'Fishing' for Jewish people

Dear friends and fellow prayer partners,

Lately, God has been opening doors for talking with Jewish people and we wanted to mention some stories and pass on some information to you all that might help you to be able to share the message of Jesus with them more effectively, or at least be able to pray for them more effectively. : )

(Steven's update)
Through the centuries, Satan has had many clever and cruel variety of strategies against the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [renamed Israel]. Even though the Jewish people are looked down upon by many, we have found that many of them are very nice and some of them have been willing to talk with us, as we show them that we care about them. Their nice attitudes are commendable, especially in light of the fact that they are consistently slandered all around the world, even by the 'mainstream media'. Over the centuries, cruel, power-hungry tyrants that wanted to control the world have falsely blamed the Jewish people to accomplish their purposes. In today's culture, one of the main groups that falsely blame the Jewish people to accomplish their purposes are those who follow Islam. Jesus clearly nailed that hateful religion when He said: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Having said that, not everyone who calls themselves a Muslim practices Islam, just like how many who claim they are a Christian, don't follow Christ themselves. The Jewish people have also been hunted down and killed by those who claimed to be Christians, but were power-hungry tyrants, concerned for their own greed and power.

With that said, naturally, there are quite a few barriers in communicating with a Jewish person. But, we continue to find that when we show how much we care about them as a people, they gravitate to that.

Recently, my dad and I had the wonderful opportunity to work for a nice Jewish businessman. When we found out he was Jewish, we gave him a discount. He said he had seen a lot of responses from people when they found out he was Jewish. Even someone who burned a cross in his yard. But, he had never had someone give him a discount for being Jewish. Our show of kindness opened up a small door for conversation, and he watched and appreciated our testimony too.

In the last few months, I have been building a online friendship with a lady in Canada that calls herself a Messianic Jew. There is a slight problem though, she believes in Yeshua (the Hebrew name from which we get 'Jesus'), and she believes in Him as her Messiah. But, doesn't believe that He is and was God in human flesh. So, needless to say, we have had some interesting discussions and I look forward to seeing where God takes it from here. : ) (Please pray for wisdom. I don't want to push her away. I just want to learn how to ask good questions that will make her think.)
A few verses I already showed her were:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

And a couple of other verses that we didn't get to talk about yet, but I hope and pray that we get to soon:

Colossians 1:15-18
“15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.16For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
> Editor's note: The term firstborn has been twisted by several cults across the country to suit their purposes. But when Jesus is described as the firstborn, God is not saying that He was created. Pastor John MacArthur explains it this way: 'The Greek word for “firstborn” can refer to one who was born first chronologically, but most often refers to preeminence in position, or rank. (c.f. Romans 8:19) In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the ranking son who had received the right of inheritance from his father, whether he was born first or not... 4) it is impossible for Christ to be both created and the Creator of everything (vs. 16) Thus Jesus is the firstborn in the sense that He has the preeminence (vs 18) and possesses the right of inheritance “over all creation” (c.f. Hebrews 1:2; Rev. 5:1-7,13). He existed before the creation and is exalted in rank above it...' (By the way, if you don't have a John MacArthur study Bible, we highly recommend it as a useful tool for accurately understanding God's Living Word. You can find them at most Christian bookstores or at http://www.gty.org.


Revelation 1:8, 11
“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty…Saying, ‘I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’ ”

Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I AM the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

In addition to those stories, 2 Saturdays ago, at the mall, we had the wonderful opportunity of talking with 2 Jewish people: Sean and Ia. Deanna started the conversation with them, and I walked over and joined. Paul was able to join us later in the conversation. We had a great conversation! They were from Israel and when I came over and Deanna introduced me, they asked if we had been to Israel. Deanna and I smiled really big and said we'd love to go there someday. They chuckled about our excitement and encouraged us that we would love it. (We heartily agreed!) We then continued to take them through the 10 Commandments. They knew they had broken the 10 Commandments, but they were holding onto their hope that God would just forgive them, if they could just do enough good things. We tried to show them that this belief won't save them, and it gave them new food for thought. We also reminded them of the lamb sacrifice as an example of Jesus. We pointed out that the blood of a lamb couldn't save us, but that it was a symbol of the Messiah, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. They thought about it, and will likely be thinking about it more, but they weren't sure. I tried to show them a couple prophecies out of Isaiah, but they kept asking if that was the New Testament. (Jewish people don't believe in a New Testament with the words of Jesus, etc.) I smiled and explained this was one of their prophets. It took them a couple of times to understand what I was saying (since English is not their first language). When they understood, they weren't sure about it because, apparently, they trust their rabbis (whom they quoted from time to time), but have never studied God's Word themselves. Sean also asked something about the 'Da Vinci Code' and was surprised to hear that it proven to be lies in court, based on the confessions of the author. Needless to say, it was sad to see the veil over their eyes that kept them from seeing and embracing their Messiah. The rest of the conversation was just giving them new food for thought. As we left, they thanked us for talking with them and we both agreed that we looked forward to seeing each other one day. They also mentioned that they would love to see us in Israel one day. We agreed. : ) I do look forward to talking more with them, and I intend to pray for them as often as I remember them.

My conversations with Jewish people drives home a main thought in my mind, we as a body of followers of Christ need to be more active about sharing the good news of Yeshua, the Messiah – to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. (non-Jewish people).
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [the common way of referring to non-Jews back in Paul's day].”- Romans 1:16

>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>...>

It sounds like God is blessing us with a group of street-preachers and we are planning to go to downtown Orlando Friday evening. Would sure appreciate the prayers! There are so many more stories, and we hope to catch you all up on more of them soon!! God has been teaching us a lot, including some ideas of how to communicate Jesus' call for repentance and obedience more effectively!

Thank you so much for your prayers and for being a fellow laborer in His harvest!

Your friends, and servants of Jesus,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul

New Song - 'Wanting the Real' (full lyrics)

Dear friends and prayer partners,

I believe God has given me the full song now... now I just have to work it out on guitar. I thought you might appreciate it. If you think someone else would appreciate it's message, please feel free to send it to others. It's not my song, it's a song God is giving me to use to encourage those He brings across my path...

Some of you already got the partial, this is the full version.

Btw, I'm still working on the Galatians 6:7-9 study - an amazing study. I hope to send it out when I'm finished, but at the moment, I'm still digging into it ~ : )

Well, I'd appreciate your prayers for the music for this song and that God will use it to bless/challenge people according to His purpose.
But, even more, that I will keep learning to love His Living Word more and more and that I will keep learning how to teach His Word more and more clearly.

Thank you.
your friend and prayer partner,
a servant/life-slave of Jesus,
Steven
Luke 14:33
Isaiah 53:2-6
John 14:21


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wanting the Real - 08/03/2008

This song was inspired by some of my life-verses, and from the testimonies and stories of those I've met...

Luke 9:23 says:
"Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

1st Verse:
She sits in a room full of silence
But her mind's full of noise
So many questions, so few answers

She puts on her make-up
But inside, she's tired of hiding
She puts down her fantasy,
Puts down her headphones
And lets out this cry

1st Chorus:
She's wanting the real.
She is tired of her ways of hiding.
She's wanting the real.
She surrendered control of her heart.
She's wanting the real.
She's so tired of the fake,
Tired of running and she wanting to be free,
She's wanting the real.


2nd Verse:
He chats with his friends,
But inside he knows
That they don't really know him

His mind's full of contradictions
He's tried to drown it out with games
He sets it all down and just listens
Jesus calls him to give Him everything
Yet, he's been running, until now

He's tired of living a lie,
Ready to love the truth
He sees that the only way forward
Is to pick up where he left off

2nd Chorus:
He's wanting the real.
He is tired of walking in darkness.
He's wanting the real.
He surrendered control of her heart.
He's wanting the real.
He's so tired of the fake,
Tired of running and wanted to be free,
He's wanting the real.

Bridge:
You and I are in the same situation
We're surrounded by lies and deception
Jesus stands in contrast to this world

He calls us to follow and offers us life...

The question stands before us
What is our answer?
(says: I don't know about you, but...)

Ending Chorus:
I want the real.
I don't want to hold anything back.
I want the real.
I surrender control of my heart.
I want the real.
Jesus calls me to follow.
I'm tired of running; want to walk in freedom
I want the real.

I surrender my life to You, Jesus,
I want the real.

Tag: (?)
I hear Your beautiful voice
Calling me back,
Calling me to give all to You, Jesus
You can have all of me
I want you to lead my life
I want to be free to follow,


Luke 14:33 says:
"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."

