TheMissouri

Missionary Baptist"Holding Forth The Word of Life" Philippians 2:16

Volume LXXIII St. Louis, MO • September 14, 2010 Issue No. 9

Please come join usat our

75th AnniversaryCelebration

Sunday September 26th - 10:00 a.m.at

Kewanee Missionary Baptist Church12397 US Hwy 61

New Madrid, Mo. 63869573-748-5449/573-748-5220

Pastor Bro. Dan Wisely

Special Worship, Singing and aFellowship Dinner following Service

Ordination ServiceOzark Heights MissionaryBaptist Church near Potosi

Will ordain

Bro. Ronnie Eyeto the Gospel Ministry

October 16, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.Bro. Eye is the new pastor of

Bates Creek Missionary Baptist Churchalso near Potosi

All Ordained help from our Sister Churchesare invited to assist.

A lunch receptionwill be held after the service.

Camp Garwood NewsFall Paintball Retreat

October 29th-30thThis will be a similar arrangement to the Spring Retreat

Work on Girls' DormOctober 9th

A lot of help is needed so we can make progress on this projectand have the improvements finished by next spring.

Remember it takes Time, Money, and Prayer to havea good camp and you can help in any or all these areas.

Contact Bro. Chris Polk for more information oneither of these events at cpolk@cablerocket.com

Clerk's Note:

Annual Church LettersIt's hard to believe that September has rolled around once

again. Along with being the beginning of a new church year, thismeans that the annual meeting of our Association is just aroundthe corner. An important part of the annual meeting is yourchurch's annual letter.

Most of us don't know just how important it is for each churchto send in a completedchurch letter. Afterworking nearly two de-cades in one of theBMA national depart-ments, I've seen thisinformation used timeand time again. I, my-self, have dug throughthe data from these let-ters dozens - if not hun-dreds - of times as thedepartment tried seehow to best minister toand work with the localchurches. This infor-mation helps our lead-ers sense the growthand overall health of our

Associations, as they seek to provide leadership and direction.In addition to the benefits you provide by sending in your church

letter, also note that the Missouri State Association voted that achurch that fails to send in their annual letter for three consecu-tive years will be dropped from the Association. We lost sixchurches for this reason last year, and we have other churchesthat could be dropped this year if their letter is not received. So,sending in your annual church letter is a benefit to all.

When completing your 2010 church letter, please be sure to useone of the two current forms because the older forms do not

always provide all the informa-tion we need. The best way isto use DiscipleGuide's on-lineform (www.discipleguide.org/ChurchLetter) and fill out thefields that are applicable to yourchurch. Then the completedform can be printed for local,state, and national Associations.For those who are unable or donot wish to use the on-line form,please use the form in themiddle of the 2009 BMA ofMO Minute book.

Church letters can be broughtto the state meeting, October23rd, or mailed (no later thanOctober 11) to our clerk DonBurke, 704 Valley Rd, Potosi,MO 63664.

Be sure your church has itsplace in the record book. Leteach church be heard in 2010by sending in a completedchurch letter to the annual As-sociation.

Don Burke, ClerkBMA of Missouri

Grief Support GroupZion Baptist Church, 3485 Baumgartner Road, St. Louis, MO

is sponsoring a six week Grief Support Group on Tuesdayevening starting September 14 through October 19, 2010, from6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The program is free and is open to anyone in thecommunity who has suffered a loss.

Advance registration is requested. Please call Pastor DennisBaker at 636-461-1625 or e-mail Zionstl@att.net. One never“gets over” the death of a loved one, but it does become possibleto live through the grief that follows.

83rd AnnualMeeting of the

BMA ofMissouri

The messengers of thechurches of the Baptist Mis-sionary Association of Missouriwill meet at 9:30 a.m. October23, 2010, at Bethel BaptistChurch in Sikeston for the 83rdannual meeting. If necessary,the meeting will continue afterthe lunch break until all busi-ness is complete.

The host pastor, Bro. JerryAdams is in charge of the morn-ing worship program. Reportswill be given from all our statedepartments along with ournational departments as repre-sentatives are available.

Pray for a harmonious, pro-gressive meeting.

Page 2 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

NEWS BRIEFS

The MissouriMissionary Baptist

Established by the Baptist Missionary Associationof Missouri November 1937

The Missouri Missionary Baptist (USPS 355-500) is published monthly by the BMA of Missouri Publications Committee.

Subscription price is $10.00 per year11229 Midland Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63114

Periodical Postage Paid at St. Louis, MO 63155

POSTMASTER: Send address change to:Missouri Missionary Baptist

11229 Midland Blvd.St. Louis, MO 63114-1116

James E. Hoffmann, EditorPh: 314-429-0714 • E-Mail mmbpaper@charter.net • FAX 314-429-2526

Danny Kirk, Assistant EditorDEADLINE for copy is the FIRST TUESDAYof the month in which you want it to appear

See the MMB online at bmamissouri.org

• See NEWS Page 4 •

Charity, Bismarck, has beenfeasting on the challenge fromour pastor to be witnesses inour world, wherever we are.There have been many visitorsthis month. We have chosen aportion of our Mission giving tohelp students in Creve, Haitireceive an education and moreimportant help them come toknow our Blessed Saviour. Thismonth we helped Bro. Meaderealize his dream of going toCreve to work in their YouthCamp. Bro. Francois Norcilushad visited us last Septemberand witnessed some of Bro.Meade's object lessons. Hewanted his people to see andhear them. So in just a fewshort days Melvin had his shots,tickets and suitcases packed.Language barrier, yes, but anoverflowing love for the peoplewas greater. With only a weekbetween making the decisionand departure time, Melvin wasmoving pretty fast. He hit theground running and after a verylong rough ride was sharingGod's love to the youth andpastors in Creve. He said theyhad over 300 campers and wit-nessed 8 of those coming toknow Christ as Saviour. Bro.Francois said they were morerededications than he had everseen in past encampments.Melvin has some awesome pic-tures and video. He didn't getinto the earthquake ravishedcity but went directly into thenorthern city of Creve. Heshowed the video at Charityone day after his return andagain at Bates Creek the fol-lowing Sunday. Valarie Fishspoke at our Ladies Banquet,September 3, with 27 in atten-dance on Friday night. Ladies itis a real treat to hear her speakand she is willing to go wher-ever she is invited. We are alllooking forward to the Retreatat Zeno's in Rolla October 8-9.Some of us are enjoying theFellowship Choir and look for-ward to singing our Patrioticprogram at the District Asso-ciation meeting at London HillOctober 16 and the new Christ-mas Program at Bates CreekDecember 10 at 7:30 p.m. OurGMA is learning how to "Con-sider one another to provoke

unto love and to good works."Pray for us in Christ's Name.Lee Miller, PastorCarolyn Meade, Reporter

