Top Ten lists put together at end of '09

Just found this file... WOW. Praise the Lord for the wonderful memories that I will always cherish and for the opportunity to serve my Lord in such an amazing period of our lives. Posting this to remind myself that God has been so good to me. Those few years were a lifetime of experiences, thrills, blessings and privileges that most will never be able to enjoy. While I miss them badly, thank you Lord for allowing us to have that blessed time. The Top 10 things the Putney Family have observed on the Road in ‘09 1. Dead Armadillos (and many other forms of wildlife) a. Favorite bumper sticker – Why did the Armadillo cross the road? We’ll never know cuz he didn’t make it 2. You can stop and smell the roses up North but you best be careful when you put your nose to a cactus down south. 3. Always check your GPS in advance. If not you may hear the words “in one half mile, turn right, then take the ferry!” 4. Home is a lot of things – where your heart is, where you hang your hat, where your family gathers… we now know that home is also wherever you hook up your trailer. 5. We have slept in hotels and pastors homes, laid our head in the truck on an all night drive, missions apartments and prophets chambers. We have unhitched at churches and unhitched by houses and unhitched at RV parks but never have we experienced anything like Franklin, LA where the skeeters were thicker than the pitch black sky. We woke up by opening our door to a big billy goat outside and were then given warning about alligators in the bayou next to us! 6. More than 20 hours in a vehicle at any stretch is not good for rest or health - but especially one’s sanity 7. It is typically warmer in the South than in the North – in hospitality and weather - funny how that works 8. From Cajuns to Cowboys, Yankees to Hillbillies, there is an incredible diversity of culture, food, people, weather, topography, accents and friendliness across this fine nation. We praise God that we have had the privilege of worshipping with many from all of the above. 9. You get to appreciate the havens of fun and unique shops that line the major highways down south. From Buccee’s who specialize in fudge, jerky and country souvenirs to Priestlers Pecans on I-65 that are candy makers extraordinaire with a great country store and play area for the kids (our favorite place to stop on the road). 10. No matter how long the road trips linger, there is always that few moments of sheer jubilation among the 4 girls every time we cross a state line and see the sign of Welcome to____________! Top 10 Sights we saw this year 1. The Alamo – San Antonio 2. The giant statues of Sam Houston 3. The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building in NYC 4. The Riverwalk – San Antonio 5. The new Dallas Cowboy MEGADOME (and many other pro/college stadiums and raceways in NYC, OH, KY, TN, AL, GA, TX etc) 6. John C Stennis NASA Space Station and rocket testing facility – MS 7. Noccalula Falls, AL – beautiful park with an old town and houses, a train, old church, waterfalls and a lot of Native American history thrown in 8. Texas state capitol in Austin as well as street preaching at the University of Texas 9. Historical battlefields and forts – Fort William Henry, Civil war sites etc 10. Beautiful mountains and snowfall in Vermont Top 10 new friends we made in 2009 1. Pastor Paul Pryor – Oakwood, Texas (Memorial Baptist - took a liking to the girls and they liked him back!) 2. Foster Family – Newburgh, NY (Valley Bible Baptist) – 4 kids including Brenna, Daniel and Robin 3. Williams Family – Franklin, LA (Faith Baptist) – Amberleigh, Ashley (7 total) 4. Pastor Howard Hall – Shreveport Baptist Temple (LA) – took us to lunch and loved on the kids 5. Pastor Fred Laughman – Pioneer Baptist – Older kids (9 total) – Katelyn, Josh, Jeremy – we stayed in their log cabin in VERMONT – Church in NH 6. Zachary, LA – Grace Baptist – we were there for a missions conference and the church as a whole were very loving to us – they gave us an unbirthday party complete with cake, balloons and wrapped gifts for all of us, a Cajun buffet, and great fellowship a. Pastor Schreeder – veteran missionary to the Ukraine b. Josh and Courtney Sanford – Chandler Beth (1 on the way) c. Ahmet and Rachel Hernandez – Chi-Chi and Sarah (they have since contacted us to say they are praying if the Lord might have them serve in the Philippines also!) 7. Britt and family – The Lord put us together with this family in 3 different churches in 3 cities in Texas and LA. They are going through a very traumatic experience right now. They are also praying about the Philippines 8. Joanna – East Baptist Church in Henrietta NY – new friend to Autumn and girls 9. Mrs. Wendy? Capital City, Austin Texas-we parked our trailer in her driveway during the church’s conf. she had a playhouse in the backyard and she made all the meals, was an example of a servant and showed us hospitality during our stay. She loves missions. Not only are two of her kids involved as missionaries but her husband is a doctor yet they live in a very modest home and give every extra penny to missions – so much so that a few years ago they got rid of their air conditioners and committed to deal with the heat of Austin in the summers so that money spent could be used for missions instead. What a lesson we were taught by them regarding stewardship! 10. The Blackburn Family – Missionaries to the Congo. With 8 kids on deputation we did not feel so bad all of a sudden. They have a wonderful heart for Jesus Christ. Bro. Nick sings the song “Bury my heart on the mission field” when he presents his ministry, while he is not a great singer, no one cares as he cannot finish singing it without tears coming to his eyes. This past year they faced a rare form of Leukemia with their youngest son, Silas. The doctors gave him months and had him sick and sedated with the treatments. They went to some radical natural treatments and the Lord allowed him to have another 6 months of high energy, active life with his family. The Lord put us together one more time at the end of October at the Alamo of all places. He saw me from a distance and we had a great conversation, we were supposed to be at a conference in Austin together the following week but later that night he got a call that Silas had turned for the worse. He went back to Florida where he had just left days earlier and they spent some last time together on this earth before he passed on Sunday Morning – November 1st. This family testified to churches that around the country how so many of the Congolese peoples have lost children because of unsanitary conditions and a lack of medicine. They said that if the Lord wills that they should experience this pain firsthand for them to be able to have a more sensitive heart with these people then they will accept it and give Christ the glory in it, despite the obvious pain. God sure has blessed us with some wonderful people to cross our paths with, many others could be named as could many more stories related to these above but we do praise God for having met each of them!

