Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, January 2010
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Mat 21:21)
The power of God truly is unlimited. As we present our burden across this country we tell of the vast opportunities to preach the gospel in the Philippines. From schools, jails, street ministry, extension classes, door to door and so much more, it is tiring even to think of all the open doors that exist in this country with its religious freedom and spiritual sensitivity. Our Lord Jesus is bigger than our obstacles, bigger than our American economic problems, bigger than the Laodicean lukewarmness that is prevalent today. Our God is able to populate every classroom and jail, to establish churches in every community and break down the strongholds of Catholicism, other cults and tribal spiritism that reside across these 7000+ islands. This is what we desire. Our prayer is to see local churches that will reproduce themselves and train an army of laborers to reach the 97 million souls in these islands as well as impact the rest of the world. Again, our God is able. Whether it be in small towns across the US where the door knocking seems so cold or big cities where Bible believing churches are being smothered by the entertainment driven social clubs, masked as churches, our God is able to overcome. He desires that none should perish, that revival take place and that pulpits and pews alike be focused on His great cause to reach this world with the gospel. May we be followers that lay down our lives, pick up our crosses, deny self, die daily and follow Him closely. Living for eternity will require investing in eternity and not in time and it will require walking by faith and not by sight. I have heard the negative statistics regarding missions today and I admittedly have seen some discouraging things to go along with the great things along the way. Yet I believe fully that God can still powerfully use America in spreading His glorious gospel. What better time than the new year to examine ourselves? This is what the end of December has been for us, a time of quiet self examination, reflection on God’s desires and family communication about the path forward for the Lord.
The past two months have allowed some time visiting with family along with many great meetings and opportunities to present the work. From New Hampshire to Texas we have had the privilege of preaching the gospel and encouraging God’s people in the area of missions. We continue on in January in Louisiana primarily and look forward to our first missions conference of the new year starting on the 7th. We give God great thanks for all that He did in 2009 and for all He will do this year. Please pray that God might quickly raise the rest of our support that we might get to the Philippines as soon as possible. As always, we need wisdom in our decisions, the leading and power of the Holy Spirit in our meetings and that God would increase our faith, for truly we want to see Him move every mountain that stands between the Gospel and the vast Filipino population that still needs it. May the word of the Lord have free course and may God bless you all and your ministries in this new year. Thank you for your support, prayer and encouragement. We need the Lord’s help and appreciate your prayers for our family.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
So much to say
Just a quick note as I take a moment away from calling churches. We have arrived safely in NY for our meetings here over the next few weeks and despite some runny noses etc, everyone is doing well. We praise God for keeping us safe for another 1600 miles last week (maybe it was 1611 amen?!) and we are being refreshed and refocused on the work ahead so we might get to the field as soon as the Lord sees fit. God has done so many great things in the past months I am awestruck! God has allowed us to lead some souls to Christ on the street and seen Him move among His people in the many churches we have visited. Of particular amazement to us is the way God seems to be raising up more laborers to the Philippines and perhaps leading some to maybe someday join us in the work in the Cordilleras. It has yet to be seen but in the past two months there have been two families that have been praying about God's will concerning the burden He is giving them for the Philippines as well as a young lady that told us she has surrendered to God's will and believes that the Lord will someday bring her to the Philippines. Just today I had coffee with a dear friend that has committed to come and help using his many gifts in both spiritual and professional areas and it thrills my soul.
Please pray about the possibility of some ideal property that may be available that could have incredible potential for ministry there. God can do some incredible things as we are privileged to see right now, expect great things from Him!
Please pray about the possibility of some ideal property that may be available that could have incredible potential for ministry there. God can do some incredible things as we are privileged to see right now, expect great things from Him!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
November/December Prayer Letter
Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, November/December, 2009
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
God gives us all the wonderful privilege to come into the house of the Lord to rejoice in all He has done for us, pray with our brothers and sisters for the cause of the gospel and to receive exhortation from the word of God. How sweet it is to be in the fellowship of the people of God and sing of the great works of God. As missionaries we get the privilege of doing this many times a week in different Independent Baptist churches across the country. This past month has been one of the best yet. From Zachary LA to Austin TX we have had three missions conferences, along with other single service meetings. Our cup has been filled! It would take a book to write of all the things the Lord has taught and reminded me of this month. In Zachary, LA we met some of the sweetest people in the states. They knew us before we ever arrived and were eager to hear from God. They treated us so wonderfully and the kids had a great time when they threw an “unbirthday” party for us - complete with balloons, cake and wrapped presents. By the end of the conference the church had committed to take on 25 new missionaries! The amazing thing is that they hadn’t even turned in their faith promise cards yet. They understood what it would take as a church body and knew that God was looking for a significant increase in their commitment to missions prior to beginning a building program. As in many churches we have visited, they recognized that for God to bless their building program, they first needed to bless His building program around the world. We then partook in a “round robin” conference in San Antonio where missionaries are shared between a number of churches in the city. During that week we also were the beneficiaries of a school of missions where we received 4 days worth of lectures on many practical and spiritual aspects of missions from veteran missionaries and pastors! The month was completed in Austin Texas where we enjoyed an incredible eight day conference with two services and sometimes 4-6 preachers per day! These churches were all such a blessing to us and we consider it a privilege to have been with them.
Better far than our enjoyment of a conference, is what God is doing in the hearts of men. Would to God that more would surrender, more would be supported, more would be sent and ultimately more would be saved. It is tragic to hear statistics speaking of high volumes of missionaries returning from the field and such a small amount being sent to replace them. The population of the world is increasing at astronomical rates and yet churches are closing and some missionaries are quitting while on deputation or after one term… Just this month the Philippines have endured two Super Typhoons and landslides that have send more than 1000 souls off into eternity, the time is short. God is not in a recession, God has not rescinded on His statement that He is not willing that any should perish and He does not lack the ability to overcome our perceived obstacles. We don’t serve an I can’t God, we serve the Can Do God! In fact just this past Saturday I had the privilege to lead two teen boys, Matthew and Evan to Christ! Pray for them, they are in Catholic families and we are hoping the Lord will orchestrate them being allowed to come to this great church in Austin. Let me encourage you by saying that in the three conferences we visited this past month, there were young people and adults that had surrendered, souls that were saved and giving that increased in Faith filled proportions! May all our churches see a renewed zeal and devotion to missions for it is our most important task. We appreciate your continued prayer and support as we will go from Texas to PA to NY and back for meetings in the next two months. May the Lord bless you and your ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney 585 298 3807
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
God gives us all the wonderful privilege to come into the house of the Lord to rejoice in all He has done for us, pray with our brothers and sisters for the cause of the gospel and to receive exhortation from the word of God. How sweet it is to be in the fellowship of the people of God and sing of the great works of God. As missionaries we get the privilege of doing this many times a week in different Independent Baptist churches across the country. This past month has been one of the best yet. From Zachary LA to Austin TX we have had three missions conferences, along with other single service meetings. Our cup has been filled! It would take a book to write of all the things the Lord has taught and reminded me of this month. In Zachary, LA we met some of the sweetest people in the states. They knew us before we ever arrived and were eager to hear from God. They treated us so wonderfully and the kids had a great time when they threw an “unbirthday” party for us - complete with balloons, cake and wrapped presents. By the end of the conference the church had committed to take on 25 new missionaries! The amazing thing is that they hadn’t even turned in their faith promise cards yet. They understood what it would take as a church body and knew that God was looking for a significant increase in their commitment to missions prior to beginning a building program. As in many churches we have visited, they recognized that for God to bless their building program, they first needed to bless His building program around the world. We then partook in a “round robin” conference in San Antonio where missionaries are shared between a number of churches in the city. During that week we also were the beneficiaries of a school of missions where we received 4 days worth of lectures on many practical and spiritual aspects of missions from veteran missionaries and pastors! The month was completed in Austin Texas where we enjoyed an incredible eight day conference with two services and sometimes 4-6 preachers per day! These churches were all such a blessing to us and we consider it a privilege to have been with them.
Better far than our enjoyment of a conference, is what God is doing in the hearts of men. Would to God that more would surrender, more would be supported, more would be sent and ultimately more would be saved. It is tragic to hear statistics speaking of high volumes of missionaries returning from the field and such a small amount being sent to replace them. The population of the world is increasing at astronomical rates and yet churches are closing and some missionaries are quitting while on deputation or after one term… Just this month the Philippines have endured two Super Typhoons and landslides that have send more than 1000 souls off into eternity, the time is short. God is not in a recession, God has not rescinded on His statement that He is not willing that any should perish and He does not lack the ability to overcome our perceived obstacles. We don’t serve an I can’t God, we serve the Can Do God! In fact just this past Saturday I had the privilege to lead two teen boys, Matthew and Evan to Christ! Pray for them, they are in Catholic families and we are hoping the Lord will orchestrate them being allowed to come to this great church in Austin. Let me encourage you by saying that in the three conferences we visited this past month, there were young people and adults that had surrendered, souls that were saved and giving that increased in Faith filled proportions! May all our churches see a renewed zeal and devotion to missions for it is our most important task. We appreciate your continued prayer and support as we will go from Texas to PA to NY and back for meetings in the next two months. May the Lord bless you and your ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney 585 298 3807
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Dwelling in the Lord's house
Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
When we moved out of our roomy house with all its comforts we knew a significant transition was going to take place in a hurry. Now, with months of living in a travel trailer under our proverbial belts, we can see how much we just did not need.
However, there is one thing though that is mission critical as we daily seek to serve the Lord, share our burden and be a witness around the country. That is to come into the presence of the Lord, to behold His beauty and to enquire in His temple.
