I was privileged to share the Word with Big Creek Valley Baptist Church, south of Jonesboro. It was good to see Jimmy Thompson and the rest. This was the home church of Missionary Bill Gibson, who served our association most of his life. It was also good to see his dear wife.
The Greatest Gift Ever Given
Vicki and I celebrated our first Christmas as a family way back in 1969. We didn’t have much, but that did not seem to matter as we had each other. Going to the woods and cutting just a small limb from a pine tree, we brought it home and decorated it with red berries, popcorn on a string, lots and lots of stringy icicles, a few bulbs and handpicked pinecones. Of course, there were no phones with cameras, and oh, how I regret not having taken a picture of our masterpiece. We were 18, in love and blessed beyond measure. We exchanged precious but very common gifts. We had most things a person would want for Christmas, except the main thing, and that was Jesus.
We were not attending church. Moving forward a couple of years and having become parents, we realized something was missing. While holding my baby boy, I knew I owed it to my children to bring them up in church. I rededicated my life, Vicki was gloriously saved and only then did we learn the real meaning of Christmas. Yes, the traditions of gift-giving, fellowshipping and food have always been a part of our Christmases. But we know that God, through His great love, gave us Heaven’s best, His Son, and that by believing we might become joint heirs with Him. This wonderful gift of Christmas can become yours, too, if you let Him come into your heart.
As I write this, I am looking at our 54th tree. While our trees have increased in size, they are no longer the center of attention in our home. Merry Christmas.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “This Sunday, we had the now-traditional party ‘The Birthday of Jesus.’ After an advertising campaign through the Community Assistance Program’s network of contacts and social media, we managed to gather 55 children and 6 parents to share the gospel with them.
“We had been praying for this event for a couple of months in our Friday meetings. During the week, the volunteers shopped, cleaned the building, decorated it and prepared for the given day.
“Sixteen volunteers were present and worked in harmony so that the objective of the meeting was fulfilled, and the Lord was glorified with our service. We are clear that the next generations will honor the Lord if we teach them to do it now, while they are children.
“Unfortunately, I could not be there as I am recovering from recurrent inguinal hernia surgery. But at the morning service, I was able to attend, we had the Lord’s table and began a series of studies around the events surrounding the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, based on the book of Luke. On this occasion, we studied the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist.
“I loved that in the service we included the first Christmas songs. It brings back such beautiful memories. Christmas is a very special time, and in my family, we live it intensely. Please pray for this work in North Little Rock. We made a lot of contact with the community in December, taking advantage of the Christmas atmosphere. Pray that God will guide us, and we will do everything to expand His kingdom, honoring and glorifying Him.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “An Ecuadorian arrived in Ebenezer this week. His name is Henry, and he had to flee his country because of drug trafficking threats to his life. He was a lawyer in his country and visited Ebenezer for the first time. I had the opportunity to speak with him after our Celebration service. We talked for an hour, and I see in his life a spiritual thirst. Pray that we can present the gospel to him and that God will prepare his heart.
“On Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to pray for the opening of a business. In the group of Venezuelans that we met, I visited with Vanesa. She has intentions of opening a clothing business in Plaza Frida, a mall of Hispanic stores. When she found out that I was a missionary, she asked me to pray at the opening of her store. It was an excellent opportunity to get to know the Hispanic community a little more and build bridges of friendship.
“I ask you to pray for Neymar Lopez, a child of our congregation who was diagnosed with leukemia. It is a new challenge of faith that we have as a congregation. This week has been a constant in my prayers. My prayer is for the family, for peace, for their faith not to waver, and, above all, that God be glorified.
“Thank you, brothers, for your support for the missions. The glory is God’s!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had another great week at Faith Chapel! We had several families out traveling this week, but we still had a very good number, with five first-time visitors, and four of them were kids! So, even though some of our kids were out, their class was still full, and we do love having them.
“This time of year is so busy for everyone, with so many traveling, it is hard to get everyone together for a special fellowship, but we are planning a Thanksgiving/Christmas fellowship on Dec. 16. We are looking forward to just being able to get together and enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed atmosphere, praising God for what He has blessed us with. He has so blessed us!
“The refrigerant lines are complete inside, so we are ready for drywall. This is one of the few things we are not doing ourselves, and our contractor is extremely busy. We know he will get us scheduled and completed as soon as possible; please pray that he will. The Lord will work it out, and we know that!
“I want to thank you all for your support and especially for your prayers. Please continue. God is answering them and blessing us in so many ways! I stand amazed in His presence.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “The holidays are fast approaching, and we are feeling the Christmas spirit at Faith Journey. We look forward to gathering a few gifts for several folks at the facilities we are ministering to. We hope to provide some warm, cozy outfits and a few special things they will enjoy during the season.
“Faith Journey has the privilege of coming alongside one of the local nursing facilities we visit and helping them begin their own prayer ministry within their building. The residents desire to be a part of praying for others who are living there, but also want to expand to pray for their local community. They feel led to continue serving the Lord, and praying for others is a way to show God’s love to others in their lives.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA: Roberto Marcelletti writes, “We are very excited to inform you about the work we are doing in the cities of Rogers, Springdale and Pea Ridge. How beautiful to see people come to Christ and hear their testimonies of transformation as it inspires us and fills us with joy.
“On Dec. 3, we celebrated our anniversary — our first year as a mission. The brothers were very cooperative and committed to organizing the anniversary activities, decorating, feeding and serving guests. We were visited by Michael Hight, who preached. We were also visited by Dana Williams and his wife, Kimberly, Wes Hulvey and Tommy Ward and his wife, Karen from Epic Church. Following the sermon of Bro. Mike from Luke 9:59-62 on commitment in service to the Lord, guest pastors prayed for us and sang birthdays. We then went into the fellowship hall to end a very special time with a meal and fellowship.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are proving to be challenging, but the special events in town allow for lots of opportunities to build and continue connections in the community.
“On Dec. 3, we celebrated our anniversary — our first year as a mission. The brothers were very cooperative and committed to organizing the anniversary activities, decorating, feeding and serving guests. We were visited by Michael Hight, who preached. We were also visited by Dana Williams and his wife, Kimberly, Wes Hulvey and Tommy Ward and his wife, Karen from Epic Church. Following the sermon of Bro. Mike from Luke 9:59-62 on commitment in service to the Lord, guest pastors prayed for us and sang birthdays. We then went into the fellowship hall to end a very special time with a meal and fellowship.”
“Our groups continue, with one group studying John and the other working through our foundational discipleship tracks.
“This Sunday, we will have our December Worship Night. Pray for us as we make plans for the first of the year and reach out to potential leaders.”
El Faro #2 Hispanic Mission, Cabot/Jacksonville: Michael Hight writes, “This week has been a busy one. We continue to make contacts and prepare for an outreach on Dec. 17.
“The weekend was a special blessing as I celebrated the first anniversary of Gracia Soberano in Springdale. I had a wonderful time preaching in Spanish and English, and then we shared an excellent meal provided by the mission.
“Roberto and Patti are doing a wonderful job as missionaries. Please continue to pray for them. There is a church that will vote to extend an arm since their mother church is closing. All this is in the works, and I am working hard to make sure they don’t lose any momentum in the process of transition.”
