Ministry Partner of the Month - Common Ground

Prayer Requests for Common Ground Ministries:

1. Please pray for the children currently enrolled, opened minds to learn & the desire to make things better.

2. We are asking the Lord for exciting, new ways to meet the needs of our children & their families.

3. We are always in need of volunteers with a special heart for children & love the Lord!

4. Please pray we get our heating system figured out at CGM!

5. Our prayer is to make stronger connections with our children/families that will make the greatest impact on their lives!

6. Please pray for continued protection over our children, families, staff & building. Both during working hours & after.

7. Please pray we continue to be sensitive to each child & what each of their needs are specifically.

8. Please pray for our “Mentor Me” program that we will be launching in March. We will be partnering with SAGU for this special program!

9. Please pray for direction for whoever God has specifically chosen for our Assistant Director in 2015. There are many that are good & available, but our prayer is that we find exactly the person God has for us!

10. Please pray for each step to be made for expansion. The need is there & we are ready!

11. Please pray that we make the GREATEST impact possible on the east side of Waxahachie!!

12. Please pray that we will continue to be a “safe haven” for the children! (The safe place!)

13. Please pray for new learning ideas!

We are praying for many lives to be changed as they enter CGM! May they feel the love of Jesus & want more of Him!

Following Jesus Into the Desert

Following Jesus Into the Desert

This year we have been following Jesus through His life when He was here on earth. During Advent we looked forward to His birth. During Epiphany we followed Jesus to His baptism and His transfiguration. Today is the day that we begin to follow Jesus into the desert for 40 days. This past Sunday we handed out devotion books that hope to help us all more fully center our days on Jesus Christ. In this email we would like to provide you with a video and a digital version of the books that were handed out Sunday.  

Click the link below to watch the video and a digital overview of our upcoming worship practices.

http://waxahachiebible.org/#/resources/lent-at-wbc

5th Annual Love in Action Giveaway

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in action and truth.” - 1 John 3:16-18

For the past four years, Waxahachie Bible Church has been answering the epistle’s call to “love in action” through sharing our possessions with those in need. The Love in Action Giveaway is an amazing event in which we have the opportunity to see how greatly God has blessed us and how greatly we can, in turn, bless others. January 11, 2015, we will begin collecting donations from the congregation to present to anyone in need, free of charge, on Saturday, January 17, 2015. This is a great opportunity to carry Christ’s love to the community through our service. Here are some FAQs about the Love in Action Giveaway. 

Donations..................................

When are you accepting donations? We will begin Sunday, January 11 after second service and continue through Thursday evening during church office and ministry hours.

Where should were leave donations? In the WBC sanctuary near the tables labeled with items.

Do the clothes have to be on hangers or folded? Either is fine. We will fold all items other than coats, suits, and dresses. Clothing may be separated into size and gender to help organizers.

What kind of donations do you accept? Food, clothing (clean and gently used/new), housewares (pots, pans, dishes, etc), linens, home decor, small appliances, toys, books, electronics, etc.

Do you accept large items? We will not be accepting large furniture and large appliances (dishwasher, refrigerator, etc.) for the giveaway day. However, if you would like to donate these types of items, contact the church and we will try to find a home for them.

What happens to anything left over? The church will collect the remaining donations and distribute to several charitable organizations in the area.

I would like to use this donation on my taxes. What do I need from the church? Charitable donation forms can be found in the church office by request. You (the donator) are responsible for evaluating the value of your donations and filing the items on your own tax forms.

My business would like to make a donation or partner with the church to provide goods/services. Contact Rebecca Manguno ASAP concerning opportunities and details.

Do you accept monetary donations? Yes! All monetary donations will be put towards grocery cards for guests who are in special need at the Giveaway.

Do you accept gift cards? Yes! Food and gas cards are always needed.

Volunteering..................................

I would like to help! Where am I needed? We will need helpers for a variety of jobs. We are beginning preparations now and need volunteers to help with food and donation drives, contacting businesses for support, and getting the word out. We also need individuals willing to help contact attendees from previous years. The week leading up to the Giveaway, we need people to sort, fold, and organize donations onto tables and hanging racks in the sanctuary. Saturday, we will need the following: greeters, coffee servers, prayer partners, organizers, registration, cashiers, “finders” to help guests locate items, “carriers” to help guests carry their items to their vehicles, clean up after event, “deliverers” to deliver leftover items to various locations in the area (trucks are helpful for this). If you would like to serve in a specific way, contact Rebecca Manguno.

I want to help through the week organizing donations but can’t commit to an entire day. Can I still help? Yes! Even an hour of your time is appreciated. You can come in any time the church is open and help in the sanctuary.

I’d like to start a fundraiser or host a drive to raise funds/items/awareness for the Giveaway. What do I need to do? Contact Rebecca Manguno to coordinate events and details.

Receiving.....................................

I am a member of the congregation in need and would like to be blessed by this ministry. What do I do? To keep matters discreet, contact Rebecca Manguno, and she will schedule a time for you to get the items you need. You may also attend the Giveaway Saturday if you prefer.

I heard about the Giveaway and need to be blessed by this ministry. What do I do? Attend the Love in Action Giveaway on Saturday, January 17 from 9am-12pm.

Do I need to qualify? No

Malissa Watson & Bread of Life

Hello, my name is Malissa Watson, and most of you know me as the little lady on the second row during worship with her hands raised and singing, sometimes way too loud. Others may know me as a servant in the Bread of Life Kitchen Ministry, others through Bible studies or small groups. But, what you don’t know is that I wasn’t always like this, praise Jesus and His precious blood.

I have owned four different beauty shops at various times. I was married to a commercial driver and have a beautiful son. And life was good, so I thought! I always felt like something was missing, and so I started attending various churches and reading Scripture. I read in Matthew 17:20, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” With this, I desired to seek this faith. In a small Baptist Church in Chatahoula Parish outside of Ferriday, Louisiana, I prayed the sinner’s prayer. I was baptized and began attending church on a regular basis (every Sunday and Wednesday). Shortly afterwards, my marriage fell apart and my son moved out on his own.

I was devastated, and that’s all it took for me to stop attending church and begin seeking where I fit into this life. So I sold my business and went to work offshore as a cook. In that time, I was nailing Jesus back to the cross, telling Him, “I’ll be with you later!” I never sought that verse in Matthew 17; never even thought of it!