My head does not hit the cieling in the temple of the Lord
My family in I are not running into each other every 10 seconds in the temple of the Lord
I dont have to hitch and unhitch, pack and unpack in the temple of the Lord
I certainly get more miles to the gallon in the temple of the Lord, amen?
When God allows us the privilege to approach His throne and wonder at His glory, there is a liberating feeling of being in an endless field of delight, safe in His care, hand firmly clasped in His and forgetful of any miniscule inconvenience based on our previous perception of comfort.
Would to God these were always my thoughts and dwelling places, too often our heart leaves that attitude of prayer and the surroundings suddenly seem marred and constraining.
Daily we must seek to dwell in His house, constrained by the Love of Christ and with excited acknowledgment that our citizenship is in heaven. Here we will find the hope, wisdom and strength to move with fervency toward the work we have been called to.
We are currently in San Antonio and have a moment today to stop and praise God publicly in this blog for giving me a glimpse of His wondrous beauty. We are toward the end of a good conference here and preparing to go to Austin Texas this weekend for the start of another. It is a privilege to be a part of this blessed work.
I rejoice today that I am a rich man with a mansion awaiting me in heaven yet I have access to God's home to dwell in while on this earth - if only I will desire of the Lord to dwell there perpetually.
Pray for the Philippines and may the Lord bless you today.
When we moved out of our roomy house with all its comforts we knew a significant transition was going to take place in a hurry. Now, with months of living in a travel trailer under our proverbial belts, we can see how much we just did not need.
However, there is one thing though that is mission critical as we daily seek to serve the Lord, share our burden and be a witness around the country. That is to come into the presence of the Lord, to behold His beauty and to enquire in His temple.
My head does not hit the cieling in the temple of the Lord
My family in I are not running into each other every 10 seconds in the temple of the Lord
I dont have to hitch and unhitch, pack and unpack in the temple of the Lord
I certainly get more miles to the gallon in the temple of the Lord, amen?
When God allows us the privilege to approach His throne and wonder at His glory, there is a liberating feeling of being in an endless field of delight, safe in His care, hand firmly clasped in His and forgetful of any miniscule inconvenience based on our previous perception of comfort.
Would to God these were always my thoughts and dwelling places, too often our heart leaves that attitude of prayer and the surroundings suddenly seem marred and constraining.
Daily we must seek to dwell in His house, constrained by the Love of Christ and with excited acknowledgment that our citizenship is in heaven. Here we will find the hope, wisdom and strength to move with fervency toward the work we have been called to.
We are currently in San Antonio and have a moment today to stop and praise God publicly in this blog for giving me a glimpse of His wondrous beauty. We are toward the end of a good conference here and preparing to go to Austin Texas this weekend for the start of another. It is a privilege to be a part of this blessed work.
I rejoice today that I am a rich man with a mansion awaiting me in heaven yet I have access to God's home to dwell in while on this earth - if only I will desire of the Lord to dwell there perpetually.
Pray for the Philippines and may the Lord bless you today.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
October Prayer Letter
Greetings to our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, October, 2009
The Lord has brought a phrase of scripture to my attention and remembrance a number of times in the past few weeks on the road. And while I have felt no liberty to preach from the passage, it has become a theme in our desire for the churches we visit. A cursory look at this phrase could suggest a selfish tone but undoubtedly Paul is recognizing the potential that this church at Corinth could have for the work of global missions should their faith be increased. Here it is, 2 Cor 10:15 … having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you…Would to God that our churches and missionaries would all grow in faith that we might enlarge the coasts of the Kingdom and God for the glory of our risen Saviour! With that thought in mind I have found great encouragement knowing that the Lord has in control who He would have assist in the financial aspect of getting to the Philippines. Our privilege then is that we might, in all churches, encourage God’s people to grow in faith through His perfect Word with expectation that personal involvement in missions would be increased as well as added prayer support for their existing supported families.
To report on our past month or so is to share an account of many miles, many smiles and many wiles, amen?! Miles that were travelled as we made a northern swing back to NY for meetings, smiles as the kids were happily reunited with Grandma and Papa, Aunt Jenny and their cousins and other of our dear friends and wiles as this month has seen some of the heaviest spiritual warfare we have faced on deputation. That said, we praise the Lord for all of your prayer on our behalf as we know that has built a hedge about us in the midst of attacks. Prior to leaving Ocean Springs to go north, Pastor Perkins gave me the privilege to preach the evening service on the day that the church would begin 40 days of prayer and fasting leading to revival. The Lord laid on my heart to preach on, yep, the wiles and subtle tactics of the “devil of desensitization.” I suppose this made us candidates to be an object lesson on the topic but we rejoice in God’s grace, deliverance and protection through it all. We arrived back in Ocean Springs for the week of revival and God moved mightily. Dr. Zeb McDaris preached a number of Spirit filled messages that moved the hearts of God’s people, including ours, praise the Lord! Some were saved, many got right and the devil was displeased when a bunch of his garbage was burned up in two consecutive nights of fires!
We find ourselves at the moment in Franklin, LA with Pastor Donnie Williams and Faith Baptist Church. He has been a gracious host and it has been a privilege to go soul willing with him a couple times in the past few days. We have a goat as our next door neighbor, the kids have been chasing lizards around and we have been trying to spot alligators in the bayou that runs right along the property. The girls have made new friends with their kids and we even eliminated one big snake from the world by running it over with Deputation Dave (our Suburban). We based here for another meeting in Pierre Port which went well and now we will start October with a conference in Zachary, LA and then have meetings all the way to San Antonio for two conferences to end October. Please pray that we would continue to see God increase our faith and our support that we might reach those God has called us to as soon as He would see fit. May the Lord bless your lives and ministries that are dedicated to the glory of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your faithful prayer and support.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
The Lord has brought a phrase of scripture to my attention and remembrance a number of times in the past few weeks on the road. And while I have felt no liberty to preach from the passage, it has become a theme in our desire for the churches we visit. A cursory look at this phrase could suggest a selfish tone but undoubtedly Paul is recognizing the potential that this church at Corinth could have for the work of global missions should their faith be increased. Here it is, 2 Cor 10:15 … having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you…Would to God that our churches and missionaries would all grow in faith that we might enlarge the coasts of the Kingdom and God for the glory of our risen Saviour! With that thought in mind I have found great encouragement knowing that the Lord has in control who He would have assist in the financial aspect of getting to the Philippines. Our privilege then is that we might, in all churches, encourage God’s people to grow in faith through His perfect Word with expectation that personal involvement in missions would be increased as well as added prayer support for their existing supported families.
To report on our past month or so is to share an account of many miles, many smiles and many wiles, amen?! Miles that were travelled as we made a northern swing back to NY for meetings, smiles as the kids were happily reunited with Grandma and Papa, Aunt Jenny and their cousins and other of our dear friends and wiles as this month has seen some of the heaviest spiritual warfare we have faced on deputation. That said, we praise the Lord for all of your prayer on our behalf as we know that has built a hedge about us in the midst of attacks. Prior to leaving Ocean Springs to go north, Pastor Perkins gave me the privilege to preach the evening service on the day that the church would begin 40 days of prayer and fasting leading to revival. The Lord laid on my heart to preach on, yep, the wiles and subtle tactics of the “devil of desensitization.” I suppose this made us candidates to be an object lesson on the topic but we rejoice in God’s grace, deliverance and protection through it all. We arrived back in Ocean Springs for the week of revival and God moved mightily. Dr. Zeb McDaris preached a number of Spirit filled messages that moved the hearts of God’s people, including ours, praise the Lord! Some were saved, many got right and the devil was displeased when a bunch of his garbage was burned up in two consecutive nights of fires!
We find ourselves at the moment in Franklin, LA with Pastor Donnie Williams and Faith Baptist Church. He has been a gracious host and it has been a privilege to go soul willing with him a couple times in the past few days. We have a goat as our next door neighbor, the kids have been chasing lizards around and we have been trying to spot alligators in the bayou that runs right along the property. The girls have made new friends with their kids and we even eliminated one big snake from the world by running it over with Deputation Dave (our Suburban). We based here for another meeting in Pierre Port which went well and now we will start October with a conference in Zachary, LA and then have meetings all the way to San Antonio for two conferences to end October. Please pray that we would continue to see God increase our faith and our support that we might reach those God has called us to as soon as He would see fit. May the Lord bless your lives and ministries that are dedicated to the glory of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your faithful prayer and support.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Monday, August 10, 2009
August Prayer Letter
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, August 8, 2009
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
How many times we have been reminded of the truth of this verse, amen? So often, we can get caught up looking at circumstances, past history, our own abilities, our resources, our time and our energy and then begin to set our expectations within those limits. In doing this, we are limiting and doubting our Lord Jesus that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think and Whose ways are so far higher than our ways. This month we saw the Lord provide us with unexpected meetings, unexpected contacts and unexpected support. We were again reminded who owns the cattle on a thousand hills! I spent a good part of my time this month making calls to hundreds of churches for consideration to come present our burden to for the Philippines. This process is time consuming and can be at times disheartening as you talk to countless answering machines or hear about challenges being faced around the country. Yet in doing this we are reminded of how God is in control and knows exactly how He will get us to the islands, it also reminds us of the tremendous need for prayer in every aspect of our ministry. As this was the call placed on our lives by God, we know that He has ordained the means of getting us there. As it says in Isaiah 1:19, if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. So, as things we’re moving slowly on the phone this past month, God made it abundantly clear that He can open doors in unexpected ways. In our time on deputation, we have not seen a month like this where God just introduced us to pastor after pastor that resulted in the scheduling of meetings as well as some great fellowship. Even when there was a gap in the schedule, the Lord led us to the right churches to visit and blessed us with many opportunities to serve and to share our burden.