Hey - a fishing update! : )

Greetings to our fellow laborers and prayer partners in the harvest, in the name of our Master and Savior Jesus Christ. 08-08-08

These past 2 weeks have been very busy! God keeps training us how to talk more about Him and helping us study His Living Word and He keeps opening up new doors. It's exciting!

The past 2 weeks we have witnessed at malls, and we had some good conversations. A number of people thanked us for giving them gospel tracts, apparently they just appreciated that someone would take the time to talk to them about eternity. Death is scary to those who don't know where they are headed, unless they are so distracted by their sin right now too much to think about it. In those cases, we try to remind them in one way or another - how many breaths do they have left?

By the way, 'One Heartbeat Away' tracts are very popular with most people! It talks about the one main thing on un-saved people's brains, even if they never talk about it. : )

(Steven's update)
One story that stands out to me was when I saw this group of youth (8 or so) and at the mall. I went over to them and asked them if they got one of these ('101 Funniest One-liners'). They hadn't gotten one and were curious what it was. I told them it was a gospel tract and then I quickly followed up by asking if they knew what was on the other side of death - when we 'check out'. They didn't really know, but they sort of did (probably hadn't thought much about it). After I shared the gospel with them, several of them were still hungry to know more. They were thinking that you just add Jesus to your life and then you can go on doing whatever you want to. I had the opportunity to point out that Jesus went through excruciating pain and suffering, taking God's wrath that we deserve - He gave everything to offer us salvation, and He requires everything in return. We talked some more about it. They seemed to really appreciate the conversation. I ended it by challenging them to study the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, for themselves, to see what Jesus really said. I also mentioned that my favorite book is Matthew because it shows how Jesus is so to-the-point on who He is, where we are, and how to change directions to become His followers. One of those guys' names was Matthew - so he really appreciated the challenge/encouragement. : ) I plan pray for them as often as I remember them. It is interesting to see how the more you talk with people about God and His Word, the more people God brings back to mind to pray for. And I know we appreciate people praying for us that we will continue to grow in our hunger/passion for Jesus and His Living Word, so that's how I pray for them too.

This past week, the spiritual warfare was pretty interesting. We had a couple mall security stop us from sharing the gospel at the mall, so we went to other areas. In our brain-storming session afterward, we came to the conclusion that some places are better for just one-2-one conversations. Conversations are fine, but apparently some people don't want us to hand out gospel tracts. But if they ask for one - that is completely different ~ : )

I've been studying Galatians 6:7-9, and working my way through Exodus - 2 exciting studies! And, I've been getting a better understanding of what sin really is, and how offensive it is to God, and even better: how to explain it clearly. I hope this little explanation will help you to be able to explain it more clearly to others.

Sin is obviously more than a list of 'do nots'. Sin is, at the core, a willful rebellion. Even though we know, in some form, what is right, we, humans, all too often willfully choose to do it our own way - rebelling against God. That's the simple of it. We know that the 10 Commandments are more than a guideline for living. They are God's standard: if we are perfect, we can get into Heaven; if we aren't, then we are in big trouble. Obviously we have all lied, stolen things, coveted (wanting something that doesn't belong to us), dis-honored and dis-obeyed our dad and mom, etc. The 10 Commandments are very useful, like that, to show their sin and to help them see how they need to repent, learn to run from their rebellion and embrace ";;;the love of the truth";;;. After we are saved, we won't just be wanting to keep the 10 Commandments. No, what God is asking of those who choose to follow Him, is that we learn a whole new perspective. To not just 'not want the ";;;bad";;; ', but also, for us to be learning to love and embrace the truth, righteousness and obedience. Here are a couple verses that I've been mentally 'chewing on'. "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9) "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." (1st Thessalonians 5:21-22) "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17) "... who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Romans 1:25) "... because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2nd Thessalonians 2:10) "... and did not choose the fear of the LORD." (Proverbs 1:29)

I have found sharing this simple truth challenges those I talk with to make sure they become a genuine follower of Christ. ";;;But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!";;; (Matthew 13:8-9) Also, I have found that pointing out how we naturally choose to do the rebellion, and that we don't go out of our way to do what's right - emphasizes how, until we become followers of Christ, we are walking in willful rebellion, and therefore it is clear how we need to take a complete u-turn and learn to embrace the ";;;love of the truth";;;. Or as the apostle John puts it: ";;;... we walk in the light, as He is in the light.";;; (1st John 1:7)

Thank you again to each of you who prays for us. God continues to open His Word to us, teaching us more and more how to serve and follow Him with all of our hearts!

your fellow laborers in His harvest,
and fellow prayer partners,
David, Barbara, Steven, and Paul

sales on tracts, and trying out new fishing spots

Dear friends, prayer partners and fellow soul-winners,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord! Our lives stay so busy with work and a wide variety of experiences. I (Steven) got a new computer and it has taken a couple of weeks to get it set up like my last computer, including the email addresses. : )

Thank you so much to our prayer partners, we have prayed for God’s blessing on you several times again recently, because we are so grateful. We know we have valuable prayer partners and we especially notice your support when we are doing ministry. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Last weekend we went on a mini retreat as a small Bible study group, for Bible studies and prayers for our country. Our concern was for so many Americans focused on their pride and freedom to pursue their fleshly interests and forgetting to honor God first and to please Him. We as a nation have forgotten the meaning of humility, and Him who gave our Constitution with the freedom to worship Him and serve Him with all of our heart. We felt so close to God while praying for our brethren and our nation and studying His Word – it was a refreshing, blessed time! And Lord-willing, we expect it to be a new annual tradition worth keeping. And we are planning to do that many more times this year! ~: )

Some ministry news, and then some soul-winning stories ~ : ).
In case you hadn’t heard, Living Waters (Way of the Master’s publishing company) has discounted some of their tracts. So, if you’re looking for some good ideas on sale, check out: http://www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=tractsDISCT. (It is our assumption that they are working on some new lines of tracts to come out soon, but we don’t know that for sure…) Way of the Master also has a very interesting announcement/teaser note on Living Waters… something to be announced on July 16th… should be interesting! : )

Also, Living Waters has a very good deal on their intermediate course on evangelism – a package bundle for just $39, and you can find that at: http://www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=720&Category_Code=WOTM-BTC.

Custom Tracts is also having a sale - on their dollar bill tracts. (I wouldn’t personally use the creepy cash or the Santa one because I believe both of them can lean someone toward distraction, I just put that out there as food for thought.) Just to clarify, our family considers it such a blessing to have the variety of tract suppliers! And www.customtractsource.com is one of our 3 favorite tract suppliers. If you didn’t already know – Custom Tract Source will also help you design and print your own tracts too, for a reasonable price. : ) Here’s the link to their sale on the variety of dollar bill tracts: https://customtractsource.3dcartstores.com/Money-Tracts_c_32.html.

Also, while doing a quick search, I came across another tract site that my family has appreciated for years: Chick tracts - http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp. They have colorful, helpful little gospel booklets on quite a range of issues and religions. People enjoy getting these because it’s like a little story. Hope those ideas are a blessing to you all.

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

(Steven’s update)
Well, now for a brief catch-up! : ) The downtown Orlando crowd continues to be interesting! Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity of starting to learn how to preach more effectively to a quick-moving audience. I preached one sermon and got some good thoughtful reactions. It was a good start on something new for me. Then two weeks ago, I had the opportunity of giving 4 different street-sermons! That was pretty cool, but pretty exhausting! Ray Comfort says that street-preaching uses the energy of several regular hours of manual labor in like 5- 15 minutes ~ : ). I think he is right… : ) The interesting thing was that I was nervous up until I started, then God gave me the strength and boldness to preach to and plead with the people passing by to think about who they were following: themselves or Christ. I preached from Matthew 7 & 13 – (broad way/narrow way – rebellious soil/fruitful soil); John 3:16-21 – (God sent Jesus, the Light came, men loved darkness); John 10/Luke 14:26-33 – (2 families, 2 shepherds; those who want to follow Him must forsake all and follow Him), and Matthew 19:16-26 – (Jesus’ very interesting conversation with the rich, young ruler).

What was also interesting is how that this had seemed to be so hard to me for weeks, but after I preached Jesus’ message as best as I could, one-on-one conversations were easier for me again. It was a new and exciting experience for me and I believe God used these to start me learning more about Him in a new category. I look forward to seeing where all that road goes ~ : )!