Antioch, Ellington, sendsChristian Greetings to all ourBrothers and Sisters in Christ.We are still being greatlyblessed by the Lord. It was ajoy to host the Logan CreekAssociation's fifth Sunday sing-ing. The attendance was downsome, but there several very illmembers in some of our sisterchurches. We are getting readyto do some repair work on theoutside of the church building.The men want to get it donebefore cold weather sets in. Itis good to see God blessingsome of our churches when theworld is having so many troubles.We need to pray for our nation.Doyle Abbey, PastorMinnie Asberry, Reporter

Bethlehem, Doniphan, hada paper/pencil drive August 7.We passed out flyers and invi-tations in the community andhad hot dogs, funnel cakes andice cream; and gave pencilsand paper to students goingback to school. We appreciatethe help of Bro. Eddie and Sis.Debbie with the project. Therewas not a huge response, butenough to make it worth while,and we have a couple that havestarted coming to church as aresult of this effort! We alsohosted the 5th Sunday MeetingAugust 28. The program wason Fruit of the Spirit; and thespeakers were Bro. Dale Fish,Bro. Dennis Leonard, and Bro.Matt Johnson. Each of theirpresentations was very good.Bro. Larry Edwards, Sr. gavethe devotional and Bro. Fishbrought the message. Weserved lunch after the meeting.Do not ask the Lord to guideyour footsteps if you are notwilling to move your feet!Russell Chitwood, PastorJanice Colburn, Reporter

Landmark, DeSoto, is veryblessed to be back. We had awonderful summer beginningwith Bible School and thank theLord for supplying the childrenand especially the Coordinator

and teachers who took the timeto plan and organize things.Then we had Jesus Camp atthe Retreat in Richwoods.What a wonderful week andthe Lord richly blessed the weekwith souls saved. Next on ouragenda is our Homecoming the3rd of October. Bro. John Do-ver, a former Pastor of Land-mark and current Pastor ofFriendship in St. Clair, will bebringing the morning message.That will be followed by a lunchin the Dining Hall. There willmore than enough food for allas always, so come hungry.The Harpers will be perform-ing starting around 2:00 p.m.We ask that you make plansnow to spend all or part of theday with us as we celebrate our78th year. August 15th wasSis. Donna Crouch's last Sun-day with us as she had to moveaway to care for family mem-bers. God bless her and we willmiss her. Until next month, Godbless each of you.Wayne Gibson, PastorKathy Hawkins, Reporter

Mt. Zion, Ellington, is glad tovisit with you again. We sur-prised Bro. Emory with a be-lated birthday dinner, cake andlove offerings. Our fellowshipis always great. The Reesesare still not feeling well. Wesure do miss them. We arepraying they will be with ussoon. August 7th some of ourmembers attended the LoganCreek’s Annual Association atLower Doe Run church. Thesession went well and was en-joyed, as was the dinner. Ourinvitation was accepted to hostthe Semi-Annual meeting nextyear. August 8th we are enjoy-ing Bro. Emory’s inspiring mes-sages. Our first time visitorswere Nikki Vinson and her twoyoung daughters. Sis. Connieenjoyed having them in herclass. We were glad to seethem. Bro. Albert and Sis. Di-anna are back from spending aweek vacationing and relaxingand of course fishing in LakeVermilion in Tower, MN. andwe are glad to have them back.It was so glad to have Sis.Connie (Price) Nel visit withus. August 22, Sis. Irene

Thomason had all her familyhome for the Rayfield familyreunion. Those attending churchservices were her sons, Larryand his two boys from Floridaand her son Donald Lee and hisfamily from Van Buren, MO.Rick Rayfield also attended.Bro. Emory brought a heartfeltmessage from God’s Word. Itwas a joy to visit with all ofthem. Donald Lee has cancerand will start chemo treatmentsthis week. Our love and prayersare with this family. The familyis asking you to please pray forDonald Lee as his condition isserious. It is wonderful to knowthat Bro. Chris and family arewhere God wants them to betaking care of camp Garwood.All the work and preparation isworthwhile when precious soulsare saved. Thanks, Bro, Chris,for being there for everyone.Until next time – If you findyourself wearing a spirit ofheaviness try on a garment ofpraise. Love you!Emory Shelton, PastorMary Marcher, Reporter

Friendship, Harviell, sendsgreetings to all. We rejoiced inthe salvation of three of ourgroup at church camp beingsaved, as well as two otheryoung girls in our regular Sun-day services. We hosted theYouth In Harvest for the monthof August where our Youth dida wonderful job doing a blacklight presentation to 8 differentsongs. After the Youth In Har-vest we held a Back to SchoolLock-In with fun, games, food

and spiritual food as well. Webaptized a teenage girl, the thirdSunday of August who had beensaved earlier. We have 7 ladiesmaking plans to attend theWMA Ladies retreat. Bro. andSis. Howard Dunlap will bemarried 50 years in Septem-ber.( Reported by their Daugh-ter.) The Lord is in the savingbusiness and we Praise Himfor that! God is Good, Yes HeIs, He's Good ALL the Time!Ernie L Cate, PastorThelma Dunlap, Reporter

Ozark Heights, Potosi, says,"May God’s blessings be uponyou all, and greetings fromOzark Heights!" August 8th ourPastor left with a mission grouptraveling to Bolivia. Bro. Brianwas so excited to be going onhis 1st missionary journey. Bro.Gary Gilliam, Bro. Ron Eyeand Bro. Bob Dement filled inwhile he was gone. We areblessed to have such greatChristian men to step up whenneeded. While on the trip Bro.Brian assisted in distributing so-lar powered MP3 players withthe gospel message down-loaded. He also helped in givingeye exams and giving out pre-scription glasses. It sure makesus thankful to be living in sucha great country, where we canhelp out those less fortunate.Bro. Ron Eye has accepted thecall to pastor Bates Creek Mis-sionary Baptist Church nearPotosi. We will truly miss him,Miranda and their four littleboys! August 22nd our church

Page 3 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

STATE MISSIONSSEND MISSIONS OFFERINGS TO:Danny KirkBMA of Missouri Missions920 Lindsay LaneFlorissant, MO 63031(314)921-2378 office • (314)837-8321homeE-mail: pastorkirk@gmail.com

SEND REVOLVING LOAN FUND OFFERINGS TO:Leslie Earl Johnston, Treasurer11710 Administration Dr. Suite 6St. Louis, MO 63146-3407

From Our Workers

FINANCIAL REPORT BMA OF MISSOURI MISSIONS • August 2010General Fund

Balance July 31, 2010 $ 20,601.59August Receipts: $ 4,362.31 4,362.31Total Available $ 24,963.90Disbursements:

Director's Salary $ 700.00BMAA Partnership 1,500.00Director's Expenses 426.58

Total Disbursements $ 2,626.58 $ 2,626.58Balance August 31, 2010: $ 22,337.32

Certificate of Deposit $ 65,879.00Certificate of Deposit $ 22,794.67ING Direct Savings $ 10,782.48

Total in CD's: $ 99,456.15

BMA of Missouri Website: www.bmamissouri.orgCONTACT BRO. JONES AT:410 Donegal Dr.Smithville, MO 64089816-866-4646 home • 573-631-6274 cellE-mail: pastorjamiejones@gmail.com

What an exciting past fewmonths it has been for NorthLake Church in Smithville, MO.The “Summer of Service” 2010went great because of 150workers from 11 differentchurches who gave of them-selves to further the kingdom.

