A MIRACLE IN THE MAKING!

Today we will be in South Carolina looking at what very well may be our next home!  No - we are not moving out of New York.  I could go into a very detailed story but to put in in print would take a long time.  I will try to give you the short version...

Now let me be clear - Stacie and I have been praying for a couple of years for the Lord's will concerning some kind of RV to travel in.  We are on the road for most of the year and to us it just made sense.  All we wanted (and still want) is the Lord's will.  The set-up that was on our hearts was a truck and fifth-wheel combination.  We have heard of several RV's for sale over the last few years but the Lord has never opened the door.  Here is where it gets interesting...


I was contacted 4 weeks ago about an evangelist who was selling his 1997 Mountain Aire motor home.  It is a little over 40 feet long, has 66,000 miles on it and it appears to be in great shape and condition.  It has a Cummins diesel engine and an Allison transmission.  I heard about this particular rig on a Monday night. (Another long part to the story!).  I was in Maine and had planned to call this evangelist on Thursday after we got home.  Two days later (a Wednesday) as we were just coming back into the Buffalo area on our way home the Lord laid on my heart that He may do something for us concerning this bus.  The rig was not even on my mind or heart when the Lord spoke to me.  I called the owner the next day and he said he would forward me the pictures along with some details.  I received the pictures the next day via email.

I am going to skip some of the story but suffice it to say that Stacie and I both had perfect peace in our hearts that the Lord might just bring this to pass.  As I said - I have looked at other vehicles in the past that were cheaper than this one and never even considered them because of the cost.  But this one was/is different.  After our camp meeting I contacted the owner with a few more questions and we talked a couple of different times.  In our last conversation we set it up to meet with him and take a look at the unit and that will take place early this afternoon.

Here is the really exciting part - the finances!  I received a call this past Sunday night from my pastor saying that our church was going to put in to what amounts to about one third of the cost of the bus.  A few minutes later I talked to another pastor who said his church is going to take up an offering this coming Sunday and they committed to at least a specific figure.  With those two phone calls we are about half-way there!  Then yesterday on our way to South Carolina we stopped in to visit with some friends of ours and go out to eat.  After supper they handed me a check for $2,000 towards the bus! PRAISE GOD!!!! So it boils down to this - over half of the money has already been raised or committed and we have not even looked at the bus yet!!!! I can not tell you how excited and humbled I am at the almighty hand of God!!!

I am asking our friends to pray regarding the remainder of the money that is needed to pay for this motor home to come in in a miraculous way just like the way that what has already been given has come in.  I really believe God has at the least made it clear that we are to pursue this avenue and He has no doubt opened the door.  He has already moved in ways we haven't even thought of or asked specifically for.  We earnestly covet your prayers.  I would also ask you to pray as we meet this afternoon with the man who owns the rig and we look it over.

Ephesians 3:20-21a "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory..."

Here are some pictures of the bus.

NEXT "STOP" - Old Time Baptist Church - Hamburg, New York

Tomorrow I will be preaching at home at Old Time. A group of our folks will be traveling to Rochester, New York to support the opening service of a new deaf Baptist church planted by Missionary Jeff Harris.

We hit the road again Monday for our next meetings in Alabama and Tennessee.

UPDATE FROM JULY - Evangelism in Northern Maine

Here is the second of three updates from July and August...

After we arrived in Maine we started preparing for the first annual camp meeting at New Life Baptist Church.  The week before the meeting a group ten folks headed up to the northeastern most town in the United States - Madawaska, Maine.  It has been the burden of Pastor David Ireland for many years to do open air meetings in the un-churched areas of Maine.  They have built what they call a "Gospel Station".  It is a mobile trailer with a pulpit and sound system that can be set up basically anywhere to conduct these open air services.

Pastor Ireland, a family from the church, Evangelist David Evans & family and the Cobb's loaded up the vehicles to make the six hour drive up north on a Monday.  We spent Tuesday thru Thursday mornings and afternoons blitzing the towns of Frenchville and Madawaska, Maine with packets containing a John & Romans, gospel tracts and then a flyer with the service information on it.  Tuesday and Thursday nights we set up the Gospel Station on the properties of a couple of families of the Madawaska Gospel Church.  Wednesday night we set it up in the parking lot of the church.  While this church is not Baptistic in name, they are strait on the Book and salvation and they offered to help us in any way they can.

The devil fought the preaching of the gospel but the Lord ultimately got the victory.  Many people from the church came out to all of the services with many visitors also attending.  People in the neighborhoods stood on street corners, their yards and even behind trees and listened to the gospel being preached.