Some thoughts on Children

I wrote this while on deputation for a Sunday School hour where I got to present beyond the typical ministry overview. My passion for the kids in the Philippines is seen as I reread this years later. Why am I posting it. No one will read it but it will be stored here as a reminder for me both now and years to come that while my greatest prayer of being there and fulfilling this work as a conduit of God's grace in the Philippines is not likely to happen now, I can still retain my passion, compassion and effect change through prayer. here it is. To start with, I would like to list our primary objectives in ministry – I believe that it is a four fold goal and follows a lot of biblical precedent set by the model of the apostle Paul 1) The ultimate objective is to see autonomous, self sustaining and self governing independent churches in every community so that all may hear the gospel a. The rest of the work of the ministry is done in and through that local church (let me explain) i. As your church has resources and opportunity – you have varying ministries perhaps to the poor or to widows or to senior citizens, in prisons or jails, maybe a Christian school or something like that ii. Your evangelism endeavors, maybe publishing ministries, discipleship and much more is done within the framework of the local church and so it should be done on the foreign field. iii. Having a parachurch organization in a foreign land that is strictly a medical ministry, orphanage, school or something that is functioning independent of a local church is really not the model employed in Scripture iv. And so, evangelizing an area with no cooperation with a local church to direct people to or with intention of starting a work there is also not the model of scripture 2) In order to do plant churches, we must ADAPT to the culture (reputation of wealth, of pride, of trying to change others to become Americans or westernized) a. – learn the language, b. the way of life, c. the worldview of the people d. adjust to the food, the climate, the sights and smells etc e. learn what to do and not do so we do not offend them unnecessarily f. we shouldn’t be afraid to shop at their marketplaces etc g. We must remind ourselves constantly that we are not there to make them Americans but to bring them the gospel and to teach the whole counsel of God with grace and truth 3) To evangelize the lost – certainly this is our primary commission from the Lord and the first step in seeing churches established and there are countless open doors and venues in which to do this 4) To DISCIPLE – for a church to be grounded, for labourers to be multiplied, for more to be sent out – we must commit to faithful teaching of the word of God – we would like to see Bible schools get established through the local churches to train labourers for the field Paul demonstrated the ability to understand the culture and adapt in the places he went without every diminishing the truth or the standards of God’s holiness. He knew that the Lord wanted local churches established and that those churches would then be the hub from which many would evangelize their communities, invest in world missions and train up more labourers for the gospel So those are our objectives and I will expound on the tribal groups God is directing us to as a large part of our ministry there tonight But there is one primary group I want to focus on for a few minutes this morning The truth is that there are many opportunities there, many different people groups, ages, religious systems, philosophies and venues in which to interact - it was difficult to even narrow it down this week to one aspect of ministry Then on Tuesday we were driving from Jacksonville FL to Raleigh NC and as I was driving, the Lord impressed upon me a strong reminder of the great need and potential of the children in the Philippines. First of all I would say that this is probably the easiest group to be burdened for – when you think of children, our hearts remind us of our own or those that are close to us – when we think of third world countries – we get pictures in our minds of hunger, poverty, begging, disease, abuse, neglect and much more – and the truth is – often times that is the case (and isn’t just peculiar to third world countries for that matter) But I want to share some things about the need and opportunity among children in the Philippines from 2 perspectives 1) Sympathy is no substitute for action – feeling for them is one thing, knowing there is a need is one thing – doing something about it is another 2) When Christ looked at people and ministered to them – His perspective was not to look at them with pity but rather to see them as having great potential We know from the example of our Lord Jesus Christ that children are worth our time and investment. Luk 18:15-17 (15) And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (17) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. Mat 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. The disciples saw Christ as being too busy or too important to deal with kids but it was there that Christ needed to