This past week, while on our mini-retreat, we also got to share the gospel at 2 new locations for us: a flea market and a mall. God blessed us with some great conversations at both places! We passed out quite a few tracts at the flea market and almost everyone was glad to get one and friendly – it was pretty cool. Dad and mom talked with a guy at the flea market who was really thinking about how he needed to get his life right with God and get back with his wife. This guy was also wanting to find some training material so he could share the gospel with his co-worker – it was a pretty cool conversation! At the mall, we talked with quite a variety of walks of life: from 2 ladies who seemed to be in an odd relationship together, to a retired police officer, to several young people who were just hanging around at the mall, and more. The best spot we found for talking with people and sharing the good news of Jesus was the food court! But, the best part was afterward going to all the cars in the mall parking lot putting gospel tracts on the window of the vehicles, right above the door handles. It must have looked pretty funny the 5 of us swarming the mall parking lot! ~ : ) We live in such a crazy world where very few people even know what Jesus said, His truth and His message, but the neat thing we keep seeing is that there is still quite a hunger for the truth.

Again, to our prayer partners thank you! And to those of you who share the gospel of Jesus with everyone you can – thank you! We pray for God’s blessing on you.

Our team is planning to do something a little different this week. We are planning to share the gospel at Flea World in Sanford on Saturday morning around 10 AM and then planning to go soul-winning again Saturday evening. Should be busy and interesting ~ : )! The last time we were at this Flea Market, we had great brief conversations and we are looking forward to going back ~ : ).

Your fellow prayer partners and laborers in the harvest,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul
~ The Henry Family ~
(407) 924-1327
(407) 529-7593
_________________
Friends of Israel,
servants of Christ,
The Henry Family ~ David, Barbara, Steven and Paul

Did you get one? ~ : ) (new and improved)

Dear friends and fellow laborers, 06/19/2008

Wow! What an incredible year this has been, and we know God has even more neat things still to come for those who seek Him first and follow Him with all of their hearts!

ANNOUNCEMENT ~ : )
Living Waters has updated their $1,000,000 with some new colors and features : )

This tract has the Gospel message written on back of the bill.
The million-dollar question: Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. You broke God's Law, but Jesus paid your fine. That means He can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus alone, and God will grant you the gift of everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

And you can find it at: http://www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=298

Also, just because it caught our attention, I wanted to mention the $7 bill gospel tract, with Dwight L. Moody on the front - J.

Here it is:

In 2005, it was reported that more people visited casinos than attended Broadway shows or major league baseball games. Why? Because money is such a hot commodity! If you don’t have it, you want it; if you have it, you want more. But is that all there is to life? Most would say “no,” yet we spend the majority of our lives trying to make more. Listen to what the Bible says about money. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Is God pleased with who you serve? Here’s a quick test. Have you ever lied, stolen or coveted anything? If so, you’ve sinned against God and broken His laws, the Ten Commandments, and you have to stand before Him on Judgment Day. Will you be innocent or guilty? Heaven or hell? Listen to your conscience. You know you’ll be guilty and end up in hell. But God doesn’t want that. The Bible says, “God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” You broke the law and Christ paid the penalty by dying on the cross. He then rose from the dead and defeated death. If you will repent (turn from your sin) and trust in Jesus Christ, He will forgive your sin and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey what you read. (See John 14:21).

http://evangelismteam.com/store/p113/Seven-Dollar-Bill/product_info.html

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

(Steven’s update)
Mom, Deanna and I had a number of interesting conversations – it was another interesting night downtown. I guess the summer rowdiness brings out strange things sometimes. Like Deanna mentions below, there were quite a few of the people downtown that were sort of mocking death. A lot of them were bent on sin and didn’t really want to talk, so I prayed for a lot of them as they passed by. Mom and I had a really neat conversation with 2 ladies. The one lady has been noticing that she has been drifting from the Lord, and realizing that she needs to give all of her life to Jesus Christ. Mom and I encouraged her to do so and reminded her of some Bible verses that would help her. Then her and her friend went on to party, but I hope and pray that those seeds that were planted grow and that she does surrender all of her life to Jesus Christ. Also talked with a number of guys there. Talked with Giovanni – a security guard briefly, and met one of the regular hotdog venders. Please continue to join us in praying that God makes all who we talk with restless, and that God uses that conviction to bring them to a new life in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers! :)

(Deanna’s update)
Zombie madness
Not sure why it seems every week there is a different theme circulating around downtown Orlando amongst the Lost but it never fails. This week was everyone dress like a dead person week. So of course I would approach them saying "Wow you look dead.... what do you think happens when you really die?" As I have heard from Mark Cahill before Satan brings them together so we can witness to them and this week he provided me with a great open liner as well. As I looked at my fellow laborers this week I could almost see the light shining off them in this dark place. Recently I saw a gentleman with a belt that I thought described most of the scene here appropriately. It read "Don't follow me I'm lost". If only he knew the true significance of that one statement. Praise God for opportunities that so easily present themselves. I spoke with a number of people this week who all seemed to be listening. Maybe in their heads there were thinking about the yummy hotdog stand that was sending delicious aromas our way but I like to think they were listening. I spoke with mainly men b/c frankly for some reason women intimidate me slightly. Plus as my friend pointed out the other day they seem to be captivated by my beauty. hee hee In other words to them I'm just a pretty face but while they’re googling I start my conversation. Now let me just say I do think I'm pretty but I'm not saying this to be conceited but it is a point to be spoken for. Men do give me the time of day cause they think there going to get a hook up or something. Now I do believe as long as I have two legs I have a sure bet but my friend suggests this is a tool I should use. Hey whatever makes them bite. As long as I dress modestly and am not flirtatious I will use there second glance as a way to start a conversation. Anyways I talked to a guy named Kevin. To start with he confessed as we were talking he had sinned as I saw him googling over a girl behind me. I always thank them for their honesty and move on. It seems there are always lots of distractions out here so I don't like to humor their obvious lack of concentration. He listened politely and engaged in conversation curtly. We talked for a grand total of about five mins which is really all I like to give people to leave room to talk to others since time is restricted. Unless someone is asking a lot of questions I might make an exception. I'm not intending to control the conversation but I do feel some people can be time robbers. I love how God directs the conversations and sometimes they surprise me. I talked with one girl who had been an athiest since four she says. Sounded as though she had alot of hurt in her past and I only got as far as the building parable before she took off. Those are always tough and I find myself yelling after them as they leave as a final warning. Just something to make them think. Like "WHAT IF YOUR WRONG" or one that I learned from Ray Comfort which seems harsh but true. " If my eyes meet yours on Judgment Day and your still in your sins I'm free from your blood" That I say rarely but if some one has proved to be very self-righteous I may slip it in. Please keep Mr. Ireland in prayer who wanted to go drink beer more than he wanted to talk about God. Peace to all! God Bless you in your work!

Your friends and fellow servants of Jesus,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul

a long list of exciting ministry opportunities ~ : )

Hey friends and fellow prayer partners, 06/12/2008

Thank you so much for your prayers last week!

Looking for good ‘fishing’ spots/ideas? :)
Our local team is gearing up for summer events like the 3rd and 4th of July, and some other outreach events. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we plan.

This week, some of the YWAM team has been talking with us, working on ministry opportunities/ideas for a few youth groups that are coming to FL from other states. So, that sounds pretty cool ~ :). We’re hoping to join them for some of those events! But, as we were praying and asking for ideas, we have been realizing - it’s amazing how many areas we have around us for sharing the truth of the gospel! Cranes Roost is a fun one. And then there is also Lake Eola. Then, there are also different places, like soup-kitchens, and even the Flee Market! The Flea Market is a great ‘fishing spot’ – lots of people and they love taking tracts and some of them talked with us briefly too!! Anywhere there are people – there’s a great fishing spot! As Mark Cahill puts it: ‘Let Satan gather them and we can share the gospel with them.’ – With summer just setting in on our country, the opportunities are endless! And ‘if they are breathing, they need Jesus.’

But more essential for us, with all the distractions and busyness around us, with summer and distracting activities and entertainment – we need to remember the most important thing > our focus, our goal, our source of spiritual strength: spending quality time in His presence, and especially in these perilous times. None of us can be effective at sharing His truth with those around us without making sure we are spending time in God’s presence – seeking His face, and getting more of His Living Word in us! It’s not us who plant or water – but of Him who does the increase – the growth. Please, if you are finding yourself distracted this summer, ask God to forgive you and to help you to get back to focusing on pleasing Him as the top-priority, and looking for ways to fill your time serving Him! Even though this is summer, we must not get distracted. We continue to hear clues that there are hard times headed for this country and we need to be having more and more prayer times across this country.

