2005 May

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I’m holding my breath as I say this but I believe that summer is finally here to stay. Don’t you just love it when the world around you just kind-a bursts open in bright green colors everywhere? The sun looks and feels better then ever! The birds get very excited and start making their own noises! Now, can you imagine what it will be like when we close our eyes for the very last time in this world and immediately open them for first time in the next world? We’ll have all eternity to get used to the mighty out bursts of bright new colors and surroundings. John got a glimpse of what our new world will look like in Rev 21...And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

(At the time of my writing) Esther is speaking at her 2nd mother/daughter banquet in Commercial Point, OH. Jonathan and Rachel biked about 6 miles to visit their adopted grandma and deliver a Happy Mothers Day message. Part of our family spent five days at a mission’s conference in Canton OH last month—We made a lot of new friends and didn’t want to leave when it was over.

Your financial support for the ministry has been coming in very well and steady. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Joyce Mink has been coming up to our office on Tuesday’s for the sole purpose of sending out requests for grant money. So far we have been turned down by about 30 Christian businesses but there is one business that is considering. We need to raise $35,000 above our pledged support for 2005 in order to make budget.

In April, Levi Schwartz and I spend several days in Missouri and Illinois. We had a wonderful visit with one of the Amish bishops in MO who is the head of 3 churches. The Old Order bishop invited us to stay for the night and also allowed us to eat with his family. It was so good to watch this family have devotions together and pray without a prayer book. Their salvation testimony was clear but it was obvious that they are being very careful on how open they are to their community. Why is it that we are so fearful of man?

After we left MO we traveled to IL where we met up with the church in Plymouth. Levi and I both had the opportunity to preach to about 30-40 English and former Amish believers. Oh, it was just soooooo good to be around people who hunger and thirst after God’s Word!

Several months ago I started communicating with two families through email, phone calls and personal contact because of a tragedy that had taken place in their family. Drugs and alcohol had played a big part in one family member going to prison for life. This in turn brought another family member to the point of suicide and the rest of the family beyond devastation. Except for Joyce (far left) none of the family members knew much about church. They had been raised Catholic but had not attended for years. After six weeks of almost daily counseling it was decided that we would all meet at First Baptist Church in Spencer OH where Pastor Mark would give the families a tour of the church and explain how services were conducted. Since our meeting at the church some of them have been attending faithfully on Sundays and also on Wednesdays. Justin (all the way in the back/center) accepted the Lord on the night of our meeting.

The church that our family has been helping to become established in Mt Gilead OH is doing well. The photos show parts of our first 4-day mission’s conference. All week Pastor John from our home church talked about the importance of missions and faith promise giving. Larry Skrant (right), along with several other missionaries presented their work and finally on Wed. night the whole church turned in their faith promise cards for missions. I was thinking since this was our first missions conference we would maybe see $40-$50 a month come in at the most. Boy were we in for a surprise! Over $900 a month was pledged by our wonderful little church. Needless to say we have taken on three missionaries and will possibly take a African native missionary on too.

After months of hard work and sometimes sleepless nights our church people have approved their Statement of Faith and Constitution. In April we had two Sundays in a row where we opened up for charter membership and 22 people signed on. Our next BIG step is to establish church leadership—please pray for God’s will to be done. This week makes exactly one year that we started meeting with Sam & Laura Schwartz for church services.

For three weeks in a row Jamie (age 18) came to church and heard the gospel preached and finally on Monday night after the 3rd Sunday he made his way to Levi’s house and asked if someone would tell him how to be saved. Levi led him to the Lord and in the far left photo Levi baptized him in a big tank in his basement. In the other two photos, Sam is baptizing Joni and Ammon in Levi’s basement too. Just recently Joni was driving a van at night and a couple deer jumped out in front of him and when he swerved to miss them he lost control of his vehicle, and barely missed a telephone pole, hit a culvert and rolled the van several times before hitting trees. The van was totaled and Joni ended up in the hospital. Joni is home again with many bruises and a black eye.

A couple months ago Sam shared with the church that he feels God is calling him to pastor the church after our family leaves in another year. In order to prepare him for pastoring we started meeting every Tuesday for a couple of hours. He and his wife Laura are working through a two year Bible education in their home as well. Sam has a real love for people and the Lord. I guess it just amazes me how God works things out in a timely manner when we wait on Him.

Remember Andy & Katie—the ones with the twins? About three weeks ago they were excommunicated from the church after they decided to take a stand for Scriptural truth. It was not easy for them. There were even a few times that we didn’t think they were going to make it. More then once the ministers came to their house in fours and stayed until late at night. First they came in love and then it turned into using fear and power. Sometimes it was all we could do to stand back and pray and yet we knew that God was able to handle things much better then anyone of us. I started meeting with them on Wednesday afternoons for Bible study. For three weeks in a row they have been coming to our church.

Another young Amish lady also attended our services last week from another community. This week she called and wanted to know if our church had any rules. She wanted to know if we excommunicated and shunned our members. She had many other questions. At last she said, I think God is leading me to your church. She accepted the Lord the Sunday she visited us.