posted July 1st 2018

originally posted by Good News Blog team, June 25, 2018

Up until recently, Susan and I were basing our outreach on round-the-world tickets that we were getting each year. We would start off by doing drug awareness programs in the Caribbean, followed by donations of educational materials to village schools in Fiji, followed by motivational programs in schools and orphanages around Malaysia.

 

As we approached local businesses for help in most of these places, we ended up collecting business cards from all over the world. If we add to this all the people that we continue to meet while hitchhiking or going about our daily duties, it’s easy to see how we ended up with large stacks of business cards! The Lord gave Susan the excellent idea to send out monthly devotional PowerPoints (PPS) to every email address. Many, many thanks to Brian and Martha at Tommy’s Window who made the majority of them and inspired us by their wonderful example!

Along with the PowerPoints, we also send our newsletters and Activated magazine links. We calculate that over a nine-year period, Susan sent out roughly 1,000 PowerPoints each month, 900 in English and 100 in French, making a total of 108,000 emails! They were sent to over 30 different countries, including many unusual islands that we visited:

Fiji, French Polynesia, Western and American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Borneo, Bermuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Montserrat, St. Barts, Anguilla, Dominica, the Dutch Antilles, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas! Here are some of the many reactions we’ve received over the years:

 

Hi Peter and Susan, great to see your email appeared in my mailbox again. After reading your news about Fiji, I was touched to feel we should be helping those people in need; we should live more to help each other. I’m starting to realize that getting involved with charity will give me a better feeling than aiming for a luxury lifestyle. I can say that your email is a powerful alarm to trigger in me the thought, “What can I do for those people in need?” I hope your news will always appear in my mailbox. Keep in touch, looking forward to hearing that you’re back in Malaysia. Best regards.—Enzo, a businessman that we met while hitchhiking

Many thanks, Susan, for the PowerPoint; it is so true and applicable for now. Hope this finds you well. Thanks so much for remembering us both in prayers and through your emails. We enjoy very much the PPS you send and also your website news. We look forward to seeing you again in Fiji.—Joy, UNICEF Director, Fiji

I have been reading your emails and the PPS and those nice words that speak to us and further strengthen our faith when we are tested. My husband will soon be going back to Iraq. Thank you for sending me this email as it encourages me to reach out to others, too, that are facing the same struggles. I want to tell them to keep trusting the Lord. No matter how big and how hopeless the situation may be, God is still very much in action. God is real, and you just need to trust that His words are real and keep hanging on to His promises. It works, and my family has been a living testimony of this over many years!—Atelina, bank manager, Fiji

Thank you, Susan and Peter, for the PowerPoints and the e-mags. I’m sharing them with friends. Thank you again for the wonderful work you and Pastor Peter are doing for our country. You are a blessing! Do stay blessed.—Jokapeci, Ministry of Education, Fiji

I have recently come to Fiji, along with my family, and one thing that I eagerly look forward to every month is your PPS. I have observed that the messages contained in your PPS are highly meaningful and inspiring. Thanks, and do continue the good work.—Venu, insurance company director, Fiji

 

I have had a bit of a difficult year, but I know that with God’s strength and prayers from special people like you, I will make it through these tough times. It is great to hear from you, and I hope you guys are doing well. You are special people who have touched many lives, and I am thankful that one of them was mine. Keep in touch!—Sonja, restaurant owner, Antigua, Caribbean

When you were staying with me during your visit to Singapore, I was wondering about the charity that you told us about. Now that I have read your newsletters, visited the website, and seen all the photos, I have finally understood. Not only that, but I think that you are amazing, as you have changed people’s lives! I will pray that your charity will get better and better and that more people will support it.—Caishi, a student we met while couch surfing, Singapore

You’re doing a great job with your mission work.—Marica, Mayor of Suva, the capital of Fiji

Thank you for your message. I like the information you shared. I only wish there were more Susans and Peters in this world so that the spirit of sharing and caring can become a globalization issue.—A government minister, Fiji

I really would say that both of you are walking angels; you’re bringing so much love and hope to whoever needs it. We would definitely help in whatever way we can.—Lavina, Caribbean

Many thanks for the PPS, they truly refresh the soul and renew the spirit. I have already encouraged some friends and colleagues to browse through your website. Some of them have been amazed at seeing all the exploits you have done for the Lord in different parts of the world.—Dr. Soji, university professor, Fiji

Wow!!!!!! Really I must mention that all your emails are so interesting that I feel like I’m travelling with you wherever you go! Opening and reading through your emails gives me peace and takes away a bit of the stress I feel from day to day. I would really love to meet you both again on your next visit!—Lavina, a university lecturer, Fiji