My family loves finding more and more people who have a passion for God and His Word and are passionate about taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone they can! Please be praying for all of our fellow soul-winning teams as they travel for mission trips and/or vacations.

Scott and Patte (from FL) are in New York – preaching the gospel. They said that it is hot up there, and they would definitely appreciate your prayers!

Please also pray for our dear friend Bart, as he is likely street-preaching in Guatemala or another Spanish-speaking country. Also, please pray for Pastor Duncan and his team of pastors in Malawi, Africa. They are hungry for good teaching of God’s Word and they are linked up with a couple of evangelists. I especially encourage you to pray for them, because we know Islam wants to over-run Africa.

There are bunches of stories to catch up on ~ :). But first a couple more gospel tracts we have found recently ~ :)

Are you absolutely sure that you will escape the wrath of God on Judgment Day? Your eternal destiny is the most important thing in the world. Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36-37). Jesus warned, "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). The only way to escape the wrath of God is by genuine repentance. What then is true repentance?

THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE REPENTANCE
Face your wickedness. Your sin has separated you from God. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God" (Isaiah 59:2). "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you" (Luke 15:18). You personally have broken the laws of God intentionally, repeatedly and without remorse. You have lied. You have stolen. You have been sexually immoral in your heart. You have used his name as a curse word. You have dishonored your parents; you have murdered people in your heart with your hatred. Do you admit this?
Fear the fury of God. Do you understand that God is furious with you for your sin? "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Psalms 7:11). "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1:18). If you die in your sin you will face the undiluted fury and fierceness of Almighty God. For "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10-11). Flee from the wrath to come (cf. Luke 3:7)!
Fall before God's only solution. God, in his love, provides the only solution to your sin problem. Jesus Christ died in your place to pay for your sin. Good works cannot save you. They are tainted with sin. The good works you may have done are an offense to God. "But we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Christ died in your place to pay your penalty, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, ...the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-6).

THE DEFINITION OF TRUE REPENTANCE?
Repentance is essential before we can escape the wrath of God, so what exactly is repentance?

Turning from Sin to Serve. "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Turn from sin to faith in Christ. True repentance is a total turning of the total person from all sin, to submission to God. "Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
Turning in One's Mind. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you" (Luke 15:18). True repentance agrees with God that sin is sin and that God is the true God. The more one learns about God and sin the more that person can genuinely repent. A person has not repented who merely quits a sin because it is unhealthy, while not confessing that thing as sin (1 John 1:9). "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).
A Turning of Emotion. "Blessed are you who mourn [weep and grieve over sin]" (Matthew 5:4). Unsaved people enjoy their "guilty pleasures" - sin. Repentant people are grieved by sin. We hate it and are repulsed by it; "put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done" (Ezekiel. 9:4). True, in our sinful nature we are still tempted by the deceitful pleasure of sin but the new man is grieved over any hint of attraction to sin. We hate the fact that we still desire sin! The Spirit of God brings powerful conviction (great blame and shame) upon the Christian who falls into sin (John 16:8). We are ashamed of sin (Isaiah 44:9), and we love God (1 John 4:19; 5:3).
A Turning of the Will. True repentance wants to stop sinning and start serving God. A criminal may be forced to stop certain crimes like theft but does not want to stop. The reality of a jail cell forces him to stop. A truly repentant person cries out to God for deliverance and victory over sin, and fully intends upon turning from sin to serve God (Romans 7:18,21).
A Turning of Actions. "They should repent, turn to God, and prove their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20). True repentance is proven by a radically changed life. "Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). If there is no change, there has been no repentance. "Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). Zacchaeus the tax collector said to Jesus, "'Look Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house'" (Luke 19:8-9).
A Turning in Faith. Repentance is a turning away from sin to saving faith in Christ, "testifying...repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Those who are trusting their good works for salvation have not yet truly repented.


Repentance turns away from reliance upon works to reliance upon Christ alone who died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Christ died as our substitute in our place! He died for our sin and rose again. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. Christ died to pay the penalty of death for our sin. "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world" (Acts 17:30).

A Suggested Prayer
"God, be merciful to me a sinner! Lord Jesus, I repent! I believe you died for me and rose again. I believe you are God the Son, the Savior. I now turn from my sin to trust you alone for salvation. Save me please, by your grace. I commit to obey You, be baptized and join a Bible teaching church. In Jesus, name I pray. Amen."

"To you first, God, having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you away from your iniquities" (Acts 3:26).

"Unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3,5)
http://www.cornerstoneorlando.org/id35.html

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

‘The dictionary defines a placebo as "a substance containing no medication and given merely to humor or please the patient." Placebos have a legitimate purpose in today's medical world. They are used in clinical research to test the potential of real drugs to provide real cures for diseases. But what if you were seriously ill and your doctor prescribed you a placebo instead of the medicine that would cure you? What would you think of your doctor? Today, millions of people are prescribed a placebo and led to believe they are getting well, when in fact; they are terminally ill and drawing closer to death every minute. This placebo, however, is not prescribed by doctors. It is prescribed by some pastors and professing Christians. The placebo comes in the form of an easy-to-swallow message. There are many spiritual placebos being distributed these days. Here's an example: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. He longs to have a relationship with you, just the way you are. You're a good person, but you have a God-shaped hole in your heart that only He can fill. Just pray a simple prayer and Jesus will come into your heart. Then, He will fix your relationships, heal your diseases, get you out of debt, and help you make the most of your life." If you have heard a message like this, then you've been given a placebo—a message intended to please you, but will do nothing to heal your disease. The disease is called sin and, without a cure, it is fatal. Examine yourself and see if you have any of the symptoms. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever taken God's name in vain? Then by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart. When you die from this disease (sin) and stand before God, He will find you guilty of breaking His commandments and sentence you to eternity in hell. But there is good news. There is a real cure, and there is only one. God doesn't want to send you to hell. So, He sent His sinless Son, Jesus Christ—God in the flesh. He took upon himself the punishment you deserve for your sins against God when He shed His innocent blood and died on the cross. Three days later, He defeated death when He rose from the grave. So, what must you do to be saved? You must confess your sins against God, repent (turn away from your sins), and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, right now. Stop taking the placebo. It cannot save you. Repent and believe the gospel. It is the only cure and your only hope. Please carefully read Matthew 7:21-23 and Mark 1:15.’

http://evangelismteam.com/store/Other/c23/p135/Placebos/product_info.html

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

Steven’s update:
As I said above, there are bunches of stories to catch up on ~ :). God keeps bringing more and more soul-winners along and the fellowship is really cool! And very encouraging! We are also finding that every preacher of righteousness and soul-winner around us are feeling the spiritual pressure and warfare. If you are feeling the warfare too, we encourage you to pray for and bless Israel, and that God will tear down the efforts of the Bush team of trying to force Israel to give up Judea, Samaria, and part of Jerusalem. Giving away land that God gave Israel by unconditional covenant is of very big importance to God. Thank you for praying. We know that our country is already in a lot of trouble with God because of all the rebellion and abominations in our country. Please pray that “the fear of the Lord” comes across this country and that people clearly see that we as a nation need to turn back to Him with all of our hearts. Thank you. :)

Stories! :)
Last Friday evening, I talked with a group called ‘Anonymous’. Kind of an odd group – almost looked like a drama group of some sort… Anyway, they were handing out info flyers and brochures warning about the false religion: Scientology. (‘Scientology’ is a ‘newer’ version of the demonic, witchcraft “I’m a god” type thinking of the new age false gospel and teaching.) These people weren’t Christians and weren’t coming from the Bible’s perspective, but they were going after the hypocrisy and violence of the leaders of ‘Scientology’. Kind of odd, but we do appreciate them exposing a false religion. And, we did have the privilege of talking with some of their team about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They showed some signs of conviction, and we need to pray for them.

We also met a traveling preacher named Kevin. He apparently travels all over the United States preaching repentance. He is hoping to see us a few more times while he is in the area. We were also delighted to see our fellow evangelist friend, Robert and his friend Shawn. It was great catching up with them. Robert isn’t able to join us much because he has a wife and a couple of kids, but he travels around whenever he can, sharing the gospel at various events. It’s nice to have the opportunity to get to know some of our fellow laborers in the harvest. As often as you think of us and pray for us – which we greatly appreciate, please also pray for our fellow laborers!

