Entries by James

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 02-11-2006

/in /by

Hello, again! We're back in town again, and getting caught up on things around here. We have a week off, which, it turns out, we need since we've all picked up colds. Our meeting in Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lebanon, MO went great. I would have filled you in on more details sooner, but in West Plains where we were this past week, there was no internet to be had, not even via cell phone. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about this cool thing they have at Tabernacle Baptist every Sunday night for soldiers from Army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. It's called One Day Away, and once, during basic, they bus the recruits into town, and they get to spend the day at Tabernacle Baptist Church. The church feeds them, lets them use cellphones with free nights and weekends to call their folks, has places for them to play basketball and other sports, lets them get candy out of their vending machines (you don't get any junk food during basic), and just loves on our soldiers for a day. Then, in the evening, they bring them into the auditorium and preach Jesus to them for an hour, and every week, at least a hundred or so soldiers ask Jesus to be their Savior. The night we were there, 126 soldiers were saved. It was one of the most glorious things I've ever seen. Every week this happens. Last year, over 5,000 soldiers were saved. What an incredible harvest of souls! It was especially significant to me, because, as I reported in our last letter, my son, Ethan, also got saved during the invitation, so 126 soldiers were saved, and Ethan.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 01-30-2006

/in /by

Remember to be in prayer for missionary Kyle Guimon today. He should still be undergoing open heart surgery at the moment.

As for us, we're having a great conference here at Tabernacle Baptist Church (Pastor Don Ball) in Lebanon, MO. I'll have more to report in a few days when we're finished with the conference, but the most pressing news is that last night, during the invitation (Mike Edwards, Heritage Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA), my son Ethan prayed and asked Jesus to forgive his sins and be his Savior! He raised his hand during the invitation when Bro. Edwards asked if anybody needed to be saved. We had been praying for him for some time, and talking about salvation a lot in our family Bible times. He had raised his hand before, but when I talked to him about it, I could tell he didn't quite "get it". This time was different. He was clear – Jesus had died for Ethan. He knew he'd done bad things to displease God, and he understood that Hell was where people who didn't have Jesus as their Savior went. He knew Jesus died for him, and that God raised Him from the dead. So he very simply prayed and asked Jesus to save him, and He did.

Great news!

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 01-25-2006

/in /by

Greetings! We had a weekend off due to a rescheduling (a good reschedule – it got us into a missions conference in the same church in Februrary Two Thumbs Up). Our meeting in South Campbell Ave. Baptist Church went well. Turns out their Pastor, Joe Decker, has heard of BBTI (Baptist Bible Translators International), the school we'll be attending in Fall of 2007. He would like to attend also, but his duties as Pastor preclude this. However, his heart is in bringing accurate Bible translations to groups who lack them, as are our hearts. We are of one heart on this matter.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 01-05-2006

/in /by

Greetings, once again! I hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas, and, the beginning, I trust, of a very happy New Year. We had a good break, got some good rest, and spent some time with family and with our home church. Now we're forging ahead into 2006. Our first meeting will be this Sunday at Temple Baptist Church, in Marshfield, MO with Pastor Tim Auten. Pray that it will go well, and that God will bless. Lots of missionaries, including us, will be on the road in the next few months, so pray for our safety as we have to get out and drive in the snow and ice those months usually bring. I'm working on getting our itinerary up on the website, so check back periodically so you can be praying as we travel.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 12-08-2005

/in /by

Greetings! We had a great meeting in Heritage Baptist Church in Lawrence, KS with Pastor Scott Hanks. They put us up in this great prophet's apartment, so we got good rest, and were able to get to church in the morning in seconds. Sunday school went well. I taught the Teen Boys (9th – 12th grade), from Acts 17 and Paul on Mars Hill, and we talked about strategies for reaching the unchurched in an increasingly pagan culture. The services went well, and our presentation was well received. Pray for Heritage Baptist Church. They're trying to expand their main building, but some obstinate (translation: crooked) county inspectors are making them engage in all manner of bureaucratic gymnastics, and, every time they think they've achieved compliance, they move the finish line. So, be in prayer that God will move the heart of the king to stop this foolishness and let them build. They also have a growing printing ministry, and a bunch of books printed that need to be sold, so pray that those will sell.