Friday, July 17 evening we arrived in Cap Pele and set up Loren's camp. Afterwards we went to our motel room in town called Aboiteau. We had a great supper and got to know the lady that owned it. I noticed a guy that was on a bike, obviously traveling a long distance. His name is Steve and long story short, we began to talk about his trip. He said he began in Vancouver. I told him our church had partnered with a church in Vancouver. He asked what it meaned to partner and I explained. He still didn't have a clear picture so I asked where he went to church. Steve proceeded to tell me that he didn't go to church and didn't have anything for the church nor did he read the Bible because he thinks it is just folklore. He did admit however to hardly ever reading the Bible. I told him that I know the Bible is God's inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
He and I agreed that religion has done a lot of damage in the world over time. I agreed because religion is man's way to get to God and it will always wind up falling short because God is Holy and we are not. Our sin separates us from God and we cannot be good enough to get to God.
Steve replied that he believes all religions do work for the people that believe them but not him. He believes he is good enough and that in the end God will accept him.
We continued to converse about this and he said that he found this conversation to be rather unusual and not normal conversation. We concluded by talking some more about his trip plans.
I rode to a town called Boudreau but couldn't find a church. I really didn't find the town, but I'm not sure because the bridge was closed.
David really encouraged me because I was tired and really discouraged because we just weren't seeing any returns.
We got a good night's rest in the hotel.
Saturday morning we went to the campground and moved Loren's gear to the new camp at Cap Tormentine. We went over the longest bridge in the world that is over frozen water. The Confederation Bridge stretches 8 miles to span the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Cap Tormentine to Prince Edward Island (PEI). The landscape on PEI is beautiful. It reminds us of KY. We saw a yellow field of Canola and lots of budding potato plants. The yellow was almost blinding.
I called Community Christian Church in the capital of PEI, Charlottetown. We met with a missionary couple from West Palm Beach, FL. The O'Brien's were very nice to share with us the history of the church. It was the 1st Southern Baptist Church in town and has a strong Chinese ministry. They teach English as a second language and have opportunities for fellowship and outreach.
They gave us a first class tour of the city and took us to tour the capital's history museum.
After our visit to PEI we paid the toll to leave and met Nancy and the kids at Cap Tormentine. Loren paddled in and we all loaded and went to our hotel in Cap Pele to make the vehicle swap.
I gave two Bibles to a husband and wife outside their room.
Sunday morning, 7/19, last day Kobee went out to play with a boy who was in the parking lot. They kicked a ball back and forth for a while and Kobee gave him a Bible. His parents wanted a Bible too. Kobee got them one each.
John and I presented Bibles to all the ladies working in the motel. They were grateful for the Bibles.
Jay called and said he was not far away so we finished packing and got ready for his arrival.
We enjoyed the fellowship and conversation with Jay on the way to the train station.
At the train station we met Gise'le Arouin. She was going to be with her husband in Ottowa. He was in the process of changing jobs and moving. They had been apart for several months while he finished one job and found another. His name is Eduardo Valdes.
I presented her with an English PWT and she was very thankful but said she had difficulty reading English. We had given our last French PWT at the motel so Kobee went and got a French tract. She was excited to see French. I was excited to see her reading it on the train several times. She said her husband spoke and preferred to read Spanish. Kobee went back and got a Spanish testament for him. She was blown away that we would have the Bible in all these languages. I told her it is God's word and she needs to read it carefully to find the truth because she said she'll listen to anything about religion.
Our overnight train ride was ok and we arrived in Montreal by 9:45 or so. At McDonald's for breakfast Kobee used his DSi to strike up a conversation with a group of young kids he had met on the train. He went on to present a PWT and some John/Romans scripture tracts. Their mom told the kids to be sure and read these. She is a believer.
We killed some time shopping around and got book bags for school and caught a cab to the airport.
We still had around 6 hours before our flight out so we shopped around in the airport, grabbed the boys something to eat and finally checking in, proceeded through customs and to our terminal. Easy breezy to Ohio from Montreal.
We rode via shuttle to the Holiday Inn and rested very well for the first time in weeks.
First thing this morning, Tuesday, July 21, I presented Tayla Steward a PWT and talked to her about her assurance of her salvation. She was not sure so after talking for about 20 minutes and explaining the Bible and the A,B,C's: Admit that you are a sinner, Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that he died, was buried and rose from the dead, and Confess Jesus as her Lord. She agreed with all this and prayed to be forgiven and turned her life over to Jesus. Praise the Lord. This was near the 300th Bible we had given over the last 4 and 1/2 weeks. The final Bible I had went to a homeless man.
Now it's time to reload for the Lord has not returned and souls are still waiting to be harvested.
To be continued...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
July 17, Friday at Shediac, NB
We have been away from the Internet for several days now. We stayed at the cabins in Rexton for 3 days and met with believers from the Victory Baptist Church. Raymond and his family really took great care of us, even when we didn't know it was them. We decided to eat at Pizza Delight for lunch on the 13th. The waitress was really nice and we commented on how she looks so much like Lindsay Huff at our church. When she brought our drinks to the table we offered her a Bible and she was very nice to receive it. We finished lunch and went back to the cabins for cleaning up and a bit of pre-packing for Tuesday.
