(Brad) We received an email from Jack Eberhardt on October 22, 2007 letting us know they are purchasing our tickets for Honduras. We are scheduled to leave January 7, 2008. Wow, an actual, real date. This seemed to have more of an impact on me than Cindy. As we go through this process we are learning that what generates concern (ok, let’s be honest - it’s really stress) in one of us has little or no impact on the other and vice versa. I begin thinking about all the “stuff” that would need to be done before we left. Trying to remember it all seemed to increase my stress. So, I went (read I was kicked out of the house by Cindy because of my bad attitude – she was definitely right) to Barnes and Nobles, took out a notebook, and wrote down all the stuff I could think of that would need to be done. After getting it all on paper I looked at the list, leaned back, said “wow” or “oh my gosh” or something along those lines. I must have said it pretty loud because a guy two tables away jerked his head up from the book he was reading and looked at me that look of “are you ok?” or was the “what’s wrong with you buddy?” I will assume it was the first one – it makes me feel better.
During this same time Cindy was struggling with something else and when she tried to share it with me my response was not to listen to what she was saying and try to help. Nope, my response was to jump on her and make it worse. For three days after my wonderful response I’m going around feeling terrible and not sure how to make it better. Here is this beautiful lady who is stepping out to follow God to Honduras and wants to share with her husband some stuff she’s struggling with about this move. What does the loving husband do? Act like a jerk.
Wednesday night we finally talked for a long time. I was just happy she would even consider still talking to me. I believe this entire process from April until we leave is about getting us ready for Honduras. Sometimes I forget that in the day-to-day activities of getting ready to go. We have to remember the principle we’ve established of “Primero pienso sobre el espiritual” which is our best Spanish for “First think about the spiritual.” Meaning when situations arise our first thoughts should be what is/are the spiritual implication(s) of what is happening and not to first become defensive or take things personally. Great principle. Not always so easy to implement in the heat of a situation. The best way to be prepared and not be caught off-guard when this stuff comes up is to spend significant amounts of time in prayer each day just letting God get your mind and heart right. Better start doing what I say!
Monday, October 29, 2007
October 21, 2007
We had the privilege of sharing at Duvall’s Chapel General Baptist Church in Greenville, Kentucky. We always refer to getting the opportunity to share as a privilege because these churches do not have to let us come and share. They open their doors and in almost every case are letting someone they don’t even know come and speak. We had a great time with pastor Ken and Becky Miller and the congregation. Great group of people and after the service they had a lunch for the congregation. We’ve got to recommend the banana pudding – it was awesome homemade banana pudding. One of the benefits to all the traveling is the eating.
October 14 2007
We had been trying to schedule a speaking opportunity for this date for about a month without success. Interesting that Brad lost his voice during this week and if we had been scheduled to speak he probably would have had a very difficult time speaking. Huh? Sure makes you wonder who might be in control. We’ll leave it up to you to decide what you think.
October 13 2007
Brad played in the golf scramble for the General Baptist Church in Fort Branch which raised money to support the church’s trip to Honduras in 2008. It was a great day for golf, good turnout to support missions and Brad had an opportunity to speak during the lunch.
October 11 2007
October 11, 2007
(Brad) Today formations started for Kairos #3 at Branchville Correctional Facility (Prison) in Tell City, Indiana. For those not familiar with Kairos it is similar Walk To Emmaus or Tres Dias for prisons. It starts on Thursday evening and ends on Sunday night. The difference is Kairso doesn’t target Christians. Kairos focuses on the trouble makers in the prison. The gang leaders. I had the privilege of serving on the last first two Kairos at Branchville. It is an amazing experience to watch these inmates show up on Thursday night not really happy to be there and trying to figure out what we “want” from them to Sunday night when they don’t want us to leave and many who have not cried in years wiping away tears as they have experienced - possibly for the first time in their life – unconditional love from another person (or in Kairos’ case about 45 –50 people). To be a part of the team requires a very large time commitment. With that in mind after the last Kairos I decided if given the opportunity not to participate in the next Kairos because I would be heavily involved in getting ready to go to Honduras. As the time got closer I begin to waiver in this decision. Prison ministry, Kairos, and my weekly Bible studies with others are some of the reasons I am where I am today in my relationship with God and commitment to Him. Now that I’m getting ready to make this move to Honduras I shouldn’t stop what has gotten me to this point and continues to help me grow. So, when I had the privilege of being asked to be a part of this Kairos team I excitedly said yes.
