It's Been a While...

I haven't posted anything since Halloween time... I have been extremely busy with all things Christmas around the church.

I don't know how many will read this, but I want to express my gratitude to the choir at LRBC for their hard work on the cantata, and also for their generous Christmas gift. This year was our 12th Christmas cantata together!

I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the New Year. I don't know what your New Year's resolutions may be, but I really only have two: First, to lose weight. Again. A friend was commenting that they had struggled with their weight forever; they had spent their whole life either dieting, or needing to diet. I sympathize. Second, I want to have an impact and an influence on those around me. It saddens me that there are people that I have been rubbing shoulders with for years, and I know that I have not made much of a difference in their lives. I want God to change that in me this year.

What do you want to accomplish in '09?

P.S. - I obviously didn't make it to Augusta's Biggest Loser... but I did get a sales pitch from PHC to separate me from my wallet.

The Biggest Waiter...

Still haven't heard anything on Augusta's Biggest Loser... they said they had to push the notification date into early November.

The Biggest Loser

About 6 weeks ago, I threw my name in the hat for "Augusta's Biggest Loser", a weight-loss competition sponsored by our local NBC affiliate. I should know by Wednesday if I happened to be selected or not. I've never had professional help with weight loss, unless you count a short, parent-mandated flirtation with Weight Watchers in the mid 70's -- when all the W.W. food and drinks tasted like they were produced in conjunction with Jiffy Lube. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, while doing a search for "Biggest Loser", I came across this classic newspaper headline: "'Biggest Loser' audition canceled due to large crowd." I had to laugh at the wording, intentional or not. Apparently they set up a casting call at a Dave & Buster's restaurant in San Diego. 1500 people who needed to be on "The Biggest Loser" showed up. A standard D&B will hold about half that many people, maybe less. Thus, the headline - audition canceled due to large crowd.

Collection-plate Protocol??

An article appeared about our church in the Metro Spirit last week - it seems a contributing columnist has been visiting local churches at random, and writing about each church based on one visit. Mrs. Angel Cleary visited our church the night that we had Jeremy Edens in our service, and because we took a separate love offering for him, she decided that we were all about the collection plate. You can read her article here.

While she did write that we were friendly, that was pretty much the only positive thing she wrote. Our instruments, in her view, are "an interesting combo"; our Sunday night crowd was in "full suits and high heels"; and she apparently wasn't happy that our guest pointed out that in spite of Patagonia being littered with Catholic churches, no one is preaching the gospel there.

In case you want to check out her other church critiques, they are listed on the side of her column with such titles as "Karaoke Church" (Glenn Hills Baptist) and "Churches and Dead Cats" (Woodlawn Methodist).

Apparently, we are not the only church that has been misrepresented by this writer - I found the following letter to the editor from a member of Oak Grove Baptist Church:

"To the editor:

AUGUSTA, GA - On Wednesday, Jan. 9, the Metro Spirit printed an unfortunate article by a troubled young lady named Angel Cleary. Cleary need not expect a Pulitzer Prize for her misguided, inaccurate smear of a small Southern Baptist Church.

Finding a Baptist church in Georgia made of brick with white columns and a steeple is a discovery worthy of national media attention. Cleary just described the vast majority of Baptist churches in the Southeast.

Her personal attack on the musical minister demonstrates her lack of unprofessionalism and underlying emotional problems. Twice, she referred to her disturbed childhood. I suggest that she focus less on Nostradamus and more on the words of any supreme being she chooses.

Cleary claims she had nightmares as a child, wondering if she would be here for the rapture. I hope she is here when it occurs so she can report on it afterwards. Most of the journalists and reporters of her ilk will still be here.

The prominent sign she refers to is actually a small sign in the very back of the church and does not mention anything about the steps. This is an outright falsehood.

Surely Cleary can find a more newsworthy story at one of the big, rich churches in the CSRA, but I don’t think she will. I do not believe intestinal fortitude is one of Cleary’s strong points. Perhaps Islamic theology is.

The pastor of Oak Grove Baptist does not promote any doctrine that is not set forth by the Southern Baptist Convention. All Baptists, all Christians, for that matter, should take exception to her scurrilous article.

