October 2008 Ministry Update

I had every good intention of not getting behind in writing the Up-Dates, BUT good intentions don’t get the job done. Here it is October already. The leaves have changed color and are gently falling. It is a beautiful time of year but we also know that cold and snow are not far behind.

When I last up-dated you, we were in Hagerstown, Maryland. It was a wonderful week of fellowship and ministry with the Rotz Family. We left there to make our way east to Evansville, Indiana. Since we had a few days before our scheduled ministry with Triple TTT (Tri-State Youth for Christ), as we neared Springfield, Ohio Lee recalled that the Grace Bible Church had put in a 50 Amp plug for us and so he called our friend, Roger Neff, and asked if we could pull into the parking lot of the church and “plug in.” Roger said that would be fine and so we did. Ron Gannon was waiting for us and helped us get settled in. We had a great time of fellowship with the folks there in Springfield. We enjoyed attending the services on Sunday and being spiritually fed by Pastor Marv Wiseman who will be one of our speakers for the coming Grace Revival for Evangelism. Then, Lee had the opportunity to share BDTLB on Wednesday night at the church and again at the Men’s Bible Study on Thursday morning. Several of the folks invited us to their homes for food and fellowship. We were treated “royally.”

Leaving Springfield we went on to Evansville, Indiana where we parked at an RV Park so we could “plug in” and have A/C. It was hot and the air was needed. The motor home is like an oven when the sun shines on it all day. We used the time to get caught up on some much needed rest, study and office work. We enjoyed the Rally on Saturday night at TTT where “Cowboy Lee” rode again. Then on Sunday and Wednesday we were with the folks at the Grace Bible Fellowship Chapel. Many of these dear friends were at the Berean Bible Church in Evansville when Lee was pastor there. So, it is always a joy to renew fellowship with friends and to share ministry with them.

The 2008 Cowboy Camps are now history! From Evansville we went to Hermann, Missouri for Cowboy Camp. Everything went very good. We had fewer campers than we had hoped at both Missouri and South Dakota; however, the camp was wonderful. With fewer campers we had more one on one time with them and got to know them better. Pastor Larry Gabbard from Bruce, Wisconsin was the program director and he did a great job. Scott and Christine Jewett from Fremont, Michigan were the cooks and we were fed well. Vernon and Judy Schnaath were our hosts along with Neil and Diana. They all pitched in and worked hard with the animals and keeping everything running smooth.

Between the Missouri and South Dakota camps, Lee and I spent three days at a KOA camp ground. Again the time was used to re-group, rest, study, double check all the plans for the next camp, making sure all the details were in order, staff, etc.  Jessica Hobbs from Apollo, PA was with us and she worked on some of her studies from the St Louis Theological Seminary in St. Louis where she is a student. Jessica worked at the camp in training the young people in horsemanship as she will do in South Dakota.

Then we were off to Tabor, South Dakota. Joel and Susan McGarvey joined us here and Joel assumed the responsibilities of the Program Director.  Everything went well and again we had a good group of campers, got to know them well and I believe a good time was had by all.

After the Cowboy Camp we made our way south for the Adult Retreat to be held at Hermann, Missouri. On the way, we did some history research on Frank and Jesse James.

We visited their “home” that is now a Museum, a Museum that included the house where Jesse was killed. We also toured the Pony Express Museum. These were all very interesting and worthwhile stops to make.

The Retreat! What can I say about that? It was wonderful. There were about 25 of us in total that attended. Some came in for a day and others stayed for the week. The fellowship was the greatest. We had some super Bible studies on the subject of “Back to the Dispensational Basics.”  The ladies worked together cooking, cleaning up, etc. and I believe all had a good time. I didn’t help much in the kitchen because as we were leaving South Dakota I had stuck my middle finger on my right hand in a fan and messed it up pretty good. I was thankful the blades were plastic because if they had been metal it would have taken the tip of my finger off. It was sore for a long time, still bothers me when I use it or bump it but it has healed nicely and I didn’t even lose the whole finger nail – only the part that had been cut. It was a good excuse anyway and made for a real vacation for me.

