Ministry Update

Calvary Baptist Church – Urbana, IL

Despite having misgivings about this meeting on Saturday, the Lord has blessed us with a good day today. Last week the pastor called to tell me that he would not be able to meet me on Saturday when we arrived because his mother-in-law was at the point of death eight hours away. Accordingly, both pastor and wife were in Chattanooga, Tennessee today when we opened the meeting. All of Saturday’s misgivings were dispelled today as I saw the work that God was doing in the hearts of the people. When the pastor’s son met me on Saturday, he confided, “Bro. Paul, we really need this meeting this week.” In addition to the pastor’s problems, one of the most faithful men of the church is in the hospital with leukemia right now. They were sure that he would not make it through this weekend. He has been a member of this church for over thirty years and has been the head usher as long as anyone can remember. Both he and the pastor’s mother-in-law are doing better and the pastor plans to return to Illinois tomorrow, provided things go well. It is always preferable to have a revival meeting with the
pastor present, rather than absent.

There was a wonderful crowd this morning and two people responded at the invitation for salvation. Both ended up getting assurance of their salvation. Tonight, the altar was filled with others getting right with God. It was a wonderful start to the meeting. We are looking forward to what God will do the rest of the week.

Many of the people attending this church have recently come from the United Methodist Church. They could take it no longer when that denomination refused to reprimand clergy who supported and accepted Sodomy. Since they came from the United Methodists, they know very
little of the Bible and are full of questions after the service. Today I was asked to explain both the charismatic movement and theological liberalism. My explanation of liberalism hit home with one of the ladies asking me the question – she had been under the teaching of a liberal minister in the Methodist church. Some of these former Methodists have gotten saved, the others already professing salvation, and are quite eager to learn and grow. The entire church is a wonderful crowd to which to preach. One final word of commendation: they work to bring out unsaved. There is no telling who will be in the service on any given night. The last time we were here, a Catholic turned agnostic trusted Christ as Savior.

We are grateful to our home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Kings Mountain, for giving us $1,000 for tires. This gift came at a wonderful time for us and met a very important need. We praise the Lord for His provision and thank the church for their generosity.

Paul

Family Update

Thank the Lord we made it to Illinois without any further incidents with the trailer. We are, of course, without a refrigerator temporarily (we hope), but it hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience. Paul says that it hasn’t been too inconvenient for me because he is the one elected to run to the church’s fridge at all hours of the day and night. I am just trying to keep him in shape.

I had forgotten how nice it is in September in the Midwest. It is cool and windy in the mornings, and warm in the daytime. It has rained off and on for most of the time we have been here so far, but it is still lovely.

Our family devotion time has taken on a unique character of its own since we now have two children actively participating. Josiah participates, and Abigail is just active. Paul attempts to tell a story, while one or both of us attempt to hold down Abigail, who is usually clamoring for the missionary book. The book in question is a 4×6 photo album in which we place all of our missionary prayer cards, along with photos of pastors, friends and relatives. Basically, if you
have ever given us a picture of yourself or your family, it is probably somewhere in that book. This is a much more convenient way to keep all our prayer cards together in some kind of order than just sticking them on the refrigerator (especially when the refrigerator is sitting in the
repair shop a whole state away). Josiah has most of the names of the missionaries learned, and after we pray for the “new” family, we review all the previous ones. This is the most humorous time for Paul and me as we listen to his childish pronunciation. He has no problem with the
Cajiuat and Rovirosa names, but we always laugh when he gets to the several “Sniff” families (Dwight and Amber, Dave and Ginger, etc.) and the “Uggle” family ( Jim and Lisa). There are also a few families that are identified by individual people in that particular family. For instance, the “Amy and Grace family” (Kevin and Jenny Hostettler), the “Rudy family” (Cordeiro is just not pronounceable for a 4-year-old), and the “Nehemiah family” (Scott and Debbie Borrmann). All in all, it is a colorful collection of people and titles. Abigail loves looking at the book, but all of the names are the same to her – “DAH!” We realize the importance of prayer to each of these families that are laboring for the Lord in many areas of the world, and we want our children to be aware that others are faithfully serving alongside of us in the ministry.

Abigail is talking more and more, but we are still only understanding about as much as before. She has discovered a new love – Oreo cookies. We were at my mom’s house this past week, and I was helping her unpack boxes from her recent move. There was a package of Oreos that we had for lunch, and when Paul arrived later in the afternoon, he had a few, but left the package on a low table by the computer. Abigail evidently found the cookies while no one else was in the room and decided to take advantage of the situation. Paul found her with a most attractive Oreo
“beard” when he returned to the room. She had not eaten one, two, or even three cookies, but had cleverly taken one bite out of at least a half a dozen cookies, and had left sufficient slobber on them so that no one else would be willing to eat them, thus reserving them all for herself. Her new nick-name is “Cookie Monster.”

We are all doing well, and we thank the Lord for His blessings on our lives, and for the prayers of faithful friends and loved ones. Continue to remember us in prayer.

Sarah