Homegrown Missions Conference

We had a great time this week with many of our heroes of the faith. The conference at FBBC through whose ministry I was raised, saved, trained etc was focused this past week on the 27 individuals and families that were trained at FBBC and are serving or preparing to serve on fields all over the world. 13 of these families were present this week.

It was a blessing to be able to stand in front of so many of our dearest friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and share with them how their investment in us is just one more indication that our labor is never in vain in the Lord. We praise the Lord for the amount of encouragement and prayer support that families have offered us. We knew that many we have been close with for years would be by our side but we were humbled by all those that we dont know well in this large church who are taking an active part in the Philippines by beseeching God to do a work there.

Autumn with Grandma

Autumn joined me at Men's prayer meeting on Tuesday night after the service. It has done her well to be around all the older Missionary kids this week, they have such a sweet spirit and have encouraged her in the Lord. She will likely not understand what to expect on the field of for the next many months of deputation but she is excited that God is in control and has been amazed at the many answered prayers we have seen already! Praise the Lord!

April 08 Prayer Letter

Dear praying brothers and sisters, April, 2008

It has certainly been an eventful month or so for us. March began with my fourth trip to the Philippines. It was a fruitful trip as God allowed me to be a part of the ministries of a local church through bus (jeepney) visitation and preaching. Being over there this time without an American missionary on this trip gave me opportunity to get more of a feel for the many modes of public transportation by riding buses, jeepneys, taxis and motorbikes. I spent quite a bit of time on the streets passing out tracts and talking to people. Brother Jun Monderin was once again willing to allow me to have part in his jail and prison ministry giving me the privilege of preaching the gospel and encouraging existing believers (both men and women) in the city jails and New Bilibid Prison’s maximum security compound. We also took quite a walk through the Manila north cemetery. I never would have thought that a cemetery would be the site of a children’s extension class but that is exactly the case as many people live in this massive graveyard (the largest in the Philippines). The Lord again showed Himself strong and faithful in taking care of my family and in giving me strength on the trip. The only feeling of disappointment felt on the trip was that the reunion with my family after the trip was to be in Rochester NY and not in Manila, Philippines. Needless to say, we are eager for the day that God allows us to land over there long term.

Upon returning we were able to have a couple days of wonderful family time before getting ready for our first Missions conference. The church was Antioch Bible Baptist Church in Lockport, NY and it was a tremendous blessing. They were a wonderful church family, which were a true blessing to us. We had great opportunities to share our burden and our four little girls did pretty well with a busy schedule during the week. We are glad that we will always be able to look back at the first set of meetings as a time when we were encouraged and God was glorified. The following week was a homecoming for us as we were part of the missions conference of First Bible Baptist Church, the church that Aaron was raised and saved in, that Stephanie was saved through and that trained and encouraged us in ministry. There was a focus on the homegrown missionaries of the church. There are currently 27 families that have been trained and/or sent in the 40 year history of this church.

So now that there is a slight break after the trip and conferences, we look forward to seeing who God will put us in contact with for meetings. Our prayer requests at this time would be that God would allow our calendar to fill up and that the churches we contact would be used of the Lord to join us in prayer for the declaration of the gospel in the Philippines. Thank you for your prayer and interest in the great commission. May we all be passionate for the things that matter most to our Lord Jesus Christ

For the glory of His name,
The Putney Family – Aaron, Stephanie, Autumn, Anna, Sarah, Emma

First Missions Conference!

It is such a blessing to have begun formally presenting the call of God on our lives at churches. The first conference of course will be a memorable experience simply because it was the first one but we are blessed in that we will always look back at this conference as a true joy. From March 30th-April 2nd we were in Lockport, NY at Antioch Bible Baptist Church. The conference included a music school during the day in which we learned how to sing the great hymns of the faith in four part harmony. This was an educational experience for me and while I have much learning to do yet, I undoubtedly profited from this experience.

Pastor Steve Pawley was a gracious host to us, he allowed each of the missionaries ample time not only to present ministry but to preach and to present a charge to the youth. The church family was wonderful, they showered us with blessings, love and hospitality - we were humbled by the sweet spirit of this group as well as the love and nurture that they have for each other in the congregation. Pastor Ron Ralph from Cornerstone Batist in Carthage TN preached a spirit filld conference and it was great to see how God brought all of the messages together and the response of the people in attendance. It was no coincidence that the conference was blessed as the church as a family all spent significant time of prayer and fasting in anticipation of the conference. We praise the Lord for Antioch and for the wonderful experience.

As you can see, Anna enjoyed her violin lessons

Every wall of this church shouts out the love and burden they have for world missions. All of their missionaries are prominently displayed year round. It is heir parents, pastors and missionaries that the kids of the church look at as present day examples. With this atmosphere I have little doubt that Antioch will see some young people yield to God in the future toward ministry and missions.

A couple other blessings which were not coincidental nor minor were that the Barone family was there with us. To be able to share our first conference with friends who have invested in us and shared their wisdom gained from experience was a great blessing.

We were encouraged to meet one of the missionary families - the Youngs to Australia considering that she is a filipina! There were also many other like blessings and testimonies that we could share of how great God has been through all of this but I dont want to add to my reputation of writing too much.

Lest we forget...tell someone of the the Lord Jesus today!