God Bless you in 2011

Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 2:1-20

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14

 "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their lock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a mutitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." Luke 21-20

Will you pray??????

The burden of a missionary:

Masha is a medical student in Prague who is from Belarus. She has been coming faithfully since the Couriers for Christ campaign in September. She said she normally doesn’t take flyers that are handed out, but when she got the flyer about the special campaign service, it was as if her hand had just went out to take it. When she looked at it and saw the Bible, she knew God wanted her to have it. She came to the campaign service and has been coming ever since. Her parents in Minsk, formerly Russian Orthodox, have now told her they recently got saved in a Baptist Church! They are telling her she needs to get saved. Praise the Lord, He is clearly at work in Masha’s life. She went home this week to Minsk for Christmas. Her parents are getting baptized.

Masha expressed concerns the other day before she flew back about the political situation in Belarus and the elections this weekend. Her fears were not ungrounded as you can see from the following article from CNN today. Please pray for Masha – her salvation, safety, and also the future situation in Belarus especially as it relates to her and her now saved, baptized parents.

Scenes, video and commentary from Belarus.

 http://www.rferl.org/soundslide/2254198.html?isArticle=1

Three Little Dutch Girls...

Hey - sisters I am missing you...

You too Leener!

Sunday Blessing!

     Sunday, December 19, we had the blessing of being  with Pastor and Mrs. Jack Gwinn at Still Waters Baptist Church in Knoxville TN. Bro Gwinn was our pastor at Averyville Baptist Church and  our college president at Fellowship Baptist College in Peoria Illinois.  It was  wonderful to see them again, Bro. Gwinn has been sick but the LORD has brought him through and he is feeling and looking great.  He gave my husband opportunity to give testimony about what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives.  The folks at Still Waters Baptist Church were very cordial and excited to hear about our ministry.

     We also got to see a daughter of a family that used to be at Averyville, her mom sat next to me in choir.  This young woman (Amber) remembered my face but not my name. I saw her name in the bulletin and figured out who she was because she was sitting next to Mrs. Gwinn.  It is a blessing to see young people who stay serving the LORD as they grow up!

     After the service we went to lunch with them and  we reminisced about our college days, we had a sweet time of fellowship.  Since Bro. Gwinn did not know we would be attending services he has invited us to come back at a later date to present the ministry.
  

Please remember to pray for those missionaries that will spend the Christmas season on the field. Imagine what it would be like to be alone and without family during this time. Praise the LORD for those that are willing to sacrifice so that others may be saved!

Light for a dark world!

Christmas is fast approaching and the true meaning seems to have been lost. The Father sent His only Son to be the Light for a dark world. God offers this spiritual light to all that man might repent and be saved. Remember, great opportunites offer great privileges and great privileges bring great responsibilities. We need to share the true meaning of Christmas with all those we come in contact with.

"Father of Modern Missions" - William Carey

William Carey was born in England in 1761. Because his family was poor; he went to school only until he was fourteen. At that age, he became an apprentice (learner) to a shoemaker. But having a thirst for reading, he studied languages and Science on his own. It wasn't long before he learned Latin, Greek, French, and Dutch. A fellow apprentice shared the gospel with him, and he was saved. William spent all his free time reading the Bible and other books, studying languages, and telling others of Christ. He became a preacher, married, and supported his family by making shoes.

William Carey read in the Bible, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations..." (Matthew 28:19). He read of David Brainerd and his great work among the American Indians.. He read of the terrible conditions of people without Christ in other lands. He thought, "Someone must go and tell these people of Christ." It took a long time for Carey to find people who were interested in missions. In those days, very few people thought of the needs of people in other lands who had never heard of Christ.
But finally, in 1793, William Carey and his family sailed for India. The Careys settled in Bengal, now a part of the country of Bangladesh. William Carey's ability with languages aided him greatly in his work in India. He learned the Bengali language, and other languages of India, very quickly, and began preaching. Most of the people of Bengal were Hindus, and they were very resistant to new ideas. Carey preached to them for six years before the first Hindu came to Christ.
William Carey served in Bengal for fifty-nine years. He translated the Bible or portions of it into over forty languages and dialects. He helped to encourage education in India, and he was able to help the Indians improve their farming methods. Through his influence, the evil practices of sacrificing children to idols and of killing widows were abolished..
William Carey's motto, "Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God," and his dedication to Christ inspired many people to become missionaries. For this reason, he is called the "Father of Modern Missions."             
  -Information gathered from Abeka 'Old World History & Geography' book

Where would you be willing to go? Would you speak to that difficult neighbor, clerk or a that family member that you have been arguing with?  Do not wait because there may not be another opportunity...

Preaching

Thank you Carrie for your help...

Please be praying for Leo, he will be preaching Wednesday night at Harvest Baptist Church here in Chattanooga, the Pastor is Mike Davis. Harvest Baptist Church is a small work that has taken us on for support. They are a real encouragment to us.

Memories

God allows us to have memories and these memories can joyful or sad/difficult times. 

Today in 2003 my father died and in so many ways it seemed like yesterday and at other times it seems so much longer. He had many health problems but his death was truly unexpected.  Rushing back to Vermont and seeing my mother was difficult and just looking at her she seemed so "old and fragile".  We all got through that difficult time with the hope that we would see him again. We shared the gospel with him many times but I don't know if he ever made a personal decision.

My father was a hard working man and taught us all good work ethics. He worked hard all his life and took care of his family the best way he knew how. He loved my mother and he loved all of us kids, although, at times he found it hard to show us. He loved this time of the year, I remember many Christmas mornings he enjoyed handing out the gifts and watching us open the packages. I still miss him especially during the Christmas season.

We had my mother until April 2005 when she went to be with the Lord.  God certainly did a work in her heart.  I was truly blessed with a mother who was always home when we arrived home from school. We had some lean times growing up but my parents were always there to support and take care of us.

Compassion

Jude 22 (KJV)

"And of some have compassion, making a difference:"

Without compassion we cannot make a difference. The two passions that are combined to show compassion are love and sorrow.