We ate supper at Raymond's. Everybody loves him. I went to wash my hands and saw a Pizza Delight name tag with the same name as the young lady that had served us that afternoon. No way. She walked into the the room where everybody else was and well, it was her. Funny huh?
From the cabins on Tuesday morning, I took Loren to his put in at St. Anne Marie. That name, Anne Marie, will come back later.
We loaded the car and went back for some red ice cream John had been asking for. We hit the interstate and headed to Maury Farm Campground. After several MS U-turns, and passing it several times we finally found it. Whew!
It's a vineyard with a winery, free roaming chickens and several nice travelers from out west in Canada. We gave a Bible to the owner as she checked us in and set up camp. The private beach was nice enough so the boys and I played for a while. The windmills on Prince Edward Island can be seen from there. It reminded John of our train ride to see Sissy in Germany. Lots of the landscape, scenery and villages take us back to previous trips to Germany and Austria although much of this is French Acadia territory. We went to a Soapary, where they make soap and on to a lighthouse that's a store that sells jewelery made from pieces of glass found on the beach. She explained that this area used to be an ocean dump for all the glass.
Pieces that are red are the most valuable and they come from broken car and boat tail lights. The next are the broken whisky bottles. She can date them based on how dark they are; the darker they are, the older. Some she had dated back to the late 1800's. The boys had a blast going up and down the spiral staircases to the top of the lighthouse.
We at in a barn with the chickens. They are very curious and will eat anything you drop. The boys got a kick out of the chicks. After supper we met a couple from Alberta, Canada which is way out west and the Rockies run through there. It's the province above N. Dakota and Montana. Anyway, we met them to bid farewell the next morning and the gentleman was happy to receive a testament. The lady was a retired nurse and she said she still has her white nurses testament given to her years ago.
Remember the town of St. Anne Marie, well, Misty met a girl that Wednesday morning traveling alone across NB. Misty gave her a Bible and they struck up a conversation that went on for several hours. Her name is Ann Marie. Ann Marie is a youth worker in her Catholic church. She was taking a vacation to see NB and take time to think about a few things. After talking, Misty took time to pray with her. Ann Marie was very grateful. She was excited that the Lord had allowed her to met us and named several other believers she had met along the way. She said this was confirmation that what she was doing was the Lord's will for her.
We stopped by Woodchuck's place. He's a piratey kind of guy. He built a replica of a pirate ship for his workshop. He's an amazing woodcarver. We have posted pictures and video of his work on the picasa site. We spent some time with him. He asked if I wanted 2 million dollars but I told him no thanks. Well this caused him to pause a bit, but he went on with the story if I had wanted the 2 million. Later when I told him what we were doing and gave him a Bible he said, "Ahh, then we're in the same boat. I understand why you wouldn't want 2 million dollars." For me, he said, he'd just give it all away. I agreed.
From there we finally found Cogaine which is pronounced, Cocaine. Hummm???
It was difficult to get to and even more difficult to sleep there. We made a bit of a road trip out of there to see some more coast line. We landed on a neat little spot where the beach was well below a stone shore wall. We threw lots of rocks. Avalanche!!! We recouped with an ice cream cone and went back to the campground and awaited Loren's arrival.
We went to Shediac to see if the church were meeting and it wasn't. Often churches cancel services for the summer. Blahhh. We ate at Jack's pizza. We met two guys there named Allen and Stephen. Allen was in a wheelchair and Kobee was kind enough to give up his seat so Allen could sit at the end of a table. We gave them each a Bible and I showed them some things about it and encouraged them to start in John.
Thursday we drove on in to Shediac and set up camp. Across the road is an information station and some gift shops. I met Mark there. Mark works as a remote DJ for a local rock/country radio station. He and I visited for a while and he seemed interested in the mission trip. I gave him a French testament and we visited some more.
The boys climbed around on a very large lobster and then we came back to go grocery shopping and wait on Loren. We met Mr. Jean and his kitty cat, Caramel. He received his new French Testament. We met a husband and wife that had been to Tupelo, MS and we visited with them several times. They each received their new PWT.
Loren made the comment upon his arrival that there's way too many homes for only two evangelistic churches in Shediac. Pray for an awakening of the current church people to see what we see and for more church plants or better yet, house church plants, to reach the lost and to build up the current body of believers here. We haven't met many.
Here's my thoughts on coming here as we wind down in these last few days of the mission trip. No one has approached us and asked of our eternal destination, no one has asked us if we know Jesus, no one has offered us a Bible nor a tract about Jesus. So, if we had not been sent here to ask these that are listed on these blog posts, who would have? Who have you introduced to Jesus, lately? Yesterday? Today? Just think, they may not have a tomorrow. Let's hurry!!!
We have been away from the Internet for several days now. We stayed at the cabins in Rexton for 3 days and met with believers from the Victory Baptist Church. Raymond and his family really took great care of us, even when we didn't know it was them. We decided to eat at Pizza Delight for lunch on the 13th. The waitress was really nice and we commented on how she looks so much like Lindsay Huff at our church. When she brought our drinks to the table we offered her a Bible and she was very nice to receive it. We finished lunch and went back to the cabins for cleaning up and a bit of pre-packing for Tuesday.
