Newsletter   I   MARCH 2004

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.     Romans 6:20-23 SIN A man living in a forested area found his home overrun with mice-too many to exterminate with traps. So he bought a few boxes of rat poison and distributed them around the house, including under his bed. That night he couldn’t believe his ears; below him was a feeding frenzy. In the morning he checked the box and found it licked clean. Just to make sure the plan worked, he bought and placed another box. Again, the mice went for the flavored poison like piranha. But the tasty and popular nighttime snack did its deadly work. In the days that followed, all was quiet. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s good for you. In fact, it can be deadly like sin                                                                                                       --- Illustrations for Teaching and Preaching In a VIEW FROM THE ZOO Gary Richmond, a former zookeeper, had this to say: Raccoons go through a glandular change after about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a fight, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I’ll never forget her answer, “It will be different for me…” And she smiled as she added, “Bandit wouldn’t hurt me. He just wouldn’t.” Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild. Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, “It will be different for me.” The results are predictable.

LETTER FROM THE ISF ASSISTANT Dear International Friend, Our warm and heartfelt greetings to each of you. We know that here in the Pittsburgh area we have had one unusual winter. Probably the worst part was the icy conditions we experienced not only for driving but just walking from one place to another. It seems like we were in a deep freeze. I think we would all admit that it will be hard to complain about any hot summer weather we may face. There are some who like the snowy winter weather so this winter is just what you wanted. In spite of it all we can always feel the warmth of God’s love shining in our hearts. It can melt the coldest heart and give that person a hope and reason for living. This past February my wife’s great aunt celebrated her 91st birthday. We would all like for her to live to be 100. She is not so sure about that since her eyesight and hearing are not good. We feel like it is a privilege to have someone of her age in our family. Her mother lived to be 86. It is interesting to contemplate all that can occur in a lifetime. Her aunt has seen some tremendous changes in her life and her job took her to every state in the United States plus she traveled to many countries. It would be interesting to ask her what the most important event in her life has been and only time will tell what the future holds for her. We hope that you will be able to join us for our March ISF gathering. Even though we live in a changing and uncertain world we hope to share with you the certainty of God and His love for you. We want you to feel a welcome and have a chance to experience fellowship with other internationals. When you come to the gatherings it helps us to sense your friendship. The March ISF gathering will be on Friday, March 19th, 7:30 PM in the beautiful Ballroom of the William Pitt Union. The William Pitt Union is located in Oakland on the corner of Bigelow and Fifth Avenue. To get to the Ballroom, use the entrance on Fifth Avenue and then follow the signs. At this gathering we will be privileged to have Pastor Thinagar Sitther from India, give an interesting lecture. There will be a full course meal and the children’s activities in the Kurtzman room. We also again hope to have some International friends perform some music for us. Come and be a part of our big International family and invite your friends. It’s all free! We hope to see you on March 19th!                                                                                                       --Terry Tiberio, ISF Assistant

ISF FEBRUARY GATHERING (February 13, 2004)