Whew!  Hi friends.  I know some of you have been checking in periodically to see how things are going and I must apologize for not blogging but we’ve been out of touch having no computer or cell tower.  Yes there are still those places.

On Friday we headed out to Leakesville for our first Valentine Banquet of the season.  We arrived around 3 p.m. for a 6 p.m. banquet.  The building we were to set up in was dark.  Not a light on in the place but the door was unlocked so we headed in.  When we turned the lights on there were no tables set up much less decorations.  Hmmmmm.  I walked over to the church office and found the pastor.  He escorted me back over to the building all the while explaining that this was a banquet for the church sponsored by the deacons.  NOT A VALENTINE BANQUET AT ALL!!  Ok, I’ve got this “in depth, marriage, love, valentine stuff” all prepared including humor and power-point and you mean to tell me that the day before Valentines Day and it’s not a Valentines banquet??????  Yikes!

Well, with a few things the same and a few things changed and it turned out fine.  The people were very gracious and we had a good time.  On Saturday we headed out, about 7:45 a.m. for our 430 mile journey to Gladewater, TX.  We got to the church to move in everything mid afternoon.  Sunday morning I did a kids spot and a special music then last night was the big banquet.  Each year Calvary Baptist Church in Gladewater has what they have named a “Love Feast”.  It’s a Valentine Banquet on steriods.  It’s meant for community outreach and each year has seen several “guests” come to Christ.

This year was no different as we saw well over 200 in attendance and a number of visitors.  I believe there were around 7 or so hands raised professing Christ as Lord for the first time so we thank your for your prayers.  Today we headed from our lodging in Gilmer, TX, to our next engagement in Tyler, TX.  We’ll have a meal tonight with the Children’s Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church and we’ll talk about VBS this summer.  Tomorrow we’ll continue the meetings then in the evening I’ll be entertaining at their annual Childrens Teachers Appreciation Banquet.  It will be fun night.

I’ll report on that later!  Thanks again for the prayer,

John

We had a fun night at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, last night.  It was an Awards night for their Upwards Basketball program.  Lots of kids and families came and it was a great venue to share the gospel.  Typically, a crowd like that is mostly churched whether at Mt. Gilead or sister church but there are always those unchurched that simply desire that environment for their child.

I finished with an “open ended” invitation and everyone has a card they fill out and eventually turn in for “prizes” so the card serves multiple purposes.  I pray there were those that yielded their lives to Him last night.

We are home now for a few days before a fairly lengthy road trip.

Blessings,

John

It was a great day.  Iuka Baptist had a wonderful attendance of 433.  They’ve been trying to break the 400 mark and have done so, I believe only a few times so everyone was excited.  There was a little movement in the morning service, none in the evening but the spirit was wonderful.  The people are just great and the core of the church is very committed to reaching the area for Christ and their excitement over worship is contagious! 

I always look forward to being with them and I encourage you to pray for Iuka (pronounced; eye-u-ka) Baptist Church as they seek a worship leader to take them to the next level.  No doubt but with the right leadership in this area they will explode.  They are on the cusp right now!

We’ll head home in the morning for a little time of R & R.

Blessings,

John

It was a fun night for sure.  Great crowd as we focused on kids in general and families in particular.  There were a number of visitors and pastor and planning committee were really excited over a number of specific visitors.  Those they’ve been trying to reach for a while.

Tomorrow I will doing the morning service and an evening concert.  Morning; 10 a.m., evening 6 p.m.  Thanks for the prayers.

John

Wow!  It just continued today.  Had a lot of fun today that began with breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a group of fun senior adults.  It was a hoot.  Following that I went with one of the men to see the preacher in the hospital.  He was still in a fair amount of pain but as we visited the preacher’s cell phone rang.  His wife took the call and as we continued our visit we could not help but notice her shaking her head as she talked with the person on the other end.

When she got off she just chuckled and said; “you’re not going to believe this, but that was the guest speaker for tonight.  He has food poisoning and will not be able to speak.”  As we stood there, the pastor asked; “well, can you handle it all tonight?”  I told him I could so there you go.  I did my best and the people were gracious.  It was another good crowd and we had a little movement at the invitation so all the glory goes to the Lord!

I’ll head out for home so I appreciate all the prayers this week and now as I drive home.

Love you,

John

Your continued prayers are appreciated as the work continues.  It was a good day that started with me sharing this ministry at the local nursing home.  There is a very dedicated group of senior adults in this church, Gum Grove Baptist Church, that have taken this nursing home as a ministry and have been doing Sunday School and worship as well as a weekly Bible study for some time now.  It was a real blessing spending time with this dedicated group.

Tonight’s crowd was down a little from last nights but the spirit was really good.  As I told you in yesterdays blog, the pastor of the church has been hospitalized and finally was able to have surgery this evening around 5:15.  By 6 p.m. he was out of surgery and we were told that everything went really well.  Praise the Lord! 

Keep praying.  Services finish out tomorrow night and I’ll head home on Thursday to wash, repack, and head out Saturday. 