teach them the importance and potential of children and the need to invest in them Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. An investment made in others is an investment made to Christ SITUATION WITH KIDS IN THE PHILIPPINES Let me see if I can paint a picture for a few moments of the situation as I have seen and understand it to be according to statistics, statements from the government and most importantly I feel, by the testimony of other missionaries in the Islands. The government will report that in the city of Manila alone there are more than 250,000 street kids – multiple missionaries I have spoken with believe that there are significantly more than this A Street kid can really fall into many categories or descriptions • Some are true orphans, • Some are runaways, • children of abusive parents that are using them to beg and steal (or worse) • or if they are just not watched by their parents and therefore spend most if not all their time on the streets • many times – they are the result of the overseas work system that is promoted in the country. o 1/10 filipinos work in another country and it serves to stabilize their economy with over 14 billion coming in last year through overseas remittances – the result though is that one parent often goes leaving the other with little financial help and a lot of stress – drinking, abuse and even prostituting of their own children can happen in severe circumstances. Whatever the case may be, there is an overwhelming amount of kids all over the street. During the day, you will find them • playing at the edge of filthy waterways in the city, • picking through garbage cans or at the dump • they might be gathered together in their squatter communities trading or gambling to obtain something to eat • hundreds of people even live in cemeteries like Manila north – the biggest in the country – they can find shelter there and there is less chance of a run in with the law or others with bad intentions • you will find some selling whatever wares they might have obtained on the streets with the other Tinderas (vendors) – often times they are used to sell for their parents or those who “watch them” • as you would expect - They will often have very little clothing and are very dirty • They will be begging outside of stores and malls • They will walk between lanes of the major roads where 7-10 lanes of traffic will be wrecklessly trying to navigate – tapping on the windows of cars and taxis asking for a peso • You may find them playing ball at the nearest basketball hoop or standing outside of a shop or housing unit that has a tv to see if they can watch something • At night you can drive around this massive city of 12-18 million souls and see untold hundreds of kids and adults alike laying on the sidewalks, medians of the roads, benches, stairwells, bus stops, train station floors etc either with nothing under them or perhaps a piece of cardboard • You will also find many of the girls attempting to sell themselves – the country reports that there are over 375000 prostitutes – but a number of them as young as 9 and 10 years old… The situation with these children is very dire • If you look closely, you will find many of them holding a brown paper bag and sniffing from it once in a while – it is a hardware store type cement that is called rugby – it is considered a drug that is illegal but rarely acted upon by police o It is said that sniffing rugby fools them into thinking they are not hungry o Sometimes the police will find kids with it and they will empty the glue into their hands with a glove and smear it into their hair, ripping some of their hair out as they pull their hand away… o The truth is that many of these kids have had run ins with the police but often time they end up being yelled at, face some form of abuse perhaps and let go • The jails are incredible overfilled and the judicial system is tremendously slow as well as corrupt o I have preached in many of the city jails multiple times as well as the big 30000 inmate prison – many of them have large populations of kids in them – ranging from 9-15 years old – often they will spend 9 or 10 months in there for an offense that once they finally get their trial would have sentenced them to maybe 3-6 months o You might think that they would have it better in jail than the streets as it would be in America but those jails are incredibly overcrowded and horribly unsanitary and underfunded.  