After 20 hours of flights, we are back in the U.S. and hitting deputation full-time. In answer to prayer, God provided a minivan for us only five days after returning to the States. He further fought for us; in that, the dealership already had it listed for a very good price, but they ended up going down an additional $999 and agreed to have the camshaft position sensor replaced for free.
We are staying with my mom in Stoneville, North Carolina, until the baby is born and are concentrating our meetings as much as we can in that area until the beginning of July. Our first Sunday back, we didn’t have any meetings scheduled, so we dropped in on the church that first started picking me up on a bus after I got saved, Wayside Baptist Church of Ridgeway, Virginia. I was happy to see Pastor Bill Hicks still pastoring after many years of service to the Lord, with his son Craig assisting. I was happy to be called up to give a testimony and ended up also giving a brief presentation of our work. We were very encouraged three days later, as I received a voicemail informing me that the church had voted that Wednesday night to take us on for support.
On Sunday night, we dropped in on Piedmont Baptist Church of Reidsville, North Carolina. The pastor was a blessing, as he announced that the offering was going to us. He also told us that he wanted to schedule me to come back to present our work. We scheduled for the next Sunday morning, which we learned was the church’s 65th anniversary, and they were having the mortgage-note burning for their new auditorium, with a big meal planned afterwards.
After that service, we attended Amazing Grace Baptist Church of Stoneville, North Carolina, for a scheduled meeting, where I both presented our work and preached the Sunday night service. It was also the pastor’s birthday, and we were invited to the celebration afterwards in the Fellowship Hall. A week later, we were informed that not only did they take up an offering for us, but they also voted to take us on for support.
Before returning to the U.S., I stopped by a car mechanic near the church, where the owner agreed to allow me to present the Gospel, which resulted in both him and three of his employees trusting Christ. I was also given the opportunity to teach Sunday school and preach the Sunday morning service at Eagle Island Baptist Church of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Lastly, a heartbreaking story occurred less than 24 hours before our return trip. The single mother of one of the church’s faithful teenagers passed away. She left behind five boys, ages 18,15, 11, 4, and 2. Please pray for the oldest, Desmond Opusunju, as there are many important decisions he needs to make.
Praise
- We have all arrived safely back in the U.S for full-time deputation.
- God has provided us with a minivan.
- Two more churches have voted to take us on for support.
Prayer Requests
- Sandra and the baby during these last few weeks of pregnancy
- That we can raise the support needed
- Desmond, a faithful teenager of Port Harcourt Independent Baptist Church, whose mother passed
Thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Jeremy, Sandra, Carina, Barrett, Henry, and Baby Barker