Bro. Evans and myself both preached simple salvation messages each of the three nights.  Almost 1600 packets were handed out in the day times.  This may seem like a relatively small number to some but you must understand that a majority of the areas we hit were very rural with some houses being up to a mile apart.

Please pray for a young man named Adam.  There is a long story with him but it boils down to he is a teenage young man who knows he is lost and needs to be saved.  The Lord allowed Adam and I to be friends during the week and we talked several times.  I have stayed in contact with him since we left and he is still not saved but he is searching for God.

For more information you can check out the Gospel Station website:  Gospel Station on Wheels

The blue dot is the town of Madawaska, Maine - the northeastern most city in the United States

Evangelist David Evans and I leading the singing

Evangelist David Evans and family singing

The Gospel Station set up

Evangelist David Evans preaching

Madawaska, Maine - the northeastern most town in the United States

The Gospel Station on the grounds of Madawaska Gospel Church

Frenchville, Maine

Evangelist Craig Cobb preaching

BY POPULAR REQUEST...

From the feedback that I get from the blog, one of the favorite features of some people who are regular visitors are the pictures that are posted.  I know that when I check out blogs and websites of churches, missionaries, etc. one of the first things I look for is a photo gallery section.

That being said, I am posting today a special "before" and "after" photograph.  I do not know who to thank for the "after" picture, but I would hate that all of their hard work be in vain.  I know who sent it to me, but as I said, I do not know who actually did the work.  I hope you enjoy!

**Look below the second picture for an important note!


Before...

After...

I would hate to embarrass the other person in these pictures by mentioning names.  SO - all I can say is that if you go into the blog archives, and do some diligent research, you will discover his identity.  HINT: the month of flags.

UPDATE FROM AUGUST - Camp Meeting at New Life Baptist Church in DOver Foxcroft, Maine

This is our final "catch up" update from August...

After getting back from northern Maine we started the first annual camp meeting at New Life Baptist Church in Dover Foxcroft.  Pastor David Ireland planned this meeting a couple of years ago to coincide with the church's 20th anniversary.  Evangelist Gary Lutrick preached a revival at New Life every fall.  I preach a revival there every spring and Evangelsit David Evans preaches a tent meeting there in the summer.  Bro. Ireland wanted to have all three of us there and have a camp meeting.

This was an absolutely phenomenal meeting.  There was no doubt as to the presence of God in each and every service.  The Lord blessed in the singing and in the preaching.  The spirit in the services was just so sweet and people really came with a desire to meet with God.  We had morning services Tuesday thru Friday and evening services Sunday thru Friday.

A COMPLETE LIST OF WHO PREACHED:

• Missionary Chuck Barnes
• Evangelist Craig Cobb
• Evangelist David Evans
• Evangelist Gary Hawkins
• Pastor Roger Hedgepath
• Pastor Isaiah Hill
• Evangelist Gary Lutrick
• Evangelist August Rozado
• Missionary Ted Snyder

Evangelist Craig Cobb

Evangelist David Evans

Evangelist Gary Lutrick

The Hawkins family singing

Evangelist Gary Hawkins

Bro. Jerry Rideout singing

Great special music!

Pastor Roger Hedgepath preaching

The Evans and Cobb families singing

The Snyder family singing

Pastor Isaiah Hill preaching and Pastor David Irealnd looking on

Evangelist August Rozado

UPDATE FROM JULY: First Bible Baptist Church - Plainville, Connecticut

A combination of being pretty busy and not good (or even existent in some places) internet access towards the end of July and most August has caused some needed updates not being posted.  I apologize to those churches and pastors and hope you understand it is nothing personal!  Therefore I will be posting some overdue updates this week to play "catch-up".

After we left West Virginia in the third week of July we headed towards New England for our next meetings.  We stopped over in Plainville, Connecticut for the weekend to go to church at First Bible Baptist Church where Tom Benson is the pastor.  We first stopped here last year at this same time and finally got to meet them.

Pastor Benson graciously invited me to preach the Sunday evening service and I was thankful for that honor.  Stacie and I enjoyed our fellowship with the Bensons after the services and with the church folks as well.  We are grateful for the stay in their prophet's chamber and look forward to seeing them all again in the future if the Lord wills it!

First Bible Baptist Church - Plainville, Connecticut

Evangelist Craig Cobb and Pastor Tom Benson (First Bible Baptist Church in Plainville, Connecticut)