Greetings from Richmond, Kentucky (presently)
We are taking the day to recover a bit. It has been a busy week, but a wonderfully blessed week. Monday of last week(was it only a week ago?) we drove to McDonough, Georgia, arriving late in the afternoon. We were warmly welcomed by the entire GNOM team, the Humes family, and our hosts, the Scarborough family. It was such a thrill to see so many come together to reach the community with the Gospel.
Gerald and Pamela Scarborough, along with their 3 children,and some other Christians from the area, desire to start a local church, looking to the New Testament pattern of meeting. Though many of us think we have it all figured out, we continue to take a fresh look at how the church in the first century gathered, worshiped, and lived their daily lives as Christians. I believe this is a very important thing for all of us to do. When we take our prejudices, traditions, and preferences out of the mix, simply relying on God's Word and the examples of the early believers in places like Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi, we see something a bit different than what we might be used to. It was refreshing to just step back and dig into the pattern that God gives. God's Word is truly the best source for our patterns for living.
The GNOM team was gracious to allow us to sit in as visitors on their instruction time. Andy Hylton was teaching through 1 Samuel, chronicling the life of David from simple shepherd to giant killer, and on through his life as king of Israel. The young men on the team are receiving very good instruction not only in the historical aspects of Bible characters, but also practical application for their lives in the 21st century. Friday, we talked about methods and approaches to reaching out with the Gospel message. I learned a lot this week, from the teaching and discussion times, along with the time spent laboring in the Gospel. The young men on the team are dedicated to God's Word, and are a good example to me. It blessed my heart to see men so young giving their lives to the Lord's work. What a great week we had!
The Scarborough family were such great hosts, and we are happy to have new friends that are so excited about the Lord's work, and passionate about reaching their community both with the Gospel, and to minister to Christians and "one anothering" in a local setting. Brother Don and his son met with us, along with Pamela's mom and dad. We met many Christians in the community, but also many that we talked to at their homes were unaware of God's love for them. It is always a blessing to see believers in Christ go out motivated by love and passion for lost souls being saved. We are excited as we look forward to laboring alongside these folks in the future as the Lord leads.
We were so sad to leave both our "old" friends, and our new friends, but were also excited to be "home" in Richmond. We arrived home on Friday evening. Saturday we had visits to make, kids clubs, and of course, shopping, laundry, etc. Sunday it was great to see the saints at Bluegrass Bible Fellowship, where we had a meal and spent the afternoon preparing the float for the upcoming parade. Much was accomplished, but much is left to be done. The parade is December 4, and we are excited to use this means to proclaim the Gospel.
Lord willing, Wednesday AM we will head to Bluffton, Ohio for Sara's midwife appointment, then spend the Thanksgiving celebratory meal with Sara's Grandma and Grandpa. We plan to arrive back in Richmond Thursday evening.
There are many things we are praying about, looking ahead to another trip to Georgia, then Maine for birth of the baby, and then whatever the Lord leads from there. Thank you for all the cards, emails, and encouragement that we receive so often. We are blessed to have so many friends and family around the world. To God be the glory in all things, He has rescued us from sin and judgement and given us life in His Son Jesus.
For more information about the week of outreach,and the continued work of the Good News on the Move team, visit www.uplook.org and look at "reports" and "Gospel efforts" as they post prayer requests and summations of the week.
Serving our King,
Mark and Sara Cowperthwaite