A couple of weeks ago, we ordered Mark Cahill’s ‘One Heartbeat Away’ tracts. Those are very popular on the streets of downtown Orlando! Also, we just recently found more tracts at http://www.evangelismteam.com/ and we encourage you to check their selection out when you get a chance… Thought-provoking ~ :).

Please also pray for Paul and I, as we prepare to share the truth of the gospel at a wedding this weekend ~ :). Two of our soul-winning friends are getting married and they wanted us to share some verses about Jesus and the gospel there. Very exciting, and we need God’s wisdom to communicate His truth effectively and graciously.

Barbara’s update:
Hello everyone,

Bart the missionary has been praying for everyone that comes downtown and passes out tracts or witnesses to whomever will listen. He has been praying that God would raise up more street preachers that will get on the microphone and share their testimony or read a scripture or even sing a song to bring people to stop and listen to the gospel message. So Bart says to me Barbara would you sing a couple of the songs God gave you and share some of your testimony with the group, Please? I said Yes>>>

I told the crowd that the reason we are down here is because we want so much for each of you to realize that one day we all will face God. Either we stand in front of Him and He will judge us for our sins and we will be eternally separated from Him in Hell or we will stand in front of Him as one who chose to repent and turn from our sins and chose to believe Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. And we want so much for each one of you to be in Heaven with God forever for all eternity, so that is why we are here talking to anyone who will listen. And when We face God nothing else will matter, it won’t matter what house we’ve had or what job only that we repent and turn to Jesus to pay for our sins. So then I sang:

“It ain’t gonna matter”
(God gave me this song at a time when I was stressed with trying to keep up with earthly chores, and as I was cleaning house and thinking about things and God gave me this song showing me what really matters. October 11, 2004 Barbara Henry.)

You see it ain’t gonna matter
The houses that we’ve owned.
It ain’t gonna matter
The riches that we’ve grown.
No, it ain’t gonna matter
The knowledge that we knew
It ain’t gonna matter
When we get home.

You see Jesus sees the boy
Who has no home
Jesus looks at those
Who are broken and torn.
Jesus looks at those
Who need Him the most
Those are the things
That really matter.

You see it ain’t gonna matter
The jobs that we’ve had
It ain’t gonna matter
What a happy time we’ve had
No it ain’t gonna matter
The famous people that we’ve known
It ain’t gonna matter
When we get home.

You see Jesus wants us to…
Help those who need.
Jesus wants us to….
Be planting His seed.
Jesus wants us to..
Teach others of Him
So one day they’ll be with….
Him in Heaven

No it ain’t gonna matter
The Stuff that we’ve stored away
It ain’t gonna matter
That we had lots of time to play.
No it ain’t gonna matter
The popular things in life.
Knowing Jesus Christ
is what really matters.


Then Bart asked me to sing it again about 15 minutes later because he said this is a new crowd they haven’t heard it. So I did.

As I was finishing 3 ladies stopped real close to get a picture with me and wanted to talk. One was raised Catholic and one said she was an atheist and homosexual and said God can’t ever forgive me. I said well Jesus died on the cross for anyone who will admit that they have sinned and turn from that sin and accept Him as Lord and savior. And there is an interesting static that 10 out of 10 people die, so all of us will die and face God, and we can choose Him any time before that, but we don’t know our time and if we will get a chance if we wait till later, so recommend that you talk to God as soon as you can.

Then our group went over to talk to Dina and she said “I heard you singing over there and also you spoke and sang a song last Friday, can you sing it to me?” So I sang “Purify my Heart Lord” the other song I sang that night and last Friday. She said wow! I told her that each one of us is either getting closer to God or farther away and we have to choose each day to have God keep cleansing our lives or say I don’t need God I’ve got my own life to live. She told us that she went to church last week and has been reading the Bible with her daughter almost every day. Please pray for Dina, we talk to her often but she can’t see how she can support her children as a single mom without this bar job (pass out tickets). (We have talked about this too, but she needs to repent and turn from her sins and turn to God totally.) She looks forward to seeing someone from our group each week, we encourage her. Thanks to all of you that speak to her and whomever will talk to you, each time you do that you are making them think about where they are at with God and that’s what really matters.

Helen our 87 year old prayer warrior was asking about you all and she is so excited to hear the different stories of us witnessing to people downtown. She prays for anyone we give her names of whom we’ve talked to and she prays for all of us each Friday night. Please pray for Helen she is getting up there in years and her body aches a lot. She really wants to go be with the Lord but I told her apparently He still has work for her here.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance that race that is set before us.”

David’s update:
Two weeks ago, I sent a very brief note about some false teaching of a local church leader. We just finished transcribing his message from that morning and included verses and notes pointing out verses that he took out of context and other places where he was trying to manipulate the crowd into agreeing with him rather than proving his points clearly from Scripture. In brief, he said important words like repentance, but he totally ignored the point. Instead, he was saying we should loosen up and let a spirit speak through us and seek more feelings, signs and wonders. It was a smooth approach to endorse the attitude of laughing at the Holy Spirit, instead of true repentance. If you have any curiosity to see this transcripts and the notes and verses, please email us – we would be glad to send it to you! We are also sending it to several local leaders with this local church, but we don’t expect to hear back from them. Please pray that God tears down the deception and false teaching and that God helps these people break free from it and embrace the love of the truth.

We have been invited by several evangelists across the country to go challenge the fake revival in Lakeland. One of the notable features there in Lakeland is laughing at the Holy Spirit and feeling drunk in the Spirit. If hearing about that type of fake religion stirs you to stand up against that evil, please help us plan a day that works with your schedule.

Thank you again to our fellow prayer partners. Thank you for being part of the prayer team for the revival of this country and a repentance in the churches: to flee idols and learn to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

Your friends and fellow laborers in Christ,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul Henry :)

new tracts and stories ~ : )

Hey fellow ambassadors and prayer partners ~ : )

It has been a crazy several weeks! Very busy and full of ministry opportunities! ~ : ) Some stories below, but first we wanted to let you know about some unique tracts that we just found out about!

We just received a shipment of Mark Cahill’s tracts today and the ‘True Repentance’ tracts, and we have already ordered the ‘One Million Ameros’ tracts.

Mark Cahill’s One Heartbeat Away tract:

Custom Tracts’ note about this tract:
‘Recently, Mark Cahill contacted us (Custom Tracts) about making a Gospel tract to direct people to a new website of his which allows lost people to request a FREE copy of Mark's book One Heartbeat Away. Working together, this tract is what we came up with! This is slightly bigger than our mini-post card tract, but slightly smaller than our standard post card tract. The size is a pocket-friendly 3.5"x5". These should be *very* easy to hand out!’

Words on back:
‘Beep...beep...beep... The sound of a heart monitor somewhere in the distance comes into focus as you slowly return to consciousness. Your sides hurt tremendously and you can’t feel your legs. As you wonder where you are, you hear muffled voices that sound like doctors. Beep...beep...beep... The heart monitor continues beeping, letting the doctors know that you’re alive... at least for the moment. You vaguely recall what happened—you were driving around a curve when out of nowhere came the flash of headlights headed directly toward you. You remember screaming, and the piercing crunch of metal, and then... nothing. You can’t remember a thing since then. Now you’re wondering if you’ll ever make it out. The heart monitor suddenly speeds up—Beep! Beep! Beep! You hear the doctors rushing around barking orders. You feel frightened and wonder what’s happening. You try to open your eyes to look around, but it’s no use. You’re paralyzed there in your hospital bed and can’t do anything about it. You start to think that this may be IT. You start to panic. You begin to wonder what’s next: Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Have you done enough good to get to heaven? Your life flashes before your eyes. What about all those lies you’ve told? If there’s a God, will He just forget about them? And what about those items you’ve stolen? They weren’t big things, but it still makes you a thief, right? What if God even knows your thought life? What about all those times you’ve looked with lust, and used His name as a curse word? Will God hold you accountable? Your heart is beating faster. Beep-beep-beep. Where will you end up? What can you say before God? Your lungs begin to hurt. It’s getting hard to breathe. You know this is it. Beep-beep-beeeeeeeeep....... One last beat. Little did you know you were One Heartbeat Away from passing into eternity... Every second, two people die. What if this is YOUR second? What should you do? Find out what’s in eternity—get a FREE copy of the book One Heartbeat Away at (http://www.oneheartbeataway.org/)’

You can order these at: http://www.customtractsource.com/One-Heartbeat-Away-Tract_p_0-211.html & http://www.customtractsource.com/