We ate supper at Raymond's. Everybody loves him. I went to wash my hands and saw a Pizza Delight name tag with the same name as the young lady that had served us that afternoon. No way. She walked into the the room where everybody else was and well, it was her. Funny huh?
From the cabins on Tuesday morning, I took Loren to his put in at St. Anne Marie. That name, Anne Marie, will come back later.
We loaded the car and went back for some red ice cream John had been asking for. We hit the interstate and headed to Maury Farm Campground. After several MS U-turns, and passing it several times we finally found it. Whew!
It's a vineyard with a winery, free roaming chickens and several nice travelers from out west in Canada. We gave a Bible to the owner as she checked us in and set up camp. The private beach was nice enough so the boys and I played for a while. The windmills on Prince Edward Island can be seen from there. It reminded John of our train ride to see Sissy in Germany. Lots of the landscape, scenery and villages take us back to previous trips to Germany and Austria although much of this is French Acadia territory. We went to a Soapary, where they make soap and on to a lighthouse that's a store that sells jewelery made from pieces of glass found on the beach. She explained that this area used to be an ocean dump for all the glass.
Pieces that are red are the most valuable and they come from broken car and boat tail lights. The next are the broken whisky bottles. She can date them based on how dark they are; the darker they are, the older. Some she had dated back to the late 1800's. The boys had a blast going up and down the spiral staircases to the top of the lighthouse.
We at in a barn with the chickens. They are very curious and will eat anything you drop. The boys got a kick out of the chicks. After supper we met a couple from Alberta, Canada which is way out west and the Rockies run through there. It's the province above N. Dakota and Montana. Anyway, we met them to bid farewell the next morning and the gentleman was happy to receive a testament. The lady was a retired nurse and she said she still has her white nurses testament given to her years ago.
Remember the town of St. Anne Marie, well, Misty met a girl that Wednesday morning traveling alone across NB. Misty gave her a Bible and they struck up a conversation that went on for several hours. Her name is Ann Marie. Ann Marie is a youth worker in her Catholic church. She was taking a vacation to see NB and take time to think about a few things. After talking, Misty took time to pray with her. Ann Marie was very grateful. She was excited that the Lord had allowed her to met us and named several other believers she had met along the way. She said this was confirmation that what she was doing was the Lord's will for her.
We stopped by Woodchuck's place. He's a piratey kind of guy. He built a replica of a pirate ship for his workshop. He's an amazing woodcarver. We have posted pictures and video of his work on the picasa site. We spent some time with him. He asked if I wanted 2 million dollars but I told him no thanks. Well this caused him to pause a bit, but he went on with the story if I had wanted the 2 million. Later when I told him what we were doing and gave him a Bible he said, "Ahh, then we're in the same boat. I understand why you wouldn't want 2 million dollars." For me, he said, he'd just give it all away. I agreed.
From there we finally found Cogaine which is pronounced, Cocaine. Hummm???
It was difficult to get to and even more difficult to sleep there. We made a bit of a road trip out of there to see some more coast line. We landed on a neat little spot where the beach was well below a stone shore wall. We threw lots of rocks. Avalanche!!! We recouped with an ice cream cone and went back to the campground and awaited Loren's arrival.
We went to Shediac to see if the church were meeting and it wasn't. Often churches cancel services for the summer. Blahhh. We ate at Jack's pizza. We met two guys there named Allen and Stephen. Allen was in a wheelchair and Kobee was kind enough to give up his seat so Allen could sit at the end of a table. We gave them each a Bible and I showed them some things about it and encouraged them to start in John.
Thursday we drove on in to Shediac and set up camp. Across the road is an information station and some gift shops. I met Mark there. Mark works as a remote DJ for a local rock/country radio station. He and I visited for a while and he seemed interested in the mission trip. I gave him a French testament and we visited some more.
The boys climbed around on a very large lobster and then we came back to go grocery shopping and wait on Loren. We met Mr. Jean and his kitty cat, Caramel. He received his new French Testament. We met a husband and wife that had been to Tupelo, MS and we visited with them several times. They each received their new PWT.
Loren made the comment upon his arrival that there's way too many homes for only two evangelistic churches in Shediac. Pray for an awakening of the current church people to see what we see and for more church plants or better yet, house church plants, to reach the lost and to build up the current body of believers here. We haven't met many.
Here's my thoughts on coming here as we wind down in these last few days of the mission trip. No one has approached us and asked of our eternal destination, no one has asked us if we know Jesus, no one has offered us a Bible nor a tract about Jesus. So, if we had not been sent here to ask these that are listed on these blog posts, who would have? Who have you introduced to Jesus, lately? Yesterday? Today? Just think, they may not have a tomorrow. Let's hurry!!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
July 11
July 11, 2009
We decided to stay in the campground again last night, so this gave us a chance to do a few more things around the National Park. Kevin and Loren drove around and found no good point to put the kayak into the water. They came back towards our camping spot and carried the kayak down an incline to get to the water. Once Loren was on his way, I went to pay for another night there. Loren will be sleeping on a beach so we will not see him until Saturday afternoon.
