Oh my! I just realized how long it has been since I last communicated with you. Please accept my apologies.
We have been wildly busy, these last two and a half months, as the Lord directs us in our little ministry of the service to His Church in North America. The Father has seen fit to allow us to speak His Word before many hundreds of His people in twelve churches, a seminary, a University, a Rescue Mission, a Christian School and a church congregation in Haiti. We were enabled to declare His Scripture over thirty times, including two presentations of the Revelation of John. We went out to California, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and New York. (I also spent nine days in Haiti but that's not part of this report. See Haiti report.). Sharon went from our earthquake shortened trip to Haiti to Germany, for extended Grandma duty with our daughter-in-law and two grandchildren while our son was in the States for schooling. She was there for five weeks.
The Body of Christ is beautiful in its concern for the orphan and the widow. We are so encouraged by God's people and their heart for the hurting people of Haiti at this time of disaster and need. As we have gone from church to church, speaking the Word, we are asked repeatedly to share our experiences in Haiti, the needs that we see there and how they can help. What a blessing to be a part of the Church of Jesus Christ.
We have devoted our lives to washing the Church with the 'water of the hearing' of the Word, to up build, strengthen and equip her for the work of service, for just such a time as this. We, in our abundance, coming to the aide of our brethren in their hour of need. Praise God!
The Churches have also seemed to come awake to the apparent lateness of the hour. We are far on in the night. Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Dawn is near it seems. When physical and political disasters multiply, we all wonder at our readiness. Are we ready for the coming of the Lord?
This desire to be ready has made the hearing of the Word more special. People are giving the recitation of the Scriptures their utmost attention. There seems to be a new relevance for our daily lives in the old story as contained in His wonderful Word. There doesn't seem to be any time to lose.
The 'times' and the closeness of the disaster in Haiti have also motivated many to be found doing the Lord's will when He comes. There is a new awareness of the great needs in the world and our responsibility to do something about those needs. To be found doing the Christ-like thing when Jesus comes for us.
One other thing seems to be happening in the churches; a growing desire to stop 'playing church', but instead to 'be the church' in the world. No more empty rituals and forms. No more living for ourselves while claiming to be in Christ but a growing commitment to let the love of Jesus constrain us to live for Him. A willingness to use our time of abundance meet the needs of the least in the world.
All these wonderful things coming from a growing sense of Christ's imminent return. Whether today of ten years from today the spiritual sense is that we are in the season of His coming. Rightly or wrongly this sense pervades the churches in America. We are grateful to God, that He is stirring up His people at this time. That the churches are stretching themselves to help the orphan, the refugee and street children, the widow, the abused, oppressed, abandoned, hungry, naked, enslaved and indentured, molested and mistreated, the rejected and excluded.....the 'least' in the world.
What a joy to serve in these days.
We're just Going from church to church
And motel to motel
Speaking His Word
Telling the same old story
Eating our way across America
Sweet sweet fellowship
Furniture living in Idaho
Motor home living in Iowa
Loving the Church of Jesus
Till He comes for Her.
- jason&sharon
Please pray for:
TOM MEYER is ministering the Word and preaching the Gospel in Israel. Please pray for him as he labors faithfully in this hard field.
KENNY & TERI BORTZ continue their labors in the Eureka, California area. Kenny is speaking the Scriptures in Churches and local prisons and teaching Bible studies. We thank God for their faithfulness as servants of the Word. Please pray for open doors of service for Kenny and Teri.
Please Pray for Ruthfina Johnson. She is one of the girls at the Precious Life Home of Hope in Liberia, West Africa. She just lost her baby (Gabriel) this week.