The government alots for 75 pesos per day/per prisoner – that is enough for a couple portions of rice and maybe some other small portion of food per day. o The first jail I was in I preached to 32 boys – 9-15yrs old – they all shared one cell. o Many of the jails and the maximum security prison had children living in it because their parent or primary caregiver was incarcerated there and there was no one else to take care of them – so they are put in a population with other kids in that situation and locked in as well In general, The poor remain in jail, while the wealthy can bribe their way out for It is considered by many analysts as the 11th most corrupt government in the world. • As far as education, some of these kids will go to school but most of the true street kids will not as you might imagine – o The schools are drastically overcrowded as well – with some facilities attempting to educate tens of thousands at a time – even having day and evening rotations because of a shortage of facilities and educators. David Livingston said “Sympathy is no substitute for action” I did not say all these things to attempt to pull your heart strings The Philippines is not the worst country in the world for poverty, disease or orphans etc I have visited leper colonies and orphanages in Zambia Africa and seen worse – where all their bellies are sticking out from Malnutrition, they are covered in flies and filth and the kids will literally start crying if you give them but one piece of candy… I have been to mexico and seen some needy kids there. But the truth is, all you have to do is turn on the news or pick up a paper and you will see a far more dire situation in HAITI right now. But I do believe our eyes should be open and we should look upon the fields Then once we have looked, ask the Lord, what would you have me to do. Jude 22 – OF SOME HAVE COMPASSION _ MAKING A DIFFERENCE Now let me clarify something very important - My goal is not to put clothes on the backs and food in the bellies of every needy child in the Philippines, although - would to God that could be done?!, amen?! – I know if it were my kids on those streets, I would do about anything to find them, feed them and clothe them…but more importantly – our greatest endeavour is to share with them the gospel of Grace – the means of hope, the promise of eternal life through the finished work of Jesus Christ What a shame it is that many “Christian” organizations have gone around the world and offered medical services, dental services, provided clothes, food and shelter – or even Christmas gifts to kids without ensuring that in the midst of these humanitarian efforts, that the Gospel would be clearly preached unto them Woe unto us if we will buy a meal for a child and not tell them about the bread of life that will satisfy them for eternity… Woe unto us if we will give them to drink physically while we allow them to step off into eternity without the opportunity to trust Christ… Just last week I was knocking doors in a nice neighborhood when I had a maid come to the door and say that it was not her house but that the owner of the house – a DR Richardson had just passed away and she was preparing the home for a family gathering… A full belly, designer clothes, the nicest house, expensive cars and in a moment – he is either in heaven or hell – and none of those things mattered one bit any more… We mustn’t overlook what is most important Now lets lok at a few scriptures pertaining to ministering to children and the Fatherless (Jas 1:27) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (Deu 10:18) He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. (Deu 14:29) And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. (Deu 24:19) When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. Multiple times in Job when Job was rehearsing his life and practices and righteousness he would state how he had never forsaken or ignored the needs of the fatherless around him… (Psa 10:14) thou art the helper of the fatherless. (Psa 68:5) A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. (Psa 82:3) Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. (Psa 146:9) The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. (Zec 7:10) And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. ____ Psa 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psa 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Psa 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. I want to tell you today that Children have great potential, - those that the world and sin and poverty have afflicted and imprisoned – THE LORD WOULD HAVE US TO GIVE THEM LOVE _ GIVE THEM HOPE AND GIVE THEM THE TRUTH THAT WILL SET THEM FREE And once they have Christ, the potential for them is immeasurable We could go through the great stories of the Bible and review all the children and young people that God has used over time – we could rehearse Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we could look at David, the boy with the five loaves and two fishes, Samuel as a boy and many others but suffice it to say – GOD HAS USED, can use and wants to use children. 