How astute Cleary must be to deduce that the people inside the church seemed to know everyone else. Her keen powers of perception are apparently being wasted on the Metro Spirit. She could have a lucrative career as a psychologist.

Members of Oak Grove Baptist never realized that they belonged to a “farm church,” which is an ignorant phrase coined by Cleary. Actually there are no farmers in the church, but they would be welcomed. Cleary, on the other hand, is one Oak Grove can do without."

Just for the record, a couple of Catholics wrote in to complain about the manner in which she reported on their church, as well. Apparently Ms. Cleary visits churches, writes about them, and leaves some pretty upset folk in her wake.

Sunday Night

We're home... we've given our reports and testimonies... but I just wanted to say another "Thank You" to those of you who have given and prayed so much over the last few months. Hopefully I can catch up on my sleep on Monday!

Thanks for reading along as we travelled and worked - I hope it helped give you a little perspective on our trip.

I will continue posting things on this blog periodically about other things that I think you will find interesting. There will be a permanent link to it on the "Staff" page of our website.

Friday evening

Man, it's a long way home! We left El Paso a few minutes after 5 this
morning and went to Carlsbad Caverns. We have been driving ever since.
We will get to our hotel around 1 in the morning, leaving us about a
10 hour drive on Saturday. Last night Bro. Jarvis gave us one final
challenge to be willing to do anything for God, and to leave the
results to Him. See you tomorrow!

Thursday night

We had a two-hour testimony service this morning, and it was neat to see all the different perspectives on the week. Everyone had a different story to tell about their experiences. This afternoon we went to the market - because people aren't spending, the vendors are virtually dragging people into their stores and booths. We boarded the bus and headed for customs. After a few had gone through, the border guard simply said, "Are you with the church group?" When we said yes, he simply waved us through without checking our bags or belongings. As soon as we boarded the bus, the lightning and rain started.

 

After a big dinner, we are about to start our last service here. We will leave as close to 5 AM as possible, and we will be staying in Bossier City, Louisiana overnight. Parents, your teens will have their cell phones, so feel free to call anytime between now and our arrival back home. We hope to arrive home at a decent hour Saturday night, but we will take whatever time we need to ensure that we arrive safely. We will keep you apprised as to when we expect to make it home.

 

You should be very proud of your young people - for this long of a trip, this young of a group, and a very high set of expectations, they all behaved themselves very well. Hopefully God has touched their hearts in a way this week that they will not soon forget.

Wednesday Night

The day was every bit as exhausting as we thought it would be. Our first location this morning was not nearly as fruitful as we had hoped, but still a pretty decent turnout. Tonight's meeting was not quite as well attended as Monday and Tuesday, but it seemed that a lot more people were engaged in one-on-one witnessing situations, and a higher percentage of the crowd indicated that they prayed to ask Christ into their heart. Both neighborhoods were comparable to the first night - the housing was pretty rundown, but not to the level of the cardboard and pallet houses that fill some neighborhoods. We had been mildly disappointed that the weather had been so good, because we wanted to see God hold a storm off. Well, we got to see it tonight. The thunder started rolling before we even started visitation this afternoon, but we never got one drop of rain until we were on our way back to the compound after the service.

It was announced tonight that yesterday in the print shop, we assembled over 2500 John/Romans booklets, and nearly 15,500 New Testaments. We (the three churches here this week) are the largest group they have had all summer.

Thursday we will go to the market in Juarez and pass out literature, and shop for souveniers. Then we will return to the compound and start getting ready for our return trip home.

For you parents reading this, please know that none of your kids has fallen sick from eating or drinking too little. The worst issues we've had to contend with have been a mild headache here and there, largely due to sinus issues and simply being tired, and having sore feet. It has been a fantastic week all around.

Wednesday morning

Today we spend the entire day in Mexico - two meetings today, with a break at a store called Soriano (think Wal-Mart / Big Lots). Double the opportunity to share Christ with a people who so desperately need it. I told you about the Catholics who were praying for us to leave - Bro. Jarvis told me that even the priests are giving up. They are telling their own parishioners "You are too bad... you will never make it to heaven." That fatalistic worldview is making this spiritually dark city grow even darker, because people are saying to themselves, "if I can never make it to heaven, there is no reason for me to do right."

