From Greensboro to Hillsborough

Pastor James Tester

We arrived Saturday morning at the Triad Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. This church was started by Pastor James Tester in 2003. I have known Pastor Tester since 1998 as we attended Bible college together. His church was our first supporting church since we started deputation, but I had never been here before. Since we are working this area and I had an open spot we decided to stop in and meet his people and give them prayer cards.

My wife and the pastor's wife soul winning

We spent Saturday out soul winning and visiting for about 4 hours. God really blessed our time out as we talked to many folks about Christ and had sweet fellowship while we went. While out I had the opportunity to meet a lady named Poe Ray, she is a Karen lady from Thailand. We greeted her in the Karen language and held a small conversation with her in that language until we realized she spoke good English. She then invited my wife and I to follow her to her home. There we met her family. Upon gathering them around I asked them of their eternal future. They said they didn't know where they would go when they died. They had been raised Buddhist, but were no longer practicing Buddhism as they had started attending a Baptist church in the area. There was no evidence of any idols in their home, but some family pictures taken in front a Buddha at a temple. 

Poe Ray and her family

I discovered that the church they have been attending was a Southern Baptist church. So I asked them if I could share with them the story of Jesus Christ and what he did for us. They wanted to learn more, so I used a illustration booklet that has the plan of salvation verses along with detailed picture illustrations. They gathered around as we basically had a mini church service in their living room. At the end I gave an invitation and asked if they wanted to trust Christ. The father of the home, Roh Ree, said they would and they bowed their heads and asked Christ to save them. What a precious thing to see an entire family asking Christ to save them. A father, a mother, their two older children and an adult cousin who was there. Praise God!!! Please pray for them to come to the Triad Baptist Church, they told me that they would like to come but had already committed to be picked by the other Baptist church who sends a van by for them. I appreciate that they want to keep their word, but Triad Baptist Church will be the better church for their spiritual growth. 

Pastor Tester Preaching Sunday Morning

Sunday morning I taught Pastor Tester's adult Sunday school class. Then he preached the morning service. There were many visitors as the church had a great crowd in attendance. During the invitation many came forward to make decisions. A man named Jason came forward to submit himself for baptism. Pastor Tester told me he had trusted Christ as his Saviour before, but asked me to speak to him about his salvation. I did and he had a good testimony, so I explained baptism to him to make sure he understood and then they had a baptismal service after the invitation for Jason.

Jason getting baptized

Sunday night we journeyed to Hillsborough, North Carolina to attend Iglesia Bautista La Fe. This church was started by Pastor Marc Johnston in 1997. It is a Spanish church and they had a great crowd Sunday night. The auditorium was filling up fast as we were greeting people by our display table. Then one of the men came and asked me to join a group of men for prayer in a side room. We spent about 15 minutes in prayer before the service. The spirit was a sweet one as we prepared to start the service.

Pastor Marc Johnston

In the service I was called up to give testimony while the pastor interpreted for me. Then they showed my video and the pastor called me back up afterwards to answer questions. After I was done they played a game on the platform where people were called up to answer questions from the previous weeks sermon. Tonight they had four ladies come up and each one has a buzzer in front of her that they push, kind of like a game show. It is an interesting way to see how much people can remember from the previous Sunday night message. I like the innovative way they are getting people to continue thinking about the Word of God and the lessons taught throughout the week! 

Ladies answering questions

Then Pastor Johnston preached the evening message. At the invitation many went forward to make decisions. Then the pastor had us go to our table for the people to come by and visit with us. Many did and we appreciated the great amount of interest shown by the people. We then packed up and headed back to where we are staying. On the way, I received a text message from Pastor Darren Tharp telling me that their church just voted to partner with us. Praise the Lord for a new partner in Independence, Missouri. Thank you New Hope Baptist Church!!! Pray for us as we head toward Charlotte this week.

Pastor Johnston preaching

   

Fantastic Week at West Park Baptist Church in Rockwell, NC

Pastor Billy Sechrist and his wife

On Monday we traveled to Rockwell, North Carolina for a Wednesday night meeting with West Park Baptist Church. We were going to be staying in their prophets chamber through Friday. This church is being led by Pastor Billy Sechrist since 2016. Before that, Pastor Sechrist was the assistant pastor at this church for 15 years. What a blessing to see that kind of longevity!

Upon our arrival the pastor was painting the church basement, so we put away our stuff and jumped in to help him paint the basement. We painted for several hours Monday and then most of the day on Tuesday. We figured we should live up to our name! Lol!

