Church of the Open Door

We left Shaun and Pam's on Wednesday to share our burden for France with the people of Church of the Open Door in Connellsville, PA. After a safe, event-free trip, we drove up to the beautiful home of Merl and Bevvy Harbaugh (bottom left photo). They graciously received us into their home, providing a comfortable room for us to rest in and good conversations to refresh us. We weren't in their home for more than 2 minutes before Liz discovered that she had worked at Bob Jones Jr. High at the same time their daughter worked in Bob Jones Academy. Shortly after that we found out that their son-in-law (Bert) and Michael had been on the same Australia Mission Team in 1997. The final connection we made was that their daughter, Stephanie, had married the brother of our good friends Tim and David King. We were floored by the connections.

We left the Harbaugh's house about 20 minutes after we arrived to meet a group from the church for dinner. Ron and Jean Grimm treated us all to a wonderful meal at the Country Club Restaurant. We had a good time getting to know the Harbaugh's, Grimm's, and Baugham's.

We left dinner to get ready to present our ministry to the church. The people were very kind and listened attentively to the presentation even though I had some technical difficulties with the power point. They asked good questions at the end and extended Christian kindness to us in a multitude of ways.

As you can see from the collage, Viviane hit it off with Grant. Although he is a few years her senior, he graciously played with her and kept her laughing. We appreciate the reception we received from the church and look forward to the time when God will allow us to reconnect with them.

Swissvale Baptist Church

After eating lunch with the Hills on Sunday, we drove down to Pittsburgh to present our mission to Swissvale Baptist Church. An hour later we drove up to an imposing building that had been moved to that location in 1917. Pastor Strangman greeted us, helped us unload our luggage, showed us to our lodgings, and helped us get set up in the church's fellowship hall. The church's evening services are a little more casual on Sunday evenings, but I believe the primary reason for meeting in the lower floor was to avoid the heat (we were told that it has been unseasonably warm).

Michael was able to present the mission to the church and then spend some time leading the group in a meditation on Matthew 11:28-30. The people responded well to the exposition of God's Word and all seemed to be blessed by reflecting on God's gracious invitation to us in Christ. Following the time in the Bible, Michael took questions from the group. The people showed real interest in the mission and asked good questions. We enjoyed getting to know this small group of believers and were blessed by their kindness and generosity toward us.

Pastor Strangman and his family hosted us over night. We enjoyed great food and good fellowship with these believers. The current situation at the church necessitates that both he and his wife work outside the church, but they exhibit a real love for God's people that does not complain about the extra work.

We appreciate very much this church's kindness and look forward to years of partnership in prayer.

Union Baptist Church Kittanning, PA

This past weekend we returned to Union Baptist Church in Kittanning to present our ministry during SS and in the morning worship service. Pastor Hill and his daugher Joanne graciously greeted us on Saturday evening. We appreciate the comfortable lodgings that the church provided us with. The prophets chamber is great: two bedrooms, a sitting room, access to a kitchen, and a fully equipped bath.

After a good nights' rest, we joined the congregation for SS. Michael presented a lesson based on the life of William Borden. Then, during the morning service, Michael presented our mission and then preached about God's ability to overcome human inability when it comes to salvation.

We felt very welcome and appreciate so much the kindnesses we were shown over the past week and a half. The church certainly fulfilled the call to help missionaries along (3 John). We left refreshed and encouraged.

PARBC meeting

We had the privilege of attending a Bible conference of the PARBC at Union Baptist Church in Kittanning, PA. To our surprise (and delight) we found out that the preacher was Dr. Les Ollila. The Lord used him and others to encourage us with the great privilege we have to bring glory to God. I enjoyed meeting several pastors as well as some other missionaries who are seeking partners for their missions.

The church provided very comfortable lodgings for us, and they fed us extremely well over those two days. We are grateful for the Lord's providential leading to a conference where our souls were fed.

Clymer Report

After a few weeks of no traveling, we have begun a 16 day tour of Western Pennsylvania. During this trip we are presenting our work in 5 churches and at a two day Bible conference for the PARBC.

We made our first stop in Clymer, PA, where we presented the mission to France in Calvary Baptist Church. The pastor, Dr. Daryl Jeffers, is a friend of my dad's from their teenage and college years. He and the church people welcomed us very graciously and showed us every possible hosptitality.

I began the day by presenting a lesson on William Borden to an adult SS. I had created a basic power point to go along with the lesson that morning, so I had risen quite early. But I think the visual presentation enhanced the effectiveness of the lesson, so the extra labor was worth it. That morning we participated in the morning worship service and then ate lunch with two families of the pastoral staff. That night I presented our mission to France to the church and then preached on the fact that Divine ability overcomes human inability from Matthew 19.

That night we ate dinner with another member of the church staff and had a great time. We found out that we had several connections to the church besides the fact that my dad and pastor Jeffers were good friends. One such connection is with the music pastor's wife. As children, Liz and Brendy Dolly actually attended the same church in Muncie, Indiana. They had a great time reconnecting.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to present our burden for France to the people of Calvary Baptist. We also thank God for all of their kindnesses to us.

Seek God's Kingdom First

For several months now, Liz and I have desired to know God's mind concerning my employment at UPS. We know that many of you have prayed for God to make his will plain for us, so we want you to know that Friday, April 10, was my last day at UPS. We thank God for giving us guidance and for promising to meet our needs.

The decision was not easy to make because of the way the current economic downturn has affected scheduling meetings. But in the end, we were convinced that now was the time for us to seek God's kingdom first and trust him to provide for all of our daily needs. We are confident that he will!

So, thank you for interceding for us. We believe that God has answered prayers and has made his will known. We trust that the extra time gained will prove to be useful for finding partners so that we can do God's work in France.