From Our Director....Through the summer months

I have been preaching a seriesof messages at Lindsay LaneBaptist entitled "Psalms For TheSummer". It hasbeen a joy to gothrough those 150Psalms and searchfor the ones thatGod would lead meto preach. Ofcourse I hope myfolks enjoyed themjust as much as Idid… for after allthey were meant tobe "Psalms for theSummer"…not "Bombs for theSummer".

In my journey through thePsalms, I also came acrosssome really great verses. Onewas found in Psalm 84: "Mysoul longs, yes, even faintsFor the courts of the LORD;My heart and my flesh cryout for the living God."

I believe that to fully enjoy anexperience you must have somepassion for it.

To enjoy a ocean cruise, youmust enjoy living on a boat. Toenjoy a mission trip, you musthave passion for lost souls andfor people. To enjoy God'shouse, you must enjoy God!

We read passion in thePsalmist's voice in those first 4scripture verses:

"How lovely is Your taber-nacle, O LORD of hosts! Eventhe sparrow has found a

home, And the swallow a nestfor herself, Where she maylay her young- Even Youraltars, O LORD of hosts, MyKing and my God. Blessed

are those who dwell in Yourhouse; They will still be prais-ing You. Selah"

The Psalmist describes hispassion in what I call the three"B's":

First, there is the BEAUTYof the house. God's house doesnot have to be a beautiful templeof marble stone and stain glass.It could be a brush arbor (someof you remember those), or abasement, or an old storefrontbuilding. When God's Spiritmeets with His people and Godis lifted up in praise, the placebecomes beautiful! How aboutthe place where you worship?Do you consider it a place ofbeauty because it has been setaside as a place of worship?

Second, the Psalmist pro-claims his passion by statinghow the BIRDS (swallows) areso fortunate to nest in God's

house 24/7. I am amazed athow some folks can stay awayfrom God's house for such longperiods of time. The churchmouse may spend more time in

God's housethan I, but Iwant to takeadvantage ofevery oppor-tunity that thedoors of thechurch areopen.

Finally, thesong writerspeaks of theBELIEVERS

who are there praising God. Itis a wonderful experience to bewith a group of people who aresinging unto the Lord. There isa unity of passion in their heartsas they worship God in song.At the same time, how dreadfulit is when folks are closedmouthed, quiet, and disinterestedin praise.

How is your passion for God?Guess what…others will know!They will know it by your ado-ration for the house of God, byyour envy for those who arepresent there in His house whenyou cannot, and by the praisethat comes forth from your lipswhen you have entered to wor-ship.

"My soul longs, yes, evenfaints For the courts of theLORD; My heart and my fleshcry out for the living God."

Bro. Danny

From Our Missionary.... We are so thankful for thechurches that came and helpedus. Many lives have beentouched with the gospel, withkindness, and with love . It isrefreshing to see God blessthrough the faithfulness of Hischildren in being the hands andfeet of our faith.

We have just held our firstbaptism service. It was a greatday in which we baptized fourbelievers. Jasmine, Isaiah,Estelle, and Jacob publicly pro-fessed their faith in a local swim-ming area by following Christ inbaptism. (See pictures.)

Please be in prayer for us as

we begin a new bible studygroup in a local apartment com-plex. The complex that we aretargeting has thousand’s of resi-dents and many, I am sure, donot have a relationship withJesus Christ. It is our goal toengage these people and beginto build relationships with themin hopes of sharing our relation-ship with Christ.

• Please pray for James andDanielle Wilson as they will

lead this new group.• Please pray as we are ex-

ploring two other areas to starthome groups who study theWord of God together and buildothers up in the faith.

• Please pray that God bringsus into contact with those whoneed Christ, and prepares themto accept the message.

Thank you for the prayersand support,

Jamie Jones Luke 19:10

Page 4 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

• NEWS From Page 2 •group went to Potosi Manorand held worship services withseveral of the residents. Bro.Gary does a great job with hispart of the ministry. August28th the church was invited toBro. Butch and Sis. LorettaWilkinson’s for a fishing rodeo(we went fishing no one actu-ally rode a fish) where theyfished, and enjoyed a wonder-ful fish fry and fellowship ontheir lovely lake. Some of uswere at family reunions but weknow all who went had a greattime. Bro. Brian is now home,he had quite an experience inthe traveling! But we are wait-ing to hear all that took place.We can’t wait to see all thepictures.From our teens:School is back in session and itis time to begin getting backinto the routine of the earlymornings, classes, homework,and all that goes with it. Theteens have been working onhow to prepare outlines fordevotionals. Bro Gary is work-ing with us and preparing us totake our place in the Lord'swork. Keep us in your prayers.Brian Meade, PastorGeorgie Brokaw, ReporterShafawn Masson and ElishaMcGuire, Teen contributors

Charity, Columbia, wasblessed to host the 2010 Mer-amec Missionary Baptist As-sociation Quarterly MeetingAugust 7th. Bro. Grady Higgsand Bro. Mike Hearst spoke.We were also blessed withhymns sung by Bro. DavidGriggs, Bro. and Sister Danklefand members of WestviewMissionary Baptist Church inJefferson City. Afterwards weall enjoyed Christian fellowshipover a bounty of delicious foodprepared by ladies from Char-ity and from Westview.Jim Ford, PastorKaren Johnson, Reporter

Lower Doe Run, Ellington,hosted the annual meeting ofthe Logan Creek Associationon the 7th. It was a good meet-ing and wonderful fellowship.Bro. Denver left for Bolivia onthe 8th, with 3 other pastorsfrom the Meramec Associa-tion. I'm sure someone will re-

port on that at a later date. I willsay other than problems withthe airline, I think everythingwent well for them. I knowthey enjoyed it very much.They finally arrived home onthe 24th, a few days later thanexpected. We would like tothank the Meramec Associa-tion and Lower Doe Run Bap-tist Church for their contribu-tion to the trip. It is greatlyappreciated. While he wasgone, Bro. Don Hoffmann tookover the preaching duties. It isso good to have a capablepreacher in the congregation.Sometimes our schedules don'tmesh, but usually they do. Fi-nally we were able to getMakenna Chilton baptized.Denver dug the hole a littledeeper in the creek by thechurch and she was baptizedthere. Most of the people fromthe church were able to walkdown. It was a very busy dayas we had our 5th Sunday fel-lowship dinner, then baptism,then most of us went to Anti-och for our 5th Sunday LoganCreek Association singing.But, we were blessed by all ofit, and thank the Lord for thehealth and stamina to keep up.Denver Page, PastorSharon Page, Reporter

