As we drove toward our destination out West, we ignorantly entered what we assumed was a very thick fog. The smell immediately revealed that the dense fog was a furnace of raining ash and hazardous air. It didn’t take long for our lungs to validate the worst air quality in the world at that time. I never thought I would praise the Lord for face masks! We found out that the winds had violently shifted, causing surrounding wildfires to multiply in size toward the Albany and Salem areas. Between COVID and the wildfires, our meetings out West were becoming uncertain and unpredictable. However, just as God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in their fiery furnace, so has God been with us in ours!
Not only were we able to attend all our meetings, but God also added more meetings to our schedule! As the wildfires grew around us in Oregon, so does the fire of God continue to grow in me. I have had the joy of witnessing God ignite many hearts through the preaching of His Word. One particular meeting, where I especially felt the fire of God come down, resulted in a lady who came to the altar and made a public declaration that she was going to pray for revival every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. after she got off work. Praise the Lord! Some of the greatest revivals in history have occurred from the prayers of ladies on fire for God!
Prior to our time out West, we had a break in our schedule without any meetings for a couple of weeks. Because of COVID, I was concerned that I wouldn’t find any soul-winning opportunities from churches and was prepared to go out with one of my children, not representing any church. I found a church online that seemed like it might have a soul-winning opportunity and sent out an email to the pastor. It just so happened that not only did they have soul winning three times a week, but they were also having their Missions Conference, and the pastor invited our family to attend! Praise God! I was able to see several people trust Christ, and since then, that church has taken us on for support.
My seven-year-old boy, who’s about to turn eight at the end of October, is becoming a very convicting soul winner! He has warned people at Laundromats that being a Catholic wasn’t going to keep them from Hell. I recently took him to a park, and he spent the whole time handing out Gospel tracts and asking me to write down names of those we need to pray for. If I neglect to hand out a Gospel tract to a store clerk or the employee at a drive-through, he usually asks me, “Dad, don’t you care about their soul? Why didn’t you hand them a tract?”
Please pray that God’s heart for the Middle East would burn like a wildfire in the hearts of churches in our country. We are still praying for an April departure and would need an estimation of five churches each month to take us on for support by this coming January to be on track to buy one-way airline tickets in April. We are so thankful for your faithful prayers and support through these difficult times!
(There was a misunderstanding about our sending church that has come to my attention. Our sending church has never changed and is still Calvary Baptist Church of Platteville, Wisconsin, with Pastor Dave Barna. However, since our prayer letters are being sent through FBMI’s email service, the bottom of the digital letterhead that is used shows First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, as our sending church. If a change like that ever occurs, I will notify you immediately. Thank you!)
Missionary #6506 and Family
