We’re Go

God has provided for the plane ticket and almost the entire cost of car rental now. Praise the LORD! He is demonstrating clearly that Alaska was definitely what He had in mind, and that my vision of going there on deputation this early in the process was the right thing to do. Exciting stuff!

First Conference

Had a meeting at William Gillespie's church, Maranatha Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO last Sunday. He is a missionary sent out of our church, and is planting solid, Biblical, black, Baptist churches in the St. Louis area. Maranatha is the first. They're great folks, and we've been involved in their ministry going back for years. What a privilege! To be a candidate missionary in a mission church started out of our home church. If that's not how missions should be done, I don't know what is.

We've just finished up our home church's missions conference. J.B. Godfrey, the Far East Director with BIMI was the main speaker, and it was Burdette Burgen (Germany, Baptist Mid Missions), Charles Chandler (King's Kids), and myself as the regular missionaries. We've always been involved in our missons conferences in the past, but now we were in it as an actual missionary couple. On Saturday night, we had our traditional international dinner (fun), and then our question and answer time for the missionaries. Anna and I both felt like complete newbs sitting there alongside these veteran missionaries, when we've hardly been anywhere or done anything. It was a great conference, and God really used it to deal with the issue of calling and vision, which is one of the primary things I wish to deal with in my deputation ministry. Our church gave us an exceptional love offering, which greatly helped ease our financial struggles of late, and will make it so we can get the new printer we've been needing (Anna's old Epson just isn't cutting it).

My tickets for Alaska are bought. It's going to be a great time, and I know God is planning to provide greatly through it.

First Meeting

More Alaska news. As of now, I will be arriving in Alaska on October 19, and flying back on November 12 in time for the Missions Banquet on Nov 13 at Open Door Baptist Church. During my time up there, I will be in 5 missions conferences, and 3 meetings. Busy, but good.

Had our first real meeting, at First Baptist Church of Bellflower, MO, my Dad’s church. It went real well. I showed our slides, gave my testimony, and answered questions. Everybody was real pleased to have us, and gave us a great love offering, which will greatly help with paying for the prayer cards we had to get printed. Everything is going well.

28

Lined up a missions conference with Todd Strickllin in Naragonsett Baptist Church in Rhode Island for October of next year. As to Alaska, looks like I can maybe swing eight meetings if I work it right. So, as of now, we have 28 meetings lined up.

Yukon Ho!

Today was an exceptionally productive day. Got two more meetings lined up in the morning. Then, get this: my pastor put me in touch with Tim Page in Alaska, and he's going to get us into six churches in Alaska. ALASKA!! Always wanted to go to Alaska. Anyway, that's at the end of October, and I've been praying that God would help me fill October because I was having difficulty filling that month. I've also been praying that God would get our support up to a thousand a month by the end of the year so I can do deputation full time. This would go far towards meeting that goal. It seemed to me to be God's provision, so I agreed to come. However, I will still need the funds to a) purchase the appx. $470 plane to get there and back b) rent a car while there c) cover our living expenses from Oct 24 to Nov 12, since I won't be working and hence, won't be bringing in any income. Also, I've got to work this out with my employer. I haven't played my hand yet, and don't know how they'll react to the news. Lot of stuff, but I'm confident God will provide, since it was His idea in the first place. God has marvelously provided, and it is a great encouragement to us that we're going the right direction. Be praying, folks…