FFM Online Newsletter - July 2007
For some reason, we thought that July was going to be a slow month for Faith Family Ministry!! God had things arranged a bit differently, though! We ended up in 13 different meetings during the month and saw the Lord bless in miraculous ways. We began the month at Mineral Park Baptist Church in Ooltewah, TN with Pastor Ronnie Jones. The Lord allowed our paths to cross with Brother Ronnie all the way down in Linares, Mexico, and we are so thankful for his friendship! We enjoyed a wonderful day of worship at his sweet church, and the Lord met with us. The next day we drove to Decatur for 5 whole days at home!! What a rare treat! We celebrated Joshua's 10th birthday with Rick's family on the 3rd, and then celebrated the 4th of July at our home church with a picnic and a patriotic service, and then walked over to the fireworks at Point Mallard Park. We finished the evening with sparklers and smores!! After enjoying our time at home we began packing up again for our next adventure. We left on Saturday for Hiram, GA where we enjoyed the Homecoming service at East Hiram Baptist Church with Pastor Rick Bice. That evening we ministered at Community Baptist Church with Pastor Bill Byers. There we enjoyed a surprise visit from the Fortune Family.... our dear friends!!
The next day we got on the road early and headed for Nottingham, PA!! It was a 15 hour drive, so we didn't make it for the first service of the Camp Meeting there, but we certainly were glad to get there at 10 PM and check in to the quaint little Nottingham Inn! The next day the church treated the preacher's and missionary's wives to a sightseeing/lunch/shopping trip in Amish country. What a fun day!! The Amish farms are so beautiful and immaculately kept. That evening we enjoyed our first night at the outdoor Camp Meeting of the Nottingham Baptist Church with Pastor Gary Moore. That was such a wonderful week of fellowship with pastors and missionaries from all over the world! On Saturday we had a dream come true when we spent the day in Washington, DC. We began the day by praying for our nation on the Capitol steps, where we were joined by some ladies who were there for a prayer conference! We were so impressed by the presence of God that we felt in Washington. Our nation's godly heritage is still felt all over that city. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian Museum, the WW Two Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Pentagon. I think we found more when we got lost in the city than when we deliberately looked for the sights!!
The next day we worshipped at Nottingham Baptist Church in the morning and at Charlestown Baptist Church in Charlestown, MD for the evening service where a sixteen year old young man was saved! PTL!! On Monday, we took off for Gettysburg, PA and spent the day touring the sights there. What fun! The next two days were spent at Lake Brandt Baptist Church for their camp meeting. Pastor Randy Pearlman is a man of God who loves his church! From there we back to Mineral Park Baptist Church in Ooltewah for their youth revival. The Lord really worked in the hearts of the young people there, and we understand that the revival is still going on! We spent Sunday with Liberty Baptist Church in Bowdon, GA with Pastor Ken Bowman. What a blessing that church is to our family!! The Holy Spirit came down in great power that morning as Evangelist Dana Williams preached on "Having Church"! Boy, did we ever "have church"!! On Monday we zipped by home for few hours on our way to Camp Zion in Myrtle, MS. As usual, the Lord worked in a special way the Wednesday evening of camp as many were saved during the offering/testimony service!! We didn't stand up to sing until 10:30 PM, and then enjoyed a stirring message from Bro Mike Bagwell after that!! We left Camp Zion on Thursday night and arrived home at 1:30 AM...just in time for about 3 hours of sleep before we left to pick up Rebekah at the Huntsville airport. As we were driving out our driveway, Rebekah called to say that she had missed her flight in Charlotte, and wouldn't be home until 10 AM!! OH WELL!! Several of us went back to bed.... some did errands and laundry, so the time flew by! What a joyous reunion it was!!! She always looks especially beautiful to us when we haven't seen her for a year! Now our family was ALMOST complete! Only David remained on the mission field! The next day we kissed the girls good-bye and headed for Erin, TN. Leah stayed home in Decatur to take care of her grandmother, and Rebekah stayed with her for a few days of much needed rest! The rest of us went on to Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Erin to begin a revival. On Sunday morning, we got up early and drove to Gum Springs Baptist Church with Pastor Jimmy Westmoreland for their 8:15 service, rushed back to Pleasant Ridge for 10:00 Sunday School, the 11:00 service, and their homecoming meal. We then sang a concert at 2:00, and then drove BACK to Gum Springs for their 6:00 PM Service. What a day!!! On Monday, Rick spoke at a Men's Conference in the morning. On Tuesday, Nancy spoke at a Women's luncheon while Rick and Joshua drove back to Decatur to pick up Rebekah. Pastor Tommy Cheshire has watched her grow up and so wanted her to make it for part of the meeting!! We spent the rest of the week enjoying singing with Rebekah again, and watching the Lord work in hearts and lives. We stayed with a precious lady in the church who had horses, cows, a donkey, two dogs and a cat, so needless to say, the boys enjoyed their free time greatly!!
How our originally "slow month" ended up being SO busy is beyond me!! All we can
say is, we are so thankful that the Lord directs our path and that HE opens the doors
for us as we go. We praise His name that we can trust Him with each day, and
with each opportunity to minister in His name!
We can't wait to see what He will
do next!