While working offshore, I saved my money and bought a motorcycle. In 2002, I had a near-death accident. I broke my pelvis on the left side and crushed the right side. I had a compound fracture to the right femur, a severed spleen, four broken ribs, and a punctured lung. You would think that that would cause me to go back to the cross, but nope! I was told I would never walk again (God had other plans). The sad and troubling thing is, I still did not return to Jesus. I started walking again after three months of my being told I would never walk again. And not once did I give Jesus thanks for His mercies and grace. I returned to the beauty business and making my doctor appointments (for pain management), and life marched on without a thought of Jesus.

A coworker and I would hang out on weekends and do drugs together, a little snorting cocaine and smoking crack we called recreation. This went on for months. As the months passed by, my addiction to these drugs escalated into an every day occurrence. I began to sell my pain medication to support my habit for these drugs, which led to years of this reckless behavior. By the time Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area, I was a full-blown addict with one thing on my mind and heart; when and where is my next high. In my addiction, my brother came to visit me, and in our conversation he said to me, “Malissa! God wants what is His!” And, instantly, my heart clicked and my thoughts rushed back to the verse in Matthew 17.

Soon after he said this to me, I found myself reading Scripture. I began reading the book of Isaiah and finding myself fearing the Lord and falling in love. I had one more visit with the pain management doctor and one more sale, this time to put cash in my pocket instead of drugs in my system. But God had something else in mind. On this last trip to sell my drugs, I was stopped and arrested for distribution of schedule two narcotics. After being bonded out in the spring of 2006, I began to ponder all these events and really examine myself. I began to read the Bible again and to surrender my life to Jesus. I started reading the book of Isaiah and a fear of the Lord begin to grow deep within me, and I began to spend, really spend time with Jesus. What I mean by really spending time is asking Him to take residence in my life to cause me to openly give my life to Him. As this went on, I found myself deeply and eagerly seeking what is pleasing to Him. I spent the next eight months in the Word of God, daily surrendering and being honest with myself and Jesus. If I wasn’t at work or church, I was drinking and eating Jesus. And this was the beginning of a relationship for me like no other.

Two years went by, and as my relationship with Jesus grew, my faith did too! In my quiet time with my Lord, He spoke to my inner man saying, “You are right in my sight, now I must make you right in the sight of man.” I didn’t understand what exactly He meant, but I trusted Him. I offended the laws of the land. Even though I was forgiven by grace, I now how to give Caesar what was his. I had a court date for these charges and went before the judge for my offence, and God saw favor. My sentence was five years hard labor, reduced to two and a half years. It was my first offense, and I praised Jesus’ Holy Name because He had seen favor. I could hear a still voice saying, “Comfort my people. Comfort my people.” So while in prison, that’s exactly what I did. I comforted, encouraged, and introduced Jesus to countless women while I was there.

This month marks five years since that time. But every day since, I am growing with Jesus. I love Him because He first loved me. He is my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He truly makes all things new. Today I still have favor in my Savior’s embrace. He has blessed me with stewardship over the Bread of Life Kitchen Ministry, where I am enlisted to be a soldier for His Kingdom; sharing the love and hope I have found in Jesus with others. And I am thankful and grateful to the one true King and Lord Jesus Christ. A lot of events in this life have occurred, and I have seen the Lord’s hand in countless ways, too many to many to write. I am thankful to Jesus that I have given Him back this life, because it’s His.

I have been reflecting on the stewardship He so entrusted me with and why does He have me doing what He trusted me to do with the Bread of Life Kitchen Ministry. He brought into remembrance when I was a little girl, how I longed to help feed the hungry children. This was a desire from long ago. Oh how faithful He is! I sit in amazement and awe of His love and how He has designed me for His good pleasure.


Bread of Life Kitchen Update
I would like to thank the hands and feet of Jesus and your obedience to the calling of furthering the Kingdom. Bread of Life Kitchen is growing in Ellis County, and our prayer is that we reach all of God’s people with the Word of God and love on them as Jesus would. This can be possible with the hands and feet working together with Christ at the center.

We have three locations:

• Monday and Wednesday at Waxahachie Housing Authority - 208 Patrick Street
• Tuesday and Thursday at Joshua Chapel - 210 N. Aikens
• Friday at Dallas Inn & Suites - 795 S. Interstate Hwy. 35

On average, we prepare 180-186 meals weekly. On a daily basis, we have 9-20 meals going to the elderly, disabled or shut-in. That’s 720-750 meals monthly, showing that there is a need in our community.

God has blessed Bread of Life Kitchen Ministry with more partners over the past few months. Since October, Dart Containers has provided all of our paper goods. Recently, we partnered with Mission 75165, which is an online ministry that we are now a part of. Sunset Hill Tree Farm has adopted Bread of Life Kitchen, and is donating all of the proceeds from their Old Tyme Christmas. We have partnered with Tuscan Slide here in Waxahachie as well. Owners Jonathan and Josh have already provided us with 2 cases of sausage and pork. They have a desire to give back to the community through Bread of Life Kitchen. On their website, they have publicly announced this partnership, and, through the holidays,Bread of Life will receive half of all gift card purchases. Praise Jesus!

During this past week, I met with the missions pastor at The Avenue, and they too want to work closely with Bread of Life. They will be sending a love offering, along with more people to serve. Waxahachie Preparatory Academy has done a food drive to benefit Bread of Life. Discipleship Ministries has also been in prayer for God’s direction in serving. The pastor and his lovely family came to serve, and they are going to partner with Bread of Life Kitchen for a wish list this Christmas.

I am thankful for everyone’s participation and thankful for God’s faithfulness. The cost of running Bread of Life Kitchen last year was roughly 21,000-25,000. This total covers the cost of operations and food. It does not include the generous giving of God’s children. Our current partners include Waxahachie Bible Church, The Avenue, Discipleship Ministries, Dart Containers, Tuscan Slice, Joshua Chapel, Waxahachie Housing Authority, and Mission 75165.

The Operation Christmas Child Experience

Brenda Eaton:

I first learned about OCC at WBC when our boys were young. We packed a couple of boxes at home and brought them to church for collection Sunday. What a great idea for sharing during the Christmas season and for bringing joy and good news to children and their families. It has been exciting to see this ministry expand at WBC with fundraisers and packing parties, but also the opportunity to continue packing personal boxes at home. It brings me much joy to see women leading this ministry, using their gifts, driven by a passion to serve their LORD. I’m so thankful for a great team this year who spent many hours cooking, buying, organizing, serving, and delivering. A special thanks to Krystle Wainscott, Stephanie Panning, Jeannette Henning, Lori Blevins, and Mariann Brezeale for their leadership, and to all the volunteers and participants who carried Christ’s love to the world with 256 shoeboxes this year!