Bethany, St. Louis, has beenbusy packing and wrappingshoebox Christmas gifts for theBMAA Missions ChristmasShoebox Project for delivery tochildren in Armenia and El Sal-vador. Our fifth Sunday TalentTime was held August 29th.It's always a joy to see thetalents the Lord has given toour people. We had a home-made ice cream social follow-ing the service. We have beendoing some remodeling/redeco-rating work in our sanctuaryand it looks beautiful! Themonthly ladies' meeting washeld the 19th of August in ourfellowship hall. Our new offic-ers and teachers began theirduties September 1st.James Hoffmann, PastorCarol McDonald, Reporter

Stony Point, Mineral Point,says, "It's Catch up time! Sinceour last report Stony Point hasbeen far from asleep. We hadChris Brauch from First Bap-

tist Church in Arnold share apowerful testimony about thesaving grace of our Lord in hisyoung life that was nearly endedby violence on several occa-sions. We had our homecom-ing in August and were blessedwith the singing of the gospelgroup Us and Him. A greatmeal was served and fellow-ship of old and new was en-joyed. There was a one dayBible school held at our missionat Emmaus. The FellowshipChoir performed for the churchand blessed us with their mes-sage in song. The concretework and landscaping is near-ing completion on the parson-age. We have seen a suddenexplosion in the number of chil-dren attending church. Also,the number of first time visi-tors. Yes, the Lord will build hisChurch no matter how muchwe get in the way. We haveheard the call of our foreignmissionary in Honduras for 1.2million shepherds bags to bedistributed to kindergarten chil-dren along with a Bible in theirnative language. This has beensanctioned by the First Lady ofHonduras with the promise ofuninhibited ability to tell thechildren the story of Jesus.Stony Point and several of thesurrounding churches have re-sponded with items for the bagsand money. The church has setaside the evening service onthe last Sunday of each monthfor assembly of the shepherdsbags. The last Sunday of Au-gust there were 238 bags as-sembled at Stony Point. TheLord continues to bless us andwe are thankful.Claude Evans-PastorDavid Hughes-Reporter

Bates Creek, Potosi, comesto you this month rejoicing! Bro.Ronnie Eye has accepted theposition of pastor. We arethrilled to welcome Bro. Ron-nie, his wife, Sis. Miranda, andtheir four boys (Samuel, Taden,Tucker, and Ryder) to ourchurch family. You can feelthe excitement within ourchurch. Bro. Eye will be or-dained at his home church,Ozark Heights, October 16that 10 a.m. As for other happen-ings, we had the annual SundaySchool picnic in August. Good

food, fun games, and good fel-lowship followed the regularmorning service. We wereblessed to have most of Bro.Melvin Meade's family with usthis past week. They came pre-pared with special singing atboth services. Bro. Meade al-ways brings a good sermon butthis Sunday he also had a spe-cial presentation showing thework he recently did in Haiti.The pictures and video showthe need for missionary workand continued prayers for Haiti.May God continue to bless thework there and here.Ronnie Eye, pastorSara Buckley, Reporter

Kewanee, Kewanee, says,"Hello brothers and sisters." Wewere very blessed by the turn-out at the "YOUTH IN HAR-VEST" August 21st. The Lordblessed us with approximately80 participants. The theme was"Back to school fair." Our youthcoordinators and volunteersheld a "5th quarter" at the churchFriday night, September 3rd,after the football game. A goodtime was had by all. The Churchenjoyed the services presentedby Bro. George Reddin (Ex-ecutive Director of LifeWord)August 22nd, and we are look-ing forward to the Walk/Runfor the World on Saturday,October 9th. We are very proudto announce our 75th ANNI-VERSARY CELEBRATIONSunday, September 26th andwould love to invite all thosethat are able to come and cel-ebrate with us. We will have awonderful time, worshiping andpraising our heavenly Fatherfor all that he has done for us.We will hear the Word fromBro. Dan Wisely, have specialsinging, and of course the bap-tist-way dinner. We rejoice inthe Lord for the 8 new addi-tions to our church, and themany visitors that God has sentour way. Please, keep ourchurch in your prayers as someare going through surgeries andother trials. Always rememberwe are to blessed to be stressed.Dan Wisely, PastorDebbie Houston, ReporterPam Wisely, Assistant Reporter

First, Matthews, invites youto join us for our 70th Home-

coming Celebration October17th, 2010. Bro. Jim Tollisonwill be preaching during themorning services at 10:45. Wewill enjoy a fellowship dinnerafter services and a singing at 2p.m., featuring the Gospelaires.All former pastors are invitedand everyone is welcome.Awana began another yearSeptember 1. We start at 6:30every Wednesday throughoutthe school year. Please be inprayer that souls be saved andchildren learn more about theWord of God. Our youth havebeen trying to reach out to thecommunity kids and invitingthem to church. We had a“Back to School” bash lastmonth for the youth. They en-joyed a WII tournament, lots offood, and door prizes. Septem-ber 19th, after a devotional fromBro. Lucas Polk, they plan towatch the movie, “Letters toGod,” in the Outback fellow-ship building. October 9th, theyouth plans to attend the con-temporary Christian concert inPoplar Bluff featuring JeremyCamp, Sanctus Real, and TheAfters. Pray for our youth in allour churches that they com-pletely give their lives to Godand for His will to be done intheir lives. The GMA girls havebeen working hard on their mis-sion projects. They recently puttogether shoeboxes for theBMAA Missions ChristmasShoebox Project. Some of theWMA ladies plan to attend theWMA Retreat in Rolla nextmonth. We pray they have asafe trip and good fellowshipwith Christian ladies. We planto participate at MatthewsCommunity Day September 25.We will have a float in theparade and have game boothsat the park. Bro. Chris plans tohave the train there for the kids,and no, Bro. Terry Sharpe, willnot be the conductor. Just kid-ding, Bro. Terry. We wouldlove to see you there. Our GOteam (Growth & Outreach)plans to have a booth offeringfree ice cream cones and gos-pel tracts. We pray for oppor-tunities to talk to others aboutJesus and invite them to ser-vices. Pray for Bro. Chris as heprepares the camp retreat forthis fall. We were blessed to

• See NEWS Page 8 •

Page 5 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

Moral Actionan Agency of the BMA of America

Dr. John M. Adams, Executive DirectorP.O. Box 305 • Mantachie, MS 38855

Telephone 662-231-3863 • Home 662-282-4923 • Fax 662-282-7500Email: fbcdjmaj@yahoo.com • Web: www.fbcmantachie.net

I, perhaps like you, have been concerned about our nation: theimmoral actions, the irreverence of people, the lack of manners,the unappreciative attitude, the downward spiral of economics,and the lack of spiritual devotion in the life of believers.