(Brad) Today formations started for Kairos #3 at Branchville Correctional Facility (Prison) in Tell City, Indiana. For those not familiar with Kairos it is similar Walk To Emmaus or Tres Dias for prisons. It starts on Thursday evening and ends on Sunday night. The difference is Kairso doesn’t target Christians. Kairos focuses on the trouble makers in the prison. The gang leaders. I had the privilege of serving on the last first two Kairos at Branchville. It is an amazing experience to watch these inmates show up on Thursday night not really happy to be there and trying to figure out what we “want” from them to Sunday night when they don’t want us to leave and many who have not cried in years wiping away tears as they have experienced - possibly for the first time in their life – unconditional love from another person (or in Kairos’ case about 45 –50 people). To be a part of the team requires a very large time commitment. With that in mind after the last Kairos I decided if given the opportunity not to participate in the next Kairos because I would be heavily involved in getting ready to go to Honduras. As the time got closer I begin to waiver in this decision. Prison ministry, Kairos, and my weekly Bible studies with others are some of the reasons I am where I am today in my relationship with God and commitment to Him. Now that I’m getting ready to make this move to Honduras I shouldn’t stop what has gotten me to this point and continues to help me grow. So, when I had the privilege of being asked to be a part of this Kairos team I excitedly said yes.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
October 8th
Today Brad had the privilege of meeting with Pastor Kevin McKinney of Methodist Temple in Evansville, IN. It was wonderful getting to meet him and so appreciated that he would be open to meeting with us. It was really neat to learn that his grandparents had served as missionaries in China, Asia and South America for 53 years. He has a real heart for missions and for the church functioning as the church across denominational lines. Once again, another time where God used this process of meeting people we would never have met except through this adventure to encourage us. One thing we are learning through this: there are a lot of believers out there who love God, are striving to follow Him as best they can, understand they are not where they want to be in their commitment to Christ, but are wanting to improve their commitment to Christ.
Church Planting Course
Brad has been looking for a church planting course to increase his knowledge in this area but has been having a difficult time finding training in this area that is not geared toward church planting in the United States culture. So, he has found several books from different sources about what God is doing around the world in reaching people through church planting. He has a collection of 5 –6 books that he is currently reading. It is very exciting learning about what God is doing in different parts of the world.
October 7th
On October 7th we had the privilege of speaking at our home church Main Street General Baptist Church in Boonville, IN. It was a great day being back at Main Street. Being able to share with our church family and them being able to go to our Sunday School class and learn about prayer. It was a good day. It was also nice to not be on the road traveling and to be able to rest a little. Not sure we are realizing how draining it is physically, mentally, and emotionally to be opening yourself up to strangers and putting your heart and passions out there week after week. We enjoy doing it but the mentally and emotionally draining effect might be an indication we are still trying to put a lot of the pressure on ourselves to make this happen. God still has some stuff to teach us!
Thoughts
David Willis best described the process of speaking week after week. Before you speak you think: “I really don’t want to do this. I don’t want to travel again. Etc.” After you speak and spend some time talking with people you think: “I’m glad we came because we met some really great people.”
(Brad) This week it hit me that The Women’s Hospital will replace us with a new photographer. This is real. Once they replace us we can not come back and step into this position again. Once again the thought arises “Do we know what we are doing?” It keeps coming back to the time we took before we committed to make sure God wants us in Honduras. For anyone considering something like this we highly recommend being sure it’s what God wants you to do at the beginning of the process. Than when the doubts come in you can go back to the time you spent with God and know you are doing what God wants. Where else would you want to be?
(Cindy) The closer our departure date the harder it is getting for Cindy to think about leaving our granddaughter Camille who is 17 months old. To think about all the things in her life we will be missing. The little day-to-day things and the big events in her life. But the God promises to take care of these things when we put Him first
(Brad) This week it hit me that The Women’s Hospital will replace us with a new photographer. This is real. Once they replace us we can not come back and step into this position again. Once again the thought arises “Do we know what we are doing?” It keeps coming back to the time we took before we committed to make sure God wants us in Honduras. For anyone considering something like this we highly recommend being sure it’s what God wants you to do at the beginning of the process. Than when the doubts come in you can go back to the time you spent with God and know you are doing what God wants. Where else would you want to be?