Krystle Wainscott, OCC Breakfast Fundraiser Coordinator:
I love to cook! When I was asked by Brenda if I would like to facilitate a portion of the OCC ministry, I knew the breakfast fundraiser was where I could lead! I have been blessed through this ministry by meeting many people; those who volunteer to make breakfast, those who have helped serve breakfast, and the hungry congregation who have so generously donated! We belong to a giving church, and I am glad to be a part so we can give Christmas gifts to children around the world!


Lori Blevins, OCC Collection Sunday Coordinator:
It’s good to be back involved after taking a few years off. It’s a different, but wonderful experience working with a team. The other ladies on the team are such hard workers and fun to be with. It was a blessing to get to know others that I might not have known well otherwise.


Dot Hightower, past OCC coordinator who brought new vision with a packing party to WBC:
I have always enjoyed packing boxes for OCC because it is a fun and tangible way to carry Christ’s love around the world. I started out by sending two boxes a year. Now that I have young children, OCC is even more important to me because it is an opportunity for my family to serve the Lord together. This year, my two-year-old and six-year-old helped me write letters, decorate boxes, and buy gifts during the month of October. Then we spent a whole Saturday at home packing all the boxes and praying for the recipients. Our goal is to send 20 boxes each year. Sometimes it’s fewer, and sometimes it’s more, but the important thing is that we are helping to share Christ with all those kids and their families.


Alison and Gary Fourtner, participants at OCC Packing Party:This was our third year to do Operation Christmas Child, and we thoroughly enjoy it because it’s the perfect activity to get our 3 year old involved in! She loves picking out toys for the boys and girls then coloring the pages to send them. We want her to grow up wanting to help other people, so OCC is a great way to introduce her to doing that. It’s a fun family activity!


Mariann Brezeale, co-coordinator for OCC Collection Sunday:
It humbles you to know such a small box of items can bring so much to a child’s life. Knowing we are sending the knowledge of Jesus, our prayers, and a shoebox of joy makes me feel blessed to have been a part of this ministry.


Stephanie Panning and Jeannette Henning, OCC Packing Party Coordinators:
We have been involved with Operation Christmas Child for four years now. The first year we attended a packing party, the second as helpers and the last two as Packing Party Coordinators. We love doing this ministry because we want to give as many children as possible the opportunity to be blessed with learning about Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Also, knowing that the gifts we send will make a difference in a child’s life and give them happiness warms our hearts. God has blessed us this year with a multitude of donors who gave generously with providing necessary items for packing and also a great group of people who volunteered with their time. God has pressed on my heart the power of prayer. He gave me, Stephanie, strength and confidence this past packing party to pray publicly with others. I found the more I did it the more comfortable I became praying with others. This ministry has given us the chance to instill in our children and grandchildren the gift of giving as well as watching them gain a servant’s heart for Our Savior Jesus.

Ministry Partner of the Month - December 2014

Prayer Requests:

1. Frontier Camp’s 10th trip to Limbe, Haiti to work with our camp plant, Jacob’s Well. Our trip with 20 of our summer staffers will take place January 5-12, 2015

2. Camper recruiting for summer 2015…that God would give us a full harvest field

3. Camper hearts for this summer’s spiritual program…that there would be good soil in their lives

4. All our summer 2014 campers that they would remember the spiritual lessons from last summer and pursue a daily relationship with God

5. For our first ever Father/Son “Passage” weekend coming up this spring; this is for dads and their teenage sons as they walk them through a passage into manhood

6. The completion of Fossil Creek’s Quarry Lodge building

7. Year-end giving to be healthy and all the financial needs of the camp ministry to be met

8. Staff recruiting, screening and hiring for summer 2015 to go well and give us a godly, servant team for the 2015 campers

9. Adoption process—our family is 2 years deep into trying to adopt a brother and sister from Haiti (Peirrot and Dashka). Haiti changed all their adoption rules delaying the process. All our paperwork is complete and in the hands of the Haitian Adoption Agency (IBESR) but it is in danger of “expiring.” The word Haiti means “mountain” so join us in praying for God to move a mountain in Haiti and bring our children home.

10. Home schooling for Emma and Will to continue to go well

11. Will and I are involved in the local boy scout troop; pray for our ministry with the boys and families

12. We’ve recently joined a new church, Lake Baptist. One of our staff members (Stuart Sanders) has just become the pastor there. Pray for revitalized ministry to the lake community, Stuart to balance family, camp and church, and our family to plug in with our gifts and make the adjustment from a mid-sized to very small church body.

13. Our new Food Service Director to settle into his new home here at camp and the new role of serving 6,000 guests annually. Our former FSD recently left after 8 years…on our staff of 14 we have basically no turnover with some folks serving here over 35 years. So it is an adjustment!

14. A praise in that Fossil Creek camp for teens opened this past summer and we saw a 20% increase in our teen camper population with lots of spiritual growth amongst them.

15. A praise for the 130 new believers that trusted Christ during our summer camps in 2014

16. For our 12th annual Angel Tree Week of camp for children of prisoners that will take place July 26-30, 2015. Pray that the cycle of prison will be broken in this generation of campers and that they won’t repeat the sins of their fathers.

He is Greater

Churches across the county will once again be collaborating together in the “He is Greater...” campaign. Last year about 35 churches presented the same theme and series using the same Christmas texts. This year the focus is on “Who is HE?” The series will focus on the angelic names given to the baby that we celebrate at Christmas. The four advent Sundays leading up to our Christmas Eve service will be: He is Savior.... He is Christ .... He is Lord .... He is Jesus!

There is a website available at heisgreater.com that will list the churches participating in the collaborative series, resources available for family worship throughout advent, community outreaches and opportunities as well as resources for community group leaders. New “He is Greater” t-shirts will be available for this year in a holiday red at WBC in the month of November. The plan is to wear the shirts across the community starting Novemmber 28th - “Black Friday!” Last year more than 10,000 t-shirts with the logo were distributed across the 35 churches. As people wore the shirts, people asked questions and conversations were started. I walked into JCPenney’s close to Christmas wearing my “He is Greater..” t-shirt, and the saleswoman asked me, “I’ve seen those shirts around for weeks, what is all this about?” It was a great opportunity to share the true story of Christmas and its meaning. There will also be yard signs available that we would love to see covering our entire community.

This series allows us as churches across the county to stand shoulder to shoulder in collectively declaring at Christmas that Jesus is greater! Be a part of the Community-wide declaration!