I was reflecting on September 11, 2001. We as a nationwatched the horrible day unfold before our eyes in New YorkCity, Washington, DC, and a field in Pennsylvania.

What was to be a plot of sinister terrorism to destroy our nation,became a world stage on which American and Christian workerscame to be courageous and patriotic.

Right before our own eyes, we saw II Chronicles 7:14 come tolife:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humblethemselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from theirwicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgivetheir sin, and will heal their land."

The September 11, 2001, attacks were a series of coordinatedsuicide attacks by Al-Quaeda against the United States. Twothousand nine hundred and ninety five (2,995) people lost theirlives. The drama unfolded across the world. Expressions of careand attempts to help with any needs were absolutely wonderful.Americans came together for the good of others. When so manythings went down, we say some things went up:

1. Our Christian sensitivity to what is truly important went up.We realized that our family and lives are more important than the"games we play everyday." Who could forget the twin towers inNew York City crashing down and people jumping out thewindows? Sensitivity was definitely up!

2. People were praying "God bless America" and flag salesskyrocketed to an all time high. The so-called "drought ofpatriotism" had ended and people were flying the red, white, andblue in all fifty states. Flags were definitely up!

3. Americans were not so cynical and curt to each other afterthe dark day of distress. Respect, care, courage, and compassionwas the order of the day. Appreciation for our President, ourcongressional leaders, our Judges and elected officials was at anunprecedented level. Appreciation was up!

4. The national poll groups report showed that church atten-dance swelled during those weeks after 911. People saw the realneed to read their Bibles and attend worship in the House of God.Church attendance was up!

5. Matthew 11:28 states, "Come unto me, all ye that labourand are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Americansneeded God for peace and rest. Prayer was on the agenda dailybecause of fears, concern for safety with uncertainty. Prayerwas up!

In human tragedy and upheavals, America has turned to God.HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR US! So, in myreflection, I ask the question? Wouldn't it be wonderful if itwouldn't take another tragedy or upheaval for people to turn toGod?

A statement by Billy Graham shouts out a truth "If God doesnot judge America, He may have to apologize to Sodom andGomorrah."

"911"

86,400What if someone promised to deposit $86,400 into your bank

account each day? You would ask for the catch. The catch is, allmoney left over at the end of the day would be lost. Butremember, the next day, another $86,400 would be depositedagain. Would you try to spend the entire amount each day in orderto keep from losing any of it?

Actually, this does happen to everyone each day...sort of.Every 24 hour period contains 86,400 seconds of time and timeis a priceless commodity. The time you do not invest wisely eachday is gone forever.

How much time do you spend with God each day? We must notonly make the time, but it must be quality time in the presence ofGod. Real prayer takes time. Reading the Bible and waiting forGod to speak from His word requires time. In this fast pacedmodern world, it is all too easy to never have enough time inimportant areas of life. Family time often suffers, and personalrelaxation away from stress and cares of life is often non-existent.

As always, the Bible has a word and example to follow. Paulhimself is a good example to follow. He worked full time in theministry and supported himself by making tents. A study of his lifeand missionary journeys will reveal that he was extremely busywith little time to spare, yet he stayed in communion with God.Personal time with God ranked high on his list of priorities. Hisfellowship with God helps explain his positive attitude in sufferingand his tireless determination to press toward the mark. Hereceived strength by consistently spending time with God forrenewing and refreshing.

Perhaps William Longstaff said it best with these well knownwords:

Take time to be holy,The world rushes on;

Spend much time in secretWith Jesus alone;

By looking to Jesus,Like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conductHis likeness shall see.

by Joseph Harris via www.miniedition.net

Let's Go Shoppingby Ralph Izard, M.D.

Today, the temperature is 102 degrees and the humidity is high,so Christmas presents don't readily come to mind! But when avan arrived at the warehouse to deliver over 100 shoeboxes, Ithought about the boys and girls in El Salvador and Armenia whohad never received a gift or heard about Jesus Christ. So, Idecided to go Christmas shopping.

When I arrived at my favorite Dollar Tree store and began tolook for the suggested items to go into the shoeboxes, it becameevident that with multiple items in many of the packages, I could

actually pack 2 or 3 shoeboxesfor about the same price as oneshoebox. Then, after a side tripto Wal Mart I was all set.

When I began to check out atDollar Tree, the cashier askedme what the items were for. Iexplained to her about our shoe-box project of sending to ourmissionaries the ChristmasShoeboxes which contain giftsand a Bible, giving the mission-ary the opportunity to tell theboys and girls about the great-est gift of all, Jesus Christ. Shewanted to know if I was amissionary and I answered"yes." I told her that she couldbe one too. We are all mission-aries when we participate inprojects that carry the GoodNews of Jesus Christ to thosethat are still waiting to hear.

The cashier asked if her Sun-day school class could be partof the project, and I readilyanswered "yes" again and gaveher directions to the warehouseand the telephone number forthe BMAA Missions office. Ifyou have not gone shoppingyet, and you want to be a mis-sionary, you still have time toadd your box to the 15,000 thatare being sent to the missionsoffice at 9219 Sibley Hole Roadin Little Rock, Arkansas 72209.For further information callJamie or Doris at 501-455-4977.

When you place a Bible inthe shoebox you know that theWord of God is going into ahome, more than likely for thefirst time. The Lord has givenus the following promise: "Soshall my word be that goethforth out of my mouth: it shallnot return unto me void, but itshall accomplish that which Iplease, and it shall prosperin the thing whereto I sent it."Isaiah 55:11Editor's Note:

Bro. Izard wrote this article afew weeks ago and since thattime, according to BMMI Sec-retary Doris Dickey, today(September 9th) they have re-ceived over 12,000 shoeboxesat the warehouse. More arecoming in daily. The responsehas been great and is appreci-ated by those who will be dis-tributing them in El Salvadorand Armenia. If you have nothelped and want to be involved,call Sis. Dickey today.

Some of the many boxes in the warehouse

Page 6 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

WMA & GMA NEWSSend all WMA Offerings to:STATE WMA TREASURER:

Cathy J. Fox2142 Sunset Dr.Poplar Bluff, MO 63901

Articles for this columnshould be sent to EDITOR

Shelia PolkP.O. Box 259Matthews, MO 63867Phone 573-471-8885Email: sheliapolk@yahooo.com

Send all GMA Offerings to:STATE GMA TREASURER

Norma Womble4498 Cindy LaneBarnhart, MO 63012

Family Ark MinistriesTravis Plumlee, Director

P.O. Box 163 • Mountain View, Arkansas 72560Email: kingofthemountain@mvtel.net

WebSite: travisplumlee.com

The 2010 MO WMA Ladies Retreat at Zeno's in Rolla, MOwill be occurring in just a few days. Below is a basic schedule,keep in mind that some adjustments may need to be made.