We spent the last month between Louisiana and Texas and had some great meetings. The Lord again provided every need, sustained us and our vehicle through many miles and much heat and brought us closer to the field. We saw the Lord move in hearts at the altar this month and after the services people often came and shared what God did for them. All I can say is that God is gracious to move in our lives much less allow us to see how He moves in the hearts of others! We had the privilege to go soul winning with different churches and rejoice in the power of the gospel. I would like to ask for prayer for Kathy who was raised at the very church I was knocking doors with but was never saved and is now married to a Mormon and has two small boys. I plead with her out of the scriptures for quite a while and challenged her to study and seek the truth as the souls of her entire family hang in the balance. While we pray God would burden us for every soul in such a way, it seems that some just end up heavier on our hearts and this was one of those times.
On a lighter note, my kids only exposure to Armadillos this month was on the side of the road (as I was warned about) but they have been having a great time and God has given them some wonderful encouragement at all the right times. This next month they will get to see Grandma and Papa again as we will head to New York in mid August for more meetings for about a month. Please pray for safety on the road and that we would continue to see God increase our faith and exceed our expectations for His honour and glory. May the Lord bless your ministry and and continuously increase your impact on this entire world for the sake of souls to the glory of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your faithful prayer and support.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
How many times we have been reminded of the truth of this verse, amen? So often, we can get caught up looking at circumstances, past history, our own abilities, our resources, our time and our energy and then begin to set our expectations within those limits. In doing this, we are limiting and doubting our Lord Jesus that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think and Whose ways are so far higher than our ways. This month we saw the Lord provide us with unexpected meetings, unexpected contacts and unexpected support. We were again reminded who owns the cattle on a thousand hills! I spent a good part of my time this month making calls to hundreds of churches for consideration to come present our burden to for the Philippines. This process is time consuming and can be at times disheartening as you talk to countless answering machines or hear about challenges being faced around the country. Yet in doing this we are reminded of how God is in control and knows exactly how He will get us to the islands, it also reminds us of the tremendous need for prayer in every aspect of our ministry. As this was the call placed on our lives by God, we know that He has ordained the means of getting us there. As it says in Isaiah 1:19, if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. So, as things we’re moving slowly on the phone this past month, God made it abundantly clear that He can open doors in unexpected ways. In our time on deputation, we have not seen a month like this where God just introduced us to pastor after pastor that resulted in the scheduling of meetings as well as some great fellowship. Even when there was a gap in the schedule, the Lord led us to the right churches to visit and blessed us with many opportunities to serve and to share our burden.
We spent the last month between Louisiana and Texas and had some great meetings. The Lord again provided every need, sustained us and our vehicle through many miles and much heat and brought us closer to the field. We saw the Lord move in hearts at the altar this month and after the services people often came and shared what God did for them. All I can say is that God is gracious to move in our lives much less allow us to see how He moves in the hearts of others! We had the privilege to go soul winning with different churches and rejoice in the power of the gospel. I would like to ask for prayer for Kathy who was raised at the very church I was knocking doors with but was never saved and is now married to a Mormon and has two small boys. I plead with her out of the scriptures for quite a while and challenged her to study and seek the truth as the souls of her entire family hang in the balance. While we pray God would burden us for every soul in such a way, it seems that some just end up heavier on our hearts and this was one of those times.
On a lighter note, my kids only exposure to Armadillos this month was on the side of the road (as I was warned about) but they have been having a great time and God has given them some wonderful encouragement at all the right times. This next month they will get to see Grandma and Papa again as we will head to New York in mid August for more meetings for about a month. Please pray for safety on the road and that we would continue to see God increase our faith and exceed our expectations for His honour and glory. May the Lord bless your ministry and and continuously increase your impact on this entire world for the sake of souls to the glory of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your faithful prayer and support.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Monday, July 6, 2009
Overdue update
Praise the Lord that as I write this we are enjoying great fellowship with our church family here at Grace Independent Baptist Church in Ocean Springs. We have a slight break in the schedule so we are taking care of some errands, doing some work at the church and enjoying our family.
Life in the travel trailer has required some adjustments but for having 4 kids and 2 adults in such a confined space, things are going great. We are pretty organized and finding out the best ways to manage our space wisely.
Many things have happened over the past few weeks and time will not permit me to list them all in any details but we certainly do rejoice that we now have two new partners in ministry which brings us closer to the Philippines!
We also have seen God do some great things in providing us with meetings and contacts on short notice or under what we might consider odd circumstances. We are excited that God has seen fit to further us toward the field using ways that only He can orchestrate.
Our family has seen some issues with our vehicle in recent weeks but the Lord has been abundantly gracious is not allowing us to break down where help would be difficult to find and it has also been a blessing to see the way that God's people have been tremendously generous with their time, money and talents in helping us stay road worthy.
Thank you so much for all who have been praying for us, we are encouraged at what the Lord has done not only in our meetings but also in our hearts and family. The tribulations and challenges that God has allowed have been stepping stones in our faith and we trust that each experience will lend itself to added wisdom, encouragement and expectation when we do reach the field - for we know that God will get us through those challenges as He has through all others.
Our independence day brought new experiences to as in NYS fireworks are illegal and down here we have six year olds lighting them off... We had a great time at the church on Saturday and a number of men and teens played flag football (which quickly became tackle) in a soaking rain that had the field looking more like a lake - needless to say, I had a great time.
We will be leaving here on Saturday to head to New Iberia, LA, Shreveport, LA and then on to the Dallas TX area.
Please pray that our vehicle would run great on this trip and that the Lord would be pleased and glorified in the meetings and every witness and interaction we have in between.
Life in the travel trailer has required some adjustments but for having 4 kids and 2 adults in such a confined space, things are going great. We are pretty organized and finding out the best ways to manage our space wisely.
Many things have happened over the past few weeks and time will not permit me to list them all in any details but we certainly do rejoice that we now have two new partners in ministry which brings us closer to the Philippines!
We also have seen God do some great things in providing us with meetings and contacts on short notice or under what we might consider odd circumstances. We are excited that God has seen fit to further us toward the field using ways that only He can orchestrate.
Our family has seen some issues with our vehicle in recent weeks but the Lord has been abundantly gracious is not allowing us to break down where help would be difficult to find and it has also been a blessing to see the way that God's people have been tremendously generous with their time, money and talents in helping us stay road worthy.
Thank you so much for all who have been praying for us, we are encouraged at what the Lord has done not only in our meetings but also in our hearts and family. The tribulations and challenges that God has allowed have been stepping stones in our faith and we trust that each experience will lend itself to added wisdom, encouragement and expectation when we do reach the field - for we know that God will get us through those challenges as He has through all others.
Our independence day brought new experiences to as in NYS fireworks are illegal and down here we have six year olds lighting them off... We had a great time at the church on Saturday and a number of men and teens played flag football (which quickly became tackle) in a soaking rain that had the field looking more like a lake - needless to say, I had a great time.
We will be leaving here on Saturday to head to New Iberia, LA, Shreveport, LA and then on to the Dallas TX area.
Please pray that our vehicle would run great on this trip and that the Lord would be pleased and glorified in the meetings and every witness and interaction we have in between.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Safe in the South
The Lord has been good to us in our travels. This past week we packed our last belongings from our house into our trailer and said goodbye to upstate New York. The Lord got us safely to Mississippi on Thursday evening and we had a great time fellowshipping with Pastor Perkins and family. Friday we got the trailer organized and packed up the truck for Louisiana and then Sat we headed to North LA for 2 sunday meetings. The Lord has now given us a couple days of rest here at a nice missions house where we are being refreshed by the Lord with our family after many miles, much heat and the emotional highs and lows that have gone with recent events. Thank you all for praying and we will look to update the blog a little more frequently and in detail soon.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
June Prayer Letter
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, June, 2009
(Mar 7:37) And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Once again, we sit here astonished at the goodness and orchestration of the Lord in answer to your prayers…He hath done all things well! For months we have been praying for the sale of our home and that the timing would work out with our meeting schedule. The Lord answered those prayers and we have accepted an offer. We will sign our side of the paperwork this week and have the house emptied and cleaned prior to our departure back down south in early June! Leaving the home that the Lord has blessed us with for so many years will carry with it some emotion for all of us as we’ve had many wonderful memories. Yet we sit astonished at the blatant God-things that have taken place this past few months and are incredibly encouraged about the continued road to the Philippines. Having left behind my employment and sold our possessions, our focus is now firmly set on following our Lord Jesus to the field of His calling for us.
In the midst of the house proceedings this month, we have been part of two Missions conferences and a number of other meetings and God continues to bring us closer to the field. What a privilege it has been this month to have wisdom imparted by a man faithful in ministry for 40 plus years while also being encouraged at the zeal and fire of a young church planter whose infant church is fired up for missions. Every experience has been one of blessing, learning and increasing of our faith. The Lord has allowed us to be a part of ministering to adults and children, do some street evangelism as well as loading hundreds of boxes of scriptures into a container to be shipped to Ghana! Whether it is mowing the church lawn or preaching God’s word, it is a wonderful privilege to be allowed a part in serving the Lord.