The NAU ~ $1,000,000 bill:
Ø With Titus 2:11-14 concealed on the front – very interesting verses!
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Words on back:
‘One Million Ameros?! What’s an Amero?! It is the proposed currency for the new “North American Union” between Mexico, Canada and the United States of America. The Amero has been designed to replace the Mexican Peso, the American Dollar and the Canadian Dollar. Just like Europe now has the Euro, North America is bound to have the Amero eventually. In fact, the Mexico to Canada Highway which slices like a dagger through the middle of America is already being constructed. Looks like “One Nation Under God” will be no more. Speaking of God, did you know that the Bible says that we will ALL have to stand before Him to be judged for every thought, word and deed? How will you do on Judgment Day? To find out, all you have to do is take a look at the Ten Commandments. They are like a mirror. A mirror shows us the truth whether we like it or not. The Ten Commandments are the same way. #9 says, “Thou shalt not lie.” Have you ever lied before? #8 says, “Thou shalt not steal.” Have you ever stolen before (size and value are irrelevant)? #3 says, “Thou shalt not take my name in vain.” Have you ever taken God’s name in vain before? #7 says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” BUT, Jesus said that looking at someone with lustful thoughts is the same as adultery in God’s eyes (Matthew 5:28). Have you ever looked with lust before? If you have broken just these four of the Ten Commandments, you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer and an adulterer. Because you have broken God’s Law, you deserve to be punished. That punishment is Hell, should you stay in your sins. The Good News is that Jesus died on the cross for you and then rose from the grave. And because of what He did, you can be Pardoned of your sins, Reconciled to God so you can have a relationship with Him, Empowered to live a Holy Life and be Granted Eternal Life in the end. You must Repent of your sins (confess and forsake them) and put your Faith in Jesus Christ. Friend, you WILL die someday and that day could be today! Won’t you consider your eternity? http://www.onemillionameros.com/’

Link: http://www.gospeltract.org/amero.html & http://www.pinpointevangelism.com/

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

Now for some updates!:

(Steven’s update)
Two of the past several weeks, we had the opportunities to go soul-winning with a couple of different teams, so we took advantage of that, but it meant we got home too late to keep you all up to date on the soul-winning stories, though we hope and pray that God has been using you all too!

Two Thursday evenings ago, we got to lead a group of newer soul-winners and share the gospel together and encourage one another ~ that was a blast! My friend and I got to talk to a quasi-atheist and then a Jewish girl (Sarah) and her 4 lesbian friends… very interesting conversations… got to plant seeds and pray for them.

Two Friday evenings ago, the Florida Music Festival was downtown Orlando, and that allowed for some very interesting conversations! We realized later that the majority of the people down there were already focused on God (or at least some version of spirituality) and so that made things easier in that they were already on the subject of eternity ~ : ). Brittany and I had a number of good conversations. We talked with a few artists at the festival and gave them some gospel tracts. They seemed to be somewhat interested in the conversation, but they were more interested in doing what they wanted to do, but we got to plant some spiritual seeds ~ : ). Then there was the very interesting conversation with a girl outside another bar. She is 22 and she has a life-threatening disease that will likely kill her before she turns 30, and she was in effect wanting to know why? Why the pain? Why diseases? She was also very interested in hearing our thoughts and our understanding of God’s Living Word. She would have probably talked longer, but her dad got her out of our conversation. We did get to show her that God still cares about her and challenge her that she needs to surrender her life to Jesus Christ. We can only pray for her and trust that God is working in her heart.

Last Friday evening was unusual too, but it was very good! It lightly sprinkled the whole evening, but Deanna had an umbrella and the rest of us had jackets, so that worked well. But the conversations were really neat! Deanna and I (Steven) talked with one guy and he wanted to blame God for His decisions, but at the end of the conversation seemed to be convicted and thinking, which is great. We’re praying for Him. Those are just a few of the stories.

Again – to everyone who prays for us: THANK YOU! Only in Heaven will we find out how God used our prayers and obedience to Him!

(Paul’s update)
I've got several great stories I wish I could share with you, but I've got to tell you about what happened today at work! I was sent on a service call this afternoon to wire up a microwave. So I arrived and got to work, and it wasn't until the end of the project that I found out why I was really there! :) The customer was a single middle-age woman, who is dealing with a number of health challenges and incompetent doctors and also a number of problems in her house - power failure (which Progress Energy was fixing while I was there) and water damage in the kitchen and general disorder of things in her house, etc. So at the end of my time there as I was getting ready to leave, she gave me some really nice compliments on my work and my manner and my family (Henry Electric). So I told her what I normally say when people compliment my work - that we are a Christian family and that we do our work to honor God. She told me that she already could tell that! I already knew she was a Christian as well from her conversation on the phone with a friend earlier, so I was just waiting for this conversation to happen!

So we talked a little about her situation, and in the next few minutes of conversation, God gave me three things from His Word to share with her that really encouraged her. 1) Trust God and allow him to teach you through the difficult trials; 2) Perfect love casts out all fear, so as you pursue the love of God more deeply, it will drive out your fears; 3) She goes to a church that really focuses on emotion and asking for the Holy Spirit as the solution to problems, so I pointed out that you don't get more or less of the Holy Spirit by asking for it, but the more you get rid of barriers in communication with God and ask God in faith for what you need, you receive answers to that. These things made really, really good sense to her, and she really appreciated them. I really wanted to also warn her that her TV was a hindrance to her because it clearly was, but I couldn't figure out how to say it, so I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict her of her sin. But I was thrilled at how encouraged she was! She gave me a hug and told me how God had sent me and one other person in the last couple of days to encourage her on those things, so she would be able to keep going! As I walked out the door, she said that God had blessed her through me today, so I was glad for that!

Thank you again for your prayers. We are praying that God keeps using and training each of you!

Your friends, fellow prayer partners and laborers in the harvest,
David and Barbara, Steven and Paul ~ The Henry Family

The Holy Spirit is holy, bringing true repentance and sometimes other blessings

Hello fellow laborers and prayer partners,

This morning, I, David, was reading in the book of Acts where God was saving so many souls. It was a time of real repentance, and the church was so in harmony with their Holy, Holy, Holy Creator and the truth was so refreshing in contrast to the fake religion of these last days. I was so moved in a godly way that I want to share a brief portion of Acts 5:1-16.

Acts 5:1-16
"(1)But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. (2)And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. (3)But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? (4)While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.' (5)Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. (6)And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. (7)Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.(8)And Peter answered her, 'Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?' She said, 'Yes, for so much.' (9)Then Peter said to her, 'How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.' (10)Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. (11)So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. (12)And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch. (13)Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. (14)And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, (15)so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. (16)Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."

Last Sunday, I patiently listened to a prayer and healing time that was trying to get people healed without a brokenness over their sin. Most of those dear friends who wanted help from God are probably in much the same condition still and might not understand why.

We are soul winners and you and I can tell stories of people we meet that are in some dimension of false religion where they believe in some god that doesn't exist. They usually quote a few brief Bible verses or a partial verse and express what they believe.

The One and only God never changes and God's Word describes Him. We all have this lifetime to get to know Him or seek something else. We live in the last days where there are many more false teachers than truth teachers in this country. When you find someone that is distorting the truth, you have to make a decision to go with them anyway or keep growing closer to God. We are not robots. Every day, we are making decisions to keep growing closer to God or find a more comfortable fantasy. Last Sunday, we heard Todd describe his fantasy deity, and he even used half of the verses he read. However, he kept overlooking the righteousness and holiness part of God's amazing character. He was also talking about healings, and signs and wonders, but never mentioned Biblical repentance or the “fear of the Lord”.

One of the windows into the personality of the Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is found in Isaiah 11:2-3 ~ "2The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3His delight is in the fear of the Lord..."

When Bible teachers are teaching in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these elements will show in their teaching. We are in the last days, we need to be alert, and watching! And we need to keep learning to discern between God’s truth and lies and deception.

