Hello ***edited***,

How are you?  Sitting down I hope… Because, I am sure you are thinking to yourself (why is Tony sending me a card, he has never sent me a card, what’s up?)  And what is this DVD, and what’s on it? 

Well before your mind goes running too far, everyone is ok, and in fact we are better than ok.  Just as a teaser, I will let you know I have rekindled a love of my life.

But for now, I will let you know that by time you read this letter, I will be in ***edited*** in SE Asia.  I just had a funny thought, as I was typing this, that I will share with you.  If you could look through the earth, you could look straight through hell and see me.  And I am sure, by time you read this; I will feel like I have been through hell.  It will take 4 flights to get to our final destination.

1^st flight will be 1 hr 4min

2^nd flight will be 14hrs 40mins

3^rd flight will be 5hrs 20mins

4^th flight will be 1hr 20mins.

All that combined will be 22hrs and 24min in an airplane.  So I can safely say, I went through hell to get to B****.

Now the next question… Why? Part of the why is on the DVD. The other part of the why is the rekindled love in my life.  No…  Kristy and I are still very much in love and together. If the truth were known, I love her more now than I ever did before my rekindled a love. 

I know I still haven’t shared with you the “real” reason I am sending you the letter and why I am now in ***edited*** in SE Asia.  I am here on a ten-day mission trip.  Yes, Tony working as a missionary.  I know, it is odd for me to say, and I am sure it is odd for others to hear.  The thing about it is, over the past year Kristy and I have found out what is means to “live”.  When I say live, I mean live to serve God.

Now comes the question of… Why is Tony sending you  this letter? So far, I have:

-          Committed most of my vacation time for this year, to this trip.

-          Committed time away from my family to this trip.

-          Committed my own money to fund this trip.

-          Put my life at risk for this trip.

-          But most of all, I have committed my heart and life to serve the living God.

So you ask the question again, why is Tony sending you  this letter?  Tonight as I am preparing for my mission trip and looking back over the past year I started asking myself some tuff questions.  And one of those questions came to the front of my mind quickly.  Tony, you have committed all these resources to taking the gospel to the other side of the world.  What have you done at home?  What have you done in your neighborhood? What have you done within your family? And it hit me………   Tony?  Do you know that if Christ came today, that you would see all your family in heaven?  I don’t know (with confidence) the answer to that question.  I know that only those that know and believe in F.A.I.T.H. will meet me in heaven:

-          F: Forgiveness.  Without God’s forgiveness, we can not get to heaven Ephesians 1:7a

-          A: Available.      Forgiveness is Available to everyone. John 3:16.  But just because it is available to everyone.  It is not automatic. Matthew 7:21a

-          I: Impossible.    It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. Here is where we have to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  Romans 3:23

-          T: Turn.            We have to Turn away from our sins.  Luke 13:3b

-          H: Heaven.        Heaven is eternal life.  John 14:3

For many years, I believed that I would have plenty of time to do the right thing. But the more I learn, and I am learning every day. I learn that eternity starts now. And I firmly believe the “hereafter” is. “Here”… and “After” here.  Meaning the hereafter starts now. Don’t confuse what I am saying.  To get to heaven we must have F.A.I.T.H. But to enjoy Gods grace, we can enjoy that grace here on earth, and in the hereafter.

I pray I have not shut the door on our relationship by sending you this letter.  But what I pray for more than anything, that this letter just might open a door for you to have your own relationship with Jesus Christ.

Tony McClain