FFM Online Newsletter - June, 2009

The month of June began with family fun as we stopped for lunch with Nancy's parents in Louisville, KY on our way home from Indiana! It is always a joy to get to spend time together. During those few days at home we also celebrated Nancy's birthday and enjoyed spending time with David and Lina, our oldest son and beautiful daughter-in-love! The Lord also enabled us to finally finish up our newest CD, "Great is Thy Faithfulness", during that week!! It has been in production for a long time, and we're so thankful to see the final results!

We left the first Saturday in June for Lexington, NC where we participated in a wonderful Missions Jubilee at Currytown Baptist Church with Pastor Mike McDaniel. He and his dear wife, Ellen, did a great job organizing this missions conference!! They hosted 18 missionary families for the week, and it was a joy to get to know these precious families. Each morning, Rick preached to the adults on the family, while our older children helped provide activities for the missionary children, such as a trip to the park, horseback riding, and a children's institute. The evening services were filled with inspiring preaching by Tony Howeth and lots of music! The Lord truly blessed that week and I know that the missionaries were helped and encouraged! We left Lexington for Dearborn, Michigan where we were in revival at Silvery Lane Baptist Church with Pastor Chris Staub. This was a precious church and they gave us a warm welcome, even providing lots of sight seeing opportunities for our family! They sent us to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, and we are so thankful for these great experiences! God is so good to us!

We left Michigan and once again headed for Valdese, NC where we stayed in a wonderful prophet's chamber at one of our supporting churches. That weekend, Rick preached the Homecoming service at Allendale Baptist Church in High Point, NC on Sunday morning, we sang an afternoon concert, and then Rick preached at Pine Grove Baptist Church that evening! A busy day!! One precious young man was saved on Sunday morning, and we thank God for His saving grace!! On Monday we returned to the prophet's chamber in Valdese for a day of rest before we sang at the Burke County Camp Meeting on Tuesday night. On Wednesday we began the Taylorsville Camp Meeting in Taylorsville, NC, but drove from Valdese every morning and night, so it was an extremely busy and tiring week! The Lord truly blessed in Taylorsville, with three saved during the three days we were there!! This is one of our favorite Camp Meetings in the country, and we were so blessed to be a part of it! Saturday was a day to catch up on our sleep and prepare for another busy Sunday. Sunday morning we worshipped at Calvary Baptist Church with Pastor Steve Daggenhart. Sunday night, Rick preached at Bible Gospel Baptist Church in Connelly Springs, NC with Pastor Tim Dockery.

Rebekah is finishing up her 5th year as a missionary in Taiwan, where she teaches English in the government schools. God is truly working in Kinmen, Taiwan and is giving much fruit!! One of her students that we call Big John was saved recently and was baptized last Sunday! On the day of the baptism, another of her students named Easy was gloriously saved!! There was rejoicing all over the world as SO many Chrstians have been praying for Easy! PLEASE pray for both of these young men as they return to their homes for the summer and face the possibility of anger and scorn from their families if they refuse to worship the ancestors. We in America often forget the difficulties facing those who come to Christ in other cultures. It involves so much more than simply reciting a prayer and "joining a church". They need the wisdom and peace of God as they face persecution for their relationship with the Risen Lord.

We praise God for continually opening doors of opportunity for our family! He is so faithful to lead and guide us, and it is the desire of our hearts to be clean vessels that He can use for His glory!