Carry Christ's Love

How are you “Carrying the love of Jesus” locally and globally? We would love to hear about it! E-mail us at icarry@waxahachiebible.org.

Interested in getting involved in a community group at WBC or local “Carry” opportunities? E-mail us at icarry@waxahachiebible.org.

At WBC, we just spent a couple of weeks embracing a mini-series where we focused in on a compelling component of our mission. As we worship our Lord and become mature disciples, we are reminded to also “Carry the Love of Jesus” in our community and around the world. Excitement filled the room as the church talked about one of the points of our mission for two weeks in a row! This two week series did great things for reminding us about the “C” component of WBC.

Our Powerful God lives inside of us, church! As we connect deeply with what it means to “carry the love of Jesus,” we hope everyone can discover practical ways we can believe it, know it, discover it and actually carry it locally and globally. What is the “it?” It is - The Love of Jesus Christ.

During the two weeks, we spent time discovering and acting on where we can engage at WBC, locally and globally to “Carry the Love of Christ.” On Sunday, October 26th, missionaries Mike Cloud and Immanuel Christian shared in both morning services to help us remember to Carry the Love of Jesus globally. Several missionaries were also on hand to share in the Sunday morning community classes to encourage all of us to remember and to show us how to carry the love of Christ around the world.

Be reminded of this compelling part of our mission:
CARRY CHRIST’S LOVE TO THE WORLD. Any journey with God must involve reaching outside of our church to be a part of God’s mission in the world. We hope that you will be a part of shining God’s light in the darkest corners of our community and world - Locally & Globally.

The Vision for This
• We envision meeting the needs of Ellis County in tangible ways that live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. We envision sharing the gospel with thousands of people in the Ellis County area. (Isaiah 55:11; Acts 2:43-47; Luke 6:27-36; Romans 5:15; II Corinthians 4:15, Phil 2:14-16; I Thess. 1:8)

• We envision our church as a place where the salvation of souls is the norm, not the exception. (Luke 15:4-6; Luke 19:10; John 14:6; Colossians 1:4-6; I Timothy 4:10; I Thess. 1:5-6; 2 Peter 3:9)

• We envision welcoming people into our body who are seeking to grow together in love and experience healing in their lives, families, relationships, and marriages. (Luke 9:48, Acts 28:30; Luke 14:21-23; I Cor. 13:1-3; I John 4:7-10)

• We envision recruiting, training, and sending out all of our people as missionaries, church planters, and church workers all over the world.We also envision all of our people pursuing short-term mission’s service in various countries. (Psalm 22:27; Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Matthew 7:13-14, Acts 13:2-3; Romans 10:14-15, I Corinthians 3:5-11)

• We envision planting churches in Ellis County, America or abroad as God leads and provides. We also seek to fully develop the leadership for these church plants. (Acts 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1-10)

• We envision a facility that will accommodate our growth and be accessible to all of Ellis County. Thus, we desire to grow as God prospers us and uses us to reach a lost and dying world. (Acts 2:43-47; Mark 4:1-9)

Local Carry Opportunities
- Daniels Den
- Hallelujah party
- Women’s Christmas dinner
- Bread of life
- Prison Ministry
- Camp Fire Creek Therapeutic Riding Center
- Common Ground
- Connections ministry
- Drug Prevention Resources
- Firstlook
- Mission 75165
- Gabriel’s Project
- Habitat for Humanity
- Little Ray of Sunshine
- Impact
- Meals on Wheels
- Mercy Heart
- Mobile Manna
- Salvation Army
- Soul’s Harbor
- Waxahachie Care
- First Christian School

Global Carry Opportunities
- OCC
- Short term missions
- Echo Ranch
- Honduras
- Arizona

How are you “Carrying the Love of Jesus” locally and globally? We would love to hear about it! Interested in getting involved in a community group at WBC or local “Carry” opportunities? Email us:  icarry@waxahachiebible.org

Ministry Partner of the Month - Ken & Gwen Baker

October 15 through next April, we will be teaching advanced missions courses at the Institut Missiologique du Sahel (IMS) to French-speaking African mission leaders and mobilizers in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The IMS is in a small village 25 kms outside the capital city.

1. Pray for our health to be strong and resilient.

2. Pray that we will develop effective, contextualized courses.

3. Praise that we have the privilege to mentor these men and women!

4. Pray for wisdom as we seek to discern areas of growth needed.

5. Pray for us to persevere well in the heat without A/C!

6. Pray that we will develop good relationships with the students and staff.

7. Pray that our computers will work with limited solar electricity.

8. Pray for periodic communication with family back home (we will not have local internet).

9. Pray for wisdom in our teaching.

10. Pray for our French ability, we haven’t taught in French for a few years.

11. Pray for spiritual strength and vitality!

12. Pray specifically for Gwen’s English as a Foreign Language courses.

13. Pray for West Africa during the Ebola crisis, that God would stop the plague.

14. Pray for the IMS students as they study and prepare for mission engagement.

15. Pray for administrative capacity as Ken is interim director of the IMS program.

16. Pray for us as we deeply miss our children and grandson!!

17. Pray for us and IMS in the face of constant spiritual battle.

Unexpected Blessings:

Women's Fall Brunch & Tea

If you attended the Women’s Ministry Fall Brunch, you most certainly encountered beautifully decorated tables with teapots of flowers and lacy cookies. It was a delightful morning that included a delicious breakfast brunch provided by our own church members and followed by a time of special music that set the tone for our three testimonies. Our theme was “Unexpected Blessings” that come through times of trials, fear, growth, or hardship. Just as tea grounds steeping in hot water produce a strong flavor, so too, believers can grow stronger in times like these. And if we look for them, there are unexpected blessings that appear during these times.

In keeping with our new logo, “Becoming,” we asked representatives of three age groups to speak about how God had affected their lives and brought them through times of trials. Tiffany Neal, Ami Trull, and Maxey Sumlin spoke with uplifting words that will provide encouragement to each of us in our daily walk.

We presented a new name and logo at the brunch, based on the following verses:

“He must become greater; I must become less.” - John 3:30 (NIV)

“ . . . speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” - Eph 4:15 (NIV)

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 3:18 (NET)

The name, logo, and scripture give the idea of growth and progression as believers in Jesus Christ at every stage of our Christian walk. There are small green leaves in the logo to represent our growth in becoming more like Christ and the candle logo of WBC reminds us that our flame needs to become brighter individually and as the body of Christ. We need to be growing in our worship of our Savior, becoming more mature disciples, and in that growth we hope to become better witnesses of the message and love of Christ in our homes and every sphere of our influence.

