Missions Trip is Right Around the Corner!!!

 Next Monday morning, July 1, I will fly with two young ladies to Guyana for two weeks, and then continue on to Chile for three weeks. This will be the first time I have taken people with me to show them how they can be help short term to missionaries. In Guyana, we will help The Runyon family and their church host a VBS. In Chile, we will be helping with the Saint family with child care and ministry work while Mrs. Saint is still recuperating from the birth of her baby.

Being a short term missionary means an individual can raise support quickly for individual trips instead of needing to go on deputation for two or three years to raise full time support to remain in one country. Short term work also means an individual can help a missionary family stay on the field longer. Many missionaries are leaving the field for health reasons, lack of funds, the hardness of being separated from friends and family, the difficulties of being in hard countries... Getting a few weeks or months of relief in the ministry, home, or having help for building projects and soulwinning can make a huge difference in the lives of the missionaries. Many people think they can't commit to missions because they think they must be willing to go stay in one place for the rest of their lives, but a man who can swing a hammer, a lady who can cook a meal or care for child, people who can win people to Christ or teach can all be a huge help and blessing to missionary families. Most countries allow a person to stay up to three months on a visa.

I will return to Iowa in the fall to teach a How to teach ESL class and a Grammar class at Harvest Baptist College. I will also be taking some classes which will help me with counseling and dealing with the spiritual warfare of everyday life and especially life in countries where demonic oppression is very tangible. 

Praise!!! God allowed me to find a good truck with low miles at a very low price including a 10 year full warranty. Please pray that God will provide the funds necessary for paying this off.

I would appreciate prayers as I try to raise more supporting churches so that I can eventually travel on a regular basis without needing to stop to work a job to raise personal funds. I would also appreciate prayers that I can find a remote job which I can do even while traveling. 

My mom has had some good news in regards to her hip, and she begins a new therapy next week to see if it will help her hip muscles to heal. Please pray for the church in Maine as they prepare for a VBS which they hope will bring in more children which in turn will lead to families getting saved and coming to church.

Please pray for my nephew Joel on June 28 as he goes in for a heart cath and possibly a stint placement.

Prepping for a Move

 Life hasn't gotten busy and many things have come into play that I wasn't expecting. On Sunday, I will be moving to Iowa. There are some ministry opportunities waiting there for me. 

At the end of the month, I.will fly from Chicago to Guyana with two young ladies to begina 6 week missions trip. This will be the first trip with young people traveling with me. I am excit d to see how God uses this to inspire more young people to get involved in missions now. 

Last Saturday, after several months of looking for a motor home, God inst ad blessed me with a small pickup truck. It is only 10 years old and in excellent shape.  I will be driving it to Iowa over a three day period, so please pray that all goes well.

God still has not given me a clear go signal for England and Europe. Please pray that He will show me when He wants.me.to.complete those trips.

My nephew Joel has a heart Cath on July 27. Please pray all looks well and he has no complications.

Family, Birthday, Mothers Day

 May has already been busy. My sister's family with seven kids came to visit for a week. We had a good time showing them some of  Maine's beauty. We spent a few hours at tide pools, flew kites on the beach, and then went to watch seals for awhile a little further north of our house. We were also able to show them the naval ships being built in Bath.

We had a ladies' tea on Mother's Day weekend, and my sister shared her journey with her son Joel who was born with a heart condition and several other crazy medical conditions. The ladies enjoyed getting to know the family they have been praying for for the last two years.

Sunday was Mother's Day. My brother-in-law spoke in the Sunday morning service, and the kids sang. Unfortunately, I somehow did not get the camera to record the sermon. We had a good crowd in church. I cooked Mother's Day dinner which included a lamb roast which everyone said tasted like roast beef. The kids were not impressed with trying it when they knew it was lamb. We had two ladies from church come for dinner as well.