5th and 6th illustration Then beyond childhood – these kids know they have been saved from much and will do much about it – Testimony of Liberty Baptist 3 streetkids Jacque, Nanette, Yoli SO WHAT DO WE INTEND TO DO, AND HOW? Well, one thing I learned quickly is that if you are going to minister to kids, it cannot just be a handout – whether you give food, money or even a gospel bracelet or tract, there are often times people that are watching these kids while they beg so that if they do get anything – they can come take it. Sometimes it can be a parent exploiting them because the kid will get more of a sympathy vote, other times it is just someone bigger than they are that can quickly bully them out of it. When I worked at Kodak, I would make it a habit as I had opportunity to buy some food from a street vendor or a bag of burgers or something and find some of the kids, have them gather around and watch them eat it. Meanwhile, I could talk to them, get their name and assure I’d pray for them and share the gospel with them. Those are some of the greatest experiences in my life, these kids don’t find too many adults that take a sincere interest in them and show care for their needs. We would play games, I might juggle for them or shoot hoops with them (they love to see a dunk) and I would have them help teach me the language… I have not had any direction from the Lord specifically about considering an orphanage or anything as part of the work either but I believe that any individual can have a STAGGERING IMPACT on needy children for the GOSPEL’s SAKE – wherever they are in the world. As I stand here, I am confident in the statement that anyone in this room would not have to look too far to find an opportunity to invest in a child and perhaps you may even influence one that could be a pastor or missionary down the road Outside of our command to do it and the privilege it is to do it Let me tell you of the benefits of this work 1) You are influencing an eternal soul with the message of salvation 2) You are impacting those that are observing both yourself as well as the child 3) Through the child is often how many parents are reached 4) By loving and investing in children, you can help establish a trust factor in the community 5) Helping kids in any way often times will garner the respect and appreciation of the government 6) It is one of the most personally satisfying and rewarding things you will ever be a part of 7) It reaps eternal hope for them and eternal rewards for you 8) When one is saved from much, very often, they will do much for God 9) You are planting the seeds of truth in a child before they have a lifetime of indoctrination with the lies and philosophies of religious systems and humanism HOW do we intend to impact them - Extension classes in their communities, trying to establish some consistency of time and a meeting place so they can be faithful to it and encourage others to be a part - jeepney routes to local churches as they are established - gather on streets, play ball, wordless bracelets - Schools – not so much for street kids of course but a great open door - Door to door and street ministry Our goal is not to produce rice Christians, we will not be giving them food and handouts to coerce attendance or attention but we will show them love, we will be sensitive to their needs and we will seek the Lord’s wisdom and direction to minister as He would have us. On the island of Cebu I have had the privilege to see extension classes in seven communities in one afternoon – hundreds of children got the gospel, many parents stood in the back and heard it as well and since I had some laborers with me, we had soul winners going door to door while the kids were occupied. Children are the key I believe to reaching not only the Philippines but the world for Christ and it will be by impacting children that we raise up another generation of missionaries. Now our primary leading and direction is to the tribal peoples and if there is one thing about tribal missions – it is that you better expect the unexpected, rely on God alone and not rational understanding and do what you are doing for the glory of God and not for a burden for men – for that will quickly fade… Yet in that statement – we must demonstrate supernatural Love – they don’t care what you know til they know that you care – don’t walk in casting down their idols and expect an audience… Be equipped with the promises and power of God – we cant look at the tract record of missions in that region – from Spanish to other missionaries – this has been hardened ground for a long time - Rev 5:9 – every kindred, tribe, tongue and nation - Expect great things from God – Eph 3:20-21 - For it is His will – 2 Pet 3:9 Regardless of the person, background, philosophy or religion – All people have an innate understanding that there is a creation and a creator – Rom 1:20 – for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen They also have a conscience and an understanding that they have violated this God – whoever He might be – sacrificial systems in all walks of life – Rom 2:15 which shew the works of the law written in their hearts I also believe in conjunction with this that ecclesiastes 3 teaches that eternity is in the hearts of all men – if men truly believed without a doubt that there were no eternal implications or repercussions for their actions then no society could ever stand and the world would have been destroyed long ago. With those that for hundreds of years have fought outside influences – you aren’t gonna walk in there with a wordless bracelet and see the entire trib bow their knee… Many of them are so remote that they have not heard the gospel or of the Bible at all – Chronological storytelling could be an effective way to teach of the holiness, justice and mercy of God…

