May 2020 Update from Dave Irby

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

You probably remember that game we played as children – “Simon says….”

Dear Friends,

According to one source this fun game has been translated into over thirty languages and was originally called “Cicero dicit fac hoc”–Latin for “Cicero says do this.” Another source says it became “Simon Says “after Simon De Montfort, a 13th-century French-English noble, who commanded so much authority from those around him that he imprisoned King Henry III.” I am now enjoying the adult version of Simon Says. Each morning some of my friends and I read our daily devotional from Simon Guillebaud’s CHOOSE LIFE 365 READINGS FOR RADICAL DISCIPLES.

On April 9th Simons says, in his devotional entitled FRIENDLINESS OR FRIENDSHIP

“Sharing our lives – our victories and defeats, our fears and concerns, our laughter and our tears – that’s what Paul did and what he’s calling us to do. Who can you reach out to this week, offering not just friendliness but true friendship?”

The virus has given me time to meet new and old friends alike in a new way – it is called ZOOM.

***I met Roy when I was five; Mike when I was six; Bob, Mitch & Rick at age thirteen. There was a total of eleven of us on the Zoom call. All of us played softball over forty years ago at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, CA. It was a rich time of fellowship with half of the guys who I still see and the others, some of whom I hadn’t talked to in over forty years. *** pray we finish strong

***Since we are not traveling now, I am so grateful for the Luis Palau Next Generation Alliance. Most Thursday mornings a dozen or so of us meet for prayer, Evangelists from around the world. We pray for each other, for our world and how we can more effectively share the gospel. Lord willing our Love Zambia project will still take place before the end of the year*** pray for Zambia

***Starting in 2013 I made four trips to Burundi. We crisscrossed the country sharing reconciliation through Christ in our mission of peace and reconciliation as we helped (in a small way) to keep the peace before the presidential election. Elections are coming again and about 130 of us were on a Zoom call with Simon as we received updates and prayer requests regarding the election and the tremendous need for educating a country with 45% of the population under the age of 15.***  please pray for Simon, peaceful elections & educators to come & help the children

We are grateful to be a part of the Palau NGA, for more info: www.nextgenerationalliance.org

We are grateful for your prayers and financial support; each time I send this letter I pray for you dear friends,

Dave