My birthday was the 10th. After a crazy morning, we went out to dinner at a cajun boil restaurant. Afterwards, we had cake which my niece decorated to look like an ocean. My sister and brother-in-law decorated the room with a travel theme. It was a fun time.

Over the last few weeks, I've been collecting stuffed animals for Guyana.I have quite a few already, and several more people plan to bring more. These animals will be given to the VBS kids as prizes.

Please continue to pray for the upcoming trip to Guyana. There is still a lot of prep work to complete. The girls have both raised a good chunk of money, and I am happy to see them see how God can provide when you step out on faith.

My mom got some different news regarding her hip muscle tears. After two years, we she was finally seen by someone who seems to know the exact reason she is continuing to have so many problems, constant pain... She does have tears in the muscle, but this new doctor also believes she has an issue with the hamstring which is the constant pain issue. Surgery is not recommended. Therapy is the best option, and now knowing all the problems, hopefully they will get the right kind of therapy.

I haven't mentioned it in awhile, but there is still an unspoken situation which needs lots of prayer. God can do miracles, but people have to be willing to let Him.

April showers bring may flowers.

 This month has been very busy. I finally got the last ticket purchased for the missions trip to Guyana and Chile. The girls were able to raise some funds on their own which is exciting because they have seen God provide for them. Please pray that God will use this trip to encourage them to continue in helping missionary families until God shows them a different direction.

I helped a young lady move to Iowa to get a new start in life. Please pray as she is already facing some new difficulties while trying to do what God wants her to do right now. Please pray that God will reveal His will to her and that she will respond with a yes. There are new opportunities available to her that were not available before, and I look forward to seeing how God can use her and her testimony for His glory. Please pray for her family as they deal with some very hard things over the next few months.

I am excited that my sisters family is coming to visit in a few days. This will be their first trip to Maine and the ocean. We are look forward to showing them all the places we enjoy going to watch seals, pick up shells, and just enjoy God's beauty in nature.

Please pray as God may be opening some new doors for me to be able to influence more young people into doing short term missions. I truly believe that relieving the missionary wives is one of the greatest tools which can help missionaries stay on the field, but along with that, young men can preach, teach, go soulwinning, swing a hammer to build, and a lot of other things that can be a relief to the missionary husbands as well. It really doesn't matter how old or young someone is; God just wants to use people to help missionaries.

Please continue to pray for my mom. She has had a new MRI on her torn hip muscles, and she has some new orthopedic doctors she is supposed to see. Please pray they can o something that will allow the hip to heal.

March Madness

 No not basketball madness, just a crazy busy different kind of month. I thought I had posted an update earlier this month, but I must have sent out an email update instead.

I cannot explain all that my family has been dealing with this month, but my dad began preaching on spiritual warfare, and things began coming out of the woodwork so to speak. Please pray for our church and my parents.

I will be travelling with one of our young ladies as she moves out of state. Please pray for her as she begins a whole new life. God is working to show her the potential she has to do great things for Him.

All of the tickets but one have been purchased for the missions trip to Chile and Guyana. Our group is down to three, but I believe God will use us to be a blessing and help to the missionaries. One request the missionary in Guyana has made us that we try to bring stuffed animals down for the children. Size doesn't matter, and they can be used but in good condition. If you would like to help with this, you can send them to  me at 178 Graham St. Biddeford, ME 04005 I would need them to be in by the second week of June to prepare them for travel.

I would appreciate prayers as I am trying to find either very cheap land or a cheap house on land in Mississippi. I need a place to set up a homebase from which I can travel.

The Month of Love

 February is the month of love. This month has brought som struggling people into my life who are greatly in need of love. Please pray that God will work in their lives through some very difficult circumstances.

I have booked the first set of tickets for the missions trip to Guyana and Chile. Please pray that the prices of the tickets to Chile will drop a lot. Please pray for the young ladies who are going as they continue to raise support and complete the college studies. I will be selling some craft items at another preachers meeting in a couple of weeks, so please pray I can raise a good amount of funds for the trip.