Mrs. Painter painting the chair rail

On Tuesday evening my wife attended the ladies meeting at the church and had a fantastic time. I went with the pastor and a group of men from the church to a nursing home service in the town of Salisbury. One of the men named James Miller was preaching for the first time there. He was a little nervous, but did a great job! I witnessed to a man named David whom I discovered was already saved. He wanted me to sit with him through the service and pray with him about some major health problems he has. Please pray for him as you read this!

Brother Miller preaching

Brother David from nursing home

On Wednesday we went out on the teen soul winning bus in the afternoon. I went with a young man named Josh as my partner. We went to two different areas to knock doors and had to battle the rain off and on. While out I met a fourteen year old boy named Hunter. Hunter said his family use to go to another Baptist church in the area, but haven't attended for six years. He didn't know where he would go for his eternity, but said he often wonders and thinks about it. I was able to show him the Gospel and he bowed his head and trusted Christ as his Saviour. Praise God! 

Soul winning bus coming to pick us up

Then we went back to the church and ate dinner at the church before the evening service. Before the service the building was filled with a friendly atmosphere and there was a full auditorium. We really enjoyed meeting the people before and after and listening to some good music in the service. After the youth choir sang, I gave testimony and showed our video. Then I had the opportunity to preach to the people. The sermon seemed to touch hearts and the invitation had a very moving spirit for missions. Then the pastor held a spur of the moment vote to take us on for monthly support, which went through with no opposition. We praise the Lord for a new partner for the lost souls of Thailand!

Youth Choir

We truly enjoyed every moment we spent at this church. It is clearly obvious that Pastor Sechrist has a real heart for souls and is doing everything he can to reach this area for Christ. Please pray for their church to continue to succeed in their mission of warning and winning their area. Please pray for us as we have meetings in Greensboro and Hillsborough this weekend.

Pastor Billy Sechrist

From Spring Creek to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Pastor Jason Watford

We traveled from New Bern to Spring Creek Baptist Church in Seven Springs for a Wednesday night meeting. This church has been led by Pastor Jason Watford for almost 6 years. The pastor is doing a great job as the church had 149 in attendance that evening, there were 20 folks in this church when he became the pastor. God is blessing this church. 

They were preparing for a big day the following Sunday. (It ended up being a big day as the church had 442 people in attendance and 6 folks walk the aisle and trust Christ as their Saviour! Praise the Lord!) On that Wednesday evening I was able to give testimony and present our video, then the pastor gave a good Bible study that we enjoyed.

Miss Sarah Smith

While there we saw Miss Sarah Smith whom we have known for a long time. She was a little girl when I went to Bible college in Longview, Texas. She even attended Bible college with my son when he went there.  Then one year when I was teaching an online class for the college there she was one of my students. It was good to see her again and my wife and I both enjoyed visiting with her after the service. She is on staff at this church and involved in several ministries. Always nice to see a familiar face when so far away from home! Please pray the Lord will use her here in this church.

Pastor Ernesto Andrade and his family

From Seven Springs we traveled to North Wilkesboro to spend the weekend with Iglesia Bautista Gracia. This church is led by Pastor Ernesto Andrade who started it four years ago. We attended a Friday night cottage type prayer meeting where I led a devotional and then we prayed for the church and the people. Meeting lasted about 2 1/2 hours, it was a really great spirit.

Then Saturday we went soul winning. It was raining all day, but we took umbrellas and knocked doors anyway. My wife went with the pastor's wife and I went with the pastor. We went to a Spanish area and the pastor spoke to most of the people. I was able to take an American lady through the entire plan of salvation, but she claimed she had been previously saved before. We then attended a birthday party of a church member that evening.

Party in Full Swing

Then on Sunday I taught the Sunday school lesson and gave my testimony. I showed my video in the morning service and preached the message. Hearts were stirred for missions and the altars were full at the invitation time. After the service there was a church wide meal in the basement. Then I preached the Sunday night service. After the service we ate with the pastor's family and Brother Jordan and his wife Juliet. His wife is from Honduras. Brother Jordan is a highway patrolman for the state of North Carolina. They are a nice young couple in this church, please pray for their spiritual growth as I am sure the Lord can greatly use them here in this ministry. Also, pray for us as our next meeting is in Rockwell, North Carolina. One more bit of good news is that the Beacon Baptist Church in Raleigh called me on Monday to tell me they are taking us on for support starting immediately. That is a tremendous blessing!