(Cindy) The closer our departure date the harder it is getting for Cindy to think about leaving our granddaughter Camille who is 17 months old. To think about all the things in her life we will be missing. The little day-to-day things and the big events in her life. But the God promises to take care of these things when we put Him first
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Bowling Green Kentucky
September 30th we were with pastor Rodney and Wanda Smith at Liberty General Baptist Church just outside Bowling Green, KY. It was so great to hear people who have walked for many years where we are headed and still have their passion for Christ. Their only regret being they didn’t give up all to completely follow Him sooner in life. To listen to Jerry, the former pastor of the church, stand up and with tears running down his face and talk about how he gave up his lively hood to follow God and his only regret is that he didn’t do it sooner. It’s what we needed to hear. To hear pastor Rodney tell of how they drive 60 miles each week to serve at the church because it’s what God wants them to do was so encouraging. At the end of the service they took up an offering to give us. They had already taken their normal weekly offering during the service. The offering they collected for us was 2/3 of their normal weekly offering. Amazing! They believe so much in what God is doing and going to do in Central America that they were willing to sacrifice to be a part of it. Once again, very humbling and very encouraging to be able to meet and spend some time with people who still have a passion for God and His work. Thanks.
Arkansas Trip
The weekend of the 22nd – 23rd we were in Rector and Piggott, Arkansas. Saturday the churches in the association put together a Faith Home day and we got to be there along with Sid and Vicki Smith (who all already in Honduras). David and Jillbaby Eades and the boys came up to see us and we got to spend the day with them and then we all stayed together in cabin on a lake. That was a lot of fun.
Cindy got to see cotton fields for the first time and even got to walk in a cotton field and pick some cotton. We brought a stalk (not sure if that’s the correct term) of cotton home and have it sitting in a vase in our kitchen.
Sunday morning pastor Charles and Paula Richardson allowed us to share with the congregation of Hitts Chapel General Baptist Church. After we spoke they took up the offering for the day and gave us the entire offering. Yep, that’s right. The entire church offering that day was given to us. It’s two weeks later and we’re still trying to process this. The entire offering for Sunday morning was given to us. From what I understand this is a normal practice for them when they have a guest speaker. Wow! What faith in God!
Sunday night we shared at South Canaan General Baptist Church with pastor Don and Helen Willingham. Yep, Willingham – the man the Willingham Bible Institute in Honduras is named after. Just getting to spend time with them and be around people who have made the choice to give it all to God and trust Him to provide was such and encouragement.
On the way home thinking about the money these wonderful people had given us and knowing many of them being farmers were struggling this year with the low rainfall we felt guilty taking money from them. But, if we believe God than it would be wrong of us to not accept their gifts since they are investing in God’s Kingdom and transferring the responsibility of meeting their needs from themselves to God.
Cindy got to see cotton fields for the first time and even got to walk in a cotton field and pick some cotton. We brought a stalk (not sure if that’s the correct term) of cotton home and have it sitting in a vase in our kitchen.
Sunday morning pastor Charles and Paula Richardson allowed us to share with the congregation of Hitts Chapel General Baptist Church. After we spoke they took up the offering for the day and gave us the entire offering. Yep, that’s right. The entire church offering that day was given to us. It’s two weeks later and we’re still trying to process this. The entire offering for Sunday morning was given to us. From what I understand this is a normal practice for them when they have a guest speaker. Wow! What faith in God!
Sunday night we shared at South Canaan General Baptist Church with pastor Don and Helen Willingham. Yep, Willingham – the man the Willingham Bible Institute in Honduras is named after. Just getting to spend time with them and be around people who have made the choice to give it all to God and trust Him to provide was such and encouragement.
On the way home thinking about the money these wonderful people had given us and knowing many of them being farmers were struggling this year with the low rainfall we felt guilty taking money from them. But, if we believe God than it would be wrong of us to not accept their gifts since they are investing in God’s Kingdom and transferring the responsibility of meeting their needs from themselves to God.