There is still a major unspoken request that needs God's help to remedy. Please pray that truth and righteousness will prevail in this situation.

My mom's health has been good overall the last couple of months. She is still dealing with torn hip muscles, and is now dealing with an issue with insurance. Please pray that all this works out.

Travel, Surprises, Speaking

 I apologize for not posting for a whole month. I was keeping my plans for January a secret due to some surprise trips I planned to make. I flew from Boston to Chicago on January 19 in order to speak with several young ladies who plan to go on the trips with me this summer to Chile and Guyana. I found out that there would be a missions conference at the same time as my travels. Due to being close to my sisters in southern Indiana and Iowa, I also planned to surprise them.

I stayed with my great Aunt Anna, and we had a blast visiting with each other and her kids for the first two days I was here in Indiana. I was also able to attend my alma mater Friday chapel service. On Sunday, I attended the Chinese Sunday school class where I worked when I was in college. it was fun to be able to sing in Chinese again and see my teachers and friends. I was able to see some friends who were serving in China and had to leave and move to Taiwan. They hope to return to China on a special passport, so pleae pray God opens this door.

On Monday, my aunt I drove an hour and half to my sister's house in southern Indiana. It was so fun to knock on the door and surprise her and her kids. We played some games and just enjoyed some good conversation. I wished I could have stayed longer, but we had a hectic schedule for that week.

On Tuesday, my aunt and I attended the missions conference to hear Dr. Sisk speak. He led my grandparents to the Lord many years ago, and I would not be in missions today were it not for him. My aunt had never met him, and my grandfather was her brother, so it was a special night for her. The service was amazing. They had 194 countries represented by various flags and costumes. The church here has taken on 21 new missionaries in the last year, and some of those are in middle eastern nations.The harvest is getting greater while they laborers are getting fewer.

On Wednesday, my aunt and I drove to Iowa to surprise my sister. She and all her kids couldn't believe it was me because she thought I was too busy to be able to come. we stayed overnight until about 11 am the next morning. We played games, hide and seek, and just talked for a long time.

For the last few days of the week, my aunt and I went shopping and spent time with family. On Saturday night, my aunts two daughters and their husbands came over. Through various avenues of conversation, I was able to give a clear Gospel presentation. On Monday night, I went to my cousin's house, and her husband was again talking about religions. Please pray that the seeds planted will cause all of these to trust in Christ. They are all Catholic.

On Sunday, I was invited to the pastor's house for lunch with several other people. It was n enjoyable time talking with others who have a heart for reaching people in various ways. The pastor's wife asked me if I would speak to 90 young ladies at college, and I did that today. What a blessing and privilege to be asked to speak at my alma mater. The ladies listened, and many came to thank me and ask me questions about my ministry. Please pray God will use some of them to do the same thing I do in helping missionary wives.

Many of the young ladies are children of missionaries, children of friends of mine from college, or children of my former teachers... What a blessing to see the next generation following in their parents footsteps.  One girl was just a baby when I first came to college, and now she is in her third year. 

My meeting with the girls who plan to travel to Guyana and Chile went very well. Their main concern is for their first months college bill when they return as they will be losing 6 weeks of work to make this trip. They are stepping out on faith, and so am I to make this trip happen. 

If you would like to give towards this trip, please message me, and I will tell you how to send your gifts. I have a bank account set up specifically for this trip, and all the funds will be used to help these girls go, and any leftovers I will use to help with their college bills. The ticket cost right now is between $2000-2500. I am hoping it will go down, but I need to begin purchasing the tickets very soon. 

Please pray that God will call many young people into his service to reach people around the world and be help to those who are already serving there.

Please pray God will provide all the funds for this trip to Guyana and Chile.

Please pray for my mom's health to continue to improve.

Please pray as I begin planning the series of trip to England and Europe which were cancelled in 2020 due to covid.