 

Just a thought for today - I was reading (skimming, actually), through the writings of Paul. I can only find Paul asking for people to pray for his safety 3 times. The first time, he asked for safety as he was carrying a love offering back to the church at Jerusalem. The second time, he asked them to pray for his safety, because there were still lost souls to reach. The third time, he asked them to pray for his safety, but only so the Word would have free course. We frequently pray for safety for each other, and for "traveling mercies", but the purpose of those prayers is usually for our own comfort, not for God's glory.

 

Pray for our safety today, but pray that prayer so that we will accomplish what God wants us to do. He is a good God, and He does good things!

Tuesday night...

We drove a long ways across Juarez this afternoon. We went to a neighborhood that was much more upscale than what we visited on Monday. These were tract homes built by American companies for their Mexican employees, and the companies provide security, maintenance, etc. It didn't seem like we talked to as many people today, but once again, with only an hour's notice, over 500 people showed up for the service, with at least 50 adults making a decision for Christ. Names and addresses were gathered, and the church will follow up with those people, as well as the decisions from last night.

 

Those of you who have been here in the past remember temperatures above 110, low humidity, and the threat of thunderstorms every afternoon. The weather here this week has been completely different from that. I asked about the weather, and they said that this region is now in monsoon season. Temperatures fall, humidity rises, and our weather here this week is almost identical to Georgia. Temperatures have been in the 90's, humidity has been in the 40 % range (except Sunday, when it was 84%), and we have not had to ask God to part any thunderstorms. We have been blessed with the most awe-inspiring sunsets you could possibly imagine. It has been incredible!

 

Tomorrow we spend the entire day in Mexico - there will be two different services in two different neighborhoods, one in the morning and another in the evening. It will be a busy day.

 

P.S. - I promised pictures, but the network here at BPS is not cooperating. We will have a great slideshow for you on Sunday night - be sure and be at church to see what God is doing in Mexico.

Tuesday afternoon

It is 4 pm in Mexico, and we are on the bus back across the border for
another afternoon of inviting people to the service tonight. I want to
tell you about Hector Jiminez, who is our bus driver this week. We
first met him Sunday when he translated the American pastor's message
into Spanish. Hector works in the print shop, works around the
compound, and conducts all the services for the nightly meetings. He
is a very quiet, gentle man, but it is clear that God has His hand on
this man. When you pray for us this week, pray for Hector as he
ministers this week. I mentioned in my post that a group of Catholics
had met to pray against us last night. Bro. Jarvis told us that had
never happened before. So pray, pray, PRAY for the services each
night. You, church, gave so much to help us come down here - this is
your ministry for this week. As visitors down here, we can't minister
to the people here. But the really cool thing is, they can't do it
without those who come here. It's almost like God is saying no one can
claim the credit for what He does.

Monday Night

This afternoon we went to Mexico to do visitation and help prepare for a meeting in the park. We broke up into 10 groups of 4 or 5, plus a translator for each group, and went knocking on doors for about an hour and a half. After that small amount of effort, around 400 people showed up for an evangelistic meeting at 7:30 PM. After a few songs, a skit, a puppet show, and a message with a chalk drawing, many of those who came made decisions for Christ - boys, girls, and adults. The only hitch that happened tonight was a group of about 15 adult Roman Catholics who were gathered in a corner of the park, praying the rosary and asking God to get us out of their neighborhood.

For those of you who are not familiar with what Bearing Precious Seed ministries does, each week during the summer they work in conjuction with a local church in Juarez (and sometimes deeper into Mexico). They visit the church they will be working with on Sunday night, and then on Monday thru Wednesday, they hold meetings in a park near the church. These meetings are designed not only to win souls and hand out literature, but the name and contact information of everyone who makes a decision is given to the pastor of that church to follow up with that person. This is a phenomenal ministry, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do Tuesday and Wednesday.

I promised pictures... I'm working on it!