Indianapolis
On the 16th we were in Indianapolis at the First General Baptist Church with pastor Larry and Wanda Johnson. We had a great time sharing with them and then having lunch with the Johnsons, their daughter-in-law and their grandson.
Thoughts & Lessons
Brad spent some time with Carl Mann talking about the gifts of the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, recognizing the gifts in other people, and how to help people grow in being led by the Spirit while at the same time not letting things go so far off track that people get hurt (my concern in this area). The problem in talking with Carl is that he doesn’t know the Bible very well and so simply gives his opinion instead of referencing what the Bible says. Ok, for those who know Carl they immediately realize this is exactly the opposite of what it’s like talking with Carl. For those who don’t know Carl – he is a walking Bible constantly referencing the Bible as he talks.
Cindy was talking with Sheryl Walts recently about how hard it is for us to ask people to support us financially. Sheryl told her it’s pride. Our pride makes it hard for us to ask. At first we thought we maybe there is some pride involved with not wanting to be turned down but we really didn’t see how pride was the real issue. As we thought about it more we realized it was pride. Not pride of being turned down – rejected. Pride of having to admit that we can’t do this ourselves. We have to rely on others. It is the pride of giving up control and self-sufficiency that is the obstacle.
God is teaching us a lot through this process. When He is confident we have learned what we need to learn then He will get us to Honduras. Patience while this learning process is progressing is not always easy.
Cindy was talking with Sheryl Walts recently about how hard it is for us to ask people to support us financially. Sheryl told her it’s pride. Our pride makes it hard for us to ask. At first we thought we maybe there is some pride involved with not wanting to be turned down but we really didn’t see how pride was the real issue. As we thought about it more we realized it was pride. Not pride of being turned down – rejected. Pride of having to admit that we can’t do this ourselves. We have to rely on others. It is the pride of giving up control and self-sufficiency that is the obstacle.
God is teaching us a lot through this process. When He is confident we have learned what we need to learn then He will get us to Honduras. Patience while this learning process is progressing is not always easy.
Thoughts
Some days we wonder “What in the world are we doing?” We look at all that will need to be done in Honduras and know we don’t have the ability to do get it done. Some days we question can we even do this? Can we really move to another country, live there, and be productive. Can we leave our granddaughter? Do we even want to leave our granddaughter when we think about all the stuff we will be missing as she grows up? Once we leave we can’t come back and walk into the hospital account again. Are we crazy?
Then it comes back to what is God wanting to do through us to make His Name great? He owns us (I Cor 6:19-20) and it’s not for us to decide how He wants to use us. It’s His decision and we are simply to be obedient. God promises when we put Him and His Kingdom first He will take care of the other stuff. We trust Him to be faithful to His promises and we know He has opened the door for us to be in Honduras. So we go. Fear, concern, doubts and all knowing this is His vision and purpose – not ours.
Then it comes back to what is God wanting to do through us to make His Name great? He owns us (I Cor 6:19-20) and it’s not for us to decide how He wants to use us. It’s His decision and we are simply to be obedient. God promises when we put Him and His Kingdom first He will take care of the other stuff. We trust Him to be faithful to His promises and we know He has opened the door for us to be in Honduras. So we go. Fear, concern, doubts and all knowing this is His vision and purpose – not ours.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
September 2007
We are sending Thank You notes to all who have become are part of the Church Planting team in Central America (sorry Tom Sharp but we just want to personally express our appreciation to those who are joining the Team). If you haven’t gotten one yet you should be getting one.
The first week of September Cindy was in Honduras with the Medical/Dental team and they got to experience first-hand hurricane Felix. She was so distraught over the entire experience that when Felix actually passed through where they were she slept through it. It did give the team a chance to try out the new medical clinic that Cindy will be in charge of in Honduras.
We received a call from Amy Wolf at Bluegrass United Methodist Church. Bill Files had given her one of our brochures. They are giving us an opportunity to be part of their Christmas mission spotlight. Wow! For a church who doesn’t know us allowing us to do this is very special. Thanks BGUMC.
