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.