We spent some time on the beach and both Kevin and I noticed that people were not real open to talk. So we just enjoyed the sand and sun. The boys played in the sand but I’m the only one who got in the water. OK, maybe we all got our feet wet but I was able to go as deep as my knees. The water was so cold that it made me hurt. Well after an hour or so there we decided to go rent a canoe.
While canoeing Kevin offered a group of adults a bible. One lady spoke up for the whole group and said no. O well. We kept on having fun. The current was strong and all four of us were in one canoe. Kobee managed to help most of the time, but John he gave up shortly after we started.
I want to mention Jeremy and Melissa. They are a young couple that camped next to us. Their little boy is named Abram. He has blond hair and is 2years old. Melissa and I started talking on Thursday night. We stayed up well after dark talking to them (dark starts around 9:45 or 10). We talked about all sorts of things. Melissa is a nutritionist and Jeremy works with sheet metal. Before we went to sleep we offered them bibles. They said they would like to have French, so we said we would get the bibles to them in the morning. The next day Kevin took time to explain to Jeremy how to read the bible. We have realized that if you have never read the bible and you start in Mathew; which is where the New Testaments start that we are giving out, it can be a little boring and people have the tendency to set it down and never read it again. We talked to them several more times throughout the weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know them. They will be in my prayers.
We decided to stay in the campground again last night, so this gave us a chance to do a few more things around the National Park. Kevin and Loren drove around and found no good point to put the kayak into the water. They came back towards our camping spot and carried the kayak down an incline to get to the water. Once Loren was on his way, I went to pay for another night there. Loren will be sleeping on a beach so we will not see him until Saturday afternoon.
We spent some time on the beach and both Kevin and I noticed that people were not real open to talk. So we just enjoyed the sand and sun. The boys played in the sand but I’m the only one who got in the water. OK, maybe we all got our feet wet but I was able to go as deep as my knees. The water was so cold that it made me hurt. Well after an hour or so there we decided to go rent a canoe.
While canoeing Kevin offered a group of adults a bible. One lady spoke up for the whole group and said no. O well. We kept on having fun. The current was strong and all four of us were in one canoe. Kobee managed to help most of the time, but John he gave up shortly after we started.
I want to mention Jeremy and Melissa. They are a young couple that camped next to us. Their little boy is named Abram. He has blond hair and is 2years old. Melissa and I started talking on Thursday night. We stayed up well after dark talking to them (dark starts around 9:45 or 10). We talked about all sorts of things. Melissa is a nutritionist and Jeremy works with sheet metal. Before we went to sleep we offered them bibles. They said they would like to have French, so we said we would get the bibles to them in the morning. The next day Kevin took time to explain to Jeremy how to read the bible. We have realized that if you have never read the bible and you start in Mathew; which is where the New Testaments start that we are giving out, it can be a little boring and people have the tendency to set it down and never read it again. We talked to them several more times throughout the weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know them. They will be in my prayers.
Saturday Morning, July 11, we awoke with great anticipation. We are finally going to sleep in beds tonight. We got the car loaded and bid farewell to Jeremy, Melissa and Abram. After leaving the Natl. Park we headed on to Richebucto and Rexton to go to the cabin. We unloaded at the cabin, got clean and went to do laundry. We met Mr. Claude at the laundry mat in Richebucto. When I offered him a Bible he refused and became very agitated. He expressed deep hurt which I will not go into but I tried to encourage him to try Jesus. He would have none of it and blamed others for his problems. He left. Pray for Mr. Claude to have another opportunity to meet Jesus.
Outside, unloading laundry from the roof of the car, yes, that’s how bad it had gotten, I met Jean LeBlanc. Funny thing is, I had seen him already go by in a late 70’s Trans Am. It’s the kind from Smokey and the Bandit. I told Misty, look it’s the Bandit. He had a cowboy hat, t-tops and the works. Mr. LeBlanc and I struck up a conversation about his car and that we had noticed him earlier. He was heading to a car show in Moncton. I gave him and his wife a testament each and before they went on their way I took a couple photos of them in the car. Later in the day we were heading back to the cabins and we passed them, he noticed us and waved.
I was a bit down about Mr. Claude. As we sat waiting for the laundry to finish two ladies came in and one said that she had been at the Soverign Comm. Church where we stayed last Sunday. I told her about our prayer paddling and she was excited. She and the other lady are believers and she said that we should not worry about Mr. Claude, just pray. We will.
Yesterday, Friday, we got a glimpse of what the Lord had prepared as a harvest field. There is a Clam Festival and flea market going on. We gave a lady selling her goods a Bible. She said that her granddad had given her a Bible years ago, but she had not read it much. She was excited as I took her through the testament and showed her the helps, plan of salvation and pointed out the Book of John to begin reading.