Billy Long arranged for us to share at his church Immanuel United Church of Christ on the west side of Evansville. We got to share for the entire Sunday School hour and they even allowed us to briefly speak to the entire congregation during the service. Once again, for a church not associated with the General Baptists to open their doors to us is not a normal occurrence. We appreciate pastor Paul’s willingness to let us come and share.
The first week of September Cindy was in Honduras with the Medical/Dental team and they got to experience first-hand hurricane Felix. She was so distraught over the entire experience that when Felix actually passed through where they were she slept through it. It did give the team a chance to try out the new medical clinic that Cindy will be in charge of in Honduras.
We received a call from Amy Wolf at Bluegrass United Methodist Church. Bill Files had given her one of our brochures. They are giving us an opportunity to be part of their Christmas mission spotlight. Wow! For a church who doesn’t know us allowing us to do this is very special. Thanks BGUMC.
Billy Long arranged for us to share at his church Immanuel United Church of Christ on the west side of Evansville. We got to share for the entire Sunday School hour and they even allowed us to briefly speak to the entire congregation during the service. Once again, for a church not associated with the General Baptists to open their doors to us is not a normal occurrence. We appreciate pastor Paul’s willingness to let us come and share.
Monday, October 1, 2007
August 2007
August 2007:
Change in tactics. Revelation! Instead of mailing letters and making phone calls (easy to turn a person by ignoring a letter or not returning a call – Brad should know he does it frequently). Brad decided to personally visit all the churches in Evansville, Princeton, Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, Boonville, and Henderson, It’s much harder to turn someone down when they’re standing in front of you. So, over the span of two weeks Brad visited 20 churches and spoke with two (yep, count em, two) pastors. Those pesky secretaries can be hard to get past and many of the churches do not have full-time pastors so nobody is around during the day. He did have an envelope with a brochure and explanation he left in the door. This eventually resulted in two scheduled speaking opportunities. Not sure is was such a great revelation but it did change things up a bit which was nice.
You work and work and work and work to try and get an chance to share your heart and then when a pastor gives you opportunity your first thought is “I’m not worthy of this.” We NEVER want to lose that feeling. If we ever get to the point where we think we are really something will someone please set us straight. And, don’t feel like you have to be nice about it. We are serious about this. We ask for your help to keep us thinking right.
Cindy is much better about seeing the spiritual battle that is going on. To help us, especially Brad, to remember who the real battle is with (Eph 6) – principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness – we posted a saying in various parts of the house. It reads “Primero pienso sobre el espiritual”. (It’s the best we can do with Spanish right now). It says “First, think about the spiritual” to remind us to first think about the spiritual battle going on as we move through this process. Ok, well be honest, somedays we do a better job of this than others.
During he month we had the opportunity to speak at the Christian Motorcycle Association monthly meeting. Brad loves to be around these guys and gals. They are such an encouragement hearing their stories and their commitment to God. We also had the opportunity to be with Pastor John and Jane Swain and Mt. Gilead General Baptist Church in Boonville, IN. Brad also had the opportunity to spend a morning with men of North Friendship General Baptist Church in Lynnville, IN. Breakfast was great.
The most powerful thing that happened during August was when we got our first report on the number of shares that people had pledged to support us. When we opened up the spreadsheet and saw the names it brought tears to our eyes. Real, live, actual tears. We just stared at the spreadsheet in amazement. All we can say is “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Change in tactics. Revelation! Instead of mailing letters and making phone calls (easy to turn a person by ignoring a letter or not returning a call – Brad should know he does it frequently). Brad decided to personally visit all the churches in Evansville, Princeton, Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, Boonville, and Henderson, It’s much harder to turn someone down when they’re standing in front of you. So, over the span of two weeks Brad visited 20 churches and spoke with two (yep, count em, two) pastors. Those pesky secretaries can be hard to get past and many of the churches do not have full-time pastors so nobody is around during the day. He did have an envelope with a brochure and explanation he left in the door. This eventually resulted in two scheduled speaking opportunities. Not sure is was such a great revelation but it did change things up a bit which was nice.
You work and work and work and work to try and get an chance to share your heart and then when a pastor gives you opportunity your first thought is “I’m not worthy of this.” We NEVER want to lose that feeling. If we ever get to the point where we think we are really something will someone please set us straight. And, don’t feel like you have to be nice about it. We are serious about this. We ask for your help to keep us thinking right.
