An Incredible Month!

Dear Prayer Team,

October (and the beginning of November) has been one of the most exciting and memorable months that I’ve had since I started singing with RESCUE!

We started off with an ACSI conference in Portland. Then we made a trip to the Sacramento, California area for an ACSI conference, a visit to New Folsom State Prison, Folsom Community Bible Church and Pollack Pines Baptist Church. We sang at fundraising banquets for Emmaus Christian School (Cornelius, OR), Options Pregnancy Resource Center (Corvallis, OR), and Options 360 Pregnancy Clinic (Vancouver, WA). We sang at a pastor’s breakfast hosted by local Christian radio station KPDQ and sponsored by several Christian businesses and organizations, with main speaker Luis Palau. We were the special music over four days at the first ever men’s retreat at Hume Lake Christian Camp about an hour and a half out of Fresno, California. And last Saturday night we sang at the First Presbyterian Church in Salem, Oregon.

I’ll just mention a few of the highlights that happened during this incredible month.

Last Sunday we sang to a very responsive and excited group at the First Presbyterian Church in Salem. Afterwards we met many wonderful people who made us feel right at home. There was a particularly talented high school aged young man who spent six and a half hours earlier that day penciling portraits of us based on the photos on our website. We were floored when he gave us the originals! Steve has scanned them for us and I’ll try to post them to my blog so you can see his wonderful art work.

Hume Lake Christian Camp was an incredibly uplifting time for all of us. The main speakers were Stu Webber, Ken Hutcherson and Steve Farrar. I felt so blessed to be able to sing at a conference like this because the speakers were so incredible and God’s truth was being shared so eloquently, I was personally compelled to respond in worship to God. RESCUE was just the outlet I needed! We had the chance to speak with Stu and Ken and they were both very encouraging of our ministry. The outpouring of love and support we felt from the guys who attended this conference was nothing short of overwhelming. We dined so fully on the word of God and had such encouragement through fellowship that I left there feeling like I was overflowing. It was just the thing we needed during this busy season. They also gave us CDs of all of the sessions. Kim and I have been enjoying these encouraging messages as we drive to work in the mornings.

Finally I wanted to mention New Folsom Prison. I recognized the Chaplain from our first visit and it was great to see him again. He is such a big-hearted man who has been burdened to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have been cut off. His life is a testimony to us. Since there is only one chapel per yard in the prison, it is shared by people of different faiths. I was noticing the Muslim literature had been laid out carefully on the table in the back before our session with the inmates. There was fog that morning and the Chaplain told us that we should pray that God would lift the fog so that the guards would feel comfortable to escort them from their cells to the chapel. The fog did not entirely lift. But God had a plan you see because as it turns out, the officers allowed them to be escorted to the chapel but they did not allow them to enter the yard for normal activities. So, those who were cleared to come to the concert ended up having no other choice unless they wanted to stay in their cell. We were blessed to be able to sing for a nearly full chapel! After the concert the Chaplain let us know that there were many who were there and even some who had greeted us who were Muslim. He would have you pray for the souls of those who heard the Gospel that day that the seed that was planted would grow into a fully converted life.

On our way back from Sacramento we stopped in Pollack Pines, California to sing for their morning service. God allowed all of our voices to make it through the trip to California and we were able to finish strong that morning. Afterwards, as we broke down our equipment and carted it out to the trailer we noticed a little girl darting around from pew to pew. I thought she was picking up the bulletins and Sunday school papers that were left there, but awhile later her mom came down the center aisle with the little girl hiding behind her, blushing. “My daughter really wants to meet you guys but she is too shy.”

We all stopped what we were doing and greeted her and her mom.

Her mom continued,” We heard that you guys just came back from Folsom. Her father is very sick and did some bad things. His arraignment is just about over and it looks like he’ll be going to jail for a while. We’re hoping he’ll get well while he’s there. This little girl has been through a lot.”

We told the little girl that we were sorry about what was happening ... that God very much loves her and has a plan for her life.

Then her mom said, “We can’t afford a CD but she was wondering if she could get your signatures.”

As she was speaking I saw Brandon quietly sneak away, and I thought I knew what he was up to. We signed her paper and Brandon reappeared with some CDs for her. We quickly ripped off the wrapping and signed them for her. It felt like such a tiny thing to do for a girl who was facing such a difficult life, but at the same time we always feel confident that when we share a RESCUE CD that it has a lot of Bible scripture woven throughout and that God will use His holy scriptures to encourage and bless his children no matter what type of circumstances they are in.

I remember looking at Steve as we walked away, and he said, “Something like that makes it all worth it!”

Thanks for your prayers! We wouldn’t be able to continue without them.