while they are away. Please join us in praying for safe passage for this couple and their friend, Angel, and for the Lord to gather crowds of hurting women to hear His message of redemption and begin healing their wounded souls.
We also asked Pip to get a little pep rally going for them (see photo above). She showed up for the photo shoot looking cute. As usual. And we are anxiously awaiting the full report when they return. Herb is a professional iPhone photographer so we are expecting at least a few snapshots when they get back.