 Love ya,

John

Wow, what a day and what a service tonight.  We met up at the church earlier this afternoon to prepare for the service and grab a bite to eat before the service.  Well, I get up there and the pastor is not there.  I really need to get into the sanctuary to set up some things and time is pressin’ a bit. 

About that time the minister of music shows up and tells me that the pastor has been hospitalized with a severe gall bladder attack and will be having surgery in the morning.  Geez…the pastor’s wife is already struggling as the result of a car wreck at the end of last month and now this.  Anyway we went on into the service with the minister of music presiding.

The weather here is in between fronts.  Yesterday was cold and today was a great deal warmer.  By the time we got into the service it was really hot in the sanctuary so that make everything a little more difficult.  I actually felt a little ill before I finished my part of the service.  When I sat down, the minister of music went and turned the air on but with the very good crowd we had, the system just could not catch up. 

Lots of distractions throughout as the many children that came to see my friends became a little restless and figidty and some of the younger ones, fussy.  God worked but it was all very difficult.  One recommitment tonight so we praise Him for that.  Pray for the services as we’ll be managing without the leadership of the pastor and pray for him and the doctors helping him.  His name is Rev. James Sanders.

Each night has a different speaker so pray for Kent Campbell.

Blessings,

John

It was a good day in the Lord today.  Thank you for your prayers.  The church had “high attendance” Sunday today and their goal was 150.  There were 153 so the excitement began early.  This mornings service went well and at the conclusion of the service there were 5 baptized including a dad, mom, and teen aged son.  Awesome, huh? 

Tonight’s service went well although there was no movement during the invitation.  I led in worship then brought the message.  The people were “with me” through out so I’m grateful for that but would obviously liked to have seen some movement.  God knows hearts and needs and I’m glad it’s up to Him and not me.

Please continue to pray!

John

It was a good night as I focused on a kids night with my “friends” and lots of crazy choruses as well as worship music.  We had a great crowd, the preacher said, and lots of kids. 

I asked the pastor if he saw many visitors.  He said that it appeared that all the adults were pretty much his church folks but they brought a good many kids from the neighborhoods and such.  Friends of their kids.  That was nice.

This ministry with the many facets, ie trumpet, ventriloquism, and music, is unfamiliar to this church.  In the past, the pastor told me, they have used local businessmen and women to do the music part of a revival service.  Pray that God will preceed and annoint every single aspect of this ministry and will use it to perhaps touch a part of each heart that hasn’t been touched.

I am following two glorious weeks of ministry so I don’t want to take anything for granted.  Tomorrow morning (Sunday a.m.) Dr. Jimmy Porter from the Baptist Building in Jackson, MS, will be speaking.  Tomorrow night I will be doing the music and the preaching.  Pray for strength.

I look forward to each opportunity and covet your prayers.  I’ll give you a report, Lord willing, tomorrow night.

Love you,

John

First let me thank you for checking in so often.  I have to apologize but I was unable to blog while out of the country.  Just a set of unique circumstances but I know you prayed for us and we appreciate it.  Let me give you a brief synopsis of our trip.

We arrived in Birmingham Thursday night after a really long day of driving home from the great revival (6 1/2 hrs), unloading and reloading for the warm temps in Grand Cayman.  When we got to our hotel in Birmingham it was 9:00, 14 degrees and was to be 8 first thing in the morning.  Well, it was.  We drove to the airport at 4:45 a.m. bundled up.  I dropped Patty off with the luggage, curb side, and she threw her winter coat to me and ran indoors.  I parked, covered the considerable distance from the parking spot to the terminal then took a little time to thaw.

Our plane left for Atlanta, we made our connection and at 1:55 e.s.t. we walked off a plane to 80 degrees and breezy.  From there it was one blessing after another as we got to know the people of Cayman Island Baptist Church.  The church is a new church plant in the southeast district, Savannah/Newlands, of Grand Cayman where there was no Baptist church previously.  People are coming from all around and God is really working.

I did an afternoon program for kids on Saturday.  There were about 125 in attendance and lots of fun.  They really didn’t know how to take me.  Can you imagine? On Sunday I took the sermon time and did a mini concert aimed at the family.  It was well received and lots of fun.  Then on Monday I accepted an invitation to do a program for an inner city government school in the heart of George Town, Grand Cayman.  It was awesome!  Here’s a little side-bar…the inner city school begins each day with a prayer, they have chapel every Monday morning and every class has a Bible study time at some point during the day.  Think about that…I had to leave my country to be able to pray in public school.  Anything wrong with this picture?

After all that, we took Tuesday to just lay back, ride around the island to soak it all up, then headed home Wednesday.  I want to encourage you to continue to pray for us.  As we press on in service to Him I know the attacks will keep coming.  I will be leaving Saturday morning to lead worship in a revival meeting in Brookhaven.  Gum Grove Baptist Church will be having a different preacher each night.  On Sunday night I will do the entire service.

Everything will begin with a kids night on Saturday so start praying now!

I will be able to blog this next week so watch and pray!

John