For a complete report on the cowboy camps, please see the new web page, cowboylee.com.

Following the Retreat, Lee and I headed up to De Moines, Iowa to spend a couple days with our daughter, Cari. On the way we had a most interesting experience. We had pulled into a Wal-Mart parking lot to spend the night. Just as we parked, a car pulled up in front of the motor home and a gentleman got out and came to the door. Lee went out and talked with him to find out he was also in a ministry and traveled in a bus. He invited us to come out and park at the Fairgrounds where he was parked, which we did on Sunday morning. (Cari and Frank were in Branson, Missouri visiting Frank’s mother so we had a couple days to fill up.) In the afternoon he came over and said “would you like to go have some fun with me”? We said sure. He told Lee to get his guitar and come along. We got into his car, drove about 50 miles to a neighboring town, found the hospital. Then, as we all got out of the car, Wayne, put on his guitar, started playing and singing a Gospel song. We followed him into the hospital where he would go from room to room and ask the patients if they would like him to sing a Gospel song. Then, he would kneel down and pray with them. It was quite unusual but what a blessing. As we were leaving the hospital, I stopped to talk with a woman that had been sitting with her father whom she said was dying and she said to me “thank you, I saw my father smile for the first time in a long time.” All of the people were so appreciative of the music and prayer. After the hospital we went to the nursing home and did the same thing. As we entered the dining room where the folks were gathering it seemed that one of the patients was going to “heckle” us. However, as the music continued, the Lord touched his heart and he began praying, crying out to the Lord. It was a wonderful experience. Lee and I had the joy of singing also. The man’s name was Wayne St Onge which in French means angel. We joked with him about entertaining an angel unaware. We had a good time of fellowship with him and enjoyed singing with him and listening to him sing and give testimony of the Lord’s blessing on his unique ministry.

On Tuesday we drove on to De Moines and had a good visit with Frank and Cari. They were able to help us celebrate our 48^th Wedding Anniversary.  Where has time gone? It has been 48 years full of ministry and we rejoice in the Lord’s allowing us to serve Him.

We left De Moines on Friday morning intending to arrive in Palisade, Minnesota – my home town – Friday evening. Well, the Lord had other plans. First we had a flat tire on the trailer with all the cowboy camp “stuff” packed in it. Lee was able to get that fixed and the Lord provided a camp ground where we could park and work on it. We were back on the road Saturday morning and got as far as Elk River, Minnesota when we had a flat on the motor home! We spent Saturday night parked in the parking lot of Menards. The service truck got there about 9:30 p.m.

So, we finally got to Palisade right after noon on Sunday. We had stopped in a nearby town for something to eat when I thought to myself – that’s my cousin sitting over there. And, yes, there was a cousin I had not seen for probably 20 years. We chatted for a few minutes. She thought I was my sister, Iris at first. That was a nice surprise to see her.

The next week we spent in Minnesota visiting my family and unwinding from the summer. Then, we drove to Osceola, Wisconsin where my brothers (4) and two sisters met us for a couple days at a motel there. The Lord also blessed us with a new friend there. Lee was in the restaurant, eating breakfast, and struck up a conversation with a gentleman in the next booth. Come to find out he was a Gospel Musician and he came to our family picnic that afternoon and shared some music with us. His name is Steve Gamble. He has authored some Gospel songs and shared his testimony with us. He was an unexpected blessing. We spent two days in Osceola just visiting and remembering with my brothers and sisters. It was great.

We got back to Grand Rapids in time to unpack and prepare the motor home for winter and then get ready to leave for a Regional GGF Conference in Riverside, California where they were having a conference on Evangelism and wanted Lee to come and speak. We went by train rather than drive because of the cost of fuel. That was different and refreshing. We met and visited with a lot of interesting people and had opportunity to pass out tracts, literature and share the ministry of BDTLB with many.