After a few days of wrapping things up at the house we will be in four churches for eight straight days including two overlapping conferences. That will kick off June for us in a great way. As soon as that concludes we will head to Ocean Springs for a couple days but then on to Longview, TX and to LA the following Sunday for meetings. Be in prayer for this travel as it will be many miles in one week and we will have our travel trailer in tow from NY to MS. We praise the Lord that our family is doing very well. Autumn finished first grade this week and through the year she has had opportunity to go on field trips that most students never would, amen?! Just recently a pastor took us to Fort William Henry in NY for a guided tour of this amazing historical site.
Let us conclude by saying thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and support of our family, your servants for Jesus sake. Please know that we are praying for all the recipients of this letter that the Lord has allowed us to be associated with. May God be magnified in your lives and ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
(Mar 7:37) And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Once again, we sit here astonished at the goodness and orchestration of the Lord in answer to your prayers…He hath done all things well! For months we have been praying for the sale of our home and that the timing would work out with our meeting schedule. The Lord answered those prayers and we have accepted an offer. We will sign our side of the paperwork this week and have the house emptied and cleaned prior to our departure back down south in early June! Leaving the home that the Lord has blessed us with for so many years will carry with it some emotion for all of us as we’ve had many wonderful memories. Yet we sit astonished at the blatant God-things that have taken place this past few months and are incredibly encouraged about the continued road to the Philippines. Having left behind my employment and sold our possessions, our focus is now firmly set on following our Lord Jesus to the field of His calling for us.
In the midst of the house proceedings this month, we have been part of two Missions conferences and a number of other meetings and God continues to bring us closer to the field. What a privilege it has been this month to have wisdom imparted by a man faithful in ministry for 40 plus years while also being encouraged at the zeal and fire of a young church planter whose infant church is fired up for missions. Every experience has been one of blessing, learning and increasing of our faith. The Lord has allowed us to be a part of ministering to adults and children, do some street evangelism as well as loading hundreds of boxes of scriptures into a container to be shipped to Ghana! Whether it is mowing the church lawn or preaching God’s word, it is a wonderful privilege to be allowed a part in serving the Lord.
After a few days of wrapping things up at the house we will be in four churches for eight straight days including two overlapping conferences. That will kick off June for us in a great way. As soon as that concludes we will head to Ocean Springs for a couple days but then on to Longview, TX and to LA the following Sunday for meetings. Be in prayer for this travel as it will be many miles in one week and we will have our travel trailer in tow from NY to MS. We praise the Lord that our family is doing very well. Autumn finished first grade this week and through the year she has had opportunity to go on field trips that most students never would, amen?! Just recently a pastor took us to Fort William Henry in NY for a guided tour of this amazing historical site.
Let us conclude by saying thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and support of our family, your servants for Jesus sake. Please know that we are praying for all the recipients of this letter that the Lord has allowed us to be associated with. May God be magnified in your lives and ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Thursday, April 23, 2009
ONLY GOD!
Over the past couple weeks we have been taking our girls through the book of Esther and now Daniel and we have had a great time! They get excited each night knowing that an adventure awaits. Autumn at least can recognize the theme time and time again that when pride creeps in, destruction will follow; when God is not exalted, those exalting themselves will be abased: that when an enemy has a plan to destroy God's people that God will implement those that "for such a time as this" will stand up for righteousness and with faith jeopardize their own lives for their WORTHY KING. They have seen God get in the fire with them and protect them from even the smell of smoke, stop the mouths of lions, give them wisdom that makes the astrologers, soothsayers and magicians look as foolish as the gods of stone, wood and gold that they worship. To see the powerful king of the land put out to pasture with feathers and claws shows that God alone will be glorified and those attempting to rob that glory will be shortlived in their efforts.
The repeating theme that echoes throughout Scriptures is ONLY GOD - only God could orchestrate things in such a way, only God would manifest Himself in the flesh and die to redeem His creation that rebelled against Him. In so many other ways in our daily lives God proclaims through His actions and timing - ONLY ME!
God has once again proclaimed "Only Me" in our lives again this week. Time would fail me to list all such circumstances but only a few months ago the Lord orchestrated my departure from Kodak in such a way and in such timing that none other but God could get credit, and now in answer to the prayers of so many - He has done it again.
In the last week we had the privilege of seeing a soul come to Christ, being blessed by a servant of the Lord assisting us with our vehicle and now, in an answer to many, many prayers in the last many months - WE HAVE AN OFFER ON OUR HOME and we have accepted it!
By no means is this transaction finalized but it certainly is a reason to rejoice and trust with expectation that the Lord is once again saying - ONLY ME
The timing is outstanding as Lord willing we could close about the time that we head back south for most of the rest of the year. We have so much to be thankful for, our home has been a haven of rest and joy for our family for many years and we praise God for it. Tears will be shed when we hand over the keys to this place in which we have experienced some of our sweetest moments of joy - but truly this house is a temporal shelter (as our lives are) that should be given up happily for the work of building a home eternal in the heavens and bringing souls to Christ.
2Co 5:1-4
(1) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved (our lives), we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
(3) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
(4) For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
The Lord is good - give Him glory - for ONLY GOD could do such amazing things!
The repeating theme that echoes throughout Scriptures is ONLY GOD - only God could orchestrate things in such a way, only God would manifest Himself in the flesh and die to redeem His creation that rebelled against Him. In so many other ways in our daily lives God proclaims through His actions and timing - ONLY ME!
God has once again proclaimed "Only Me" in our lives again this week. Time would fail me to list all such circumstances but only a few months ago the Lord orchestrated my departure from Kodak in such a way and in such timing that none other but God could get credit, and now in answer to the prayers of so many - He has done it again.
In the last week we had the privilege of seeing a soul come to Christ, being blessed by a servant of the Lord assisting us with our vehicle and now, in an answer to many, many prayers in the last many months - WE HAVE AN OFFER ON OUR HOME and we have accepted it!
By no means is this transaction finalized but it certainly is a reason to rejoice and trust with expectation that the Lord is once again saying - ONLY ME
The timing is outstanding as Lord willing we could close about the time that we head back south for most of the rest of the year. We have so much to be thankful for, our home has been a haven of rest and joy for our family for many years and we praise God for it. Tears will be shed when we hand over the keys to this place in which we have experienced some of our sweetest moments of joy - but truly this house is a temporal shelter (as our lives are) that should be given up happily for the work of building a home eternal in the heavens and bringing souls to Christ.
2Co 5:1-4
(1) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved (our lives), we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
(3) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
(4) For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
The Lord is good - give Him glory - for ONLY GOD could do such amazing things!
Monday, April 20, 2009
May 09 Prayer Letter
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
2Thes. 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
We are rejoicing for the goodness of the Lord to us as we continue to present the ministry the Lord has called us to in the Philippines, preach His Word and endeavour to be a blessing to the churches that allow us the privilege to spend some time with them. As I sit down to write this prayer letter I am rejoicing that just yesterday the Lord allowed us to present and preach in a church and a young man came to the altar and was born again! What a privilege it is that God allows us to see His gospel work so powerfully in the lives of people. The Lord may or may not parter us with this church financially but the value of that one soul would make a trip to anywhere worthwhile, amen?!
Over the past month we have been encouraged to see multiple new partners in ministry in bringing the Gospel to the Philippines for which we are grateful. We have had opportunity to evangelize door to door, to minister on the streets of NYC and Stephanie just taught children’s church recently while I was preaching also. The Lord has kept us safe on the road with no breakdowns and recently blessed us with a faithful servant who ministered to the Lord in doing a good deal of repair and preventative service to our truck in preparation for our upcoming extended travel back down south.
As the Lord allows, we are scheduled for a number of conferences and meetings from NY to GA and back over the next month and then in Mid-June we will head to TX, MS and LA for an extended stretch. We appreciate beyond expressed words those that are praying for us. Our family is in good health but please continue to lift them up as their surroundings change so frequently and consistency in many areas gets challenged as a result. We would also ask that you continue to pray for the sale of our home to happen quickly and for the Lord to orchestrate every single meeting to be scheduled exactly where and when He would have it to be. Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and please know that we are praying also for the recipients of this letter, for the individuals that we know by name and for the wonderful churches the Lord has allowed us to be associated with. May God be magnified in your lives and ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
2Thes. 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
We are rejoicing for the goodness of the Lord to us as we continue to present the ministry the Lord has called us to in the Philippines, preach His Word and endeavour to be a blessing to the churches that allow us the privilege to spend some time with them. As I sit down to write this prayer letter I am rejoicing that just yesterday the Lord allowed us to present and preach in a church and a young man came to the altar and was born again! What a privilege it is that God allows us to see His gospel work so powerfully in the lives of people. The Lord may or may not parter us with this church financially but the value of that one soul would make a trip to anywhere worthwhile, amen?!
Over the past month we have been encouraged to see multiple new partners in ministry in bringing the Gospel to the Philippines for which we are grateful. We have had opportunity to evangelize door to door, to minister on the streets of NYC and Stephanie just taught children’s church recently while I was preaching also. The Lord has kept us safe on the road with no breakdowns and recently blessed us with a faithful servant who ministered to the Lord in doing a good deal of repair and preventative service to our truck in preparation for our upcoming extended travel back down south.
As the Lord allows, we are scheduled for a number of conferences and meetings from NY to GA and back over the next month and then in Mid-June we will head to TX, MS and LA for an extended stretch. We appreciate beyond expressed words those that are praying for us. Our family is in good health but please continue to lift them up as their surroundings change so frequently and consistency in many areas gets challenged as a result. We would also ask that you continue to pray for the sale of our home to happen quickly and for the Lord to orchestrate every single meeting to be scheduled exactly where and when He would have it to be. Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and please know that we are praying also for the recipients of this letter, for the individuals that we know by name and for the wonderful churches the Lord has allowed us to be associated with. May God be magnified in your lives and ministries.