We expressed our desire to be more intentional in reaching the younger generation in all that we do in women’s ministry. We enjoyed having young teen girls, younger women in their twenties and thirties, and every age beyond that in fellowship with us at the brunch. Thank you for coming!

The brunch was to kick-off all the women ministries at Waxahachie Bible Church for this school year. At WBC we have diverse ways to serve and be served. Our hope and prayer is that women will develop deep relationships with Jesus and others in the community through Women’s Ministries at WBC. Here are some ways to accomplish it:

- Dive deeper into God’s Word through small groups and Bible studies.
- Journey with other women through relevant mentor and support groups.
- Gather with other women of all ages at our special events and retreats for teaching, worship and connecting with other women.
- Serve globally by your support of our missionaries.
- Visit our website for links to discover all that is available through our Women’s Ministries
at waxahachiebible.org.

Will you join us this year in women’s ministry in BECOMING more like Jesus? Girl to girl, woman to woman, we can have a positive influence on each other as we connect and grow together.

WBC Ministers to Those in Prison

by Phil Blevins

For the past several months, a team of volunteers from WBC has been going into the Estes Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Venus, Texas. The team is responsible for conducting a worship service on the last Saturday evening in months where there are five Saturdays on the calendar.

The last service was held on August 30th. Approximately 30 volunteers, following Jesus’ call to “go unto the least of these,” ministered to over 100 inmates out of the 1036 prisoners currently incarcerated at the Estes unit. The service started at 7:00pm with a worship team leading praise and worship singing followed by 2 people sharing their testimonies of a recent mission trip to Colombia. Bill Cox brought the message and the service concluded at about 8:45.

In addition to sharing in worship, the volunteers are allowed to interact with the inmates for brief times of fellowship and prayer. The men are challenged to accept Christ and live according to the Scriptures. Believing inmates are encouraged to be good examples in the general prison population, lift up one another in the Lord and share their faith with others. This was the third time in 2014 that a WBC team has performed this ministry, and the next opportunity will be November 30th.

There are many other ministry opportunities available to individuals who are interested and go through the required training. Contact the church or Jerry Weiler for more information.

The Sanders Estes Unit of TDC is a male minimum-security facility managed by MAC for TDCJ. Many of the men there are preparing to transition back into life after prison.

Ministry Partner of the Month - Charles & Bridget Ulibarri

Prayer Requests:

• We are hoping to be traveling in October to do some short term ministry and explore some overseas fields. Pray we will have travel mercies and be a blessing wherever we go.

• Pray for God’s clear direction and timing for the overseas field and team that we will  serve on starting next year. We have had many mission ministry opportunities that have come up, and we need clear direction.

• Pray for our finances. We had some unexpected medical expenses last year that has put us in a bind. We need more individuals and churches to partner with us in monthly support as well as funds for ministry trips and future overseas ministry setup expenses.

• Pray for Charles as he completes his online Bible school studies, that we would have the finances for him to complete them, and that he would do well: expected graduation in 2015.

• Pray for our daughter, Brianna, for her to do well in her university studies and also for her walk with the Lord.

• Pray for our son, Micah, that he would have wisdom and discernment with his job situation. Also pray for his walk with the Lord.

• Pray that we all stay healthy.

• Pray for Bridget and Charles to be good witnesses in their neighborhood and to make disciples where they are.

• Continue to pray for the Fang people of Equatorial Guinea that they would read the Fang New testament now available in their language and come to know Christ. Pray also for people in West Africa suffering Ebola.

• Pray for our mothers’ health. Both are in their mid-70’s now, and we can see them deteriorating. Pray for Bridget’s mom that she knows the truth.

• Pray for our brothers and sisters and their spouses to know the Lord and walk in Him.

• Pray that we will continue to do our ministries to glorify God in all we do.

Tim Zimmerman and the King's Brass

Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass present hymn classics with a contemporary flair. The King’s Brass features three trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, percussion and keyboards. These instruments blend together to create a time of innovative worship that will be enjoyed by all generations.

Secular and sacred music critics alike applaud their concerts as “superb in every way,” and “innovative and well played.” “Truly, an unforgettable experience!”

The King’s Brass, formed over two decades ago, is comprised of professional musicians from across the country who desire to use the instruments they love to lead others in praise and worship.

The King’s Brass’ original arrangements are featured on twelve recordings. The latest CD on the Summit Record label (www.summitrecords.com) is their “Classic Hymns” release, featuring organists Diane Bish, Rebecca Kleintop Owens and Samuel Metzger with the Ruffatti Pipe Organ of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.


MEMBERS OF THE 2014-2015 KING’S BRASS TOUR

TIM ZIMMERMAN - Director of The King’s Brass, Tim received his graduate degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been a member of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and has assisted with a number of orchestras in the Midwest and East Coast. For thirteen years, Tim served as Artist-in-Residence and Chairman of the Music Department at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. He has also taught at Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University in central Indiana. Tim and his wife Beckie, have four grown children and live in the Pennsylvania mountains of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

GREGORY ALLEY – Currently, Gregory is the trumpet instructor at Calvin College and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prior to teaching, he was a member of the West Point Band, in New York, for twenty-three years. His music degrees are from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Michigan State University. Gregory plays in the Holland Symphony Orchestra, has been a soloist with the Dallas Symphony, Hudson Valley Bachfest Orchestra, and the Montclair Chamber Ensemble. He, his wife Deb, and their four daughters, live in Hudsonville, Michigan.

ERIC HENSON - A native of North Carolina, Eric is in demand as a teacher, clinician, and performer from Maryland to Georgia. He holds degrees from Western Carolina University, and the University of Maryland. In addition to performing with the King’s Brass, Eric holds the position of Principle Bass Trombonist of the Augusta Symphony in Augusta, Georgia, and appears frequently with the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh. Eric is also the Adjunct instructor of Low Brass at Limestone College, his students have won positions in all-state and regional honors bands in North Carolina and Maryland. When he’s not on the road, Eric enjoys cooking, model railroading, and fly fishing.

DANIEL LEWIS – An active freelance musician and teacher, Daniel currently holds the third trumpet position with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. Daniel received his Master of Music Degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his undergraduate degree from Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. Daniel lives in Dayton, Ohio where he is an avid Ohio State Buckeye’s fan.

STEPHEN OMELSKY – Stephen earned his Bachelor’s degree in trombone performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, his Masters degree in performance from the University of Akron, and is expected to complete his Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in the spring of 2014 from the University of Maryland. He is a freelance musician and teacher in the Washington DC area. He has performed with the National Philharmonic, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Castleton Festival Orchestra. Outside of music, Stephen enjoys road biking and spending time with his niece and nephew.