Cindy is much better about seeing the spiritual battle that is going on. To help us, especially Brad, to remember who the real battle is with (Eph 6) – principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness – we posted a saying in various parts of the house. It reads “Primero pienso sobre el espiritual”. (It’s the best we can do with Spanish right now). It says “First, think about the spiritual” to remind us to first think about the spiritual battle going on as we move through this process. Ok, well be honest, somedays we do a better job of this than others.
During he month we had the opportunity to speak at the Christian Motorcycle Association monthly meeting. Brad loves to be around these guys and gals. They are such an encouragement hearing their stories and their commitment to God. We also had the opportunity to be with Pastor John and Jane Swain and Mt. Gilead General Baptist Church in Boonville, IN. Brad also had the opportunity to spend a morning with men of North Friendship General Baptist Church in Lynnville, IN. Breakfast was great.
The most powerful thing that happened during August was when we got our first report on the number of shares that people had pledged to support us. When we opened up the spreadsheet and saw the names it brought tears to our eyes. Real, live, actual tears. We just stared at the spreadsheet in amazement. All we can say is “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
July 2007
July 2007:
On July 8th We had the opportunity to speak at Liberty Hill General Baptist Church in Dexter, MO and St. Joes General Baptist Church in St. Joe, MO. We had a great time with Pastor Phil & Cindy Warren at Liberty Hill and they were so nice to have us out for lunch after the service. That night we were with Pastor Dan Sitze and the congregation of St. Joe’s. We then drove home and got to the house about 1:30 am Monday.
July 15th some long time friends of our Tyrone and Melissa Edwards allowed us to speak at their church on the west side of Evansville. Tyrone is the pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church. Tyrone was doing a series on the Fruits of the Spirit and he was up to self-control. Tyrone said he was thinking who needs self-control the most and he thought of Brad so that’s why he asked us to come. We did very much appreciate the opportunity and had a great time with the church and with lunch afterwards.
We attended the General Baptist Mission & Ministry Summit (formerly known as the GA). It was our first introduction to the General Baptists as a whole. We had a great time. Meeting a lot of very nice people and getting to hang out with several of the other missionaries who were home and at the Summit. It was very humbling the number of people who told us how excited they were that we are going to Honduras to work in starting churches in Central America. On the final night they had a commissioning ceremony for all new missionaries. It was a very powerful ceremony when you 400 – 500 people praying for you as you are being commissioned to be sent out. After the commissioning we headed home and arrived around 2:00 am Thursday morning. We’re getting too old for late nights. Back in good ole days we drive all night and not be bothered. Now it gets to be 10:00 pm and we’re pulling over to get coffee.
After getting home from the Summit and all the contacts we made with all those people who were so excited we are going to Honduras we thought filling out our speaking schedule for the remainder of the year would Strange thing begin happening. When we contacted these people many couldn’t seem to work us into their church’s schedule or very interested in supporting us. Not exactly the response we were expecting.
So, what did Brad do, he went to his Wednesday morning men’s group and complained about it. That’s a pretty spiritually mature way to handle it, don’t you think? Anyway, Brad was telling them about how he wasn’t sure how excited people were about us going to Honduras because they didn’t seem too willing to support us. Bruce Damm cleared it up for Brad when he said “Yea, their glad you’re going so they don’t have to go.” Doubt that’s the truth but it was pretty humorous and allowed Brad to regain perspective.
This is God’s plan/vision – not our plan. We must be faithful to process but ultimately it’s up to God – not us.
It’s hard for Brad to give up control – even if it’s being given up to God
This is a learning process for us. God is teaching us as we go through this process. We are learning what God needs to get out of this so we will be where He wants us to be when we eventually get to Honduras.
We are learning to give up control. We are learning patience. We are learning what it means to really have to trust and have faith in God to provide. Guess we shouldn’t have been asking God to increase our faith in Him.
On July 22nd we spoke at Pleasant Union General Baptist Church in Lewisburg, KY and had a fun time being around fellow members of the Big Blue Nation (that’s Kentucky basketball fans for you who don’t know your college basketball). The following weekend we spent with Pastor Harrell Hungate and Arrington Prairie General Baptist Church. It was such a pleasure to meet Harrell and Wanda Hungate and hear their passion for God.