Because He Lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma
Friday, April 10, 2009
News article shows Satan's snare on catholic Filipinos
(2Ti 2:26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Satan has a stronghold of 80%+ catholics in the Philippines, some of them are so devoted and decieved that they reenact the crucifixion this week each year with real nails, scourges and crosses. My Pastor emailed me the following article from this site
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/04/10/09/faith-and-ritual-mix-good-friday-rp
Faith and ritual mix on Good Friday in RP
By Manny Mogato, Reuters 04/10/2009 4:25 PM
CUTUD, ANGELES CITY - Dozens of Catholic devotees were nailed to crosses, scores more whipped their backs and others chanted the Passion of Jesus Christ as Filipinos mixed faith and gory ritual on Good Friday.
Frowned on by church authorities, the voluntary crucifixions in villages north of the capital Manila are one of the most extreme displays of religious devotion in Asia's largest Roman Catholic state.
Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the church discourages such rituals because the penitents were expecting rewards for hurting themselves.
"We only encourage the faithfuls to fast, pray and confess their sins," Quitorio told Reuters. "We can't stop the practice. It is not necessary, but the church has no police power. These rituals challenge us to guide our flock on the true teachings of the Catholic church."
In the small village of Cutud in Angeles City in Pampanga, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was re-enacted in a colorful street play with dozens of men carrying wooden crosses as heavy as 50 kg (110 pounds) and scores whipping their backs to a bloody pulp.
After walking barefoot for more than a kilometer around the village in scorching heat, the drama ended at a man-made hill where 11 men were nailed to crosses with three-inch nails driven into their hands and feet. Personal devotion
"I am not doing this for fame or money," said Ruben Inaje, 48, who has played the role of Jesus Christ at Cutud since 1986. "This is my own way of thanking the Lord. He has showered my family with so much blessings and has saved my life many times."
Inaje, a house painter, told Reuters he made a decision to have himself crucified after escaping death after a fall from a three-story building in the mid-1980s.
"I believed God was using me as an instrument to show the world the Filipinos' devotion to God," he said, showing his bandaged bands at a medical station after the crucifixion.
"I will never get tired doing this every year. This is my personal devotion and I will continue this until the Lord allows my body to endure the pain."
In the neighboring province of Bulacan, five people were nailed to wooden crosses, including an 18-year-old woman and an Australian, who said he was hoping his sacrifice would cure his cancer-stricken mother.
The crowd cheered John Michael, 33, as the nails were driven to his hands and feet. Minutes, later he gave a broad smile of relief as the nails were pulled out.
About 20 crucifixions were held in four other areas.
Thousands, many of them curious tourists from Australia, Europe and South Korea watched the spectacle in Cutud, which has grown from a village novelty started in 1955 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.
The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling bottled water, beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. VIPs and some nuns watched from a specially elevated "viewing platform".
Some residents offered parking spaces for a fee and others charged 5 pesos (about 10 U.S. cents) for use of toilets. More enterprising people rented the balconies of their homes for television crew and photographers.
More than 80 percent of the Philippines' estimated 90 million population are Catholic.
Shouldn't the following scripture alone express that Christ is our one and only High Priest and and the only sacrifice needed for our sins. May God open the eyes of the blind that are so devoted to religion but are deceived from the truth of the gospel
Heb 7:23-28
(23) And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
(24) But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
(25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
(26) For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
(27) Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
(28) For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Satan has a stronghold of 80%+ catholics in the Philippines, some of them are so devoted and decieved that they reenact the crucifixion this week each year with real nails, scourges and crosses. My Pastor emailed me the following article from this site
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/04/10/09/faith-and-ritual-mix-good-friday-rp
Faith and ritual mix on Good Friday in RP
By Manny Mogato, Reuters 04/10/2009 4:25 PM
CUTUD, ANGELES CITY - Dozens of Catholic devotees were nailed to crosses, scores more whipped their backs and others chanted the Passion of Jesus Christ as Filipinos mixed faith and gory ritual on Good Friday.
Frowned on by church authorities, the voluntary crucifixions in villages north of the capital Manila are one of the most extreme displays of religious devotion in Asia's largest Roman Catholic state.
Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the church discourages such rituals because the penitents were expecting rewards for hurting themselves.
"We only encourage the faithfuls to fast, pray and confess their sins," Quitorio told Reuters. "We can't stop the practice. It is not necessary, but the church has no police power. These rituals challenge us to guide our flock on the true teachings of the Catholic church."
In the small village of Cutud in Angeles City in Pampanga, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was re-enacted in a colorful street play with dozens of men carrying wooden crosses as heavy as 50 kg (110 pounds) and scores whipping their backs to a bloody pulp.
After walking barefoot for more than a kilometer around the village in scorching heat, the drama ended at a man-made hill where 11 men were nailed to crosses with three-inch nails driven into their hands and feet. Personal devotion
"I am not doing this for fame or money," said Ruben Inaje, 48, who has played the role of Jesus Christ at Cutud since 1986. "This is my own way of thanking the Lord. He has showered my family with so much blessings and has saved my life many times."
Inaje, a house painter, told Reuters he made a decision to have himself crucified after escaping death after a fall from a three-story building in the mid-1980s.
"I believed God was using me as an instrument to show the world the Filipinos' devotion to God," he said, showing his bandaged bands at a medical station after the crucifixion.
"I will never get tired doing this every year. This is my personal devotion and I will continue this until the Lord allows my body to endure the pain."
In the neighboring province of Bulacan, five people were nailed to wooden crosses, including an 18-year-old woman and an Australian, who said he was hoping his sacrifice would cure his cancer-stricken mother.
The crowd cheered John Michael, 33, as the nails were driven to his hands and feet. Minutes, later he gave a broad smile of relief as the nails were pulled out.
About 20 crucifixions were held in four other areas.
Thousands, many of them curious tourists from Australia, Europe and South Korea watched the spectacle in Cutud, which has grown from a village novelty started in 1955 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.
The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling bottled water, beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. VIPs and some nuns watched from a specially elevated "viewing platform".
Some residents offered parking spaces for a fee and others charged 5 pesos (about 10 U.S. cents) for use of toilets. More enterprising people rented the balconies of their homes for television crew and photographers.
More than 80 percent of the Philippines' estimated 90 million population are Catholic.
Shouldn't the following scripture alone express that Christ is our one and only High Priest and and the only sacrifice needed for our sins. May God open the eyes of the blind that are so devoted to religion but are deceived from the truth of the gospel
Heb 7:23-28
(23) And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
(24) But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
(25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
(26) For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
(27) Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
(28) For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Grace Baptist Church - Beaver Dams NY
We just finished the 2009 Missions conference at Grace Baptist and can truly say that our cup is full. Time would fail me to tell of the blessing that Pastor Maulucci and his family were to us. They truly put thought and investment into making sure that every detail was attended to. We had a week filled with sickness that went from myself to all the girls (except Stephanie - praise the Lord!) by the end of the week and they were wonderful to us through it all. They blessed our kids, they provided us with great lodging, they fed us in abundance and they put together a wonderful conference. We had the privilege of spending time not only with this faithful pastor and a young couple heading to India but also with a 20 year veteran missionary to Germany who preached one of the greatest messages I have ever heard and Missionary/Evangelist Cliff Taylor who the Lord has used for the establishing of dozens of churches in New Guinea, Kenya, Philippines, Ukraine and other places. This brother has seen God move in amazing ways on countless occasions. We were blessed all week to hear his heart for God, for souls and for the further spread of the gospel. What a joy it is to go week upon week to churches that lift up the Lord Jesus, love missions and by faith become active participants in God's redemptive plan is incredible. We praise the Lord that this church is partnering with us in bringing the gospel to the Philippines.