August Prayer letter

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, August 2, 2010

1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

It is refreshing to read of the fondness and accolades that Paul directed toward churches such as Thessalonica or that of Rome. It is obvious that these were not just empty statements coming from Paul, for we know he wasn’t afraid to be direct when needed either (i.e. Corinth). It encourages us to be able to visit many churches around this country that have not left their first love, that tremble at the word of God, that are diligent in evangelizing their community and are strongly devoted to missions as an utmost priority. Whether their investment can be through our family or not, the work is great and large around the globe and we are glad that they are committed to it. We are praying that more church planters and missionaries would spring out of such churches so every community here and around the world would have such beacons of light, peculiar and visible, like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.

The Lord has graciously brought us closer to the Philippines again this month with new churches partnering with us in Abilene and San Antonio, Texas for sure and Lord willing some others will also join us in this work. We are now right about at the 60% mark of support and praying that God will allow the rest to be raised in short order. No matter the duration, our prayer is that God would find us stedfastly committed to this worthy cause for our worthy King. Along the way we have had opportunity to pass out tracts and witness in many places, seeing the gospel spread from north to south this past month and watching our girls eager to pass out tracts themselves.

The miles we put on the vehicle caught up with us this month as we were heading from San Antonio to Dallas for a Mission/Camp meeting where we would have opportunity to meet many pastors and set up our prayer table. The trip started with a delay as a flat tire led to two of our trailer tires being replaced. When we got on the road we hit some traffic which slowed us up and by evening we were broken down on the side of the highway. Yet the Lord took care of us, we had an officer behind us to give added visibility to other drivers and the tow driver managed both our truck and trailer in one trip, getting us to an RV park. We were able to get the truck serviced thanks to many of you reading this who have invested in us faithfully, and while it took a couple days to get straightened out, we are now back on the road to our next destination.

We start August in Texas City; will visit our home church as we move across the gulf coast into Florida for some meetings and then end up in TN by the end of the month. Please pray that the vehicle and trailer hold up well (we will likely need to get the brakes on the trailer done this month), that the word of God would have free course and be glorified, for our children to find great encouragement and joy in the work and that we would have the wisdom and organization to balance personal quiet time, family, travel, ministry and the start of homeschooling two kids later this month! Thank you for your prayer and support of the Putney family as we desire to get to the Philippines just as soon as God will allow.

Only by His grace,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma

Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

www.PutneysforChrist.com
Aaron@PutneysforChrist.com Cell - 585 298 3807

July Prayer Letter

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, July 2, 2010

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

In a screened in gazebo, surrounded by trees and wildlife I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with the Lord this morning as I finished the book of John. I have long had the above verse memorized as a reminder of just how little we know of all the incredible things that our Lord Jesus did while walking on this earth, yet this morning God showed me something else here. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John was directed to conclude this gospel and I suggest that we see here a man who is overwhelmed by His time with Christ and would have, if God were to allow, continued to write until the world was filled with all the books that should be written! His love for Christ and the overwhelming desire to testify of His goodness a thousand times more than his pen was able and the Spirit would suffer Him I expect left Him wanting. As he put down the last jot and tittle on this book that God would then perfectly preserve for generations and for us today in our King James Bible, John was joyously rehearsing every moment, every meal, every miracle and every mile that he had the privilege to walk with His matchless Saviour! What a charge that was to us today as we sat to write this and to testify in so few a word of all the great things that our God has done in our lives and ministry this past month. In trials - He overcomes, in storms – He brings peace, in quiet – He gives strength and wisdom, in witnessing – he gives boldness, in travel – He gives protection, in sustenance – He gives abundance, in prayer – He communes with us, in decisions – He gives discernment; and in perspective – He gives an eternal expectation of a heavenly home and a city that we long for! To say we have been blessed is an understatement, unfortunately we don’t reflect upon it enough.

We are glad to report that this past month has been fruitful after adding new supporters from Louisiana and Texas. We were also blessed to have received a call one Saturday from a young church plant we were at last October who is partnering with us in taking the gospel to the Philippines as well as finding out that a church in NY where a dear friend who is one year into his first pastorate is also joining us in support and continuing in prayer. The Lord safely reunited me with my family after the meetings I attended last month without them (referred to in June prayer letter). It was profitable for my personal walk and God saw fit to give us new support from a wonderful church in Shreveport along the way with hope of others in the future. The time on my own gave me even more chances to witness, taking more time wherever I was to engage in conversation and distribute tracts for which I am grateful. I trust the Lord worked in the meetings and it was a blessing to hear testimony of people whom God has touched in these services. We also want to praise the Lord for a supporting church that I stopped in on and was given a chance to preach for; they overwhelmed me with love and blessed us in great and unexpected ways to help us on our way.

As we make our way into Texas for the month of July we would sincerely appreciate your continued prayer. We have meetings surrounding the Houston and San Antonio area as well as Abilene. As Americans we are celebrating our independence this month, and as Christians we celebrate our liberation from the bondage of sin. May we remember that for both, it is God that is to be praised. Thank you for your prayer and support of the Putney family as we desire to get to the Philippines just as soon as God will allow.