2nd Timothy 4:1-2, puts it this way:
“1Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…”

2nd Timothy 3:5
“5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

Your friends and servants of Jesus Christ,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul Henry

trips, adventures and stories ~ : )

Hello fellow laborers and prayer partners! ~ 05/01/2008

Greetings from the traveling Henry family! Well the last two weeks have been quite exciting! We were in St. Louis, MO April 19-20th and in St. Pete, FL April 25th - 27th. And we got to see the movie ‘Expelled’ ~ great movie. (Free movie review below ~ :))

(Steven’s update)
Our trip to St. Louis was pretty uneventful (except for the odd construction throughout Georgia. The other event was when we found out that we had a bad battery at a gas station in a small town, also in Georgia. :) God arranged it where we met a nice guy, named Jim Goodman. He was pumping gas next to us when he saw our car wouldn’t start. So, he borrowed some jumper cables to jump-start our car and then led us to the nearest auto parts store in that little farm town. We gave him a million dollar bill tract and had some great conversation with him. We enjoyed the fellowship, but we didn’t stay very long because we were trying to get to First Baptist Arnold in time for the conference. The drive to St. Louis was like 18+ hours, which was pretty cool, because we were listening to some Bible teachers, including Ken Ham on the way up. If you get a chance to hear Ken Ham or Kent Hovind, we encourage you to do so – they point out how true science and the evidence all around us strengthens our faith and proves the accuracy of the Bible.

Ø You can find Ken Ham’s ministry ‘Answers in Genesis’ info and resources at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/.
Ø And you can find Kent Hovind’s info and resources at: http://www.drdino.com/.Eric Hovind is scheduled to speak at Eastland Bible Church at 6PM this Sunday evening and we are planning to go to that and looking forward to it!

So (back to our trip ~ :)), we got to the ‘Transformed’ conference safely and really enjoyed it! We also got to meet some more soul-winners and had great fellowship with the ‘Way of the Master’ team. It was a blessed time. We also got to meet and fellowship with a friend I met online, named Janet ~ :). That was really fun too! She got adopted into our family! :) Then we drove home, which was mostly uneventful, except for another event – a flat tire. :) So, we got to share some of the gospel with the guy who came. And it was also in Georgia. :) Fun in Georgia. It’s pretty amazing how God arranges our schedule when we make ourselves available! :) Then we drove home and life was normal for a few days and then we went on another trip - :). Oh, and I forgot to mention that on the way home, we stopped at a gas station that had a sign challenging people to bless Israel. One side said: ‘GOD’S WORD SAYS HE WILL BLESS THOSE THAT BLESS ISRAEL & CURSE THOSE WHO CURSE HER.’ The pizza sign right next to it said: ‘POLITICALLY CORRECT IS OF THE DEVIL.’ The other side of the sign said: ‘PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM’ PSALM 122:6. It was pretty cool, very thought-provoking! And the best part is we got pictures of it! I hope to post them sometime soon!

On our second trip – last weekend, we had a 5th soul-winner - Deanna was able to join us. We left Friday evening, got delayed by rush-hour traffic, but we made it in time to hear most Darrel Rundus’ teaching. Then we found a hotel for the night. Darrel covered several different fears that would stop us from obeying Jesus Christ and they were though-provoking.

The next morning, we went to the meeting, sang some worship songs and then got to hear Mark Cahill. That was pretty cool! One main thing Mark communicate in a few different ways is that he could teach us all day, but the best way is to go out and do it, and ask God to teach us how to be more effective at reaching into people’s lives. Here are a few other things that stood out to me and I hope to put into practice:

Mark’s motto: ‘If you do not engage the culture, that culture is going to engage you.’ (He knows something about that – he used to be a part of the party scene and played basketball with Charles Barkley, so he knows this first-hand.)

Mark told a story of a friend that didn’t want to go a relationship with God for himself, but he said that he was going to drop his kids off at church so that they could. Mark told us that he pointed out that this plan wouldn’t work. The guy asked why and Mark told him that his kids will know instantly that it’s not important to him, so they will quickly conclude it’s not important for them or their life either. That got the guy thinking.

Mark pointed out that sharing our faith – our relationship with Jesus, is a conversation not a presentation. If it is real to us, then we aren’t presenting something, we are inviting them to turn around and start a relationship with Someone, and wanting to reach their heart. What makes that point even more clearly is how Mark talks with his audience the same way: conversation style, asking questions, getting responses. It was fun, challenging and engaging! And it emphasized that point that this passionate caring about others really works!

Mark told a story about a kid who said he used to attend youth group, but now he’s an atheist. Mark asked why he became an atheist, and the guy explained that his youth leader was rude to him, among other things, so he left, looked up some stuff on the internet and became an atheist. Was he really an atheist? No, just wounded. So, Mark reached out to him. Mark also pointed out to us that hypocrites are not a problem for those who share the real Jesus Christ, because the real Jesus isn’t hypocritical. That was a pretty thought-provoking point! It was encouraging to realize that he is right – hypocrites are only a problem to those who are not following Jesus Christ, and daily learning to build an active relationship with Him. That challenges all of us to keep learning so we can be the salt of the earth – tasty seasoning in a tasteless, cold, selfish world.

Mark mentioned how some of the people he talks with say they are just sitting on the fence – not ready to accept or reject Jesus. But Mark pointed out that sitting on the fence is making a choice. And he also mentioned how a friend once said to him: ‘If someone says they are sitting on the fence, remind them that Satan owns the fence.’ Interesting point.

Then we got to go to 2 different session groups and then we got to go out soul-winning! That was a blast! I hung out with those who stayed in the downtown section of St. Pete. It was a bit different from Orlando, but of course the people were similar, just different attitudes. Jason and I got to talk with a guy and challenge him to run from his lifestyle and surrender all of his life to Jesus Christ. He left thinking. Then I go to talk with a few people who were just hanging around waiting for their friend who was talking with one of our fellow soul-winners. I think they left thinking, but I couldn’t tell for sure – all I can do is pray for them, though I do wish I could remember their names. :) Then I got to talk to John and his wife Carrie. John was going to go through seminary, but didn’t - he didn’t tell me why, but he did tell me that he has traveled the world and thinks that all religions are the same. He didn’t know what was after death, or rather he wanted to escape the topic, but we had a fun conversation. I did get to remind him that we are all rebels and the first time we knowingly rebelled against God and broke His law we lost everything. I also got to point out that we could get into Heaven 2 ways: 1) if we are 100% perfect or 2) if we are 100% forgiven. He thanked me for the ‘debate’ as he left. (Debate was his word. :))

I also got to talk to a girl (named ‘Q’) and her mom. They seemed to understand salvation, but they didn’t understand that we could be sure that we are saved, and that after we are saved, sin affects our relationship. They appreciated talking and I gave ‘Q’ a copy of the John 10 study God gave me.

The last couple of conversations were the best! When we were all headed back to the small buses, we stopped by what they call ‘the rock’ – a huge bolder that you can climb on. Apparently, one of the other soul-winners made someone mad (or they were convicted) but that allowed Paul and I to talk with a number of them and show them the love of God. They seemed to be a group of broken-home kids and it was wonderful to be able to allow them to insult us, and then to keep showing them the love of God and even to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a girl named Danielle and her friend Dina. A few others came and listened in on our conversation, here and there. A few of their faces will probably stay etched in my mind for quite a while. My heart goes out to them and I’ve been praying for them.

Then we (evangelists) gathered together, talked shared stories, took pictures and then prayed and headed back to the church. Mark shared some more at the morning services – good, refreshing teaching, including the reminder that we live in a dying, broken world where people are being snatched into eternity everyday.

On the way home, we got to talk about some stuff we learned and our conversations with fellow evangelists – fun stuff!

And last, but not least ~ :) ~ the free ‘Expelled’ review. It was great! Ben Stein talks to several people who were fired and excluded because they even considered the question that there was a Creator. Talk about a crazy world! It’s hard to know all the damage they are doing to all the students who go through their ‘public’ school system – or more correctly: re-education system. Ben also included some background on the Holocaust and it’s ties to the Darwinism and some computer animation of what all goes on inside the very complex human body! Amazing! We truly are “fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14)

Thank you all for your prayers. We have heard that there are more conferences and exciting events to come, so we’ll try to keep you posted!

Your friends, prayer partners, and fellow laborers in this vast harvest,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul ~ the Henry family

a change in direction ~ : )

Hey Friends and fellow soul-winners and prayer partners, 04-10-08

This past weekend was amazing! We went downtown Orlando Friday evening and then to Daytona for Saturday afternoon/evening to talk to those who came to ‘Black College Reunion’ and Spring Break ~ WOW! What a joy it is to continue to learn how to join what our Master is already doing! There are so many stories and experiences that we couldn’t possibly get them on paper!

Below are some of the stories of how God is reaching into people’s live and challenging them to give their lives to Jesus Christ, and how He allowed us to be a part of that.