Naples Bible Church
Pastor Tom Street is a man I have looked up to for a number of years now. I had the privilege of traveling with him to Zambia in '05 where the Lord clarified my call to foreign missions and have had the blessing of teaching his kids in Jr. Church over the years also. We have been excited for some time about the Lord calling him to Pastor at this church in Naples and now to have been there and seen what God has been doing in peoples lives is exciting to say the least. The day started and ended with members of the church praying over me and then our whole family - this should tell you something. There is no doubt in my mind from the conversations I enjoyed over a great turkey dinner and fellowship with Pastor Street that this is a body of believers that understands the power of prayer. It is this reason alone that thrills us to know that they will be partnering with us in bringing the gospel to the Philippines. We are excited to see what God has in store for Naples and the surrounding communities through this great local church.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Breakfast on the farm
We have been blessed in so many incredible ways over the past few weeks. We have gone from the deep south to NYC which provided a pretty stark contrast as you might expect, yet the love of the Lord Jesus and burden for souls is there regardless of accent or culture. The conference in Murfreesboro was outstanding, I learned a tremendous amount about the unreached people groups around the world and the means by which we all can and must be a part in reaching them. We had the privilege of ministering to the kids while we were there and established many contacts for the future. In Garfield, NJ we were encouraged by a young couple that facilitated the missions apartment for us. Derek is the assistant pastor of the church and was a good friend to us during our stay. While there we had three meetings at churches in the area and praise the Lord for the relationships established. We also had opportunity to join our friends from Rochester to distribute thousands of tracts to the lost at the St Patricks day parade in NYC. The following day we hit Times Square and got a poor reception as you might expect to our tract distribution efforts. The kids were very excited as we drove around New York and saw lady liberty out in the harbor. We must have played the New Manna Youth Choir song about how the Cross is our statue of Liberty 20 times! We stopped by our home (continue to pray for its sale) for one day prior to heading to Utica where we are now for a missions conference. We have been staying in the home of a family that is in California helping with their kids. It is out in the sticks and it has the feel of a farm - a wood stove, a chicken coop for our eggs in the morning and a glorious unhindered view of the stars at night. We are enjoying our stay and the conference has been great. The speaker is a pastor from Buffalo that we have a meeting with in November so we praise the Lord that we could make his acquaintance in advance. He has been quite a blessing already, Sunday night we hadnt had dinner so were going to Denny's with another missionary when the preacher came in and paid for the meal for all of us. This was a great help indeed. The kids are doing good, learning lessons along the way seeing many places they have never seen before. Emma thinks she is funny as she has learned how to shake her head no when she is asked if she is going to be a good girl at church - she starts giggling as she emphatically turns her head left and right. We head to Naples on Sunday for a much anticipated meeting with our friend Tom Street and then off to another missions conference in Beaver Dams, NY. Praise the Lord for His protection and grace shown toward us. He have wanted for nothing and would pray that we can be a blessing to those we are with in even a small proportion to what they have been to us. So as we sit down to our farm fresh eggs and morning devotions, we are praying for our dear friends and church families to be blessed and want to encourage you that the Lord is answering your prayers on our behalf.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hartselle Ala to Murfreesboro TN
God has a great way of working things out, amen? While at Grace in Ocean Springs we were invited to be a part of the unreached peoples conference with First Bible International in Murfreesboro, TN. by Bro. Fielder. We were scheduled to go from Pensacola to NY for a meeting on the 8th but with this conference on the 9th back in TN we made a call and the Pastor in NY graciously rescheduled us for a few weeks from now. This left us with Sunday open before the conference in TN on Mon. So we called a church with a prophet chamber in Alabama and he not only let us use the chamber (which was beautiful) but he allowed us to present and preach Sunday Morning. We had a great meeting with Pastor Mike Eaton and the great church family there and then through that I was invited to the Southern TN/Northern Ala Ind Fund Baptist fellowship meeting on morning morning in...yep, Murfreesboro. We went to the fellowship and gained some exposure to a number of good brothers and pastors in that area as well as being given some great tools and resources for our travel convenience. The key speaker was Dr. Shelton Smith, the president of the Sword of the Lord. We walked out with names and numbers of more than 50 churches in that fellowship. The Lord is so good, all the time. That led us to the FBI conference monday night where we were totally blessed. I will post again on this conference as it continues tonight but pray as we have opportunity to minister to the kids etc while we are here. Also pray for two men I witnessed to today at the playground - Michael (former pentecostal - admittedly lost and concerned) and Charles - unchurched father of four. Both of them were receptive to the gospel and said they would read the tract and strongly consider visiting Franklin Road Baptist in the near future.
Cross and Crown Baptist Church - Pensacola Fl
Not willing that one should perish - the theme for the conference. Praise the Lord for His longsuffering
After GIBC we went about 2 hours east to be with Pastor Joe Davis for a conference at Cross and Crown. Pastor Davis is a Phd and was a Bible professor at PCC for a number of years before taking the Pastorate about 19 years ago. The two families with us at the conference were the Tessins - 16 year veterans to the Philippines! and the Rickers, who are leaving at the end of March to go to Peru to minister to the deaf there. It was exciting to see that young family packed and ready to go to the field with deputation finished - we look forward to the sweet time that will be also.
Both of these families call Cross and Crown home so we were the outsiders at the party but we praise the Lord that they made us feel like we were old friends - it is good to have blood relatives at every conference we go to amen?!
They had a Kids4Missions picnic on Saturday and the girls had a great time. They have kids as young as 7 that participate in faith promise missions giving there. It is a blessing to see the zeal for God's mission in the youngest of them.
The church was a great blessing in taking us out to dinner, having a ladies day out and much more. Each of us had opportunity to present and preach and Stephanie even gave her salvation testimony in front of the church for the first time, Praise the Lord!
God has been so good to us. We stayed in the home of a man named JB who loves kids and really had a great time with the girls. He has been faithfully ministering in many areas fo years and is praying about the Lord using him someday on a full time basis. Pray for JB that the Lord would work out an insurance issue from the last hurricane that damaged his home. He would appreciate it. The Lord has blessed this church with a number of missionaries sent and a church plant already and we are excited to hear what he will continue to do as they move into a long awaited building in the next couple months.
When I have time I will put in some pics from these conferences. Thanks for your prayers. Next up - Hartselle Alabama
After GIBC we went about 2 hours east to be with Pastor Joe Davis for a conference at Cross and Crown. Pastor Davis is a Phd and was a Bible professor at PCC for a number of years before taking the Pastorate about 19 years ago. The two families with us at the conference were the Tessins - 16 year veterans to the Philippines! and the Rickers, who are leaving at the end of March to go to Peru to minister to the deaf there. It was exciting to see that young family packed and ready to go to the field with deputation finished - we look forward to the sweet time that will be also.
Both of these families call Cross and Crown home so we were the outsiders at the party but we praise the Lord that they made us feel like we were old friends - it is good to have blood relatives at every conference we go to amen?!
They had a Kids4Missions picnic on Saturday and the girls had a great time. They have kids as young as 7 that participate in faith promise missions giving there. It is a blessing to see the zeal for God's mission in the youngest of them.
The church was a great blessing in taking us out to dinner, having a ladies day out and much more. Each of us had opportunity to present and preach and Stephanie even gave her salvation testimony in front of the church for the first time, Praise the Lord!
God has been so good to us. We stayed in the home of a man named JB who loves kids and really had a great time with the girls. He has been faithfully ministering in many areas fo years and is praying about the Lord using him someday on a full time basis. Pray for JB that the Lord would work out an insurance issue from the last hurricane that damaged his home. He would appreciate it. The Lord has blessed this church with a number of missionaries sent and a church plant already and we are excited to hear what he will continue to do as they move into a long awaited building in the next couple months.
When I have time I will put in some pics from these conferences. Thanks for your prayers. Next up - Hartselle Alabama
Grace Independent Baptist Church – Conference ‘09
Lam 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Lam 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
This was the theme of the conference this year at our sending church in Ocean Springs, MS. It was a wonderful time of fellowship as my family got to know our church family better during this week. Our girls were thrilled to spend time with Pastors family and the other 50+ kids that were there! I never set out to write a book and considering the hour of night I sit to write this, I am more intent to keep it brief. Let me first brag on God. The Lord saw fit to orchestrate a good group of missionaries at this conference that got along well, sought to sharpen and encourage one another and were genuinely all excited for what God was directing the others to do. The families were the Blackburns to the Congo, the Hayfletts to prisons of America, the Jimenez family to the West Indies, Bro. Chang to the Hmong people of Thailand and the primary speaker for the conference – Bro. Ken Fielder of First Bible International. In 2007 after God made it clear he was calling us to the Philippines, we traveled to Murfreesboro TN to meet with Bro. Fielder and Dr. Charles Keen to discuss FBI and how perhaps we might have some interaction in the future as the Lord directs surrounding the tribal groups in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines. It was a privilege to get better acquainted with him and his family through the week and more than that, for the Lord to use him to be a blessing to us through the preaching and fellowship. It is always a blessing to hear the testimonies and presentations of our brothers heading to different fields and this week was no different. The passion, the burden, the tears that flowed – it doesn’t get much better than to spend a week in a conference with a bunch of families that have tender hearts for God, amen?! The church was a great blessing to us in many ways but I will say that there were some highlights surrounding the food and fellowship. They put on a wonderful lunch and dinner each day for us that not only was great food prepared by chef/evangelist/singer/graphic designer…Bro. Zeb McDaris and a great crew of laborers but they set up kids tables and saw to the feeding and caring of the kids during the meals! This allowed for unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the fellowship of the other missionaries as well as Pastor and Sister his wife. We had the privilege to stay with the Perkins while there and were told in advance that late nights of fellowship were in store for us. They were, and it was a blessing. It was also great to see the Paul and Abigail Miller family again, they also now call GIBC home. It is amazing where God has brought us in the past 15+ years since we graduated from Northstar Christian in Rochester. The Lord has done some amazing things.
Before heading out, the church blessed my wife and our kids with gift cards and sent us on our way to the next conference in Pensacola with a full tank of gas. From ministering to the kids in Sunday School to giving a charge to close the conference on Thursday night at the international banquet, we counted it a blessing that God would allow us to be part of His work here. The biggest highlight of the week though had to be when Steve Perkins daughter Hannah (Pastor’s niece) got saved at Walmart, right in the water aisle. Pray for Steve as he heads out in the future also, God has called him to be an evangelist and to have a strong emphasis on family conferences and ministry. The only regret we have is that we couldn’t be there the following Sunday when Bro. Zeb McDaris preached for the Faith Promise commitment week. From what I understand, there were a number of people that surrendered to preach, jail ministry and to the Lord’s will for their lives – all glory be to God!
This is only fitting, after all, it is God’s will that first we give ourselves, the rest will follow.