RACHEL PARK – A native Korean, Rachel is pursuing Doctoral of Musical Arts at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where she received the Master of Music / Piano Performance degree. She served the Pilgrim Ensemble of Korea as pianist for seven years touring Thailand, China, Korea, Iraq, Kuwait as well as Carnegie Hall, NY, Crystal Cathedral, CA, and at the Embassy of the Korea in Washington D.C. She was one of the winners of the 2011 Piano Texas International Academy & Festival Concerto Competition and soloed with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Rachel and her husband Ezra, are proud parents of their lovable two years old son, Isaac.

TIM PERRY - Tim received his Bachelor’s degree in music education from Indiana Wesleyan University. While living in Marion, Indiana, Tim performed numerous times with the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a four-year member of the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps playing snare drum. Tim also has a snare drum world champion title earned from the 2010 Percussive Arts Society International Convention marching snare drum competition. Presently, Tim lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and attends the Jacobs School of Music within Indiana University to pursue his master of music degree in percussion performance.

ANDREW REICH – Andrew received a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Georgia as well as receiving an undergraduate trombone performance degree from the University of South Carolina. Currently living in Columbia, South Carolina, Andrew is an active free lance musician and teacher. When not working, he enjoys everything outdoors including whitewater paddling and other thrill seeking endeavors.

DOUG BLACK – Doug received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Tuba Performance from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Currently, he is working toward a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Tuba Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Doug is an active freelance teacher and performer in the Greensboro area. He and his wife Megan, live in the beautiful mountain state of North Carolina, where they are learning how to be basketball fans and enjoy Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Honduras

by Sheila Zimmerman


My hope is that the Lord was glorified and that children and adults would know of His great love. But, as in every mission trip, in addition to giving of our time and resources, we end up “receiving blessings” as well.

I learned that actions and time are gifts of great importance. People want to know that you care and that they are more than just a project. Even if they couldn’t understand my words, they could understand my actions in spending time with them and in revisiting them the next day. In Honduras, we were encouraged to do 4 visits in the span of 2-3 hrs - not to try to “hit every house on the block.” I found this to be quite difficult with the language barrier. And also, given the fact that the Hondurans are reserved (at least they were with me!) coupled with my being reserved, made for uncomfortable moments. But the blessings I received in spite of my discomfort and inability to speak were friendship and smiles.

I was able to teach a few ladies (some young teens) a hand sewing project. I knew from previous trips that in addition to a small check they receive from the government, some families have to live on only what they can grow/raise for themselves. I was hoping to bring a hand-project that could be done without many resources (e.g. sewing machine) that could be used to supplement their income. I brought materials and simple patterns to make pin cushions and stars. I was surprised to learn they didn’t even have pins to put in a pincushion, and didn’t have scissors to cut scraps! I was able to give some scissors and pins away, but didn’t have enough. So I also learned: next time, go with more supplies! Also, learn more Spanish. “Como eso” only goes so far!

I’ve included a translation of a note I received from one teen, Maria de Santos. I hope it gives you a feeling of what I encountered and left behind. May the Lord bless you for your part in reaching others, like Maria.

"Dear Miss Sheila, I am very happy with the Bible you gave me. I pray that God will take care of you always. Pray for me so I can continue to grow in the church and in the study that I am taking. I feel very happy and at the same time sad that for 3 days we were together. I hope that you will come again next year so that we can be together. I will be waiting for you with open arms. I love you very much. Bye bye. God loves you and me." - Maria de Santos

Being Flexible in Honduras

by Arlene Hahn

“Be flexible.”

That’s what we were told while preparing for the mission trip to Honduras….and several times during that week in Gracias, Honduras a town of 25,000. As we met to prepare for the trip and plan for departure – we needed to adjust and adapt: planning crafts where there would be no tables, games where there would be no equipment. At the airport in Honduras, where it took 2 hours to get the rental cars, we were flexible. Nothing is fast in Honduras. Pastor Bruce made balloon animals for children, US money got exchanged into lempiras (or “lemps” – Honduran money) and we enjoyed our final “North American” lunch at Wendy’s. We had 11 on our team drawing from WBC, Friendship Baptist in Ennis and the Cowboy Church of Maypearl. We combined forces with additional mission teams from Gordon and Marshall, Texas – sharing rides, snacks and stories as we made our way to our home base of Gracias – 4 hours in the rain on paved roads punctuated by curves, hills and no apparent traffic laws. Rustic bathrooms and verbal instructions of, “don’t flush any toilet paper, anywhere,”… we were flexible.

We made “base camp” at a hotel on the edge of Gracias. We were blessed to minister in two area communities during the week…Cenicera, a town of maybe 200 and a bone jarring “10 minute” drive and a world away from Gracias, as well as in Las Flores, a more developed town of 2,000 and a half hour drive from our base hotel.

In the village of Cenicera we ministered for three days. We hiked along rutted dirt roads and obscure pathways to visit villagers from the local congregation and some of the unchurched in the area. These humble people were gracious and welcoming. They lived in small, simple homes cobbled together from adobe bricks, stucco and wood scraps with tile or corrugated metal roofs. Some had electricity. All appeared to have running water piped in from a nearby mountain stream. Few, if any, had doors. Everyday seemed to be wash day – clothes strung out on barbed wire fences surrounding most of the houses.

They showed us how they cooked over wood on simple adobe and clay stoves they had constructed themselves. Diets consisted of what they could raise nearby (eggs, maize, bananas and mangoes) and beans they could purchase inexpensively. Men worked where they could, many doing construction work or farm labor in coffee fields on the nearby hills. We’d see them walking along the dusty road, machetes hanging from their belts. Women were mostly at home, starting families in their mid-teens, days filled with the efforts of growing and cooking their simple food, washing the endless laundry, caring for children, visiting with neighbors. Sparsely furnished homes were neat. All but a few of the children wore clean clothing and were neatly groomed. Most wore shoes or flip flops, all nearly worn out.

The children gathered and followed us everywhere, always eager to talk – if only I could speak Spanish! “Hola” (hello) and a smile went far. Mornings were spent doing home visits, inviting families to church, and praying for individuals and families. Our afternoons were spent doing VBS with the children. The village teacher graciously closed school early each day and allowed us to use the school building for our Bible stories, crafts and games.

