All our adventures as missionaries, past and present.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 10-04-2006

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Greetings from New York! We're in Callicoon, NY at the moment, in lieu of our meeting on Sunday in Yorkshire, NY. Last Sunday, we were in Lewisburg, PA in Faith Baptist Church with Pastor Ron Bixler. It was a great meeting, and the LORD blessed. They're a church plant, about six years old, and the LORD has really prospered them. If there's one thing the northeast needs, it's more Baptist churches. I'm glad to see that this one is doing so well, and that Baptist churches are being planted up this way.

On Sunday, we'll be in Yorkshire, NY in Lighthouse Baptist Church with Pastor Russell Biber. I'll be teaching Adult Sunday School, and preaching in both services, so pray that God will give me wisdom and bless in these services. After this, we have three missions conferences in a row, so pray for these, and for us as we drive hither and yon.

Pray that God will bless these churches, and that they will come to share our burden for Uganda such that they will be moved to support us. Keep praying that we'll reach 50% by the end of the year, and 100% by next summer.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-26-2006

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Greetings, one and all! We've just finished up the second of two missions conferences in a row. Our first, at Trinity Baptist Church in Centerville, GA with Pastor Terry Hyman, went very well. Dr. Fred Moritz, Executive Director of Baptist World Mission, was the main speaker, and was greatly used of God to deliver the preaching of the Word to us. We had a great time of ministry and fellowship, and the LORD blessed. Our drive there and back went well, and everyone handled it great.

Back in St. Louis, we were involved with our home church, Grace Baptist Church (Pastor Ken Spilger), in it's 29th annual missions conference. Dr. Clayton Shumpert (CLAIM) was the main speaker. God moved and really dealt with all of us in the services. It was simply a tremendous time, and we were very pleased to get to be a part of it. Our missions giving had kind of stagnated in recent years, for a variety of reasons. I had been in prayer for some time that God would change this, and this year our prayers were answered. Our missions giving reached a level higher than any prior year. This means we will be able to give cost of living increases to all of our missionaries, as well as increase the support levels for the missionaries sent out of our church. On a more personal note, our church is helping us put new tires on the van! That was a real need, and they really went above and beyond the call of duty to help us with this. I want to especially thank our youth group, as they raised most of the funds for this need. I know you're young, but I regard you as a fine bunch of mature and upstanding young men and women. You are a credit to your parents, and to our LORD, and I wanted you to know how much I admire and respect you, and how much you have ministered to us.

Since our last email, two additional churches have been added to the roster of supporting churches. Praise the LORD! This brings our current total up to around 38%. We're praying that we'll top the elusive 50% by year's end, and reach 100, or thereabouts, by the middle of next year when we go down to Texas for language school.

On Friday, we'll be heading to Lewisburg, PA for a meeting in Faith Baptist Church with Pastor Ron Bixler. This is the first of several meetings this Fall that will put us out on the road from the first of October 'til a few days before Thanksgiving. This is a good thing (it means I succeeded in getting the schedule filled up), but the logistics of getting to the meetings do require lots of driving. Pray that we will be safe and healthy, that all our needs will be met, and that God will burden these churches for Uganda as we have been burdened, and that they will be so moved to support us financially and help us get to the field.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-11-2006

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Greetings, one and all! We were in Ketha Heights Baptist Church in Festus, MO with Pastor Richard Lourcey last night. He's been Pastor there for two months, and the church is growing and doing well. He led them to abandon their American Baptist status and make the switch to being Independent Baptist just a few weeks ago. Attendance is up, and rising, and his people are getting a vision for reaching their area, which is tremendous and what you want to see as a Pastor. He has a church full of young Christians, so pray that they will continue to grow individually, and as a body, and that the LORD will continue bringing people into the church. They are having their first missions conference in the history of their church in January, so pray that it will go well, and that the people will really get a grip on Grace Giving, and get a broader vision for the world.

Today we're driving down to Chattanooga, TN on our way to a conference in Trinity Baptist Church in Centerville, GA with Pastor Terry Hyman. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting in Wal-Mart right now typing this and waiting for them to finish changing the oil in our van so we can get out of Dodge while it is yet day. Pray that the drive will proceed safely and without incident. Pray that God will move in the Conference, and that we will be an edifying to the Church and to the Pastor.

Never forget. Never surrender. God bless America.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-08-2006

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Greetings! Our meeting in Trinity Baptist Church in Arlington, TX went well (Pastor Bob Smith). I flew down for the meeting because I was able to get an $89 round-trip ticket to Dallas, which, obviously, is way cheaper than what it would have cost to drive. Plus, it kept us from having to drive 12 hours there and back. The church service went great. I had twenty minutes to show the DVD presentation, and to just talk about our burden. God blessed, and the short of it is, they voted to support us on the spot! Wow! Wish that happened more often. What a blessing! All in all, it was a very fruitful trip.

On Sunday, we'll be in Festus, MO in Ketha Heights Baptist Church (Pastor Richard Lourcey). Pray that the meeting will go well, and that we will be able to minister to the church and the pastor. On Monday, we'll be heading down to Chattanooga, TN, and from there to Centerville, GA for a missions conference in Trinity Baptist Church (Pastor Terry Hyman). Pray that God will bless, and give us safe travel.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-30-2006

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Howdy, folks! We're doing well here in St. Louis. We had a meeting in Lighthouse Baptist Church with Pastor Pete Ruble in Festus, MO this past Sunday. It went great. I showed our slides, and then we just talked about Uganda and what the LORD is doing there, and how He wants to bring revival to the country and to the rest of Africa, and how He's given us a wide open door and an unprecedented chance to reach Uganda with the Gospel. I tried to impress upon them the urgency of the situation, what with AIDS and the threat of conflict being what they are, and how critical it is we get there to do our part to establish the Gospel in Uganda while there's still time and opportunity. It was a good time of ministry, and I think the LORD helped them get a vision for Uganda also, which is His goal for this and all the churches we visit.

Our next meeting will be in Trinity Baptist Church in Arlington, TX with Pastor Bob Smith. I'm flying down alone for the meeting because it's way cheaper than driving, not to mention lots faster. Pray for the meeting, that all will go well, that God will bless, and that I'll be able to serve Him in ministering to them there. Pray for Anna and the kids to be safe and healthy in my absence. Pray that I will continue to have success in getting meetings for next year, in particular the missions conferences I'm trying to get us scheduled for.