On July 8th We had the opportunity to speak at Liberty Hill General Baptist Church in Dexter, MO and St. Joes General Baptist Church in St. Joe, MO. We had a great time with Pastor Phil & Cindy Warren at Liberty Hill and they were so nice to have us out for lunch after the service. That night we were with Pastor Dan Sitze and the congregation of St. Joe’s. We then drove home and got to the house about 1:30 am Monday.
July 15th some long time friends of our Tyrone and Melissa Edwards allowed us to speak at their church on the west side of Evansville. Tyrone is the pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church. Tyrone was doing a series on the Fruits of the Spirit and he was up to self-control. Tyrone said he was thinking who needs self-control the most and he thought of Brad so that’s why he asked us to come. We did very much appreciate the opportunity and had a great time with the church and with lunch afterwards.
We attended the General Baptist Mission & Ministry Summit (formerly known as the GA). It was our first introduction to the General Baptists as a whole. We had a great time. Meeting a lot of very nice people and getting to hang out with several of the other missionaries who were home and at the Summit. It was very humbling the number of people who told us how excited they were that we are going to Honduras to work in starting churches in Central America. On the final night they had a commissioning ceremony for all new missionaries. It was a very powerful ceremony when you 400 – 500 people praying for you as you are being commissioned to be sent out. After the commissioning we headed home and arrived around 2:00 am Thursday morning. We’re getting too old for late nights. Back in good ole days we drive all night and not be bothered. Now it gets to be 10:00 pm and we’re pulling over to get coffee.
After getting home from the Summit and all the contacts we made with all those people who were so excited we are going to Honduras we thought filling out our speaking schedule for the remainder of the year would Strange thing begin happening. When we contacted these people many couldn’t seem to work us into their church’s schedule or very interested in supporting us. Not exactly the response we were expecting.
So, what did Brad do, he went to his Wednesday morning men’s group and complained about it. That’s a pretty spiritually mature way to handle it, don’t you think? Anyway, Brad was telling them about how he wasn’t sure how excited people were about us going to Honduras because they didn’t seem too willing to support us. Bruce Damm cleared it up for Brad when he said “Yea, their glad you’re going so they don’t have to go.” Doubt that’s the truth but it was pretty humorous and allowed Brad to regain perspective.
This is God’s plan/vision – not our plan. We must be faithful to process but ultimately it’s up to God – not us.
It’s hard for Brad to give up control – even if it’s being given up to God
This is a learning process for us. God is teaching us as we go through this process. We are learning what God needs to get out of this so we will be where He wants us to be when we eventually get to Honduras.
We are learning to give up control. We are learning patience. We are learning what it means to really have to trust and have faith in God to provide. Guess we shouldn’t have been asking God to increase our faith in Him.
On July 22nd we spoke at Pleasant Union General Baptist Church in Lewisburg, KY and had a fun time being around fellow members of the Big Blue Nation (that’s Kentucky basketball fans for you who don’t know your college basketball). The following weekend we spent with Pastor Harrell Hungate and Arrington Prairie General Baptist Church. It was such a pleasure to meet Harrell and Wanda Hungate and hear their passion for God.
June 2007
June 2007:
We begin the fun task of calling churches to follow up on our letters. Lessons learned from this experience:
If they tell you they need to take it to the Deacon Board it’s simply a polite way of saying “No.” – you can just mark it down
Leaving a voicemail message is useless.
The turndowns are extremely discouraging. Good training for Honduras.
There are some very nice pastors out there who were a pleasure to talk with
Somewhere along the way the Church seems to have lost it’s understanding of it’s primary purpose (the evangelization of the world) and many times see taking the gospel to the world as just another program of the church.
Sometimes it seemed God was using our phone calls to encourage the pastor. Please pray for pastors. Most have such a heart for God but through the years have been worn down.
We had our first speaking opportunity at Howell General Baptist Church. Brad put a presentation together and then on the way to the church he decided he didn’t like it and created an entire new presentation on the way. This is the basic presentation we are still using today.