We parked in the library and Misty began to update the emails and blogs. Kobee, John and I went to the street vendors and began to converse with them and offer them Bibles. One lady I met had Bible verses painted on rocks. The verses were in French so I took out and English testament to see what the verse said. She noticed and asked if I were a Christian. I told her I was and explained what we MS folks are doing up here in Canada. She told me she goes to the French Baptist Church on the back street. When I told her we would be there Sunday night to share with the congregation and pray, she quickly responded no you’re not, we don’t have church on Sunday nights. As it turned out, no announcement had been made. She and her husband are Elise and Aurel Vautour. The Vautour name is very popular in this area. There are several different families with that name. They asked for prayer for their children and grandchildren. We will.
Carrying on with our visits we met Laure’anne, Annette and Elva. They were selling vitamin supplements and energy drinks along with a variety of products for people with diabetes. Laure’anne shared with us how her health had deteriorated to the point doctors told her she would not live much longer and there was nothing they could do for her. She had arthritis, diabetes and had recently gone blind. A friend told her to pray. She prayed for her sight to be restored. In time it was. Another friend introduced her to these products and they, along with prayer, helped her become more active and healthy. She and the other two ladies were very happy to each receive a copy of God’s word. I shared with them the plan of salvation in the back and talked to them about the ultimate healing for our ultimate problem, sin and separation from God. They were very interested and so I gave their information to Elise to follow up at a near future time to encourage them and invite them to her church.
We bought some fresh seafood at the wharf of Richebucto for supper. I got scallops, haddock, crab claws, a whole lobster, and a filet of salmon. We needed groceries after we picked up Loren from the river we took him to get cleaned up. OOOppps, we did not get the memo that all grocery stores close up at 6 PM on Saturdays. It was 6:30 and we couldn’t get the essentials like milk, bread, eggs, etc. All we had was this seafood. Atkins diet, here we come. We stopped at an Irving gas station and found most of what we needed.
We have mastered the MS u-turn. Seldom do we pull right in to where we are looking for. It’s usually, Whoa, there it goes, anything behind us? Nope, Whip it!
Raymond Voutour is our primary contact for this area of Richebucto and Rexton. He has been so gracious and kind to help us. We met his son Jeremy Saturday evening at the cabins as he came by to check on us. That’s just a glimpse of how wonderful he is. Sunday, July 12 we got up and went to Victory Baptist Church. Raymond Vautour is such a blessing. He led the worship service this morning in the absence of the pastor who is on vacation. We and the congregation were blessed in reciprocal this morning. We met the Summers family. The Lord has done some amazing changes in their individual lives and their marriage. We will pray for them.
We ate lunch at the church and them spent some time in prayer for the church, this area and the believers.
Kobee went over to Tanner’s and rode 4 wheelers while Misty and I napped. He had fun but as usual got hurt getting on the 4 wheeler. A non-moving accident is about par for Kobee.
We went to the French Church Sunday evening and shared with them. Afterwards the pastor, Michel Nadeau, asked what our plans were for the evening. He said there is a fireworks show at the wharf at 10. We should go there to share the gospel. We agreed, prayed up, divided up and went out amongst them.
We gave out at least 100 Bibles and an untold number of French tracts, and some John/Romans gospels. We met Dennis and Jessica towards the end of the evening. They came back to me to ask if I had any more Bibles they could have for their moms. Dennis and Jessica are dating and they are seeking the truth. I was able to go into great detail about the Gospel. When I was talking about this being a personal relationship with Jesus and they can either accept him or reject him, Jessica said she liked this because I wasn’t forcing them to do anything. I went on to encourage them to don’t even take my word for all this, rather, study the scriptures to see for yourself because this is God’s word and it’s the truth. Concluding the conversation, I told them that if they believe on the name of Jesus they should unite with a body of believers that will uplift them, encourage them and help them mature in faith. I used the analogy of a hot coal in a fire. If the coal is removed from the fire it will cool off and lose its ability to heat on its own. So it is with a believer. If you are removed from the fellowship of other believers you will cool off and lose your ability to grow as well as you can when you are connected with the body of Christ.
I was able to turn over the conversation to Pastor Nadeau who told them about the opportunity to unite with believers. He spoke to them in French so I didn’t get much of what they were talking about but I know they responded with great enthusiasm. We need to pray for Dennis and Jessica. I told Dennis, you are not far from the Kingdom of God. He said, I know, I just need a little more time to be sure of my decision. We will pray.
Outside, unloading laundry from the roof of the car, yes, that’s how bad it had gotten, I met Jean LeBlanc. Funny thing is, I had seen him already go by in a late 70’s Trans Am. It’s the kind from Smokey and the Bandit. I told Misty, look it’s the Bandit. He had a cowboy hat, t-tops and the works. Mr. LeBlanc and I struck up a conversation about his car and that we had noticed him earlier. He was heading to a car show in Moncton. I gave him and his wife a testament each and before they went on their way I took a couple photos of them in the car. Later in the day we were heading back to the cabins and we passed them, he noticed us and waved.
I was a bit down about Mr. Claude. As we sat waiting for the laundry to finish two ladies came in and one said that she had been at the Soverign Comm. Church where we stayed last Sunday. I told her about our prayer paddling and she was excited. She and the other lady are believers and she said that we should not worry about Mr. Claude, just pray. We will.