2Co 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Lam 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
This was the theme of the conference this year at our sending church in Ocean Springs, MS. It was a wonderful time of fellowship as my family got to know our church family better during this week. Our girls were thrilled to spend time with Pastors family and the other 50+ kids that were there! I never set out to write a book and considering the hour of night I sit to write this, I am more intent to keep it brief. Let me first brag on God. The Lord saw fit to orchestrate a good group of missionaries at this conference that got along well, sought to sharpen and encourage one another and were genuinely all excited for what God was directing the others to do. The families were the Blackburns to the Congo, the Hayfletts to prisons of America, the Jimenez family to the West Indies, Bro. Chang to the Hmong people of Thailand and the primary speaker for the conference – Bro. Ken Fielder of First Bible International. In 2007 after God made it clear he was calling us to the Philippines, we traveled to Murfreesboro TN to meet with Bro. Fielder and Dr. Charles Keen to discuss FBI and how perhaps we might have some interaction in the future as the Lord directs surrounding the tribal groups in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines. It was a privilege to get better acquainted with him and his family through the week and more than that, for the Lord to use him to be a blessing to us through the preaching and fellowship. It is always a blessing to hear the testimonies and presentations of our brothers heading to different fields and this week was no different. The passion, the burden, the tears that flowed – it doesn’t get much better than to spend a week in a conference with a bunch of families that have tender hearts for God, amen?! The church was a great blessing to us in many ways but I will say that there were some highlights surrounding the food and fellowship. They put on a wonderful lunch and dinner each day for us that not only was great food prepared by chef/evangelist/singer/graphic designer…Bro. Zeb McDaris and a great crew of laborers but they set up kids tables and saw to the feeding and caring of the kids during the meals! This allowed for unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the fellowship of the other missionaries as well as Pastor and Sister his wife. We had the privilege to stay with the Perkins while there and were told in advance that late nights of fellowship were in store for us. They were, and it was a blessing. It was also great to see the Paul and Abigail Miller family again, they also now call GIBC home. It is amazing where God has brought us in the past 15+ years since we graduated from Northstar Christian in Rochester. The Lord has done some amazing things.
Before heading out, the church blessed my wife and our kids with gift cards and sent us on our way to the next conference in Pensacola with a full tank of gas. From ministering to the kids in Sunday School to giving a charge to close the conference on Thursday night at the international banquet, we counted it a blessing that God would allow us to be part of His work here. The biggest highlight of the week though had to be when Steve Perkins daughter Hannah (Pastor’s niece) got saved at Walmart, right in the water aisle. Pray for Steve as he heads out in the future also, God has called him to be an evangelist and to have a strong emphasis on family conferences and ministry. The only regret we have is that we couldn’t be there the following Sunday when Bro. Zeb McDaris preached for the Faith Promise commitment week. From what I understand, there were a number of people that surrendered to preach, jail ministry and to the Lord’s will for their lives – all glory be to God!
This is only fitting, after all, it is God’s will that first we give ourselves, the rest will follow.
2Co 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The long day of driving
The sight most likely to be seen in a 12.5 hours driving day
This was how we knew we were in TN :)
We then spent the next day going from TN to Oxford AL and praise the Lord it was a shorter day on the road, less eventful with sickness and weather and we found a beautiful little park called Nocolulu Falls in AL to stop at.
Feb 19th was a new record for us. We drove 700+ miles from Rochester to Church Hill, TN where we stayed at a prophets chamber at Liberty Baptist Church. It was an adventure. First Sarah got sick (i'll refrain from details), then Emma got sick in the same manner, followed by, yep, Sarah again... By the second day of travel, 3/4 of them had runny noses, coughs etc beside the stomach issues experienced on day one. We went through a number of snow flurries and some pretty slick roads in the north but the Lord brought us to our destination safely, in good time and with tremendous thanksgiving. Not everyone had such an uneventful trip considering we saw a tractor trailor jackknifed in a ditch, a tanker truck that hit a guardrail and a mercedes spin out and end up in a ditch. The highlight of the day for the girls was driving through tunnels that went through mountains in WV and VA.
Since I was driving, I couldnt take pictures out the window like I might have otherwise while driving through such beautiful areas but Emma was happy to sit in the back with a play camera and say cheese for hours on end! Other fun times were when Steph tried getting Emma out of a craft box in the prophets chamber and ended up getting her hands covered in glue in the process and when Sarah locked us out of the bathroom door at the church leaving me to take apart the handle assembly to get us access again. Fun times.
This was how we knew we were in TN :)We then spent the next day going from TN to Oxford AL and praise the Lord it was a shorter day on the road, less eventful with sickness and weather and we found a beautiful little park called Nocolulu Falls in AL to stop at.
Day three brought us to Ocean Springs and our home church of Grace Independent where we enjoyed an incredible conference and tremendous blessings through the week. I look forward to sharing some of the great things God has done the past couple of weeks in future posts but it is now time to hit the road again from Pensacola to Al for a meeting on Sunday and then off to TN for a conference on Monday. Thanks for praying for us.
The Putneys
March Prayer Letter
Dear praying friends, March, 2009
Genesis 12:1-2 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
There are a couple of steps in the process of going to the mission field that are rather significant to the family. One of them certainly is leaving employer, house, hometown, friends and family for a radically different schedule of events on the road. The very things that for years have served to offer comfort and, in part, a sense of security are now far away yet it was not those things and people that brought comfort and security but our Lord that was responsible for those things, and from Him we are never distant. I am writing this from a man’s kitchen that we hadn’t met until we arrived, my girls laid their heads on pillows tonight in the fourth different place in two weeks and we will drive from Pensacola to Hartselle, AL tomorrow to make it five. I have now parted ways with my employer of 10+ years and our house is being shown to potential buyers on a regular basis (pray for its sale, amen?!). We are adapting to life on the road in much longer stretches. Yet, this was all to say that we are greatly rejoicing. As with Abraham, God has blessed us and we pray that we also are being used as a blessing to others. No matter the changes of surroundings, states, churches or prophets chambers we have seen - we have felt at home. It is a wonderful feeling to know that while so much is changing, the grace of God that had been so wonderfully given to us at home is not only present but poured out in even greater abundance at this time, to the glory of Jesus Christ!
We are excited about the two conferences that just concluded in MS and FLA and look forward to meetings and conferences in the next month in four states. We have had a great time with our sending church at Grace Independent in Ocean Springs, MS. The girls have been adapting very well and have made many friends at each church. It is a wonderful thing to see how quickly they connect with other missionary kids. In fact in this last conference at Cross and Crown Baptist Church in Pensacola it was an all girl event with 10 girls and no boys in the three families. The girls have gathered seashells at the ocean, had a personal tour of a creation science theme park and enjoyed their new found friends at every stop, the Lord is so good!
We would ask for prayer for the duration of our year to be filled with meetings and that the Lord would continue to connect us with churches that are burdened for this country of 91 million souls.
For the glory of His name,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney – Autumn, Anna, Sarah & Emma
Eph 3:20-21
Genesis 12:1-2 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
There are a couple of steps in the process of going to the mission field that are rather significant to the family. One of them certainly is leaving employer, house, hometown, friends and family for a radically different schedule of events on the road. The very things that for years have served to offer comfort and, in part, a sense of security are now far away yet it was not those things and people that brought comfort and security but our Lord that was responsible for those things, and from Him we are never distant. I am writing this from a man’s kitchen that we hadn’t met until we arrived, my girls laid their heads on pillows tonight in the fourth different place in two weeks and we will drive from Pensacola to Hartselle, AL tomorrow to make it five. I have now parted ways with my employer of 10+ years and our house is being shown to potential buyers on a regular basis (pray for its sale, amen?!). We are adapting to life on the road in much longer stretches. Yet, this was all to say that we are greatly rejoicing. As with Abraham, God has blessed us and we pray that we also are being used as a blessing to others. No matter the changes of surroundings, states, churches or prophets chambers we have seen - we have felt at home. It is a wonderful feeling to know that while so much is changing, the grace of God that had been so wonderfully given to us at home is not only present but poured out in even greater abundance at this time, to the glory of Jesus Christ!
We are excited about the two conferences that just concluded in MS and FLA and look forward to meetings and conferences in the next month in four states. We have had a great time with our sending church at Grace Independent in Ocean Springs, MS. The girls have been adapting very well and have made many friends at each church. It is a wonderful thing to see how quickly they connect with other missionary kids. In fact in this last conference at Cross and Crown Baptist Church in Pensacola it was an all girl event with 10 girls and no boys in the three families. The girls have gathered seashells at the ocean, had a personal tour of a creation science theme park and enjoyed their new found friends at every stop, the Lord is so good!
We would ask for prayer for the duration of our year to be filled with meetings and that the Lord would continue to connect us with churches that are burdened for this country of 91 million souls.
For the glory of His name,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney – Autumn, Anna, Sarah & Emma
Eph 3:20-21
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Last Day
Today is my last working day at my employer of the past almost 12 years. It is an exciting time as we have one more opportunity to put some feet to our faith. The Lord has been so much better to us than we ever deserve and as we move toward our destination of glory by way of the Philippine Islands I am grateful for the way the Lord orchestrated this job for so many years to offer the financial provision needed to go to Bible school, allow my wife to be home ministering to the children and allow for me to go to the Philippines on 5 occasions.
Continue to pray for us as we hit the road now to MS and Fl over the next couple weeks. We are praying for ministry and witnessing opportunities all along the way, we are loaded with tracts and ready to take Deputation Dave on the road (nickname for the truck). My girls havent done this many hours over a couple days in a vehicle before so pray for it to be fun, restful and a learning experience for them. We praise the Lord for two churches opening their prophets chambers for us on the road, that is a blessing. We eagerly anticipate spending time with Pastor Perkins and our church family in Ocean Springs at Grace Independent Baptist.