Serving the risen Saviour, Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma

Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

www.PutneysforChrist.com
Aaron@PutneysforChrist.com Cell - 585 298 3807

June Prayer Letter

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, June 4, 2010

Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

In this prophetical chapter dealing with the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, we are reminded of the confidence that we can have in our God. It is He that helps, it is He that gives us victory and allows us to overcome. Yet along with that great truth, there is another phrase that must not be overlooked – I set my face like a flint. I was greatly challenged this week as I reflected on the determination and unwavering commitment that Christ demonstrated through His life and in His death. In considering what Christ was subjected to and the incredible pain and loss that others have had to endure in this world, I realized how much more determination and reliance on God I need daily. We know Satan will stop at nothing to thwart the work of spreading the gospel. Then again, our God, that worketh all things together for good, will also allow tremendous affliction at times for reasons that we do not understand but that ultimately lead to His magnification and glory. May we find solace in His grace while maintaining steadfastness in the cause.

We rejoice to report this month that God has kept us safe, drawn us closer to Him and once again shown His exclusive ability to orchestrate our progression to the field in ways that we would never expect. There were two examples of this last month alone but the one that sticks out most was getting a phone call from a man in NC where we had a meeting a number of months ago. The church could not financially support us but this man happened to be visiting the church that night (Thursday service) and months later he was led to call us and begin supporting us through the church that he pastors!

Just recently, and for the first time in our deputation, a situation arose that warranted me traveling to a series of meetings without my family. It is away from my family that I write this prayer letter now, eagerly anticipating a joyous reunion with my wonderful wife and four precious daughters. I rejoice that during this time they have been able to finish the homeschool year, get refreshed a little from life on the road and enjoy the fellowship of dear friends and family where we have spent most of our lives. At the same time, this has been an incredibly profitable time for me as I have been able to get alone with God and spend some extended time in prayer, the word of God and study. The Lord has been gracious in meeting with me and allowing me to be refreshed and refueled to set my face as a flint toward the Philippines. My prayer is that I will reunite with my family as a better father, husband, friend, leader and example moving forward. During this trip there have been many opportunites to go soulwinning, work on a bus route and teach kids as well as preach and present our burden for the islands. Then, just this week, I thoroughly enjoyed a great camp meeting in Jacksonville, AR where I sat under some great preaching and had tremendous fellowship with many missionaries heading to fields around the world. This meeting had numerous benefits as it establish contacts with pastors in the area that we trust will translate into meetings in the future. Equipped with CD’s of all the great messages that were preached, I look forward to sharing what God fed us with at this conference to my family upon my soon return. Pray for us this month as we will travel many miles to meetings in multiple states. We are expecting great things from our great God yet again.

2Cor 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

By the grace of God,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma

Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
www.PutneysforChrist.com
Aaron@PutneysforChrist.com
585 298 3807

May 2010 Prayer Letter

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, May 2010

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

While I recognize the context of this verse, I am one whose heart is touched upon reading these words concerning the children the Lord has entrusted us with and the state of their souls and daily walk with Christ. We have been praying for our girls since their birth or before and while it excites us when they can recite a verse, pray at bedtime or even sing at a church; our longing has been for the time when God would touch their heart about their personal need to settle their sin debt by faith in our risen Redeemer. On April 16th, at Parkwood Baptist Church in Houston, our daughter Autumn expressed to us that the Lord was dealing with her about her soul. When the service was over, we spent some time talking about it and she was adamant that she needed to be born again and she called on God to save her! It has been a blessing to see her faithfully and without provocation share her testimony with family and others and encourage them that they need to be saved if they are not! Pray for Autumn, that God would grow her in wisdom and fellowship with Him and that she might give Him glory faithfully until the Lord calls us home!

This report finds us in the northeast for a series of meetings this month before heading to Arkansas by the end of May. While we have had our share of sickness that has passed the family in the past two weeks we praise the Lord that we seem to be at the end of it and look forward to being at full strength for the coming meetings. This past month has provided opportunities to witness and evangelize in different places including a festival in Texas where our three older girls all passed out tracts and we got a few hundred out in just a few hours! We enjoyed being a part of some great Missions conferences and have great optimism that new support for the work in the Philippines will result from them. While we see the reality of challenges in churches across America, we know that the greatest thing Satan wants is to thwart the impact of the local church on evangelization in its own community and its obedience to spread the gospel through the conduit of missionaries throughout the world. It is exciting to see many of the churches that have not strayed from this our foundational purpose; no matter the economy, no matter the political landscape, no matter the philosophies of the day. The work of the gospel is great and large and so as Nehemiah demonstrated for us in the midst of adversity, we must continue in the work, amen?!