Not enough chairs…be flexible. Not sure how many will show up…be flexible. So we met on the school porch for shade and to accommodate the ever growing and changing audience. Children came in groups from all directions, young mothers, teenage girls and boys joined us, even some of the young men gathered around the fringes to hear the Bible stories and help with the crafts. Word of our presence apparently traveled well among the hillsides. Sheila captivated their attention with flannel board stories of creation and God’s promise for redemption, Christ’s death and resurrection and being a part of God’s forever family. Coloring pages and crafts reinforced the lessons and entertained both children and adults. Games were a favorite – the boys clamoring over the bright green soccer ball in a dirt field, the girls and young children learning to jump rope in a dirt playground littered with rocks and trash….be flexible.

Evenings were spent in local church services. The first two nights we met in the outer room of a home – very crowded. Not enough space or chairs? Mission team members and others gathered to stand outside and listen through the doorway. The single fluorescent light bulb flickered off and on throughout the evening leaving the entire room black for several minutes at a time…be flexible and turn on the LED flashlight you thankfully brought from home. Songs and preaching in Spanish….be flexible and use that time to pray for this group of believers and those who are speaking. Speaking to the group in English…take your time and use short sentences to accommodate the translator – be flexible.

Our last night in this hillside village we met in the area church building constructed of adobe and cement by locals and earlier mission teams. This building offered much more room and dependable lighting….but remains mostly unused due to factions and divisions in the local body of believers. It was filled that night. Pray for this group of believers and their new pastor, Alfredo, as he seeks to bring unity and reconciliation to this small village in the hills above Gracias.

The remainder of our time was spent ministering in Las Flores – a town with mostly paved streets and host to a yearly gathering of witches from Central America. Here a vibrant congregation squeezes into a living room to meet because they have no church building. Pray for this congregation and Pastor Nelson – that they would be salt and light in a dark place.

More home visits….climbing an astonishingly steep rocky hillside to meet with families. There we met Maria Isabel, a women crippled from polio since childhood. She lives up this rugged hill, only able to walk on her knees. She and her sister graciously listened and talked with us. Later, Maria Isabel, a catholic, agreed to attend the service that evening. Team member Dusty carried her to and from the van on his back, then up the steep, wet steps to where the church met for the evening….encouraging her and the rest of us by his servant heart. Be flexible.

More VBS in the afternoons. Forgot the flannel board for the story….be flexible and clip a piece of fabric to the podium. Craft supplies for 50, but 65 children show up…be flexible and divide up your activities by age group. Not enough time…be flexible and shorten your plans. No play area for active children…be flexible and use the street. No game equipment to use with this active group of kids…be flexible and use rocks for relays, play number games to teach them English, even teach them a simple line dance in the street. The children were joyous and well behaved. They sang with enthusiasm and listened intently. They waited patiently in their seats while we made adjustments and new plans. They were even gracious when every scrap of the craft materials had been used up before they got a turn. We learned much from these children. I hope we taught them something about God and His love as well.

Evening services again…the living room overflowed to the street beyond. Children played outside to accommodate the many adults while mission team members sat on sidewalks or stood near the doorway to free up seating for the locals. Neighbors gathered out on their porches to listen. Music and singing was loud and joyful, beginning and ending the service. Preaching was in Spanish, shared by various mission team members. Rain leaking in through the tile roof…be flexible and move your chair to miss the larger drips. Cat running along the rafters, dog wandering through the group during prayer to get out of the rain…be flexible and ignore it.

Many gave selflessly – Eddie translated all day, helped lead singing and then preached or translated all evening. Bert, a team member from Ennis, translated all day and preached several evenings and assisted the team from East Texas who ministered in a different community during the week. Melyssa, a student from SAGU, welcomed and loved every child that flocked to her. There were many. Noel bravely drove where no van should go and blessed us with his translation skills and big heart. John never complained when the walking became too difficult or long, always ready to share the Good News with someone else. Rebecca helped and encouraged everywhere, to the team as well as to those we ministered to. Sheila taught Bible stories and showed women how to sew. Bruce made balloon animals for the children and preached. Lou shared his testimony and encouraged many. Dusty literally carried others on his back and blessed us with his servant’s heart and attitude of praise. I was blessed to teach through the craft activities – and gave out lots of tape.

We all walked dirt roads, talked and communicated as best we could, prayed for each one we met (and each other) and ministered where we could. We were flexible.

It was tiring, it was encouraging, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Ministry Partner of the Month: Allen & Betty Pierce

First of all we want to Praise the Lord for the finished work of the Fang New Testament for the people of Equatorial Guinea, Africa.

Please pray concerning:
1. A contact with a USA-based company has offered to take the Fang New Testaments to Equatorial Guinea with one of their shipments. Pray this works out - saving shipping costs as well as reducing logistical and customs issues.

2. Pray that the Fang people will receive God’s Word with thanksgiving and want to share it.

3. That the Fang people would hunger for God’s word and want to learn to read it; enablement for Jocelyn, a missionary from Chile, who is in EG now working in Literacy, teaching the people to read.

4. Sami and Valeriana, as they serve as National Director and Linguistic Center managers, translators and all the other jobs they juggle with joy and servants hearts.

5. All the missionaries who live at the Linguistic Center and help to see Bible Translation, Literacy and Discipleship among the Guinean people – health, safety, unity.

6. The Fang people as they continue to work on the Old Testament.

7. For Andrew, an American and Wycliffe missionary, who will help with the translation of the Old Testament into Fang.

8. Unity among all the nationals and missionaries as they work together.

9. Allen and Betty’s future plans and God’s direction to work in Bible Storying to reach people groups who do not yet have the Bible.

10. For travel mercies and good health in the USA and overseas travel.

11. Our training with Story Runners, Campus Crusade for Christ mission, in Florida and Burkina Faso, Africa, this coming September- November.

12. For wisdom, clear minds and ability to recall stories from God’s Word and then tell them in a way that can be understood and retold, by all who listen.

This Month's Focus: September 2014

Last month was another great month of accomplishing our mission here at WBC. This month, you will read about the Honduras mission trip which was a great way to carry Christ’s love. There is also an upcoming King’s Brass concert here at WBC which will be a great way for us to worship God as we become mature disciple who carry Christ’s love to the world. You can find out more about these things as well as many other WBC ministries in the next few blog posts.

Show Low: Carrying Christ's Love to the World

Construction Team
by Gaye Pesnell

The American Indian Christian Mission has taken over a seemingly large project of rebuilding an Apache girls camp, originally built in 1940, that is on the reservation. The scope of the project includes completely tearing down 6-10 dilapidated cabins, rebuilding these cabins and also restoring other numerous buildings at the camp.

