English (United States) 
Part 2 of 2 of District Apostle Kolb's introduction letter from the Winter 2019 Vision Newsletter
It is wise for us to be aware that the time prior to the coming of Christ will, at times, be fraught with difficulty and tribulation, causing one to even question the Lord’s presence in their life, the church, or even His power in the world. At such times of disappointment and misunderstanding, the evil one will attack with doubt, and try to create distance, damaging our relationship with the Lord.
As in the time prior to Christ’s birth, this also occurred during His Passion with the disciples. We can imagine the dismay and confusion when Jesus told them of His impending captivity, torture, and death. How was this possible? It seemed everything was on a positive track. However, the intentions of God did not coincide with the ideas of the disciples, especially Peter, whom Jesus warned in Luke 22:31-32.
We live in a similar circumstance today. At one time, we thought the church would continue to grow and triumph in the circle of Christianity, and then the Lord would come. We may have thought that large numbers are a measure of success. But it becomes more and more apparent that the Lord’s measurements for success are vastly different than ours. We can see this in the small number of disciples that He left when He ascended, and yet, from these, Christianity spread and has endured over 2,000 years!
Dear ones, let us not be dismayed because we do not understand the ways of our eternal Father. He does not expect us to understand. He simply has called us for His mission; to do what Jesus Christ commissioned His apostles to do…
Preach the gospel.
Make disciples of all people.
Prepare for His return.
This is our task and we will continue in it.
Yes, we do not know what the future days will bring, but this we do know: over the past years, under the activity of the Holy Spirit, the Lord has always allowed us the opportunity to grow and become closer in our relationship with Him. One knows it and can feel it! Let us not become tired in advancing the mission He has given us, even if we cannot understand or comprehend His entire plan. The Lord is with us, come what may.
We join with the psalmist - Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You…in God I have put my trust; I will not fear (Psalm 56:3-4).
Thus, we rest in our hope in the Lord. This is not wishful thinking, but a true hope in the biblical sense - the confident expectation in the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise:
I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. - John14:3
However, even as we look towards this future, Jesus wants to fulfill this word already today! Believing souls, here and now, can perceive His presence in the prefiguration of His kingdom as we share in the fellowship of Holy Communion. Our desire to live in this promise, that where I am, there you may be also, is articulated in our plea – Your kingdom come!
So, while we wait to be with the Lord, in the most complete and perfect way when He comes, we can already tangibly experience that He is with us already today. May this give us strength, courage, and confidence as we look into the year ahead.