Friday, October 8, 20102:00 p.m. - Check in to available hotel rooms Early check in to the retreat. (Hallway outside of

Rolla Room) 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Free time. Feel free to participate in any of

the following:1) We have routed a one mile walk for those of you whomay want to "Walk for the World" while you are in Rolla.Wear your LifeWord Walk for the World T-shirts if youhave them.2) Design and make your own jewelry. Lanita Gillam-Burgess with U-design Jewelry Co. will have a tableavailable. You can purchase items already made ordesign and make your own jewelry. Lanita will bedonating all proceeds to Camp Garwood. This will be anexceptional way to have something to remember theretreat and support an excellent mission outreach.3) Just relax and visit with other ladies from Missouri.4) Start shopping at the "Silent Auction" to benefit CampGarwood. (Rolla Room)

4:00 p.m. - Session 1 will begin. (This will be in therestaurant area.)

6:00-7:00 p.m. - Dinner break 7:30 p.m. - Session 2 (Jerene Reddin, speaker) Restaurant

area. 8:30 p.m. - Special prayer time 9:00 p.m. - Special called meeting of MO WMA Officers

(room to be announced)

Saturday, October 9, 2010 Early birds can Walk for the World. 7:30 a.m. - Breakfast (Rose, VIP, & Tea rooms - we will be

in this area all day) 9:00 a.m. - Session 3 (Jerene Reddin, speaker) 10:30 a.m. - Break (final check-out of hotel rooms) 11:00 a.m. - Session 4 (Jerene Reddin, speaker) 12:00 noon - Lunch 1:15 p.m. - Silent Auction will close 1:30 p.m. - pay up for auction items to begin.

Session 5 (Jerene Reddin, speaker) 3:00 p.m. - Have safe trip home!!

Ladies come prepared to have a wonderful time. Due to over-booking, we will have to adapt and adjust as needed. The ownerof Zeno's and his staff are doing everything they can to compen-sate for this and accommodate our group. How we react andrespond can have either a positive or a negative influence.Remember our theme is "Leaving a Trail Behind You" - Lessonson Influence and Legacy. How will the employees of Zeno's and

Final InformationImportant Information

others in Rolla remember us?My prayer is that we leave avery positive Christian influ-ence.

Keep Jerene Reddin in yourprayers as she prepares to comeand speak to us. Pray for thosewho will lead us in joyful music,that the music will lead us toworship. Pray for each otheras we travel to this retreat thatwe all will have safe travel.

On behalf of Terri Adams(Chairman), Paula Reece andmyself, thank you for your sup-port and prayers as we havetried to plan a memorable re-treat.

Janet Widger

Life is full of choices. And the choices we make determine ourcourse of life. Christians always want to have the Lord lead themin their decisions. However, sometimes it is difficult to know whatcourse God would have us follow. What path does He want usto take? Should I go here? Should I stay? Should I do this or that?These questions are so consuming, to someone who is caught inthe pathway of a fork in the road. What’s a person to do?

In this article, I will share some things we know from the Bibleabout determining God’s will. The first thing I want to dohowever, is share something I practice in my own decision-making process. If I don’t have an internal heart peace about mydecision, then I just stay put. If it is not clear, then I don’t drivearound in a fog. It is easy to make a wreck of your life driving ina fog. God and Jesus are the authors of peace. Confusion anddoubt are from the enemy. So, I have to have an internal peacein my heart if I am going to do something. That does not mean thatthere is not anxiety or concern about the situation on the outside.Let me give you a personal example.

A few years back, God called me into the ministry and I washaving to decide whether it would be full-time or part-time andkeep my job that afforded me a paycheck each week. The Lordled me to quit my job and do a full-time ministry and live off of loveofferings and nothing else. Of course there was the issue of ahouse payment, car payment, food, family etc… I had to trustGod. While I was nervous about the decision to walk away frommy job on the outside, I had total peace from God on the inside.I had a peace that passed my own ability to understand it. Yes,I was concerned about how we would make ends meet. Yes, mywife and I both were nervous about the decision. However, thatwas only on the external fleshly side. We both had a peace andblessed assurance from God on the inside. If I have to make adecision, and I am confused, or my spirit is vexed on the inside,then I just don’t make the decision. Or I guess I am making adecision to stay put. I don’t move without a peace from God thatI am making the right decision for His glory.

What God asks you to do will not always be what you think youshould do. It will not always be what makes the most sense, offersthe most money or gives you the most comfort and security.What God ask you to do may cause other Christian friends and

If There's No Peace - Stay Put!!

even family to criticize yourdecision. Your own family maycall you nuts. But you have todo what God leads you to do orotherwise you will be a Jonah.There is no more miserableplace for a Christian to be, thanout of the will of God. It doesn’tmatter if it is a prestigious schoolyou chose. It doesn’t matter ifyou got a scholarship to thisschool. It doesn’t matter if thisjob offers you much greaterincome. It doesn’t matter if youfeel better, and it will help yourkids more if you make this de-cision. The only thing that mat-ters is that it is what God de-sires for you.

Sometimes, God may send

you to another school and Hewill perform a miracle of find-ing the tuition. Sometimes, Godwill cause you to keep your lowpaying job because He has youplanted where he wants you,and needs you to be. He willmeet all your needs. We getinto trouble when we think it isup to us to make a living. It is upto us to get a job, make a moveor find a school. It is alwaysabout God. It is dangerous foryou to run ahead of God and dowhat you think makes sense.God’s ways are not man’s waysand very frequently it won’tmake any rational sense. Scrip-ture tells us this.

Scripture also tells us in Phil-ippians 4:6,7 to “ Be carefulfor nothing, but in everythingby prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving, let yourrequest be made known untoGod. And the peace of God,which passeth all under-standing shall keep yourhearts and minds throughChrist Jesus.” See, there isthat inner peace. And you don’tget this by asking everyone youknow what you should do. Youdon’t get it based upon yourstrong feelings and what you“think.” It only comes by spend-ing a tremendous amount oftime seeking God in prayer.God speaks to you, not otherpeople. God speaks to you, sodon’t listen to your own heart.Listen to what God puts onyour heart. Don’t be true toyourself. Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trustin the Lord with all thineheart, and lean not unto thineown understanding. In all thyways acknowledge him, andHE shall direct your paths.”

God also will never contra-dict His word to fulfill His willfor your life. If it is in the Bibleas wrong, then God will notlower his standards or goagainst his already spoken wordto make you feel better. Obedi-ence is the only choice. Praydeeply. Study the Word. LetGod lead you. He will give youpeace in your spirit. If there isno peace- STAY PUT!

