Psalm 144:12

A post by Ellia and Natalia:

There is not much we understand about what our family is doing these days...all we know is Mommy and Papa call it “deputation.”

This process has left us so confused. For example...

Why is every church we visit is called FIRST Baptist Church...can they really all be first? I thought our home church was the first! Don’t they have to share? We don’t understand!

Why does Mommy and Papa hand everybody 4x6 cards with our pictures on them?

Why are we in our car-seats for upwards to 12 hours at a time...although Mommy does frequently hand us paper, crayons, juice, books, pretzels to keep us happy.

Why do we sleep in new places all the time?

or...

Why doesn't the nursery take love offerings for us?

We don’t understand much. What we do understand though is that our job is to look cute...and we are good at it!

I Timothy 1:12

It honestly seems like yesterday that I was sitting in Bible Institute classes with Tom Street. He has been one of my good friends throughout. His fellowship, friendship and example are all something I miss dearly.

Tom and I got saved around the same week in different circumstances. We also enrolled in Bible Institute around the same time...just a couple of baby-Christians trying to learn our Bibles.

Things are different now. Tom is now “Pastor Tom” and I am a missionary heading to Italy.

Tom invited us to come today and preach at his church - Naples Bible Church. We had a great time - his growing church is full of friendly and giving people! After the service a huge meal was served and we got to fellowship with the church body for a few hours.

It was very exciting for me to preach in my friend's church and to see Tom in his role as Pastor. I found myself smiling every time someone called him “Pastor Tom” or “Our Pastor...”

Things are different for Tom and I these days...but we are both thankful and amazed the Lord has counted us faithful, putting us into the ministry.

Acts 20:35

Deputation has afforded me plenty of great opportunities I would not otherwise have. One of the things the Lord has allowed is for me to spend time with some of my heroes. As a result of deputation, I have had coffee with Dr. Charles Keen. I have had breakfast with Billy Wood. Today, I had lunch with Pastor Whiteside.

Yeah. It was a blessing.

For three hours we fellowshipped and discussed God’s greatness. He bragged on God the whole time. He talked about how God has done the miraculous over and over again in his 46 years of ministry. 46 years (!!!) of winning the lost and planting churches.

After lunch, he brought me to the site of his latest church plant on a military base in NJ. It is all framed with metal studs and ready to be drywalled. It will be the only Baptist church near three military bases. It looks great so far! It is just $50,000 away from completion and then they will start having services there!

When we discussed our ministry to Italy...he told me he was behind our ministry and wanted to help us get there. Then...despite the $50,000 he needs to finish this church building and despite him being a missionary himself...he gave us an envelop filled with cash. The amount is unimportant - but one of the largest offerings we have ever received.

I want to be like Doug Whiteside.

A missionary - who after 46 years in the ministry is showing no signs of letting up!
A missionary - but one known for his giving not his taking.

Proverbs 12:15

Yesterday we presented our work at First Baptist Church of Caldwell, NJ. The church was very diverse and missions minded - currently supporting over 100 missionaries faithfully each month. We received great feedback and a couple of the trustees mentioned they were going to vote in favor of supporting us monthly!

One of the other missionaries presenting was a missionary to France for over twenty years! It was such a resource to be able to talk to them about ministry in Europe. The average missionary to Europe lasts only one term (2-3 years)! To be able to converse with a couple that has fought through the struggles, disappointments, and challenges was a huge blessing! It was great to learn these lessons now - rather than later.

Thank you for praying for us! It was a great meeting!

II Thessalonians 3:1

Off to the garden state!

Today we head to a meeting at First Baptist Church of Caldwell, New Jersey.

Please take a few moments and pray for us that...

• God will give us safety as we travel
• The Lord will bless the meeting and empower the message He has laid on Michael's heart
• That God will use us to be a blessing to the people
• The girls would have fun and not get sick
• The church would be burdened for the spiritual need in Italy and partner with us

Matthew 4:19

Erika was recently featured on a blog from Way of the Master's own Trish Ramos! 

Trish Ramos is often on Way of the Master Radio doing the phone evangelism. For those not familiar with the radio show...Often, Trish will go fishing for someone (a priest, shopper at the mall, college student, etc.) willing to get on the phone with Ray Comfort or Todd Friel. Once they get on the phone. Comfort and/or Friel proceeds to witness to them over the phone live on the radio. After the call, Trish continues to witness to them! 

Trish has a great blog where she chronicles all her witnessing encounters. Erika reads the blog regularly because she likes to learn from her on how to effectively witness to the lost. Last week Erika wrote a letter to Trish thanking her for her faithfulness and encouraging her regarding Trish's sick grandma. 

Trish posted the letter in a recent blog post...

http://fishwithtrish.blogspot.com/2008/02/this-is-good-ol-memo-who-youve-been.html 

Joel 1:11

I usually do not use this blog to share about my devotional time and what God is teaching me...however today I cannot resist. 

Today, I was reading in Joel and these words pierced me: 

Joel 1:11 - Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. 

What a sobering thought! We as husbandmen and vinedressers of the harvest fields of earth ought to be ashamed that the harvest of souls (Matthew 9:37-38) is perishing and we are doing so little about it! We can't let them perish without telling them about God's redemptive plan!

Every second two people die! The harvest of the field are perishing! What are we doing about it? Have we any burden for their souls or are we like Jonah, preferring comfort rather than obedience?

"If sinners will be damned", Spurgeon once exhorted, "at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."