Brad also begin meeting with Paul Medcalf to learn more about what is going on with missions, import/export business, and people using business as missions around the world. Paul has a wealth of knowledge and contacts in this area and has been a great help in opening our eyes to what is happening around the world with local contacts. We see this as building our knowledge base so when we run across an opportunity where something along these lines might be useful we will already have the contacts in place to take advantage.
We went out to eat with some friends and when we were leaving after supper they gave us a check to go toward our expenses for Honduras. Talk about overwhelming and humbling. The thought that goes through your mind is “I am definitely not worthy of this.” It is greatly appreciated and extremely humbling. This has been repeated several times with this same couple. Words are not adequate to express what this means to us.
We begin the fun task of calling churches to follow up on our letters. Lessons learned from this experience:
If they tell you they need to take it to the Deacon Board it’s simply a polite way of saying “No.” – you can just mark it down
Leaving a voicemail message is useless.
The turndowns are extremely discouraging. Good training for Honduras.
There are some very nice pastors out there who were a pleasure to talk with
Somewhere along the way the Church seems to have lost it’s understanding of it’s primary purpose (the evangelization of the world) and many times see taking the gospel to the world as just another program of the church.
Sometimes it seemed God was using our phone calls to encourage the pastor. Please pray for pastors. Most have such a heart for God but through the years have been worn down.
We had our first speaking opportunity at Howell General Baptist Church. Brad put a presentation together and then on the way to the church he decided he didn’t like it and created an entire new presentation on the way. This is the basic presentation we are still using today.
Brad also begin meeting with Paul Medcalf to learn more about what is going on with missions, import/export business, and people using business as missions around the world. Paul has a wealth of knowledge and contacts in this area and has been a great help in opening our eyes to what is happening around the world with local contacts. We see this as building our knowledge base so when we run across an opportunity where something along these lines might be useful we will already have the contacts in place to take advantage.
We went out to eat with some friends and when we were leaving after supper they gave us a check to go toward our expenses for Honduras. Talk about overwhelming and humbling. The thought that goes through your mind is “I am definitely not worthy of this.” It is greatly appreciated and extremely humbling. This has been repeated several times with this same couple. Words are not adequate to express what this means to us.
May 2007
May 2007:
We begin composing letters to be sent to all those on this list explaining what we were doing and to ask them to go to the Lord and see if He wanted them to be a part of this team. We had three primary objectives we wanted to accomplish with the letter:
Let people know what we were doing and the vision God has given the General Baptists in Central America.
To be up front and let people see what was required to get a missionary to the field by including prayer requests and our full budget
To ask people to trust God to guide them about being a part of this team. If He wanted them to be a part of this team then to completely trust God to provide what He wanted them to contribute.
Originally we divided the list of names into two categories and composed a different letter for each category. One letter went into a lot more detail than the other. After many revisions we took them both to Scott Strouse and asked him to read the letters and give us his honest opinion. After talking with Scott and making a few changes he suggested the three of us agreed we should send the same detailed letter to everyone.
We also put together a letter to send to churches explaining who we are, what we are doing, and asking them if they would allow us to come share with their congregation about what God is doing in Central America. The plan was to send letters and then follow up with a phone call.
In May we begin mailing these letters to churches and friends. We mailed about 200 letters to friends and another 100 plus letters to churches.
We begin composing letters to be sent to all those on this list explaining what we were doing and to ask them to go to the Lord and see if He wanted them to be a part of this team. We had three primary objectives we wanted to accomplish with the letter:
Let people know what we were doing and the vision God has given the General Baptists in Central America.
To be up front and let people see what was required to get a missionary to the field by including prayer requests and our full budget
To ask people to trust God to guide them about being a part of this team. If He wanted them to be a part of this team then to completely trust God to provide what He wanted them to contribute.
Originally we divided the list of names into two categories and composed a different letter for each category. One letter went into a lot more detail than the other. After many revisions we took them both to Scott Strouse and asked him to read the letters and give us his honest opinion. After talking with Scott and making a few changes he suggested the three of us agreed we should send the same detailed letter to everyone.
We also put together a letter to send to churches explaining who we are, what we are doing, and asking them if they would allow us to come share with their congregation about what God is doing in Central America. The plan was to send letters and then follow up with a phone call.
In May we begin mailing these letters to churches and friends. We mailed about 200 letters to friends and another 100 plus letters to churches.
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