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| Horsepens 40, Alabama |
April 11
These past couple of months God has been very gracious to our family, therefore we have lacked nothing. We have food, clothing, shelter and free time, none of which we deserve. To me this is proof that we are seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven and the Lord is providing for us to do so.
There are a few climbers here that we have built a great relationship with and we are very fond of them. It pains me that they do not know the Lord. As often as opportunities arise I discuss the truth of the bible, and I pray for them daily and plead with the Lord to open their eyes to see and open their ears to hear. I have given a bible to a young man and challenged him to read it and find the truth. I prayed that he would read that bible and the Lord answered as always. Only a few days later he mentioned he had started reading the book of Genesis. I will not cease to pray for the lost and plead with the Lord for their salvation. I will strive to be an imitator of Christ and walk in the love that Christ showed us, Him sacrificing His life for our salvation.
April 14
Two days ago the alternator on our only vehicle stopped working. It will cost around $200 to replace. As of right now we have almost exactly that amount of money so we will be left with nothing after fixing the van. The only reason we even have such a large amount is because the Lord provides us with the support only a few days before the alternator stopped working. Proof that God's timing is perfect and He knows our needs before we even ask.
On top of that, while waiting in the van for the tow truck I received an email from our old church in Marietta, PA. They made contact to continue the process of supporting us as missionaries. I've been continually praying for more support to confirm that this is where the Lord wants us and to start setting money aside for the start of the hostel. This same week a local brother in Christ has offered to support our ministry on a monthly basis. I feel that the harder and further I fall the higher the Lord picks me up.
April 21
One week ago the alternator died on our van and the Lord provided us with nearly the exact amount of money to fix the problem. Upon fixing the alternator the mechanic mentioned that the battery was dead. Unfortunately, I didn't have the money to cover the extra cost of a new battery so I asked that he put the old one back in and get the van started. I prayed that the Lord would take care of this van as it was a blessing to us for His service. The battery is still working perfectly and we've had no other problems.
Word seems to be spreading about the hostel. We have met many brothers and sisters in Christ who have had a long-term interest in the same idea. I believe God is stirring things up for us. We have been telling people about the hostel when questioned but still have asked no one but God for support. If it is of the Lord than He will orchestrate it.
May 23
Praise God! I was able to speak to two climbers about God and Jesus Christ. They are older and wiser than I which makes it very intimidating to speak to them, but God gave me the boldness.
May 30
We have many reasons to be confident in the flesh, confident in our life without Jesus. Paul gives us his reasons in Philippians 3:4-7, "If anyone else thinks he has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." I too have reason to be confident in the flesh: circumcised on the first day, of the people of America, of the family of Herman; as to the law, a follower; as to zeal, an overweight boy with no future who lost over fifty pounds, went back to college, obtained a degree in nutrition, secured a stable career helping others, began a family and purchased my first house; as to righteousness, according to the world blameless, a good person because I do good. But whatever gain I had, I count as a loss for the sake of Christ. Whatever life I lived before giving my life up as a 'living sacrifice" for our Lord is worth nothing compared to my life now. I have less money, less things, less stability but I was once dead and am now alive.
June 2
In my country I am free to proclaim Jesus as my Lord and savior, but maybe not for long. We need to stand up and take advantage of this opportunity. Men, women and children are persecuted and killed every day in the name of Jesus, but we Americans are free to worship everyone and anyone without persecution. I fail at proclaiming Jesus as much as I should, as do the majority of Christians. I pray that the Lord continues to strengthen me to glorify Him.
June 14
I just hitchhiked for the first time, over 350 miles. I prayed about this decision and felt that it was the right decision. Why? Because it gave me free opportunities to tell people about Jesus and glorify His name. We are ALL called to glorify God and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. I sacrificed my time and safety to do so. Jesus sacrificed His life for me, it is the least I could do. I am so thankful that I made it to my destination, thank you God.
I've picked up many hitchhikers while driving, none of which were Christians, yet, to travel in this way takes much faith. How can people of no faith have more faith than most Christians? If man does not believe in God than where does his faith lie? At times we get accustomed to our church family, our close friends we see routinely and our town. We crawl into the safety of these things and don't see the depravity of man and the need of spreading the words of God. We are very near to the times of Sodom, Gomorrah and Noah and many are blind to this. I was picked up by four people and in those four I saw homosexuality, sexual immorality, ignorance to the words of God, lovers of self, lawlessness and justification for sins.
June 21
After much thought and prayer I have decided to acquire a part-time job. I have some financial debt in my life from when I followed the world's standard and not God's. We are told in Romans 13 to, "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything..." A Christian should not be in any kind of debt. It is not the Lord's will that we don't wait on Him for our provision. It is not the Lord's will that we are impatient and unfaithful and in unbelief that God will provide what He sees that we need when He sees that we need it.
As a missionary I live on constant prayer and the financial support that God provides through others. I will not ask the Lord to provide for my past mistakes. The support given to us is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not to pay off my careless debt. This was not my conscious intent, but an inevitable outcome of my mistakes before the Lord seized my life. For those supporting me please forgive me.
June 27
This month has been a difficult month financially. We have had many extra surprise expenses for our van. On a drive up to Rock Creek with the family, a 20 mile drive at about 6-8% grade, one of the auxiliary water pumps split in half. The coolant completely leaked out while driving, the engine got so hot that the cylinder head warped, the timing belt wore down to about half of it's width and the timing slipped slightly. We had to call AAA and pay $160 to renew our service so we could get towed. I see in many ways how satan attempts to thwart our ministry, but he is never successful. If it wasn't for Bethany's parents always giving us AAA as a gift we would not have been able to renew it and use it that day. A brother in Christ has offered his extra van for us to use in the mean time. Another brother who is a mechanical engineer has offered to work on the van for free. The engine is completely disassmebled and we are praying that the Lord provides to us the means to fix the van soon.
We have only nine dollars left until further support comes in. We have just enough food for the next three days and I have faith God will provide for us beyond that day.
I suffer from the same sinful flesh as others and by no means proclaim to have any special gift of faith. At times I think how easy it would be if we had an RV where everything worked normally and well, a reliable vehicle for our family, extra income to use to serve others and a church that backed us financially and with prayer. But I quickly move away from these sinful thoughts and remember other brothers and sisters in Christ who have not been blessed even as much as I have. I remember those who recently refused to denounce Christ as their savoir and Lord, therefore being murdered publicly. I remember those in prison for their belief in our Lord. I remember the disciple Stephen who was stoned to death for proclaiming Jesus Christ.