Please pray that we would be faithful to the Lord, diligent in our labor and that God would open doors for us this summer to have a full calendar of meetings which will bring us closer to the Philippines as well as encouraging churches and impacting souls with the gospel all along the way. May the Lord greatly encourage you and magnify Himself in your service to Him.

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Eph 3:16-19)


According to the power that worketh in us, Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma

Grace Independent Baptist Church
Pastor Paul Perkins
3707 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

www.PutneysforChrist.com
Aaron@PutneysforChrist.com
585 298 3807

April 2010 Prayer Letter

Dear praying friends and fellow laborers, April 2010

2 Cor 1:11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us…

In the context of the passage above, Paul paints a bleak picture about how they were in trouble, pressed out of measure, above strength and despairing even of life at the time that God delivered them. He then acknowledged the influence of the prayers that had gone up for them in their deliverance. This month I had the privilege of preaching in a Missions conference in Monroe, LA where God gave me liberty to address some scriptures where Paul asked for prayer. There are many requests directed to Corinth, Rome, Thessalonica, Colosse and Ephesus alike. He asked for Boldness, open doors, deliverance from those with ill intent, the glory of God, the furtherance of the gospel, wisdom in speech and more. He asked the churches to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me… As we look back, we want to praise the Lord for tremendous answers to prayer that God has given us throughout deputation and specifically in that past few weeks. God has provided us a stronger vehicle for towing our trailer in a very God orchestrated way, not only that but we have already been able to sell our old truck! At meetings, we have seen multiple churches partner with us recently and a couple others that hope to soon. Our marriage and family life have been especially sweet the past few weeks, the kids are in good health, God has been working in lives, our needs have been met, we have been brought closer to the field, and more meetings have been booked! God has been so good. Now we head back to Texas where we will have more Missions conferences and meetings to finish the last days of March and move through April.

We were reassured again this month about how the Lord knows our needs before we do. Not long ago a surprise love offering was taken for us and sent to our home church. Before we knew the amount of that offering we showed up at a church where we even with a surge protector, we sustained a power jolt that took out our microwave, DVD player and power convertor in our travel trailer. In a way that only God can do, we found out shortly after this that the offering had arrived and was able to cover all the damage we sustained! That is our God, amen?! Or we can brag on how our windshield wipers suddenly stopped working before the last night of a conference and a fellow missionary there happened to have experience changing out the very part that we needed. In fact, without us knowing it, he ran to the parts store 30 minutes before the service and then fixed it 30 minutes after the service was over! God has been so good. The icing on the cake so to speak has been seeing our kids get involved in singing specials. It started with Autumn being invited to sing by some other missionary kids and now we have had three occasions where our three oldest girls have sung by themselves in a church service! To hear these precious girls sing out, “Here am I Lord, send me,” will make a daddy shout the glory and say amen, Lord, they’re yours - use ‘em!

Please continue to pray for us as we desire to spread the gospel wherever God takes us and to get to the Philippines when He wants us there. We are travelling a great nation with a rich Christian heritage and yet we are surrounded by a generation that does not know God. As we talk to people from all backgrounds, cultures and religions, please pray as Paul requested, that the word of the Lord would have free course, and be glorified, as it is with you. May the Lord increase your churches, faith and personal walks with our Lord Jesus.

Because He lives,
Aaron & Stephanie Putney
Autumn, Anna, Sarah and Emma

South Louisiana Cold

The girls and I are back on the road this January with some great meetings in South Louisiana. We started the month in St. Amant where a visit to a church became an open door to present the burden for the Philippines. We also had opportunity to be with one of our favorite churches in the country - Fundamental Baptist is Livingston Louisiana. Pastor Silvertooth is a man of God and the Lord has blessed this church with some gifted singers, servants and students of God's word that make every visit an absolute delight. After presenting and preaching there we were invited to come back through one night during their missions conference since we will be in the area to preach. We moved then to Lafayette, LA to our first missions conference of this new year at Temple Baptist Church, Pastored by Gerald Heard. Little did I know at the time but Pastor Silvertooth from Fundamental was the keynote speaker. We have had a great time here despite it being unseasonably cold here in South LA. We even had our water lines freeze in the trailer, I didnt think that was supposed to happen in the south...
The conference has been a blessing with a hospitable church body and a fervent desire to increase their faith promise committment to reach this world for the Lord Jesus.
The girls are doing well although Emma is a little under the weather again. Pray for us as we will move next to New Iberia, LA and then back to Ocean Springs later this month before heading to Georgia and North Carolina.

January Prayer Letter

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

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!

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.