The Conference in Riverside was great! We were met at the train by Pastor Rob Warmouth. I spent the next couple days reading a book that Lynn Warmouth has written called The One Constant. It is a novel but is based on interviews with Sam Vinton, Sr. and some of the other missionaries from Africa. If you ever get a chance to read it, do so. It is wonderful.

On Saturday the conference started with a meeting at Grace Bible Church. Don Bruzer was the speaker and he gave information on soul-winning and some “how-to” suggestions. Then everyone got in cars and went to a nearby park. Don started things out with a puppet and getting some folks attention. When he finished, cowboy Lee gave the Gospel using his ropes and whips. While this was going on folks from the conference were busy handing out Gospel tracts to those in the area. All in all it was a great afternoon and the Gospel was presented clearly by both Don and Lee. It can be done – all we have to do is get out there and do it.

Sunday morning Lee preached on “Are You Willing to be Somebody’s Saviour?” and Pastor Warmouth taught the Sunday School lesson on Witnessing without Fear. We had a wonderful time of fellowship there in Riverside and were challenged anew of our responsibility to share the Gospel.

We got on the train for Grand Rapids Sunday night. We met a wonderful Christian couple while waiting to board the train and had good fellowship with them all the way to Chicago. When we know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, it is so good to get to know and fellowship with others who also know Him. Again, the trip back to Grand Rapids gave us many opportunities to visit with and share Christ and our ministry with others.

We arrived in Grand Rapids about 11:00 p.m. Wednesday. Thursday we spent trying to get over our “jet lag” from the time change and began preparations for the Youth Leadership Training Seminar in Evansville, Indiana the next week. Lee had Board Meeting for Grace Bible College on Friday and we had planned to have a Board Meeting for BDTLB on Saturday morning, however, there were several board members that were unable to attend so it was postponed for a couple weeks. That helped us out as we had to drive to Evansville on Saturday but were going to wait until the Board Meeting was over but now we could get on the road a little sooner.

We drove to Evansville on Saturday, arriving there early in the evening. We parked at the Flying J Truck stop (they have parking for RV’s also) and then drove to Grace Family Bible chapel on Sunday morning. Lee taught the Sunday School and Morning Worship both on the subject of “the Money Crisis.” We spent the afternoon parked in the church parking lot and then Lee preached in the evening also. As soon as church was over and we had said our farewells we drove to Triple T (Tri-State Youth for Christ headquarters) about four miles north of Evansville and parked.

Monday morning started the Youth Leadership Training Seminar sponsored by the Youth Evangelism Association. It was a wonderful conference, well orchestrated and planned out with very interesting seminars, many of them of soul-winning and evangelism. There were several ministries represented with emphasis on reaching young people. There were 42 Bible Institute Students there who are training for full-time ministry. Lee conducted four Seminars, spoke at one general assembly meeting and I had the privilege of bringing devotions for one of the morning chapel services. We were happy to be a part of this Conference and were greatly challenged and left rejoicing and praising the Lord for His faithfulness and for His ministers that are faithfully sharing the Gospel with others.

Sunday we left Evansville and drove to the Grace Bible Church in Linton, Indiana. There Lee shared a message and we gave a report of BDTLB. It was a joy to renew fellowship with these folks and to see Bill and Mary Bunch who are serving as Interim Pastor there. Praise the Lord again for the faithfulness of folks like Bill and Mary who could be content to sit at home in their retirement years BUT we find them still faithfully serving the Lord.

It has been a full and wonderful year and we give all the praise and glory to the Lord Jesus. We are so thankful for safety on the highway and other than the two flat tires – our motor home ran all summer without problems. Praise the Lord and we do thank Him for His faithfulness to us. The only pressure on us, other than keeping a busy schedule and being prepared for ministry was the pressure of finances. As you are well aware the costs of keeping a ministry running are on the rise. Please pray with us about this. It is so hard to keep focused on ministry where we know there are the pressures of finance surrounding the staff that stay behind and keep things running. We are so thankful for the staff at BTDLB and their faithfulness. PRAY, PRAY and PRAY some more. The answers are in and with Him. Great is His faithfulness!!!!

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