A Life of Faith ✝️

To Know God...and Make Him Known

“I have become its servant by the commission that God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:25-27 

Aloha 

California, Kansas, Mexico

I have just returned home to Kona from a whirlwind of trips! It really is amazing how quickly time flies by. On each of my flights, I was struck by a very clear sense of the nearness of God. That nearness overflowed into every single ministry opportunity I had. Has this been increasing for you recently? I believe we are moving into a season of renewed vigor in seeing the plans of God for the earth being ushered forth through His bride, the Church! In regard to Wichita, Kansas; I'm overwhelmed by the unity I saw in the bride of Christ. I was with a group called 'Presence Worship' and also led worship for a church called Reliance. My biggest take a way from the time in Wichita was simply this; churches of all denominations can meet together to worship, pray, and go after Jesus together without worrying that 'their congregants' are going to jump ship to another church. At least 10 different churches gathered that Sunday evening to go after Jesus together in worship. It was such a privilege to bring a message of 'Hungering and thirsting' for God above all else. They are carrying UNITY in ways that seem to feel and look like 'heaven on earth'. What they have is special and I'm praying that what God is depositing in Wichita will begin to spread across the earth in remarkable ways.

A Life of Faith

There are so many stories that I could be telling in this update, but I want to take the rest of my time to tell a brief story about the man who led the way for our family in missions with YWAM. His name is Walt Hoffman and he is Lizzi's grandfather. We followed in her grandparents footsteps to continue the work of missions around the world after they moved back to California full-time. Because of their faithfulness, we are walking in breakthrough that we didn't fight for. Grandpa passed away, peacefully, on July 4th while the hymn 'In The Garden' was being sung over him. In the section of Colossians 1:25-27 (scripture reference is above), Paul is describing some of why he has been laboring for the Church. I feel this describes perfectly how grandpa lived. When he surrendered his life to Jesus, he grabbed hold of the assignment to “present the word of God in its fullness.” Oh how he was good at presenting the word of God which gripped the hearts of many over his lifetime. Many of us have the tremendous hope of Christ because of this great man.  

Obituary

Walter A. Hoffman, age 98, WWII veteran, pastor, Bible teacher, and evangelist, was promoted to glory on July 4, 2024. His wife of 77 years Pearl (“Pat”) was by his side as he entered the arms of the Lord. He is survived by four sons and their wives, 11 grandchildren, 18 great- grandchildren, his sister, and innumerable friends.

Walt attended Long Beach Wilson High School, joined the Navy in 1944, and married Pearl in 1946. He earned a degree in electrical engineering at UCLA and joined his father’s electrical construction company, Hoffman & Son Inc., in the early 1950s. Walt committed his life to Jesus Christ in 1957 and joined Alamitos Friends Church in Garden Grove. He and Pearl raised four sons in Garden Grove and began a Bible Study in the early 1970s that grew to the Monday Night Bible Study Church. Many received the precious gift of his resolute dedication to humbly teaching the Word of God, and his exceptional model as a man of God. Walt authored “And Church Happened” about the experience of the Monday Night Bible Study Church (Deep River Books, 2015).

After retiring, Walt and Pearl moved to The Dalles, Oregon, and were devoted to their family and Calvary Baptist Church. They returned to Orange County in 2008 and had a second home in Kona, Hawaii. Walt and Pearl traveled extensively as part of their ministries and were active at Grace Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa, and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Kona.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service on Saturday, September 21, 2024, beginning at 10:00 am at Grace Fellowship Church, 3170 Red Hill Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Further information on the memorial service is available at https://www.oconnormortuary.com/obituaries/walter-a-hoffman  If attending, please respond to the evite:  http://evite.me/WaltHoffmanIn lieu of flowers the family suggests a gift to a missionary at either: Gideon’s International https://www.sendtheword.org, YWAM Kona, University of the Nations https://ywamkona.org/donate/, or Wycliffe Bible Translators https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/missionaries

Final Remarks

Liz and I cannot even begin to express our heartfelt gratitude for the team that God has gathered around us. Thank you for doing missions around the world with us, praying for us, believing with us, trusting God in all things with us! We are expectant for many breakthroughs this year and we will be filled with much celebration knowing that it wasn't us, the McCalls, but us, the family of God walking out 'Christ in us, the hope of glory' together. We pray blessing, favor, and protection over each of you and your families in the mighty name of Jesus. May the Lamb of God receive the full reward of His suffering!! 

Peace be with you,Chris, Lizzi, Malakai, Laila, Rhema, Moses, and Zion ♥️

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