Yesterday, Friday, we got a glimpse of what the Lord had prepared as a harvest field. There is a Clam Festival and flea market going on. We gave a lady selling her goods a Bible. She said that her granddad had given her a Bible years ago, but she had not read it much. She was excited as I took her through the testament and showed her the helps, plan of salvation and pointed out the Book of John to begin reading.
We parked in the library and Misty began to update the emails and blogs. Kobee, John and I went to the street vendors and began to converse with them and offer them Bibles. One lady I met had Bible verses painted on rocks. The verses were in French so I took out and English testament to see what the verse said. She noticed and asked if I were a Christian. I told her I was and explained what we MS folks are doing up here in Canada. She told me she goes to the French Baptist Church on the back street. When I told her we would be there Sunday night to share with the congregation and pray, she quickly responded no you’re not, we don’t have church on Sunday nights. As it turned out, no announcement had been made. She and her husband are Elise and Aurel Vautour. The Vautour name is very popular in this area. There are several different families with that name. They asked for prayer for their children and grandchildren. We will.
Carrying on with our visits we met Laure’anne, Annette and Elva. They were selling vitamin supplements and energy drinks along with a variety of products for people with diabetes. Laure’anne shared with us how her health had deteriorated to the point doctors told her she would not live much longer and there was nothing they could do for her. She had arthritis, diabetes and had recently gone blind. A friend told her to pray. She prayed for her sight to be restored. In time it was. Another friend introduced her to these products and they, along with prayer, helped her become more active and healthy. She and the other two ladies were very happy to each receive a copy of God’s word. I shared with them the plan of salvation in the back and talked to them about the ultimate healing for our ultimate problem, sin and separation from God. They were very interested and so I gave their information to Elise to follow up at a near future time to encourage them and invite them to her church.
We bought some fresh seafood at the wharf of Richebucto for supper. I got scallops, haddock, crab claws, a whole lobster, and a filet of salmon. We needed groceries after we picked up Loren from the river we took him to get cleaned up. OOOppps, we did not get the memo that all grocery stores close up at 6 PM on Saturdays. It was 6:30 and we couldn’t get the essentials like milk, bread, eggs, etc. All we had was this seafood. Atkins diet, here we come. We stopped at an Irving gas station and found most of what we needed.
We have mastered the MS u-turn. Seldom do we pull right in to where we are looking for. It’s usually, Whoa, there it goes, anything behind us? Nope, Whip it!
Raymond Voutour is our primary contact for this area of Richebucto and Rexton. He has been so gracious and kind to help us. We met his son Jeremy Saturday evening at the cabins as he came by to check on us. That’s just a glimpse of how wonderful he is. Sunday, July 12 we got up and went to Victory Baptist Church. Raymond Vautour is such a blessing. He led the worship service this morning in the absence of the pastor who is on vacation. We and the congregation were blessed in reciprocal this morning. We met the Summers family. The Lord has done some amazing changes in their individual lives and their marriage. We will pray for them.
We ate lunch at the church and them spent some time in prayer for the church, this area and the believers.
Kobee went over to Tanner’s and rode 4 wheelers while Misty and I napped. He had fun but as usual got hurt getting on the 4 wheeler. A non-moving accident is about par for Kobee.
We went to the French Church Sunday evening and shared with them. Afterwards the pastor, Michel Nadeau, asked what our plans were for the evening. He said there is a fireworks show at the wharf at 10. We should go there to share the gospel. We agreed, prayed up, divided up and went out amongst them.
We gave out at least 100 Bibles and an untold number of French tracts, and some John/Romans gospels. We met Dennis and Jessica towards the end of the evening. They came back to me to ask if I had any more Bibles they could have for their moms. Dennis and Jessica are dating and they are seeking the truth. I was able to go into great detail about the Gospel. When I was talking about this being a personal relationship with Jesus and they can either accept him or reject him, Jessica said she liked this because I wasn’t forcing them to do anything. I went on to encourage them to don’t even take my word for all this, rather, study the scriptures to see for yourself because this is God’s word and it’s the truth. Concluding the conversation, I told them that if they believe on the name of Jesus they should unite with a body of believers that will uplift them, encourage them and help them mature in faith. I used the analogy of a hot coal in a fire. If the coal is removed from the fire it will cool off and lose its ability to heat on its own. So it is with a believer. If you are removed from the fellowship of other believers you will cool off and lose your ability to grow as well as you can when you are connected with the body of Christ.
I was able to turn over the conversation to Pastor Nadeau who told them about the opportunity to unite with believers. He spoke to them in French so I didn’t get much of what they were talking about but I know they responded with great enthusiasm. We need to pray for Dennis and Jessica. I told Dennis, you are not far from the Kingdom of God. He said, I know, I just need a little more time to be sure of my decision. We will pray.
We all joined up back at the church for an afterglow celebration to say look what the Lord has done and it is marvelous in our sight.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Waves and the Word, can't stop them.
Today was an interesting day for this is the Lord’s Day.
The Book of Acts in 28:24 says, “And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved”. This is a verse I landed on this morning and it came to pass today.
