FFM Online Newsletter - November

  "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation."  Psalm 68:19 This verse expresses the gratefulness of our hearts as we serve our Faithful God!! We began the month in Highland, IN at Highland Baptist Church with Pastor Eddie Heavner. Brother Eddie is such a blessing to our family! He had scheduled the next ten days for us in the Chicago area, and boy, were we ever busy!  We left Highland and headed for Chicago, IL and the renowned Pacific Garden Mission where we were a part of a three day crusade. There are no words to describe the mission and the great work that they have done for Christ during the last 129 years. For more information on this dynamic ministry, go to their website at www.pgm.org/. We walked in for the first meeting and were ushered into the auditorium where we saw 200+ homeless, helpless men who had come in out of the cold looking for food and shelter. Many were asleep as they waited on the service to begin. The sight broke our hearts as we realized that this group was but a small representation of the many hopeless people across Chicago, the US, and the world. These men need more than just a warm meal and a place to stay. If we could give them each a million dollars, they would still be lost, hopeless, and on their way to hell. Their greatest need is the Lord Jesus Christ!! They need forgiveness of sin, and a Savior to live for! During the 3 day crusade, ten of those men came to Christ and gave their hearts to Him, and five others made rededications or other decisions for Christ! Praise His name!!!! It was a dream come true for our family to be able to minister there! We even got to sit in on the taping of their famous "Unshackled" radio program which tells the story of hopeless men who found hope and help in Jesus. We enjoyed exploring the streets of Chicago, even in 30 degree weather!! The following Sunday we ministered at Bible Baptist Church in Portage, IN with Pastor Don Good. What a sweet congregation he has! That afternoon we enjoyed the fellowship of about 10 pastors and their families at the Golden Corral where we had to sing the Hallelujah Chorus in exchange for our dinner! That evening we ministered at Welcome Hill Baptist Church in Lemont, IL with Pastor Robby Coggins. They are the sweet church that opened up their church home to us for the week and made it possible for us to minister in the area. The next day we loaded up the van and headed for Gary, IN where we sang at the Midwest Baptist Fellowship in the morning, hopped back in the van and drove 4 more hours to Terre Haute, IN for a Prayer Conference at Good Shepherd Baptist Church. We heard the great preaching of Dr. Jack Schaap, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Hammond, IN, and Dr. Jon Jenkins, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Gaylord, MI. What a blessing that was to each one of us! On Wednesday we started for home, and enjoyed a delicious lunch with Nancy's parents in Louisville, KY on the way! On November 9th we dressed up in our Christmas clothes and sang in Downtown Decatur, AL at the local merchant's Christmas Open House. What holiday fun!!

   Our month continued at Midway Baptist Church in Jamestown, NC at their annual Thanksgiving Jubilee. Pastor Charles Mustian is a precious man who loves the Lord and his church, especially the children! From Jamestown we went to Resaca, GA to enjoy a few days at Concord Baptist Church and the Faith Baptist Camp Meeting with Pastor Sammy Allen and moderator, Stinnett Ballew. We made it home for 2 1/2 days for Thanksgiving at HOME with Rick's family! Somehow we managed to unload the van, enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, decorate for Christmas, and reload the van all in 2 1/2 days!! Then we headed out for Lawrenceville, GA and New Canaan Baptist Church with Pastor Mike Soop. We finished out the month in Pigeon Forge, TN at Freedom Baptist Church's Winterfest. What a blessing that meeting was to our hearts as we sang and worshipped and listened to anointed preaching of the Word of God !! Pastor Ed Parton is a godly man with a loving heart, and we thank God for allowing us to know him.

   As we look back over this busy month we can only say again with the Psalmist, "blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits"!! Our Faithful Heavenly Father has loaded us with His blessings day by day, and has guided our every step along the way. We hope that your Thanksgiving was a special  one, filled with His blessings!!