(Steven’s Update)
One main conversation that stands out in my head was the one we had with a guy named DJ. This guy was pretty interesting. Apparently, Paul, Deanna, Kayla, and Damaris talked with him. I didn’t really get to hear how that conversation went because we were talking with someone else right nearby. But, about 15 minutes or so later, he came back by and Kayla mentioned that he had apparently been hanging around ~ apparently curious, thinking… The second time I got to talk with him and challenge him a little. Then we all headed back to base and we had thought that DJ had left us and went somewhere. So, when we were all back on base sharing stories and experiences, suddenly DJ walks over and comes over to listen to our conversation. So, we got a chance to get in his head a little more. He apparently was a youth leader for a number of years, even though his dad and mom are apparently not interested in Jesus, but then his life started going downhill when he was mugged on 9-11 – he didn’t finish the explanation. Several of us got to encourage him and challenge him to go back to the words of Jesus and take them seriously, and also reminded him that there is nothing he can do that cannot be forgiven, as long as he is alive. Towards the end of the conversation, he mentioned that what he saw in us peaked his curiosity ~ and he implied that he wanted that too, or at least some of it. After he left, deep in thought, several of us prayed for him. His face and story will probably stick in my head for a long time, because it is similar to others I have heard.

Saturday afternoon/evening in Daytona was a WOW too! We talked to people on a walkway using million dollar bill tracts (which was great fun), chatted with people in a several story mini mall area, and also chatted with people on the streets. There were so many conversations. Here are just a few names. Matt and Taylor ~ two graduates from Lake Brantley, Kayla and Rochelle ~ 2 of the spring break promotion team, Matt and JC, Lawrence and Mai ~ hip-hop artist and his promo guy, the leaders of a hip-hop magazine, Linda ~ a friendly, talkative security guard who was just curious what we were doing, Desiree ~ who practices witchcraft, said no thank-you to a million dollar bill tract, but appreciated a friendly face, Donnie, Jonathan and gang ~ 4 guys just hanging around who really appreciated talking, another Matt, and a guy named Derek ~ who was unwilling to surrender his life to Jesus Christ right now. We also got to meet and talk to 3 people with the ‘Impact Movement’ ~ they were handing out New Testaments to anyone in the crowd who would take one ~ it was great! The ‘Impact Movement’ is part of Campus Crusade for Christ.

(Paul’s Update)
Hey all here's a story from Friday about challenging Christians to test themselves. One of the best conversations Friday was with two church guys in fact one of them goes to the same church as Deanna. The team I joined Friday was Kayla, Damaris, Deanna, and me. So it was Deanna and I talking with these two guys Scott and Darren. Scott seemed interested enough, but Darren really didn’t want to let Deanna go through all of her questions and explanations. He kept saying he knew all of that already, and he probably very well does. Then at the end we asked a bit of a different question. I read Romans 8:5-8 which says, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Then I asked them both very directly, "What do you set your mind on?" Darren hesitated to answer, so then I looked at Scott who said, "I’m carnally minded." Wow, that reality hit like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t really tell what he was thinking after that and we didn’t get a chance to carry that any further before they left. When I looked back to Darren his response was, "Well, I’m trying to lay up my treasure in Heaven." That was an interesting response as well, but he didn’t want to talk any more about all of that, so that was where the conversation ended after Deanna and he talked about something at church. If you all have any favorite verses to further test the obedience of someone who claims to be a Christian to wake them up that would be very interesting to me!

Saturday was my first time to the Black College Reunion! I expected a really wild nasty party and very little conversation (I've heard about it). It was exactly the opposite on the streets that night! The light chill and then late night rain put a damper on the party, and the conversations were so incredible. I spent a lot of time with Sean Kelsey, and we talked to a lot of people. And there were many good conversations where people heard the truth and had to think about it a little bit. And then there were the conversations where after hearing some truth, they didn’t know what to do! It was like God stopped them in their plans and all of a sudden they just had to rethink things. The first one of those was with Zack. After a couple minutes of conversation, he was just standing there with his hands in his pockets and his head down and thinking. He didn’t leave for a while even though we gave him several gaps in conversation. He just stood there and let us explain everything that we could think of and even still he was hesitant to leave. And then Sean and my last conversation of the night was with Leonard who at the end of the conversation told us he had to leave right away, that he didn’t belong there and he needed to get right with God! Sean got his email address earlier in the conversation and then we took shelter when it started raining. And we just looked at a bunch of God’s Word together! It was great! Even just telling these stories reminds me to pray for them again!

(Deanna’s Update)
After arriving I was teamed with Paul and two other girls that I met for the first time that night. We headed out fairly quickly and my first witnessing encounter for the night is always special. I ran into a couple who were around 21 and stopped them to give them a track and quickly headed into conversation. The guy who's name has slipped my mind shared he felt he was not a good person so I laid my focus on Stephanie. She said she tried to be and I went through the law with her. I have been trying not to kick it into high gear right away but I do get carried away. hee hee. After seeming convicted I shared the gospel with her and half way through someone behind me ( I guess one of her friends) distracted her and pulled her away. So I shifted my attention back to the guy. He seemed to have more knowledge and didn't disagree with me but seemed to think "to each is own". I hear alot that people all believe different things and we sholdn't push our beliefs on others. I used the burning building scenerio but he stuck to his guns. It ended shortly thereafter and I thanked them for their time.

I spoke with about 15 folks altogether that night and they were all very interesting but I won't give you a play by play for each. I did have one gentleman who first I stereotyped as the thug type but I learn everytme I shouldn't do that. He had certain things well rehearsed and seemed to be pretty intelluctual so I needed help. Luckily Paul came to the rescue and helped pick up some crucial points. This man believed and studied many religions but the muslim faith came up quite a bit. He would quote the bible but did not believe in the diety of Jesus. I'll admit he stumped me a time or two and that's why I was glad to have my partner in truth near by. Downtown definately can be more challenging so it wets my appetite for future encounters, I like to find verses later that I can use next time. Ray Comfort always says use Scripture as much as possible so I'm trying to memorize more but that's not one of my strong points. I won't let that stop me though that's for sure. I took lots of pics that I will be sharing with you all and I ask for prayer when we go out. It makes such a difference and I can tell when were being prayed for.

Last night was the biggest group I have been able to go out with yet and I learn something new each time. There were alot of divine apointments for us last night. A few others I want to ask for prayer for are Tony, Scott, Lorraine, and another cute spanish couple (God knows) and the so called athiests. Thank You God for New friendships and Soul-winners. May we all be Bold as lions! Amen!

(Bryan’s update)
We prayed and broke into teams. I was teamed with Rich and one of his daughters Becky. We headed down the street and I was immediately separated from them as they crossed the street by a deaf homeless man asking for money. I had none. I did offer him a million dollar bill but he looked upset and disappointed at the same time. I tried to tell him it was better than real money but he didn't agree. I caught up with them on the other side and they were talking to a man they'd talked to on previous trips down here. His name is Omar, he's Muslim and very well versed in the Qu'ran and quoted it in the native tongue. Which wasn't shocking since that how they believe is the only way to truly study it. He's very intelligent and it was sad to see such an intelligent guy pouring his life and heart into something that will take him to hell if he doesn't repent and put his faith in Jesus. His arguments were contradictory and weak and it appeared he was relying on his ability to quote the Qu'ran in the original tongue to impress us or dissuade us. It didn't. It ended on good terms but he was still convinced of the Qu'ran. Please pray for him.

Then we found Sergio (I remembered names! I'm totally getting better at this). This was an encounter I really wanted to see happen in person. When the person is clearly not interested in talking or being bothered but you push through anyway and have a great conversation. He's a very confused kid. I'd guess early to mid 20's. There was a bit of a language barrier but it didn't hinder his understanding of what we were saying or vica versa. He kept wanting to quote things he'd heard but couldn't remember them. I really enjoyed talking to him. He understood the courtroom scenario and the debt he can't pay. He'd been trying to "do better" with sin for 2 years. We talked to him about how we can't do it on our own and God has been preparing him for us to come talk to him etc...

Rich mentioned after we left that it was like talking to a wall. He'd seem to grasp what we were saying then say that he was going to do better. It was frustrating to see him so utterly lost in the world and we have THE answer and he's unable to get it. Please pray for Sergio. He needs to be convicted and convinced of what we were saying badly.

After that it was already time to start packing up. We actually fellowshipped on the corner and grabbed random passersby as we talked and got to know each other. Since I'm a new guy I had a lot of friends to make and stories to share. It was a fantastic time and I can't wait to do it again.

Thank you Lord for the privilege and honor to do Your work among those who need it most.

Bryan

>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>…>

Your friends, fellow prayer partners, and co-laborers,
David, Barbara, Steven and Paul