On this frosty morn I was awaiting Loren as he made his morning preparations to kayak I met Eric who stopped by the campground. He owns a church, well what used to be a church, and converted it to a dry dock where he keeps and restored a boat. With this boat, Eric plans to sail to the DR and meet up with his girlfriend who lives there in the center part on a mountain. He had a little dog named Vicky that plays and plays.
I offered him a Bible and he refused. He refused on the grounds that he doesn’t need that because he’s got it all figured out. He said he is good enough. He went on to say he’d never stolen anything and he’s a very good person and he knows this in his head.
I asked how he planned to stand before a Holy God and answer for his sins. I told him to consider God’s Word that he was refusing and listen to what it says about his claims. “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no not one’.” “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” I went on to explain that “our righteousness is but filthy rags before God”. Eric rejected all three. He held steadfast that God will find his good works enough to let him into heaven. He said his dad died several years ago and he was a good man and he felt certain his dad went to heaven. In the end, he still refused the Bible and rejected the Gospel that was presented to him. See Acts 28:24.
Loren and I went on down to the dock and he put in. I struck up a conversation with the guys working on restoring a boat at the pier. They invited me aboard and gave me a tour of what was completed along with an explanation of what’s to be done by this Saturday so they can set sail on a trip. I presented them each a PWT and they accepted. This brought up a conversation about traveling the world to spread the Gospel. The man that owned the boat said it’s a good thing and that he knew a Gideon that was a school teacher years ago that was active in spreading the word. He said now he’s old and not able to go anymore. Go while you can because one day the day will come when your mind or body or both won’t allow you to Go!
At the pier watch house I met Chris. He is a believer and so are his parents. I asked if he knew any Gideons in the area and he said his dad did. After a very encouraging conversation between myself and Chris, I came back to camp, got cleaned up and we all went back to Chris’ home and met his dad. We also met a man in need of prayer for his hip. I gave him a Bible and told him I’d be praying for his recovery and he said maybe your prayers will work because he’s not answering mine. I hope to meet this man again to really talk to him.
Mr. Reid came out to meet us and he was very kind. He also informed us of the local Gideon he knows and it’s the same Gideon that Shirley told us about two days ago. Hummmm, is he the only Gideon here?
After our time at the Reids, we took a detour through the community of Hardwicke. After a turn here and there we came across a church that had a sign on the front door, admission $4.00. Catching Kobee’s attention, he wanted to go back for a picture. I made a u-turn and parked in front of the church. There were neither cars nor signs of anyone when we first drove past but now several cars are pulling in behind us. A number of ladies, four to be exact, were there to set up quilts for a quilt show and that’s what the $4.00 admission was for. We went in to see the quilts and it was a bunch of them. That’s where we needed to be last night in the 3 degree Celsius temperatures.
The question always arises, what in the world are you doing here from MS. We are always obliged to explain. God sent His son to die for His glory and no other reason. When we accept Christ it is to the Glory of God. The Glory of God is why we travel to share the Gospel. Not for our own benefit.
Often when we’re asked on the street for the explanation we move into the gospel. Well here in the church I quickly began to explain that we are here to pray and spread His word. We introduced ourselves and the ladies gave us their names. One lady is from South China and her name is Xiao.
I told her of our visits to Harbin, China and how the Gospel is spreading rapidly among the young college age students. I told her of the English corners and how we engage them with the truth of God’s Word. At this statement she was stumped. How do you know when God is talking to you? OK, radar’s on…She’s a seeker but not a believer. She had some great questions about how do you know God is real and that Jesus is real. How was the Bible written by God? She said she had heard of Jesus living and dying.
I told her to look out the window and tell me if you can see the wind. She looked and thought. She answered and said that she saw the leaves moving. That’s right, you see the effects of the wind but you don’t see the wind. So it is with God, we look at creation and see the effects of God’s design. The Bible tells us that creation itself testifies of God’s existence. We looked at John 1:3, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”.
Next, I explained that she needed to read the Book of John and why. See previous blogs. John was given God’s words by God via the Holy Spirit besides, John was an eyewitness. I showed her Luke and explained he was not an eyewitness, rather he gathered his information by interviewing eyewitnesses such as John and the other disciples. I explained to her that if she and I both saw a vehicle accident we would tell our story in different ways but get to the same point that this vehicle collided with that vehicle. It’s the same with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry on this earth. Four men, four points of view but the same and ultimate conclusion that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God who being born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified, dead and buried and the third day rose from the dead. I told her she left this most important part out. Jesus is alive!
Now get this, in the middle of sharing the Gospel, one of the ladies interrupts and says we’ve got to get busy hanging up these quilts. I bit my tongue, took a deep breath and continued with the plan of salvation in the back of the PWT. I showed her that God loved her so much that He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
We wrapped up our conversation by my giving my email address and encouraging her to ask God to show He is real to her through His word and I promise he will. She was very thankful to receive God’s word and the brief explanation. See Acts 28:24.
We concluded our afternoon by going out to the end of the peninsula to see the lighthouse and the ocean from that point.
The Book of Acts in 28:24 says, “And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved”. This is a verse I landed on this morning and it came to pass today.
