The subject "What about those old Missionaries" who served as lifetime missionaries? Perhaps they had to return to the States because of poor health, such has been our case.
We made a lifetime commitment in 1966, to serve God wherever He would lead us. We pastored 4 churches here in the States before God called us to the Philippines. We arrived in the Philippines in 1980; I was 45 and Carol 43. I had a stroke in my eyes and had to leave our field in 1997 to get the care I could only get in the States.
A year later we were able to leave the States for short periods of time and return for continued medical attention until this present day. BIMI approved us to do furlough relief work for missionaries in Scotland (3 times) and Canada (3 times) who had to return to the States for various reasons for a short time. We did this for several years until Carol came down with Parkinson Disease and then broke her right hip in a fall which accelerated her PD. We became home-bound and very limited in our travels.
We continue in the ministry out of our home. I am very much involved in the ministry of teaching in our local church, supplying DVDs to missionaries and National pastors our Bible Institute curriculum plus good preaching and teaching materials. This DVD is being used in over 63 countries by missionaries and National Pastors and is translated into three languages. I also produce soul winning DVDs for adults and children in English and Spanish. At this writing I have produced over 50,000 DVDs in the last two years, which have been given out freely by others and myself to the world around us.
I could do this and still look after Carol 24/7 etc., etc. We continue to have a desire and burden to reach out to a lost world and assist missionaries around the world in many marvelous ways. Some of our supporting churches continue to support us which we praise God for.
As you can see, we have not retired in any sense of the word.