October Update

Dear Family & Friends,

What a fast-paced and fruitful couple of months!  As I landed in Orlando from Singapore, I hit the ground running.  I was home for about a day, and then Darla and I flew to Pennsylvania for some meetings.  I then made a quick trip to our base in Nashville for a board meeting.  

While at the board meeting, I received a call from Darla that her 88-year-old mother in Fairmount Nursing Home suddenly took a turn for the worst as a result of pneumonia.  I arrived back in PA on Friday night, and by Saturday morning, Mary High had gone to be with the Lord.  What a loss for us, but what gain for her!  She had been suffering with Parkinson’s, and her speaking was faint among many other symptoms.  Now she is free to embrace the love of her life - Jesus.  We will miss her and her faithful intercession for us, but we are happy for her newfound freedom in her heavenly journey with the Father.

It was certainly providential that we were in PA at this time because this allowed Darla and I to see her mom several times in her final week, and it allowed us to be with our family in making the final arrangements and to participate in the funeral.  I gave the message and a recording of "In The Garden," sung and played by our daughter Kristen, was played during the funeral.  Because we flew all three of our children up to PA, she was there, but the emotions of the moment were too strong for her to sing the song live.  We are grateful to the Lord for the privilege of being with Darla’s mom and family during this time.  No doubt, this was hard, but we knew we were in exactly the right place at the right time.

Next, Darla and I flew to Charleston, South Carolina, to meet with the N. American Council at our final meeting.  Due to the new change in the way we organize ourselves in YWAM, there will no longer be a North American Council.  The way God has directed us to lead our mission above the base level is through various circles of elders.  So Orlando is now in the Eastern North American Area, and I have been asked to participate in selecting the circle of elders for this area over the next year.  Please join us in prayer for God’s wisdom as I help to lead this process.

All of this was followed by teaching in our Discipleship Training School, School of Ministry Development, and our Tuesday Community Night along with having several key meetings in Orlando area, including formative leadership meetings at our base, preparing for the YWAM Southeast Conference at our base in November (about 600 people are coming), and hosting Brave Love, a woman’s conference at our base.

Much of the fruit of these current years comes from all the wonderful young leaders that have been raised up in our midst.  They carry their responsibilities and roles with a grace and maturity beyond their years.  This investment in their lives would not have been possible for us without the years and years of faithful partnership of so many of you, our friends –THANK YOU!!! 

Until all have heard,

Michael & Darla Berg