It was my privilege to share Missions and preach Sunday morning. It was great to see old friends and fellowship with Randy Lingenfelter and his family. They baptized the grandson of Tim Snow, a wonderful individual who, over his lifetime, was a blessing to State Missions and a close personal friend.
Overwhelming Reality
It seems now the James Webb telescope, having revealed several fully developed galaxies where they are not supposed to be have been located, has the science community running in circles. This new discovery reveals that the big bang theory emphasized on society as truth may be false. Scientists are discussing the apparent possibility that science books may have to be rewritten to reveal these tremendous errors. I guess we will just have to wait and see how they explain all this away, but if you want a fast and precise answer, go to Gen. 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Two More to Go
This week, I am looking forward to being with The Bridge Baptist Church in Mountain Home and her pastor, Hershel Conley. It was Highland Hills that extended an arm to this work and God continues to bless her ministry. Then, on Aug. 6 it is on to Kingsland Baptist Church and Pastor Rick Bolin. I thank these pastors for sharing their pulpits and supporting this great work.
Future Opportunities
It will not be long before our local association meetings begin. I am looking forward to attending as many as possible. It is one of the best times of the year for me to fellowship with my brothers and sisters across the state.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “On Sunday, July 23, there were 43 children registered for Vacation Bible School. The volunteers left on Saturday at midnight after decorating the building. Several church members brought their donations to the temple to care for the children and volunteers.
We have been praying that God will allow us to see the fruits of this work. Let us continue praying that the Lord will be glorified.
“Mayra gave birth, and we thank God for the life of this baby. Let us pray that Christian and Mayra will instruct their son in the fear of God and that little Christian will be a blessing to the community. It is incredible that about six months ago we were praying for Christian, the father, who was the victim of a fire and the doctor had to put him into a coma in his recovery process from third degree injuries. Today he is celebrating the grace of God that has allowed him to live to see his first child born.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Our celebration service last Sunday was full of blessing and testimony. Esther Batres is a sister who has been faithful in Ebenezer. For years, we have been praying for a reunification with her family in Guatemala. God answered our years of prayers and, last Sunday, she introduced us to her three daughters who had arrived from Guatemala.
Thank God, there were no complications with their flight, nor with their entry into the country. We thank God for this family reunification.
“We continue giving the Gospel Movement workshop and are still in the sharing lesson. In this section, we are teaching how to share the gospel with others. We have been teaching the tool of ‘The Three Circles.’ Next week, we will teach ‘The Roman Road.’ Pray that God will present us with opportunities to share our faith with others.
“My family and I are on vacation this week. We left for Alabama on Sunday after our celebration service. As I am writing this, we are at a good friend’s house in Alabama and then we will continue our trip to Florida. We are thankful to God for this week. It will be a good opportunity as a family to connect and enjoy the goodness of God. May God be glorified!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “What a great week at Faith Chapel! Our attendance was up again — we had 53, and 12 of them were under 10 years old! Praise God! I told them jokingly during the announcements that we are going to need a new building! We had one first-time visitor that came because we met her and invited her during our outreach event on July 3, and that is why we do it.
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together! We are praying for more fruit from that event. We also had a couple that has moved to the area and has been looking for a church and has visited us a few times. They saw our new building, read the sign, found where we are meeting now and started coming. Well, Sunday morning they joined us by letter from Bethany Baptist Church in Russellville, and we were overjoyed! Praise God again! They are such a sweet couple, and we know they will serve the Lord well here with us at Faith Chapel. God is so good!
“The building is still progressing. The insulators were here last week, and they made a good showing. They would have finished Friday, but they ran out of material and could not get any until Monday, so they should be done soon. It is amazing the difference the insulation has made already, it is cooler and quieter in there, and we should be able to start ductwork soon. Praise God again and again for all He is doing for us! We are so excited for this mission He has placed here, and we just want it to all be about Him!
“We thank you all for your prayers and support! Please continue. God is answering them as only He can.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “As always, the Lord was faithful and went before us this week to set up some divine appointments in the community! Faith Journey once again took part in the Third Thursday event in downtown Benton. It was a hot and humid night, but we were able to talk with many people as they were enjoying the festivities.
We always invite folks to come visit Faith Journey. We also share the gospel with those God puts in our path at these events. This week God blessed our efforts by sending one of these folks to visit this Sunday for the first time!
“We had another great night at Faith Journey that consisted of a baptism. For a while now, we have been praying for a young lady who attends with her family. God began to speak into her life, and she asked Jesus into her heart and desired to follow up in believer’s baptism. We enjoyed a great time with her family and friends who came to celebrate her life-changing decision. We also had a yummy cookout of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and watermelon! We even threw in an apple pie to make it an all-American feast! We had a record attendance of 28! I think the Lord loves watching His children spending time worshipping and fellowshipping with one another! It’s been a good week!”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “The week was very busy in terms of visitation. We received a call on Wednesday from a sister who attends our church. Her husband is very sick, and she told us he wanted to talk to the pastor. The man was very distressed, so my wife and I visited him.
We listened to him, presented the gospel and Francisco gave his life to Christ! We give glory to God by His grace and mercy. How beautiful it is when God uses you as an instrument to help someone surrender to Him.
“We had a visitor in our Sunday service, then Sister Iris invited us all to her home to have a time of fellowship as a church, each day we continue to grow in that love that is distinctive of God’s children.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “Summer is ending and I’m glad. It’s tough for pastors and church planters. Though things have been hard, especially with our model of ministry, one of our groups has met non-stop. Last night, we had both groups to our house as Amanda and I shared about our recent trip to Israel. That was a great time.
“Again, though summer has been hard, we’re overflowing with prospects at the moment. I was just visiting with one of them in a coffee shop.”
