If you have been wondering what happened to us since our
last update, this is for you. Read on for a rundown of our recent life events.
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We got married.
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| September 3, 2016 |
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I think everyone should do this once in their lifetime. It
is good for the soul, makes the world a grander place, multiplies all that
is good and sweet, and teaches you things you didn’t know about God.
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BBTI
We are on the homestretch of our stay on staff at Baptist
Bible Translators, where over the last nine months we served as back-ups and
assistants in various classes and projects, and got to meet and contribute to
the lives of missionaries to several continents.
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Refugee ministry.
Ladera Palms Apartments in Ft. Worth is home to several
thousand refugees from several continents, mainly Asia and Africa. We tried
some outreach with the Good and Evil illustrated bible story books, but our
main ministry was with the deaf. Once a week we helped a lady (who has been
teaching international deaf for years) teach the gospel to deaf refugees.
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| The story of Ti-Fam, a Haitian girl who faced persecution for her faith in Christ from her father, a witch doctor. |
Our part was to show skits, which mostly involved miming and
acting, since they don’t speak American Sign Language. With the help of the
single students from the school, we acted several stories of people who embraced Christianity in a hostile environment, and chose Christ and the
Bible in the face of persecution. We chose these stories because most
of the deaf are from Hindu or Buddhist backgrounds, and face strong persecution
by family members, even in the states. Our goal was not only to present the
gospel as well as possible under the circumstances, but to communicate that
people the world over have deemed Christ worth suffering and even dying for.
The message seemed to hit home, and the grand finale was well received.
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| The story of Sergei, the Russian Communist police officer who became a believer because of one young woman's bold faith in Christ in spite of terrible beatings. |
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| Nepali girl reading Good and Evil |
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Abortion Ministry
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| Six abortionists practice here. |
Over 50,000 babies are killed each year in Texas through
abortion. There are three surgical abortion centers open in the Dallas/Ft.
Worth area. For the past several months, we have stood on the sidewalks once a
week to offer help to pregnant mothers, plead with them to choose life, and
preach the gospel.
We were also involved in rallying support for a House Bill
(HB 948) that would abolish abortion under all circumstances in Texas, by
enacting laws that grant constitutional rights to the unborn, causing all laws
against murder to include the murder of the unborn. Our involvement included
attending a rally in Austin, gathering petitions, raising awareness, and
visiting churches to gain their support.
For more information on the Abolition of Abortion in Texas,
visit abolishabortiontx.com.
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Bible First
While in Ukraine in 2015, I gained first-hand experience
with the Bible First correspondence course written by a missionary team in that
country. I was impressed with the unique and chronological approach of getting
people into the bible from their own homes, so after settling in at Faith
Baptist Church in Bowie, with the help of my pastor, we began using it in
Montague County. With the help of an energetic group of young people from
Mississippi, we distributed over 1,200 invitations to the course in our town,
covering the entire residential area. Later, we introduced Bible First to the
inmates in the county jail. We have a current enrollment of about ten students,
some more active than others. We are most excited about the jail ministry.
Bible First is excellent for inmates, as it immerses them in a comprehensive
bible study designed to teach them the gospel through combining the Genesis
account with scriptures from the New Testament.
To learn more about Bible First, visit getbiblefirst.com.
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Faith Baptist Church
Finally, we have been heavily involved in our local church.
I taught a lengthy course on evangelism on Sunday nights during last winter,
and Courtney and I have been teaching the teenagers from the church’s bus
ministry on Wednesday evenings. It is exciting to take a bunch of high-school
kids with little bible knowledge, and teach them the foundations of the
Christian faith. We started with the origin of the Bible, went through
Creation, and by the time we leave town in a month or so, hope to have given
them a clear understanding of the gospel as it relates to the entire Bible.
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Moving ahead
Tennessee
As mentioned, our stay at the school here is almost over. We
plan to leave Bowie on May 18th, and drive to Tennessee where we
will spend several weeks working for a friend to save up some money to pay
taxes and help fund a trip to South America. To all my TN friends, I’m looking
forward to seeing you.
Indiana
On May 31st, we’re planning on driving to
Nashville, IN for Worldview Ministries’ annual 3-day Team Meeting, a unique
conference discussing importance issues relating to Bible Translation in
foreign languages and cultures.
Ohio, Colorado, Arizona
After that the water gets a little muddy and unpredictable,
but it looks like June will be divided between spending time with family in
Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona, respectively.
South America
Either in June or July, we are planning to travel to Brazil
and Peru to scope out several places and options of long-term ministry. We have
good contacts in both countries who we plan to visit. We are counting on this
trip to answer some important questions about our future in foreign missions.
If you would like more details on the nature of our ministry, feel free to
contact us by phone, email, or social media.
Our more distant plan is to hopefully live in South America
by the end of the year. But that is too far in the future to accurately decide.
In the meantime, we plan to live in God’s fulness, glory in his love and grace,
and share the glorious gospel with those who need it.
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How to pray for us:
- Protection on the roads and in the air.
- For divine encounters and guidance on our trip to South America.
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