Monday noon

We worked our first day in the print shop this morning. We assembled around 5,000 copies of the New Testament in Spanish - they have a very efficient setup in the print shop. If I get time tonight, I will post some pictures, but it won't be until tomorrow morning until they are online.

Contact number for us

This is for any parents who may need to reach us in case of emergency. Before 5:00 PM Augusta time, call my cellphone at 706-414-9173. After 5:00 PM Augusta time, please call Bob Reed, missions trip coordinator, at 419-610-4900. I am holding most of our group's cellphones, and they can get them and call home anytime we have some spare time (which isn't very often!)

Sunday night

We are on our way back from our first service in Mexico, and have
successfully navigated our first border crossing with no problems. We
met in a cinder block church tonight that only had openings for
windows and doors - no roof. It was a wonderful service, even though
most of it was in Spanish. We are pretty hungry - it is 9 pm, and we
have not had supper yet. For any parents who are anxious about phone
calls, be aware that we don't get back from evening services until
midnight Georgia time. Everyone is fine - we start working in the
print shop tomorrow. There are only ten teen boys among the three
churches that are here, so I imagine those 10 boys will be working very
hard!

Sunday afternoon

This morning as you all were leaving for lunch, we were preparing for
Sunday school. I noted that when the pastor asked the "locals" what
last week's lesson was about, they gave him the same blank stare that
we get back home sometimes! The church here runs about a hundred, many
of them are BPS staff. In a few minutes we will get our briefing on
how to conduct ourselves in Mexico, and then we will in for our first
service across the border.

We are here!

We were very late arriving here in El Paso, almost three hours later
than we had planned. Interstate 20 is under heavy construction for a
large part of its length. We got here just in time for our initial
briefing and bedtime. Bro. Jarvis, who is in charge of the mission, is
passionate about the work here. Pray that our group will have a
life-changing experience this week. While you're at it, pray that my
back will allow me to fully participate in the work.

Good afternoon..

As one of our girls said, we are about halfway through the middle of
nowhere! Full tank of gas, full bellies, empty bladders, and open
roads - hopefully the last leg of our trip will be smooth sailing. For
any parents reading this, your teens are all eating and drinking just
fine. We are praying and expecting God to do great things.

Saturday morning

We are moving a little slow today, with a sick adult on board. We got
to spend a little time this morning at the first church Brenda and I
served at 15 years ago.

Trip update

As of 7 pm GA time we are about 50 miles from entering Texas, leaving
us about 3 more hours to drive tonight. Attitudes have been very good,
and it has been a good day. To those of you who have sent your teens
with us, thank you for the privilege of allowing us to take care of
your kids for the week.

From the road..

As of 4 pm, we are in Jackson, Mississippi. We have about 7 more hours
to drive before we stop for the night. We have seen no wrecks or close
calls. Thanks for your continued prayers.

24 Hours Till Launch...

Thank you all so much for your prayers and well wishes as we get ready to go to Mexico! There is a lot of work involved in getting ready for a trip like this - getting the vehicles ready, planning the journey, getting all the paperwork together, putting all the services together in preparation for my absence; and more mundane tasks such as doing the laundry, packing, getting the dog and cats squared away, and many other things!

 

I marvel at the technologies that we can incorporate into a trip such as this. Ten years ago, we could not have plotted the route on a computer, made hotel reservations "online", entered the destination into a GPS unit with turn-by-turn directions, or figured out where the next gas station or McDonalds is (apart from watching for the road signs). Cell phones, email, and blogs like this one will help us stay in touch with family and friends while we are gone.

 

But even with all these technological advances, a more marvelous thought is that a simple face-to-face invitation to a hot, dusty service in the middle of a desert can change a life forever. Born out of a printing press in a basement closet in a church in Milford, Ohio, Bearing Precious Seed Ministries has printed over 45 million Bibles in 42 different languages. We are going to have a small part in that ministry, and because so many of you gave in such a sacrificial and generous way, you will have a part in that ministry, too.

Preparing for Mexico

This is a test post. If this all works, meaning if I can get a cell
phone signal in El Paso, I will keep this blog updated during our
trip.