BMA of MOAnnual Meeting

October 23, 2010Bethel, Sikeston

Page 7 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

Meramec BannerNews of one of the oldest local associations in the BMA of Missouri

Meramec Landmark Baptist AssociatonFinancial Report • August 2010

Balance July 31, 2010 $ 4,807.64Total Receipts: $ 3,862.05Total Available $ 8,669.69Disbursements:

Danny Kirk 1,100.00Director's Expenses & Mileage 508.03State of MO 10.00Brotherhood Mutual 609.16Grady Higgs Travel 300.00Jamie Jones Partnership 500.00

Total Disbursements: $ 3,027.19 $ (3,027.19)Checking Balance, August 31, 2010: $ 5,642.50

Revolving Loan Fund Balance $ 118,671.25

From Our Director...Pastor Jim Ford and the Charity Baptist church family in

Columbia were wonderful hosts for our last Meramec associa-tion meeting. Some of the highlights were the special singing, themessages from Bro. Mike Hearst and Bro. Grady Higgs, and ofcourse, a wonderful meal provided by Charity. The businessmeeting went well and the fellowship was superb! Bro. Fordstated it had been 10 years since the association had come toColumbia. I certainly hope another invitation comes from thesedear folks a lot sooner!

Our Meramec boys are back from their mission trip to Bolivia.Brethren Jamie Haguewood, Brian Meade, Denver Page, andBrad Banderman were blessed with some additional time on themission field due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope to setaside some time in the near future to get a personal report fromthese guys on what God did with them on the River of Blessingsmedical boat. I just want to extend a special thanks to thechurches of the Meramec association for the financial supportgiven to these men and for their mission projects. Each one ofthem went on the mission field at great personal cost and we mustpray that God will provide the eternal dividends!

We will have our annual meeting at Bethel Baptist, LonedellFriday, September 24 beginning at 10:00 a.m. Church Planter,Jamie Jones will be preaching the annual message. Part of ourbusiness will be to hear from our camp committee on how we caneliminate the debt on the camp property. Please represent yourchurch with messengers at this important meeting.

I hope this letter finds you and your church family enjoying thevery best of the Father's blessings. On behalf of Donny Parrish,Kevin Clayton and the entire DiscipleGuide staff I want to say"thanks" for the faithful service you give to Christ and His church.The churches of the BMA of America are blessed to have menlike you assisting pastors in the work of ministry.

Not only has God blessed His churches with faithful laymenlike yourself, He has also given us wonderful, God-called pastorswho faithfully and unselfishly lead His churches. Many times wetake for granted the sacrificial service they render to the Fatherand to us. We may never know, this side of heaven, how manytimes our names are called-out to God in prayer by our pastor-shepherd as he "stands in the gap" for us. I, for one, am verythankful to have a God-called and God-anointed man to call mypastor.

How can we express our appreciation, thanks, and love to ourpastors. There are many ways but I want to mention just one.October has been designated as "Pastor Appreciation Month"across our nation. It is a special month set aside to let our pastorsknow how much they are loved and appreciated. In recognitionof Pastor Appreciation Month, DiscipleGuide Church Resourceshas scheduled our annual Pastors Oasis for Oct. 6-8, 2010.Pastors Oasis is three days of inspirational teaching, outstandingmusic, relaxation and wonderful fellowship. The location for thisyear's Oasis is the beautiful Chateau On The Lake in Branson,Missouri. The event itself only costs $75 per person ($85 afterSeptember 3rd or $95 if you stay off-site). Registration includesall worship sessions, The Jesus Painter, The Burchfield Brothers,John Waller and an appreciation dinner with Artist Jason Crabb.You may register on-line at www.DiscipleGuide.org or down-load a registration form and mail to the DCM office. Makereservations at Chateau on the Lake by calling 888-333-5253 tosecure the group rate of $125 by September 3.

Because your pastor would never ask the church to send himand his wife to the Oasis, we are asking you, as the Chairman ofDeacons to lead your church in sending them. Would you pleaseuse your leadership and influence to lead your church to presentthis trip as a gift to your pastor? A gift such as this will mean morethan anything you can do for your pastor.

Thanks in advance for honoring and blessing your pastor andwife in this special way! We look forward to hearing from you.

Kirk Shelton, DiscipleGuide Pastoral Ministries& Church Growth Consultant

Dear Deacon ChairmanA Reminder about DiscipleGuide's 2010 Pastors Oasis

DicsipleGuide Conference ScheduleOctober

6-8 - Pastors OasisChateau on the Lake • Branson, Missouri

November2-12 - Holy Land Trip

Leave from Dallas, Texas16-19 - National Senior Adult Conference

Hilton • Branson, Missouri

Decebmer28-30 - Merge (AR & TX Youth)

Damiel Springs Camp • Gary, Texas

For the first time in the his-tory of Central Baptist College,enrollment has topped the 700mark. According to a reportreleased by the Office of theRegistrar on Friday, overall fallenrollment officially closed at725, up 100 students (a 16%increase) over the fall 2009enrollment of 625. Final enroll-ment figures include a 19%increase in traditional studentenrollment with 467 students (a28% increase in new and trans-fer students) and 258 studentsin PACE (Professional AdultCollege Education) with anotherregistration in that program setfor September 10.

“This is our fifth consecutiveyear to post a record fall enroll-ment,” said CBC PresidentTerry Kimbrow. “Of course,this kind of growth brings nu-merous challenges — housing,parking and financial resourcesto mention a few. But I wel-come these problems and, infact, have anticipated them.”A new 10-year master plan,just completed last month byRik Sowell Architects, Inc. ofConway, is guiding futuregrowth at the institution. Theplan is based on a future enroll-ment of 1,500.

Last year, CBC opened anew Science Center to supportthree new Bachelors degrees:Biology, Biotechnology andHealth Sciences. The centerincludes two Biology labs, twoChemistry labs, a Research lab,faculty offices, chemical stor-age and a large state-of-the-artclassroom.

The institution is also in itssecond year of pursuit of ac-creditation from NCATE (Na-tional Council for Accredita-tion of Teacher Education).

Central Baptist

CollegeEnrollmentExceeds 700via The Baptist Trumpet

Two new intercollegiatesports were added this fall,Men’s Wrestling and Women’sGolf, bringing the total athleticofferings to 12, all competing inthe NAIA (National Associa-tion of Intercollegiate Athlet-ics).

“There is no doubt thesethings had an impact on ourgrowth,” commented Kimbrow.Aggressive recruiting played alarge part also. “We have alsocontinued to build our reputa-tion as a viable four-year insti-tution in the state. We haveextremely qualified and com-mitted faculty and staff. I justthink our time has come,” Kim-brow continued.

Central also offers Bachelorsdegrees in Bible, Business,Music, Church Music, Psychol-ogy & Social Services, Youth

Ministry, Missions, Organiza-tional Management, Manage-ment Information Systems,Leadership and Ministry andGeneral Studies, 13 minors andAssociate of Arts degrees inseveral emphases. For a com-plete list of academic offerings,log on to www.cbc.edu.

