Monday, June 1, 2009

Richmond, Kentucky surge updates

Greetings from Richmond, Kentucky:
It has been quite a long time and much has happened since our last update. We arrived in Kentucky May 23, actually the wee hours of the morning of the 24th. We had a few troubles along the way on the trip here, but are very happy to be able to see the Lord at work in all things. Small trials and inconveniences have a way of distracting us, but we rejoice in knowing that God is in control and continues to protect, lead, and guide us as we listen to His leading and walk according to His will.
Our new camper and van (2002 E350 12 passenger) have worked out fine and we continue to thank the Lord for all the blessings He has given our family.
The last month has been full of changes. Selling the old camper and truck, then buying our new camper and van was not without its ups and downs, but we waited on the Lord to bring all things together for us, and for His glory. We didn't actually get our van until Friday at 5pm, knowing that we needed to leave by Saturday at 2pm. We are still learning the lessons about patience and God's perfect timing.
Our driving trip to Kentucky, we thought, would be rather uneventful. We planned to arrive about dinner time and meet folks Saturday, then return Sunday for services at Bluegrass Bible Fellowship here in Richmond, Kentucky. Along the way here, in Dayton, Ohio, we lost a tire on the camper. Upon opening the jack storage compartment, we found a jack, but the wrong sized tire iron. I was able to jack it up and get the spare tire ready while Sara flagged down a very nice fellow who let us borrow his properly sized tire wrench(we since bought the right sized one). We changed the tire, thanked our rescuer for his help, and thanked the Lord for keeping us safe while performing this work on the interstate highway(gladly, it was the passenger side tire).
We got back on our way and about 10-20 minutes later, the spare tire also went flat. This time we were in a construction zone and had to move the large hazard cones to get the vehicles out of the way of traffic.Traffic zoomed by at 55mph, nobody slowing down or changing lanes to avoid our vehicle while we scurried to move things and get off the road. Again, we were kept safe as we worked on things there. Looking at our clock, we realized it was about 530 pm, Saturday evening, Memorial day weekend, and that finding a tire, let alone the right tires for our trailer, was going to be difficult. We called for hours, and finally found one place that had the tires, and also could come and replace them on site, mounting them and replacing them on the trailer.
This time was not wasted however, as God put a musician(the man with the tire iron), a police officer, and a tire repairman all in our path that night. I called Justin and expressed my frustration at the delay. He reminded me of the providence of God in all things when he asked me what I was upset about. I told Justin that I wanted to get to Richmond to be able to reach people with the Gospel message. Justin, my ever-faithful accountability partner reminded me that I could do that wherever I was. I was reminded (echoing the dozens of times I had told other this) that I can be a witness wherever I find myself. God put people in our path that night that needed to hear the Gospel and we were faithful and obedient to that calling. You just never know when a door will open to share of the Savior. Praise the Lord for that reminder!
Whether we were stuck on the side of the road or going door to door to share the truth about eternal life through Jesus Christ, it was the same message, and everyone needs to hear it. It was no accident that we got to meet Eric, Mike, and the police officer, and share with them about our Savior. I was reminded again today of that principle when Eric Smith (GNOM team member) and I went to visit a young man to invite him to lunch and speak with him about the Gospel. We arrived at his house and spoke with his step-father for 1/2 hour or more. While that conversation was wrapping up, the young man's brother showed up. We spoke with him for about an hour.
The man we thought we were there to talk to was asleep the whole time we were there, yet God had sent us to this open door. We were reminded that even though we think we are headed one way to do something, often God opens doors for us even when we are not looking. The Lord, in His providence, had set up these appointments for us, knowing that there were hearts open to the Gospel in that home. Eric and I prayed and spoke on the way back to the chapel (some 2 1/2 hours later) about how we need to be sensitive to God's leading. We need to be making opportunities to share the truth of eternal life through the grace of Jesus Christ. We would have missed these Divine appointments had we not been listening to the Spirit's leading, yet God opened the doors into many lives today as His people around the Richmond area (and through obedient believers in many places I will never know about) went our faithfully to share.
Pray with us that God's people will continue to be unified around the cross of Christ, that we will continue to faithfully reach the lost with the good news of eternal life and a personal relationship with the Creator of all things. Also remember in prayer those who we will speak to this week. We pray that God will use us for His glory and to bring others to forgiveness and salvation. There are many laboring here this week, and some will go home soon. Others will be coming for the next few weeks, but all will go home eventually. Pray that the work done here in Richmond continues throughout the world, that the fervency and obedience in preaching the truth will not stop when we disperse, but rather that the fire of revival will spread until Jesus comes. Pray that God gets all the glory and that many new souls will be brought to the Savior.
I am overjoyed at the times we have been able to spend in worship, in study of God's Word, and in meeting other believers. We have been so blessed to spend time with so many that share our love for the Savior, and have enjoyed meeting folks from all over. There are believers here this week from Ireland, Canada, and probably a dozen states in the USA. We have had such a great time being challenged from God's Word and laboring together for the sake of our Lord Jesus. What a privilege it is, as weak and incapable as we are, that God allows us to take part in this reconciliatory work! We surely do not deserve it, but are joyful to be part of God's family. We are truly blessed. Praise God!