August 2006 Update
Dear Friends and Family,
We would like
to report on the Last couple of months of ministry and let you know what
we have been doing, and we want to say up front, thank you for standing
with us in prayer and support. You all play a part in the fruit that is
being harvested here.
Prayer:
James Fox has really stepped up to the plate in terms of leading us in the
pursuit of God through prayer lately. We have been meeting several times a
week to pray. This is significant because everything we have seen on
revival and community transformation begins with a group of people
beginning to pray consistently.
Fellowship/teamwork: Out of that prayer time came a leading to
gather all of the families in MMB together on a regular basis for
fellowship meals, communion, and prayer. This has been the first time that
all of the wives of the leaders have had a part of the ministry. These
times have been sweet, and ministry has been birthed out of them.
Outreach: We had a children’s event with David Harding where we
all teamed up to help him with his Saturday bus/children’s ministry
called “Kids for Christ”. The teamwork among us was notable. We showed
the Jesus film to a group of about 60 children. Our little Rachel was one
of them. She later gave her heart to Jesus with Deb in the car on the way
home. She was so serious and intent on what had happened to Jesus. She
said “Mommy, why, did he have to go up on that ’line’?” Deb
explained it all to her and Rachel said she wanted to pray to ask Jesus
into her life.
We have had
three weeks of intense outreach to children whom we believe are the future
missionaries that God is raising up. God gave us the audience with these
children by handing over a well established, long-running VBS ministry to
us. Sonlight boat ministry had been running VBS every summer here for
quite a few years. And they offered it to us to continue because they were
moving on to another island. Rick and Sandy did an excellent job of
searching out a missions oriented VBS package and we implemented it
together with the fervor of a military campaign.
We conducted a week in the North, a weak in the South, and a week
in Salt Pond (center). We used sound systems, a school bus, puppets, live
Bible characters, other live characters, video projection equipment,
fingerpaint, construction paper, toilet paper tubes, and more! It was a
blast. The kids had a ball, and we really drove home the point that God is
interested in reaching the whole world, and he wants to use them. At least
half a dozen children prayed to receive Christ, and also, of utmost
importance to our objective here, we developed a trust and a relationship
with over 90 precious children. We will use these important relationships
to now begin to continue influencing them toward Christ and obedience to
His will.
During the
last week which we conducted here in Salt pond, we were assisted by a team
of young adults from Commonwealth Chapel in downtown Richmond formerly
known as Bethel Assmebly. This was significant for several reasons: one,
it is the first mission trip that we are aware of that the church has ever
taken. Secondly, it is a church with a long history of waiting for God’s
renewal which seems to be beginning at the time of this trip, thirdly, it
is the church that I got saved and baptized in as a little boy when I was
just a year older than Rachel is now.
The team did very well, and we realized that having such help is
crucial in future events like this.
I want to
thank all of you for faithfully praying for us. It is obvious that we have
disturbed Satan’s territory, and he is raising his ugly head. It is
getting intense. Don’t let us down! Pray more now than ever we are
getting close to some sort of breakthrough if we can hold together. The
battle is hot, and the pressure is intense.
We love and appreciate
every one of you!
Love
Reuben, Deb, Rachel, and Stella