SOAR 2011July 4-6

at theMarriott Rivercenter

San Antonia, Texas

Watch for details in themonths to come

Pray for God's Spirit tocontinue working among

our young people

Page 8 • MISSOURI MISSIONARY BAPTIST • September 14, 2010

AVAILABLE PREACHERSThe following names are listed as a service to our churches in keeping you informedas to preachers that are available. The publishing of a preacher's availability forpreaching appointments or pastoral work should not be considered as a recommen-dation by the Missouri Missionary Baptist. Names are published at the request ofthe individual and will be published in three consecutive issues unless the editor isotherwise instructedRay Thurman, is available for pulpit supply or to serve as ainterim pastor as God leads. You may contact him at 573-438-2195. -7-

Tim Bell, a member of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church inSikeston Missouri, is available for pulpit supply. Contact him at573-471-5063 or 573-475-0517 -9-

Rocky Houston, a member of Kewanee Baptist Church, isavailable for supply or however the Lord leads. Contact him at573-748-5879 after 4:00 p.m. -9-

Jerry Jolly has resigned the pastorate of the Highland HillsBaptist Church at Highland AR effective June 20. He is availablefor revivals, conferences or Sunday preaching appointments asthe Lord leads. He can be reached at 1-870-932-8293 or 1-870-930-4309 or jerryjolly@suddenlink.net. -7-

Allen Casey is available for pulpit supply. He is a member ofSpringdale Baptist Church in Fenton and can be reached at 636-349-5524. -8-

Jeff Richards is available as the Lord leads. He is a member ofFriendship Baptist Church in St. Clair. Contact him at Home -636-629-6280 or Cell - 573-210-4965 -8-

Bob Ayers is available to be used as the Lord leads. He is amember of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Alton and can becontacted at 573-255-3065. -9-

Canadian MissionaryTravels To Haiti

By Michel Poirier • via The Baptist Trumpet

During my recent trip to Haiti to disburse funds given by BMApeople to help with the relief effort, I also had the opportunity tovisit the people there who had received Christ in March and to seeif they were going to church. Even with so little, they had bigsmiles on their faces and their hearts were overflowing with joy.

Within the first few days, I visited a friend of mine, PastorNorcilus, and brought some financial relief for a family that hada great need for food and other items. In the afternoon I went toBethel Baptist Church, which had been severely damaged duringthe earthquake, and gave them some financial assistance torebuild the walls. The pastor was so excited to get the repairsgoing for the Lord!

Wednesday morning, I went to find some land to put houses onfor the people that we know need a house, and was able toactually purchase some land. It is very difficult for the people ofPort au Prince to decide to move outside the city, but it has to bedone.

In the afternoon, I met with another friend of mine, Pastor PaulHarrigan, and we had a great time of fellowship. He took me tosome places that were badly hit during the earthquake and toldme the story of people from his church who were killed and theirbodies are still trapped under the fallen building. One of hismembers who lost her husband in the quake was in desperateneed of a home. She was living with only a plastic sheet over herhead and no walls around her.

Knowing that so many have great needs like her, I had to stopand pray, asking God to give me wisdom to use the resources ofGod’s people wisely.

We arrived at the place where they make transition houses,saw the floor model and went inside the office to talk about thepossibility of purchasing a couple of them. A one bedroom homeis $2,160, plus shipping and assembling; and a two bedroom homeis $2,995, plus shipping and assembling. I purchased three housesand gave the one bedroom home to the widow lady. The pastorwas so glad, he was shedding tears of joy as he received the newsof the house.

Knowing that the new homeowners would not have any

furniture, I went and purchasedthe bare necessities for them. Iwas thinking how much we areblessed in North America —we have lots of food and all weneed to live in our beautifulhomes.

On returning to his home,Bro. Harrigan also told me thatthere was a great need forBibles for his people. Now thatto me is a great need and I willtry to do something on this end!

When I went back to myroom around 5 p.m., the sunwas starting to set but I hadcompany waiting for me —Patrick and his wife, Simone.She wasn’t feeling good so Iasked Patrick what was wrongwith her, and he told me thatshe had not eaten all day. Hewent on to tell me that they hadtwo other couples in the carand they had not eaten yet ei-ther. I made them all come inand fed them what I had —leftovers that were in the fridge.That’s one way to clean therefrigerator out!

I also gave these three fami-lies money for groceries. Foodis so expensive there, but Idon’t have room to get intothat.

I did not sleep that night, andwas not prepared to see or hearwhat I would be facing the nextday. At 8 a.m. we were on ourway to an orphanage I hadbeen told about, and gettingthere was very difficult due tothe road conditions. Finally, uponarriving, I met with a familythat has taken in 55 childrenwho were orphaned in the earth-quake. They sang French gos-pel songs for me, and it wasbeautiful to my French ears!

I asked the couple that takescare of them if they had anychairs, games or toys of anykind for the children, and theysaid “no.” When I asked themhow they fed them, they said“with the generosity of streetpeople.” But they had not eatenthat day and “it would probablybe the next day before theywould have the option of eat-ing,” said the lady in charge. Isaw the gravity of this causeand I went home that night,knowing that the next day Iwould be on a plane returningto a country of plenty.

The next day at the airport in

Port au Prince, one of the guards I spoke to was not saved andwas telling me that his family was converted but not him. I spokewith him for 10 minutes, trying to persuade him to repent of hissin and to trust Christ, but with no success. I gave him the addressof my dear friend, Bro. Harrigan, and he said the church was onlya few blocks from where he lived.

The Lord took care of the situation, and I went home that daypraying that the Lord would protect the people of Haiti andsomehow give them the courage to go on in life and to trust Himfor all their needs.

I did my best to disperse the money according to the needs ofeach family. The hardest thing to do was to choose which onesto give to. Thanks to all of you who gave toward this trip.

Michel Poirier, ostervald@axion.ca

have Bro. Rocky Houston and his family with us recently as hefilled in for Bro. Chris. Bro. Rocky brought good messages. Wepray for him and his family as they serve the Lord. We pray thatGod continues to work in all our lives. Give every day to Him, andyou will be blessed.Chris Polk, PastorKari Hartlein, Reporter

• NEWS From Page 4 •

Want to Make a GiftThat Keeps Giving?

The LifeWord Foundation provides that opportunity.Your gift is never spent. It is invested and only the earningsare used to help carry the gospel around the world.

Your gift keeps on giving until the Lord returns.For more information, call the LifeWord Development

Office at (501)472-2183.

Greater Metropolitan St. Louis Area

LifeWord Walk/RunFor The World

October 2, 2010Arnold City Park

(Jeffco Blvd. & Bradley Beach Road)On the Banks of the Meramec River

Bandstand Pavilion

Pot Luck/Brown Bag Lunch at Noon

The Harper FamilyConcert at 2:00 p.m.

Coffee/Donuts/Hot Chocolate 8:30 a.m.Questions?? Call Connie Reifsteck

314-832-6245