On this frosty morn I was awaiting Loren as he made his morning preparations to kayak I met Eric who stopped by the campground. He owns a church, well what used to be a church, and converted it to a dry dock where he keeps and restored a boat. With this boat, Eric plans to sail to the DR and meet up with his girlfriend who lives there in the center part on a mountain. He had a little dog named Vicky that plays and plays.
I offered him a Bible and he refused. He refused on the grounds that he doesn’t need that because he’s got it all figured out. He said he is good enough. He went on to say he’d never stolen anything and he’s a very good person and he knows this in his head.
I asked how he planned to stand before a Holy God and answer for his sins. I told him to consider God’s Word that he was refusing and listen to what it says about his claims. “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no not one’.” “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” I went on to explain that “our righteousness is but filthy rags before God”. Eric rejected all three. He held steadfast that God will find his good works enough to let him into heaven. He said his dad died several years ago and he was a good man and he felt certain his dad went to heaven. In the end, he still refused the Bible and rejected the Gospel that was presented to him. See Acts 28:24.
Loren and I went on down to the dock and he put in. I struck up a conversation with the guys working on restoring a boat at the pier. They invited me aboard and gave me a tour of what was completed along with an explanation of what’s to be done by this Saturday so they can set sail on a trip. I presented them each a PWT and they accepted. This brought up a conversation about traveling the world to spread the Gospel. The man that owned the boat said it’s a good thing and that he knew a Gideon that was a school teacher years ago that was active in spreading the word. He said now he’s old and not able to go anymore. Go while you can because one day the day will come when your mind or body or both won’t allow you to Go!
At the pier watch house I met Chris. He is a believer and so are his parents. I asked if he knew any Gideons in the area and he said his dad did. After a very encouraging conversation between myself and Chris, I came back to camp, got cleaned up and we all went back to Chris’ home and met his dad. We also met a man in need of prayer for his hip. I gave him a Bible and told him I’d be praying for his recovery and he said maybe your prayers will work because he’s not answering mine. I hope to meet this man again to really talk to him.
Mr. Reid came out to meet us and he was very kind. He also informed us of the local Gideon he knows and it’s the same Gideon that Shirley told us about two days ago. Hummmm, is he the only Gideon here?
After our time at the Reids, we took a detour through the community of Hardwicke. After a turn here and there we came across a church that had a sign on the front door, admission $4.00. Catching Kobee’s attention, he wanted to go back for a picture. I made a u-turn and parked in front of the church. There were neither cars nor signs of anyone when we first drove past but now several cars are pulling in behind us. A number of ladies, four to be exact, were there to set up quilts for a quilt show and that’s what the $4.00 admission was for. We went in to see the quilts and it was a bunch of them. That’s where we needed to be last night in the 3 degree Celsius temperatures.
The question always arises, what in the world are you doing here from MS. We are always obliged to explain. God sent His son to die for His glory and no other reason. When we accept Christ it is to the Glory of God. The Glory of God is why we travel to share the Gospel. Not for our own benefit.
Often when we’re asked on the street for the explanation we move into the gospel. Well here in the church I quickly began to explain that we are here to pray and spread His word. We introduced ourselves and the ladies gave us their names. One lady is from South China and her name is Xiao.
I told her of our visits to Harbin, China and how the Gospel is spreading rapidly among the young college age students. I told her of the English corners and how we engage them with the truth of God’s Word. At this statement she was stumped. How do you know when God is talking to you? OK, radar’s on…She’s a seeker but not a believer. She had some great questions about how do you know God is real and that Jesus is real. How was the Bible written by God? She said she had heard of Jesus living and dying.
I told her to look out the window and tell me if you can see the wind. She looked and thought. She answered and said that she saw the leaves moving. That’s right, you see the effects of the wind but you don’t see the wind. So it is with God, we look at creation and see the effects of God’s design. The Bible tells us that creation itself testifies of God’s existence. We looked at John 1:3, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”.
Next, I explained that she needed to read the Book of John and why. See previous blogs. John was given God’s words by God via the Holy Spirit besides, John was an eyewitness. I showed her Luke and explained he was not an eyewitness, rather he gathered his information by interviewing eyewitnesses such as John and the other disciples. I explained to her that if she and I both saw a vehicle accident we would tell our story in different ways but get to the same point that this vehicle collided with that vehicle. It’s the same with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry on this earth. Four men, four points of view but the same and ultimate conclusion that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God who being born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified, dead and buried and the third day rose from the dead. I told her she left this most important part out. Jesus is alive!
Now get this, in the middle of sharing the Gospel, one of the ladies interrupts and says we’ve got to get busy hanging up these quilts. I bit my tongue, took a deep breath and continued with the plan of salvation in the back of the PWT. I showed her that God loved her so much that He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
We wrapped up our conversation by my giving my email address and encouraging her to ask God to show He is real to her through His word and I promise he will. She was very thankful to receive God’s word and the brief explanation. See Acts 28:24.
We concluded our afternoon by going out to the end of the peninsula to see the lighthouse and the ocean from that point.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Time to play in the sand.
We all took advantage of the sun. The Boys played and Misty took a nap in the warmth of the sun.
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