Brother Jordan and his wife Juliet

"Mission Possible" in New Bern, North Carolina

Pastor Jeff Owens

We attended the missions conference at Twin Rivers Baptist Church in New Bern, North Carolina. This church has been led by Dr. Jeff Owens the past five years. It is a tremendous church and they had a tremendous conference. Their theme was "Mission Possible" instead of impossible. They started with a missions breakfast on Saturday morning followed by a sermon from one of the missionaries. Then we attended their bus meetings and went out visiting and bus calling for the day.

Zaw Tay and Sa Way

Brother Chris Edwards the church song leader took me to visit some of their Karen bus riders. Here I was able to visit with the parents of one of their riders. Zaw Tay and Sa Way. They have been witnessed to before but were not saved. From a Buddhist background but not faithfully practicing at all. I was able to sit down and present the Gospel to them and they made a decision to bow their heads and trust Christ as their Saviour. Please pray that they will come to church with their son in the near future, I think they might be intimidated about going to an English speaking church.

Lweh Shree Paw

My wife went out visiting with a separate group from me on Saturday and met Lweh Shree Paw who was born in Thailand. Interesting enough, Lweh used to live in Lincoln, Nebraska back in 2015 where I previously was a pastor at. She described the building she used to live in, and it was 2020 G Street, very close to our church building. She said, she had seen my wife's face before. Lweh doesn't attend church anywhere and so my wife had the opportunity to sit down with her and discuss eternity. She presented the Gospel to Lweh and she made a decision to trust Christ as her Saviour. She came to church on Sunday and even went forward at the invitation and made a public profession of faith in Christ and wanted to follow the Lord in believer's baptism. Praise the Lord! Unfortunately, the baptistery had sprung a leak in it and all the water leaked out. Lweh will return next week to be baptized after they fix the baptistery. Please pray for her spiritual growth and she embarks on her new found Christian life.

Lweh coming forward at invitation time for baptism

We truly enjoyed the day on Sunday. After getting to attend Pastor Owens Sunday class we went into the morning service. We were very impressed with the great organization to detail there is in every aspect of their ministry. It is a great testimony to the character of the pastor and the people he leads. They had great special music and I was honored to preach the morning message.

Choir singing

Preaching morning service

Then Sunday evening I preached to the teenagers at their Youth Ablaze meeting. Youth Pastor James Elswick and his wife are doing a fantastic job in this department working with these teen boys and girls. There must have been more than forty teenagers in the meeting. Several good decisions were made about serving God at the invitation. This church is getting ready to start a Bible college and Brother Elswick will be heavily involved with that. Pray for them as they move forward with this ministry!

Youth Pastor J.V. Elswick

I was excited that the church made a decision to take on all three missionaries that they had come in for the conference. The whole purpose of deputation is to find willing partners for the mission at hand. I am glad to say that we found one in Twin Rivers Baptist Church. It is truly a blessing for us!

Missions Wall

Our spot

Before we left for North Carolina we were able to see several visitors come to church with us. One was Hser Htoo who I met out soul winning. He told me that he didn't know he was going to Heaven, but knew that he needed to turn his life around. He knew all about Jesus Christ and what He did for us, but wasn't sure that he actually ever trusted Christ as his Saviour. So I sat down with my New Testament and took him through God's plan of salvation. He bowed his head and trusted Christ as his Saviour. He then came to church with me the next day. Praise God! Please pray for his spiritual growth and faithfulness to attend church.

Hser Htoo

Some of you may remember Kler Say who came to church with my wife on Thanksgiving weekend. Since that time she has had a baby girl. Also, her husband finally came to church. Please pray that he will trust Christ and continue to come.

Kler Say with her husband and new baby girl

Lastly, I had the honor of baptizing my daughter Rachel. Many I am sure remember that she is my adult daughter that broke her leg. She is still recovering from this extremely bad break and hopefully will be fully recovered in a few more weeks. During this down time she had plenty of time to think and began to wonder if she was truly saved or not. She decided that she wanted to be 100% sure to give her that confidence that she needs. We waited on baptism until she could at least put enough weight on her bad leg that we could safely baptize her without injury. I have always baptized all of my children, so we figure why break the trend. Lol!

Rachel before baptism!

Please pray for us as we continue with more meetings in North Carolina. We are headed to Seven Springs next!