The construction team, which had as its mission to help accomplish this, was able to tear down 4 cabins. The Blue Bus team was a big help for half of the day before they went to the reservation to minister to the young kids.

Highlights of the week would be the loving, joyful and helpful atmosphere of the construction team and the blue bus team as they worked together and showing a young girl age 8 or so how to use the Bible given to her by the Blue Bus team.

Blue Bus Team
by Jeff Knowles

I was so thankful for my Bus Ministry team which was used by the Lord for His purpose and worked together tremendously! Although our hurtles were not nearly as steep as what the camp team had to endure; we knew “patience” and “flexibility” were going to be the words of the week when our “Blue Bus” that the “Blue Bus Team” was supposed to be riding on for the week wasn’t even blue- but white!

I am proud of how the Bus Team stepped up to the challenge as each day presented new obstacles that were thrown at us! There was heavy rain each day (including a lot of hail one day), there was anti-freeze spewing out into the bus cab right after praying for protection, there were backed-up sewers on our restroom breaks, there were killer squirrels that had an appetite for backpacks PLUS once we picked up the Apache kids, there were short attention spans, hecklers, and distractions! BUT it was worth it to see how God was working in the lives of many of these children, who were coming from broken homes, as they responded to the Gospel; who have put or will put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! When we brought out Bibles and candy to give to the kids getting off of the bus, we were shocked when they were more interested in getting a Bible than getting the candy!

This was my first ever mission trip, and it was fulfilling to see the Lord use not just myself but my boys Caleb and Micah as well! Thank you to those who made it possible for Caleb, Micah and I to travel to Show-low for this mission trip! It was so gratifying to see the Lord use my boys to minister to the Apache reservation kids (sometimes older than them) with Christ-minded attitudes in small and big ways such as: handing out tracts, Bibles and candy to kids who they built relationships with, showing kids how to make rubber band bracelets, playing basketball with them, helping me out with the demonstrations during the Bible stories and assisting with demolition work on construction site (ie: nail pulling, plank removing, and bagging drywall).

I think that each Bus team volunteer saw how their own God-given skill set was used as part of the body of Christ: from Rusty Farrell’s love of baseball, to Adeline Trojacek painting nails, to Pastor Bruce who went out the last two days and apparently can play guitar, to Sarah Shipley teaching the others how to make rubber band bracelets, to Melanie Trojacek and her love for play dough, to Betty Hawkins pulling nails and giving back massages, to Sheila Zimmerman doing her flannel graph teaching, to Amanda Shipley who made the kids feel special when they came on board the bus, to Jeffrey Trojack who pro-actively did anything that was needed at any time, to Annie Trojacek and Megan Shields who discovered they weren’t afraid of scooping a ‘little’ poop and finally to Melissa Rose who didn’t even make it on the bus the first couple days because of breathing difficulties (from atmospheric conditions) that the Lord allowed her to be used in a mighty way in the kitchen to bake morale-boosting muffins, cookies and cake!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and financial support that made this mission trip a productive and successful one to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Camp Team
by Rusty Manning

On July 11th we left for Show Low, AZ with 19 people to run a camp for Junior High boys and girls coming from the nearby reservation. In all, we were able to minister to 11 girls and 15 boys over a four day period. One boy decided that he needed to go home after the first day and another went home sick at the end of the 3rd day. Even though this was technically a “Middle School” camp (with another church group coming in the following week to run a High School camp), several of our campers were in the 9th and 10th grades as well.

We found ourselves in a challenging place fairly quickly. I am not certain if you can credit the culture of the Apache and Navajo or maybe it was just the collection of campers, but immediate obedience was not one of the virtues that was readily observed. Even the best behaved campers took a good bit of prodding to do even small tasks. The behavior seemed to be based more on apathy than belligerence, but made it difficult none the less. Fortunately, the team that went along demonstrated tremendous patience and Christ’s love for these young men and women. We had several “veterans” that we could look to for guidance (is this normal?), as well as many who were there for the first time. We had staff ranging from grandparents to those younger than some of the campers, consisting of family units as well as single individuals. All-in-all, it really made for a good mix of people who came to love on these campers. They all did a wonderful job with nearly always smiles on their faces. The boys seemed to have a lot of fun just hiding from us. They also enjoyed the activities that come with camp such as swimming, games and crafts as well as a little hiking and fishing at a not so-near-by lake.

The chapel time was led by our own Lee Coleman. His theme for the week was “Flipped,” and the focus was on living life turned around from what seems normal to the world. Again, challenges arose due to cooperation and participation, but adjustments were made and God moved in these times. During this time, we had three of our youth members lead the worship who prior to this camp had not had much experience in that area. However, they rose to the challenge, did an excellent job and led us all in great worship. One of the campers “Face-booked” me and said the worship songs were stuck in his head! These really are some good kids with tremendous potential.

In the end, relationships were established or deepened, and at least three campers prayed to receive Jesus as their savior! So, on the last day of camp, since all of our “professional” ministers were unavailable, Matt Prescott (on his third trip with these students) baptized the two who wanted to make a public demonstration of their trust in Christ in the camp pool. It was a touching time as we saw new family members added to our numbers.

Though things were difficult at times, we understood that we were involved in things that Satan stood to resist. Life on the reservation (the “Res”) can be tough. It was rewarding to be able to offer them a different environment for a while and hopefully a glimpse of what opportunity there is in living a life that has been “flipped” by Christ. Thanks for giving us all the opportunity to serve.

FUSE @ Camp Collide 2014

Ministry Partner of the Month - Imanuel & Violet Christian

Ministry: Preparing original Bible commentaries, other study materials and devotional books in our mother-tongue Guajarati; a language of India

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for God’s guidance, help and wisdom for the commentary on the book of Romans

2. Same thing for preparing monthly English articles, articles for two Gujarati Christian monthlies.

3. Strength and keeping at it for Violet as she types and takes care of other things.

4. Pray for our three sons and their families that:

- They will keep growing in their relationship with each other and with the Lord
- Their marriages continue to be strengthened and blessed
- Our six grandchildren growing well and growing in the Lord

5. Praise and Thanksgiving for all God’s blessings in our family.

6. Praise and Thanksgiving for good health.

7. Praise and Thanksgiving for many praying and supporting friends He has given us.

8. Pray for continued good health

9. Praise and Thanksgiving for the good response to the books published so far

10. Gujarati Christians using these books and the church of Gujarat growing spiritually

11. Pray that there would still be wider distribution and use of these commentaries.