Mark 6:9!

Sometimes I think deputation is really hard...and it is. Last night I thought about that as I sat on the porch of our host home in Pennsylvania with Natalia.

But as I sat there watching her blow bubbles I was reminded that I am also having a great time and making beautiful memories in the process.


After a rough night of “sleep” last night we presented our ministry in both churches services today as well as teaching the adult Sunday school class.

The Bible Baptist Church of Burnham, PA is very warm and laid back. They made us feel very comfortable right away. Pastor Walters preached in a collared shirt and sandals. Erika and I shared a laugh when we realized that I was "slightly" overdressed for the services.

Matthew 24:36

This past Wednesday we had a great meeting out in Schenectedy, New York. Pastor Bob Hart actually got saved through the ministry of our home church and now pastors Sonrise Bible Church.


The night began at the Hart’s home for an early supper. At one point Ellia had ventured off and we lost sight of her. As we went looking for her...Mrs. Hart found her hanging out completely in the dishwasher. Despite that excitement, we had a relaxing setting and got to know them better. Then we went over to the church where they had the most amazing children's wing that I have ever seen! The kids had an absolute ball!

Although we were almost four hours from home, God gave us a special surprise to encourage us. Not only was this meeting a relaxing and encouraging one, but one of our great friends, Jeremy Phillips, came to hear Michael! Now will shock all who know Jeremy that he walked in late...twenty-five minutes late! What a perfect taste of home.

Judges 2:10

Picture the excitement of a group of children waiting in line to get the autograph of someone they admire, respect, and appreciate. Then imagine them actually getting to shake that person’s hand and meeting them in person. I witnessed this first hand tonight as kids of all ages stood in line to meet my husband Michael and have him autograph their Bibles. It was the sweetest thing!

These children were at Old Paths Bible Baptist Church in Clarion, New York. Wednesday night we presented our ministry at this family oriented church. It is clear that the church has taught the children to have an appreciation for missionaries. Instead of their families idolizing Hollywood, musical or sports stars - they look up to people who are interested in reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These kids genuinely admire a person who is willing to move and invest their lives into starting churches in areas where there are none.

We had a great meeting at OPBBC. It was great to see some of our good friends who attend there. As Michael gave the invitation, it was wonderful to see how many young children went forward to the altar. Very sweet. Lord, please never allow Satan to steal that softness from them.

Matthew 13:1-8

Saturday I had the chance to preach the gospel for the FBBC Flag Football ministry. The ministry had three separate gospel presentations throughout the day that I did. The weather was very hot and three gospel presentations can be spiritually and physically exhausting.

It seems like every year I have had an opportunity to preach for this ministry. Although I always enjoy it, today was the most encouraging day I have ever had there. Let’s face it, football players are generally not the most receptive of people - especially at a halftime of their game!

After my first presentation of the gospel, I was standing near some bleachers praying God would use what was said. A lady came up to me and introduced herself as Clara. She stated that a few years ago she was not a Christian and had attended a Flag Football game where I gave the gospel. She also stated that after my message she started seeing her need to be forgiven. She became a Christian shortly after! Now she is married and growing in her relationship with the Lord Jesus!

That day she thanked me over and over for taking the time to share the gospel with her two years ago. I left that conversation thanking God over and over.

Matthew 19:24

Princeton Bible Church is in the heart of a highly affluent area. As you can imagine, it is a different culture and lifestyle even to Pastor Nelson and his family. It is similar to that which we will minister to in Italy. Lives full of busy schedules, abundant material objects, social respect all entrenched in post-modern belief systems. Proof of this may be that the church is in the ideal location with Princeton University and the Choir College close by; yet none of the students attend church there.

We ended up in Princeton after Pastor Brad Nelson contacted our pastor inquiring about missionaries. His church wanted to do more for missions. Pastor Grace recommended our family, and Pastor Nelson got in touch with Michael. Before even meeting us, he and his church began to support us on a monthly basis. Of course that made it even more exciting for us to meet them all in person! It is a blessing to have a pastor like Pastor Grace, who has already done so much for us on deputation.

Princeton Bible Church is an amazing result of a vision to plant a Bible church in the heart of a beautiful, historical city. It meets on the campus of Westminster Choir College, to which I was thrilled-now I can attest that “Yes, I have sung there.” We had a wonderful day getting to know the members there and made some great friendships...and of course Natalia made "a few" too!

Lamentations 1:12

An incredible story was reported by Italian newspaper reported this week. Reports say two girls were swimming at the beach near Naples when they got caught up in fierce waves. These young girls screamed for help for sometime and no onlookers ever came to their rescue. By the time lifeguards arrived on the scene, it was too late for these two young ones. They died at age twelve and thirteen.

The horror does not end there. As the bodies of these two young girls lay dead on the beach, photos show people continued to sunbath just meters away from where their dead bodies laid only partial covered. These photos from the scene show absolutely no concern on the faces of sunbathers for the loss of life that just occurred.

While reading this story, I was reminded of the absolute indifference many Italians have to human life and concern for their souls. With death just meters away, they were unmoved by this tragic loss of life.

As much as this probably disgusts us (and should) I wonder if we are all not guilty of the same thing. I wonder how many times people scream to us for help, but those cries go largely ignored. More importantly, lives are perishing all around us while we soak up the sun this summer.

Romans 10:13

Sometimes it is good to be reminded of things we should already know...

The other day I was with a friend trying to witness to people. The first person we went up to was a nice old lady sitting on a bench. We thought surely this lady will hear us out. Think again – this lady could not possibly have been less interested in the gospel message! After a just a few minutes she asked us to depart.

Just then, as we were turning and walking away, a young man with a terrible look on his face was walking by. We asked him if we could talk with him for a few minutes. He stopped but looked rather mad we were bothering him.

After some initial conversation – I asked him if he considered himself to be a good person. He said, "No." I asked him if he had ever lied before and he said he was a liar. I asked him if he ever stole before and he said he was a thief. He was broken without any prodding. After establishing that he was not a good person, He said – “I have been thinking about this the whole day. My life is a mess, I need to be forgiven man, but I don’t know what to do!”

I then shared the glorious gospel with Damien and believe with all my heart he got saved...

Great reminders...

• Never judge by someone’s outward appearance whether or not they are interested in the gospel message.
• The Lord is in complete control - had the lady waited 10 more seconds to tell us to get lost, we would have missed our opportunity to talk with Damien!
• Not everyone is a willing rejector of the gospel message - some just have not been given the opportunity to receive the gift of Christ.
  
• God is at work in people’s lives – and wants to use us in His plan.