Greetings From the Mission Field 3-28-2014

From the Field
I would like to thank everyone for their prayers as we moved to Virginia. I would like to say that we are all unpacked and back to normal, but I fear that is going to take awhile. I am thankful to God for providing a wonderful place, and I look forward to see how He is going to use this place for His honor and glory. Once I find the camera, I am going to show you pictures. I have been praying that God would use this place to encourage line of duty death families (LODD), chaplains, and first responders who are going through a rough time. So far we have been referring to the new home as 249 or the Barnabas house. As I write this blog two more heroes have fallen in the Boston Fire Department and my heart goes out to the families and firefighters who ave to deal with the tragedy. I am praying for financial support so we can turn our home into a place that will provide hope during these difficult days.

The biggest show of the year will be coming up in a couple of weeks, FDIC. We are able to talk with more firefighters about their relationship with Christ at this show. We have designed new tracts that clearly present the Gospel and we are hoping to give out a lot and talk with a lot of firefighters. I am also excited about the new discipleship ministry we are starting and hope to find firefighters who would like to be discipled. Please pray for this show and the people we will meet. With the move I don't feel like we are ready, but I pray that God would still use this show in a mighty way.

The Family
Thank you for your prayers on behalf of Seth and Andrew. We just retuned from Seth's graduation from the Army, and were blessed by the time we have spent with him the last few days. He reports to Fort Meade tomorrow and begins his AIT training. Andrew is settling in to his new apartment in Norfolk, and seams to be enjoying his new job. Christopher and Justin are having way too much fun at the new house. Holly is going crazy with the unpacking, but we are all thankful to God for His provisions in our lives.

Prayer Requests

• Setting up a new office in our 2 car garage.
• The FDIC show.
• The upcoming missions trip to Mexico.
• The opportunity to speak in Canada in November.
• Faithful men and women to help in the ministry.
• First responders to get saved.
• Revival in the fire service.

Greetings from the Missions Field 3-18-2014

From the Field
The fire service is an interesting place to serve. As we try and minister to first responders, we often times meet resistance. Sometimes the resistance comes from firefighters who want nothing to do with talking religion in the fire service. Other times it comes from Christian first responders who chose to do very little in the way of reaching out to the unsaved world. Often times it can even come from my worldly desires and laziness. My hearts desire is for first responders world wide to hear the good news of the Gospel, and to disciple those who come to Christ by faith. I constantly have to remind myself that I am not promoting a religion, but rather fostering a relationship with the God who created everything. When only a few people join in on our webcasts, or the same old people respond to requests for help in making Bible studies, I have to remind myself that its all about relationships and not about numbers. I am thankful for those who help in the ministry. As the ministry to first responders continues to grow I look forward to the new relationships that I will be a part of. Jesus came to serve, and He is our example for how we are to serve other first responders. Please join with us in prayer as we seek to minister to first responders. The discipleship ministry is moving forward and now we are seeking first responders to actively disciple. Our prayer is that this ministry will truly change the fire service for the glory of God. Pray that this ministry will catch on like wildfire. As I look back, I am excited about how the Lord is using all of our daily devotions to encourage firefighters. There have been as many as 5 contributors in one day. For me personally, I continue to grow in my walk with Christ as I write these devotions everyday. I am also excited as we continue to build Bible lessons for first responders. I pray that these studies will get into the hands of first responders who will grow in their relationship with the Lord.

I am also excited about the conversations I have had with international firefighters. I have been talking with first responders from Honduras, Israel, Mexico, and Australia. What a blessing to be able to encourage fellow believers from around the world who share our vision to reach other firefighters for Christ. Pray that God would continue to use our ministry to encourage firefighters from around the world.

I thank God for each and everyone who faithfully prays for our ministry. I look forward to the day when God begins to change the fire service and many first responders by faith walk with Him. Continue to pray for our ministry as much work needs to be accomplished. We need faithful people willing to help us preach the Gospel to those who have never heard and disciple them in the faith.


Prayer Requests

• Faithful members to assist in the ministry
• Leadership that will pour their hearts and souls into reaching others
• Financial support - We are praying for 100 churches to support us at $100.00 a month
• The Widows and Orphans Ministry that we are starting
• The Disaster Outreach Team

Greetings from the Mission Field 3-6-2014

From the Field
God is on the move in the fire service!! What a blessing to be a small part of that movement and see how God is working in the hearts and minds of first responders. As we prepare for the upcoming move to Boydton, Virginia we are seeking God's will for our ministry. What will it look like? How can we better minister to first responders? How can we get the word out about God's saving grace to first responders better? Please pray with us as we seek God's will for the ministry. God has provided a wonderful place on seven acres in an area where we can minister to first responders. We have been doing a lot of talking with leader in the fire service and we are hoping to start right away on ministering to families of Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) and chaplains or first responders who need some help after a traumatic event. In America we average 100 LODD each year. We always tell the families that we will never forget. Typically after several months we do forget. We would like to be able to minister to those families by bring them down to a quiet setting and work through any needs they might have. We are praying that we would be the hope they are looking for by sharing with them the hope in Christ. Chaplains and first responders often struggle after traumatic events and we are praying to be able to minister to them. Boydton, Virginia is a quiet place with several lakes in the area and plenty of nature. Just as Jesus got away from time to time to recharge His batteries and pray, we are hoping to offer that to these heroes. We know that it will take time, commitment, and finances to make this happen but we are confident in God supplying all of our needs. Please join us in prayer with the possibility of this new area of service. We continue to put out daily devotionals on our web site and Facebook. What a blessing to share what God is doing in my life with other first responders. Several of us are working on turning these devotions into Bible studies. As I travel throughout the fire service world I have become aware that most first responders are not grounded in the Word of God. My prayer is that these Bible studies will challenge first responders to walk worthy of the high calling of Christ that Paul encouraged us to do. If you would like to see some of these Bible studies you can go to our web site www.fellowshipofchristianfirefighters.org  We will keep you updated on our move to Virginia. Please continue to pray for the 1.4 million firefighters in America and first responders worldwide. The next time you hear a siren, take a moment and pray for first responders.

Family
Andrew is finally moved into his new apartment in Newport New, Virginia. He started his new job yesterday and has mentioned that he wants to find a good local church as soon as possible. Pray that he will locate one. Seth is about two weeks away from graduation day from the US Army. We look forward to seeing him and hearing of all of his adventures. Christopher has been doing a study on Angels and is fascinated with McArthur's way of studying the Bible. Justin is having way too much fun chopping wood at our temporary house in Laurel and Holly is longing to be in her new home.

Prayer Requests

• The Leadership Conference April 7-8 in Indianapolis
• Missions trip to Mexico in May
• Chapters to get serious about studying the Bible
• Revival in the Fire Service
• The move to the new house on March 21

www.fellowshipofchristianfirefighters.org