MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 11-15-2006

Hello, folks! It's been a busy week since last we wrote. Our meeting in Flagstaff, AZ last week in Bible Baptist Church with Pastor George Feaster went very well. Here is a man of God who has simply stayed put. Flagstaff is a very hard mission field to reach. It's full of Mormons and New Age type people, and is a society that has a very high turnover rate due to the very high cost of living. He has toughed it out in this very hard field for 22 years, and has witnessed at least eight other Baptist works begin and falter in this time. Because of the high turnover, he continually has to start from scratch with new folks. The people are hard of heart, and simply don't feel a need for church. As a result, you don't get the big numbers that churches out East seem to think you need in order to be a success. Nonetheless, he and his wife have remained faithful and continued to minister in an area where a Baptist church is so badly needed. Pray for Bible Baptist Church, and for the Feasters. Pray that the LORD will raise up laborers for this very needy field in Arizona to come alongside and help the Feasters, and remain there for the long term.

On Sunday, we began a Missions Conference in Tucson, AZ with Pastor Steven Morris and Sun and Shield Baptist Church. Jimmy Rose, the Brazilian director for BIMI was the main speaker. It was a great conference. The folks were very gracious to us, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship and ministry with them. It was an African conference, specifically for the purpose of bringing in missionaries to Africa that they could support. It's not every day I am contacted by a Pastor for such a purpose, and it was a great blessing.

Today, we drove up to Silver City, NM for a meeting with Calvary Baptist Church (Pastor Eldon Fowler). We had dinner with the Fowlers and had a great time of fellowship with them, and then I preached and presented our burden for Uganda that night in church. The people responded well, and the LORD blessed.

Our whole time in the Southwest has just been tremendous. God has raised our support, and we've been able to get into some vibrant churches who are just holding forth the Gospel out here in the "Wild West". God has blessed and provided for us very well this trip, and we're very glad we came. In all likelihood, we will plan another trip down this way next year in order to visit some of the other churches we simply didn't have time to get into.

Thursday, we will begin the drive home. Tomorrow, we will be driving to Tulsa, OK, a very long drive, so pray for us as we attempt it. Friday, we will complete the trek back to St. Louis, and home.

God bless you, and thank you for all your prayers during our long travels this past Fall. We have seen those prayers answered again and again, and have truly experienced God's provision and protection on the road.