"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death." -- Dave Davidson
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature - The Lord Jesus Christ
Rejoicing in the privilege of proclaiming God's salvation,
The Putneys
Continue to pray for us as we hit the road now to MS and Fl over the next couple weeks. We are praying for ministry and witnessing opportunities all along the way, we are loaded with tracts and ready to take Deputation Dave on the road (nickname for the truck). My girls havent done this many hours over a couple days in a vehicle before so pray for it to be fun, restful and a learning experience for them. We praise the Lord for two churches opening their prophets chambers for us on the road, that is a blessing. We eagerly anticipate spending time with Pastor Perkins and our church family in Ocean Springs at Grace Independent Baptist.
"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death." -- Dave Davidson
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature - The Lord Jesus Christ
Rejoicing in the privilege of proclaiming God's salvation,
The Putneys
Monday, February 2, 2009
Amazing Orchestration of Events
Praise the Lord for yet another show of ordering our steps in His timing and direction. I have worked for Kodak for 10+ years. I believe it to be completely the Lord's orchestration that I obtained a position that I was not qualified for when I started and that led to many lessons in communication, professionalism, leadership, organization, teaching/training and technical aptitude that would benefit me many years down the road as God moves us to the Philippines. Through the years, God has allowed this job to provide my family with a home and to keep my wife home teaching and ministering to our children where I know the Lord would have her to be. God started by using this position to keep me in Rochester, in connection with family and those who were praying for us while I was in rebellion to God's will. As God did a work in my heart and brought my wife and I to repentance and communion with Him, He used the job to facilitate a flexible schedule for me to attend Bible institue. The location of the job also afforded me countless opportunities to go downtown to pass out tracts, witness and street preach and I have had many witnessing opportunities with my coworkers over the years. What's perhaps the most amazing about God's use of this place is that he used it to send me to the Philippines on 5 occasions - most recently in January, and has used these trips to direct our calling to this country. I praise the Lord for the way he can use a place that is by no means Christian to work out so many details in bringing us to this point, all glory to God!
Since the fall of 2006 our direction to the Philippines has been clear, God has continued to direct the details beyond that but it was clear that after Bible school we would begin preparations for deputation and when the Lord allowed, move away from Kodak to full time on the road. Based on our schedule for the early part of the year, it looked like my vacation would be spent and my departure would need to be around the end of April at the latest. Instead, God has allowed me the opportunity to accept a voluntary separation package that will see me leave in Mid Feb while still being paid until April 1 and then I will get my vacation back and some additional pay based on years of service. In other words, I will have compensation and health care benefits that will continue through July although I will stop working in Feb! Praise the Lord! Everything about it testified of the Lord's hand in it, all the way down to the departure date being the week I am leaving for conferences down south! This unexpected blessing comes with the difficult news that many of my coworkers will lose their job involuntarily, for them I would ask for prayer, guidance and for this time of uncertainty to become an opportunity for the lost to be receptive to the gospel.
We are confident that God in like manner will take care of the sale of our house now in his timing. We give glory to God for His zeal for the souls of men and care for us who are privileged to be a part in proclaiming the Gospel!
Since the fall of 2006 our direction to the Philippines has been clear, God has continued to direct the details beyond that but it was clear that after Bible school we would begin preparations for deputation and when the Lord allowed, move away from Kodak to full time on the road. Based on our schedule for the early part of the year, it looked like my vacation would be spent and my departure would need to be around the end of April at the latest. Instead, God has allowed me the opportunity to accept a voluntary separation package that will see me leave in Mid Feb while still being paid until April 1 and then I will get my vacation back and some additional pay based on years of service. In other words, I will have compensation and health care benefits that will continue through July although I will stop working in Feb! Praise the Lord! Everything about it testified of the Lord's hand in it, all the way down to the departure date being the week I am leaving for conferences down south! This unexpected blessing comes with the difficult news that many of my coworkers will lose their job involuntarily, for them I would ask for prayer, guidance and for this time of uncertainty to become an opportunity for the lost to be receptive to the gospel.
We are confident that God in like manner will take care of the sale of our house now in his timing. We give glory to God for His zeal for the souls of men and care for us who are privileged to be a part in proclaiming the Gospel!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Photo Slideshow
This has been my first opportunity to do a sort of the images taken in Manila, Baguio and San Fernando La Union from the trip this month.
The pictures in the slideshow are not in chronological order unfortunately and it will be most obvious when you see alternating pictures of the mountains of Baguio and the the Ocean in Sanfernando. I have added titles to some of the pictures to provide a little explanation.
Here is the link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=14406734103.140171168603.1232568786832
There is a link in the shortcuts on the left side of this blog also. I make no claim at being an accomplished photographer.
The pictures in the slideshow are not in chronological order unfortunately and it will be most obvious when you see alternating pictures of the mountains of Baguio and the the Ocean in Sanfernando. I have added titles to some of the pictures to provide a little explanation.
Here is the link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=14406734103.140171168603.1232568786832
There is a link in the shortcuts on the left side of this blog also. I make no claim at being an accomplished photographer.
January Prayer Letter
Greetings,
Lam 3:22-23 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. No matter what seeming uncertainties are taking place all around us and the concern and fear that often they provoke to a world without Christ,it is wonderful to know that even today as you read this, God is compassionate and faithful toward us. The world still spins because of the longsuffering will of our God that none would perish but that all would come to repentance. It is a blessing and a privilege that God would allow any of us to be a partin His redemptive plan to reach the world.
We have had a great couple months of encouragement and growth as we progress closer to the field the Lord has called us to. In November and December we were blessed to see a number of newchurches partner with us in the proclamation of the Gospel in the Philippines. We then had a short break to spend time with family and loved ones and reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus prior to my departure for Manila. The trip itself was one of the most profitable that I have taken in many ways. Primarily because of the amount of people we were able to bring the gospel to on the streets. Day after day we saw groups of varying ages and numbers gathered together and attentive to the message. Thousands of tracts and wordless bracelets were distributed as well as three hundred hand made bellswith Tagalog scripture attached to them. We saw a number of people respond to the message overthe two week trip and we praise the Lord for every last one while praying that the planted seed would take root and grow in the rest. In addition, I had the privilege to preach again in New Bilibid Maximum security prison as well as during the survey trip to Baguio on the weekend. Much was learned in the visitto Baguio, Bauan and San Fernando La Union. Being able to see first hand some existing works in Baguio as well as the densely populated cities on the coast that are in great need of churches, it allowed me to understand better the needs and to begin to pray about those areas. While I did not have much exposure to understanding the various tribes and their level of engagement, the geography lesson helped me to understand that access to the mountains is about the same from either area. The Lord answered so many of our prayers for this trip and accomplished more than what I anticipated, to Him be glory!
It is good to be back with my family and I am grateful for the encouragement and prayer that was offered on their behalf. Autumn is turning seven this month and is doing a great job with school, especially reading. She faithfully reads her Bible to us twice a day and has already completed many books of the New Testament. We will be turning our attention to a series of meetings in the South East soon and look forward to seeing what God does there. We appreciate your prayer still for the sale of our home and for meetings to fill up on our calendar throughout this year. Would that Christ would be magnified and that we would grow in our knowledge and walk with Him.
Because He Lives,
Aaron, Steph, Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma Putney
Lam 3:22-23 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. No matter what seeming uncertainties are taking place all around us and the concern and fear that often they provoke to a world without Christ,it is wonderful to know that even today as you read this, God is compassionate and faithful toward us. The world still spins because of the longsuffering will of our God that none would perish but that all would come to repentance. It is a blessing and a privilege that God would allow any of us to be a partin His redemptive plan to reach the world.
We have had a great couple months of encouragement and growth as we progress closer to the field the Lord has called us to. In November and December we were blessed to see a number of newchurches partner with us in the proclamation of the Gospel in the Philippines. We then had a short break to spend time with family and loved ones and reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus prior to my departure for Manila. The trip itself was one of the most profitable that I have taken in many ways. Primarily because of the amount of people we were able to bring the gospel to on the streets. Day after day we saw groups of varying ages and numbers gathered together and attentive to the message. Thousands of tracts and wordless bracelets were distributed as well as three hundred hand made bellswith Tagalog scripture attached to them. We saw a number of people respond to the message overthe two week trip and we praise the Lord for every last one while praying that the planted seed would take root and grow in the rest. In addition, I had the privilege to preach again in New Bilibid Maximum security prison as well as during the survey trip to Baguio on the weekend. Much was learned in the visitto Baguio, Bauan and San Fernando La Union. Being able to see first hand some existing works in Baguio as well as the densely populated cities on the coast that are in great need of churches, it allowed me to understand better the needs and to begin to pray about those areas. While I did not have much exposure to understanding the various tribes and their level of engagement, the geography lesson helped me to understand that access to the mountains is about the same from either area. The Lord answered so many of our prayers for this trip and accomplished more than what I anticipated, to Him be glory!
It is good to be back with my family and I am grateful for the encouragement and prayer that was offered on their behalf. Autumn is turning seven this month and is doing a great job with school, especially reading. She faithfully reads her Bible to us twice a day and has already completed many books of the New Testament. We will be turning our attention to a series of meetings in the South East soon and look forward to seeing what God does there. We appreciate your prayer still for the sale of our home and for meetings to fill up on our calendar throughout this year. Would that Christ would be magnified and that we would grow in our knowledge and walk with Him.
Because He Lives,
Aaron, Steph, Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma Putney
Monday, January 19, 2009
Islamist Terrorism in the Philippines
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