We have been looking forward to this church for quite some time. The Wilkersons, who are good friends of Crown College and Temple Baptist Church, came to Medicine Lodge 3 years ago to pastor this church. Since then, they have seen many converts and been able to help many young Christians. We had services on Thursday and Friday night and Pastor Wilkerson was encouraged by the attendance of the young Christians and their eagerness for the things of God. Friday we helped out around the church, painting and remodeling. We painted a classroom and the church foyer, while Bro. Derrick and the Wilkerson boys worked on tiling the foyer. We had a great day few days with the Wilkersons and are so thankful for what the Lord is doing through their church. It is so exciting to see the young families that are on fire for the Lord there! We pray that they continue in their steadfastness!
We were so pleased to be with this young church during its very first Vacation Bible School. We arrived for the Monday night program and were able to stay through Wednesday night. Their theme was "Following in the Footsteps of Jesus" and the program was taking the kids through the promised land to different "locations" important in Jesus' earthly life and ministry. We were able to sing some songs with the kids, aid in the lesson time, and even helped perform the skits each night. We had such a great time interacting with the kids as well as enjoying the fellowship of the Pastor, his family, and all the church members who worked each night. We were so encouraged not only by the turnout of children each night, but also the involvement of the church family in this endeavor to reach families for Christ. The church was so excited by how many children were attending and learning about the Lord.
Mrs. Jamie Robertson is Kelly Radank's sister and their mother, Mrs. Chamberlain lives with the Robertsons and she works at a nearby assisted living facility. On Wednesday, we went to sing for several of the folks who live there. We had such a good time sharing our testimonies, singing and playing and had time afterward to spend getting to know them. We called out Bingo, helped with crafts, and enjoyed talking with them over a delicious bowl of peaches and cream. It was a lovely afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed talking and visiting with them. Thank you, Mrs. Chamberlain for letting us minister to these wonderful people.
We would like to say a special "thank you" to Pastor Robertson and his wonderful family for allowing us to stay in their home for three nights and for taking care of us so well. We had a wonderful time fellowshipping with you and we will be praying for your family and ministry.
We were especially privileged to be in the Sunday night service of Liberty Baptist Tabernacle. This warm and loving church is the home of Mr. Bob Dustman, Sr. and his son Jack and family. We were able to stay with "Grandpa" Dustman on the ranch, as Bri's group did last year and we enjoyed it immensely. We were only sad we could not stay longer. After enjoying a wonderful weekend around Rapid City and the Dustman ranch (we went to see Mt. Rushmore on Saturday), we had a great service in Liberty on Sunday night. We know just from being there one service that the spirit of the Lord is working in this church and we thank God for Pastor Williams and his wife and their faithful service in this church for thirty years. After the service, we enjoyed a lovely meal with the Williams' and the Dustmans and we are so thankful for all the kindness and hospitality shown to us in Rapid City. May God continue to bless this growing church.
Custer, SD Matt Furse We had a great Lord's day this week, as the Lord continues to show Himself mighty through the churches of the American West. Pastor Matt Furse and the people of the Bible Believer's Baptist Church could not have been more welcoming and we praise the Lord for the great morning that we had with them. It was so encouraging to see so many families in the church and could not help but notice the emphasis placed on soul-winning and discipleship. Pastor Furse is actually teaching his adult Sunday School class through Pastor Sexton's Following Christ and Fishing For Men Material and this theme was continued with a great message about bringing others to Christ. After the service, we all went to a nearby park for a picnic. It was beautiful weather and we enjoyed all of the food and just chatting with some of the church families. We were so glad to be with this church and see how the Lord is expanding their numbers providing for their needs. We pray that the Lord would will to bless them and that they will to glorify Him through their ministry.
After a quick visit to the home of Mr. Dustman, Sr., we drove to Emmanuel Baptist Church where Pastor Schultz and his family were awaiting our arrival. After we sang, Bro. Derrick preached on "Why Christ should be Precious to us" out of I Peter 2:1-8. After the service, the church families had prepared a wonderful meal for us. Everyone was very interested in Crown College and asked many questions concerning the different ministries offered at Crown. Many teenagers knew different Crown students from attending the BIMI Camp this summer. We had such a good time fellowshipping with all the people at Emmanuel Baptist Church and one of the ladies in the church made each of us girls a bag full of goodies for the road. We thank the Lord for what He has done through this church and look forward to seeing what He is going to do in the future.
After a lengthy drive from Montana, we arrived for a Wednesday night service in beautiful Cody. Pastor Ben Bogardus (brother of Pastor Bill Bogardus in Seeley Lake, MT) was there to greet us and helped us set up for the service. We were so encouraged by the welcoming spirit of the people and very happy to see this ministry with a young pastor who just took the church last September. We were also very happy to meet the Kiser family, who now attend Grace Baptist. Lariena Kiser works at the Crown College British Division with the Zenkers and Bri was priviliged to meet her and her family last year. Although Lariena was not in town, we were so pleased to stay with them for two nights and even got to go see the Cody Stampede Rodeo on Thursday night. It was a lovely stay in Cody and we are very grateful to Pastor Bogardus and the Kisers for their kindness to us. We are encouraged to see the Lord work in Cody through this growing church and we pray the Lord will continue to bless them.
Sunday evening we were welcomed at the Stony Creek Bible Church. After we sang, Derrick preached on how easy it is to affect and to be affected by others. After the service, we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared for us by the church family and we were made to feel right at home. They were all so eager to talk and we especially enjoyed playing with and watching the Pastor's granddaughter, Autumn, who had been born prematurely. She was such a tiny and adorable baby and we loved making her laugh. The Lord really watched over the baby - even though she was very small she was very alert and as healthy as any baby her age. That night we went to Mrs. Yarborough's house and stayed with her for a couple days. The Yarborough's are Mrs. Genevieve Zenker's parents, and even though Mr. Yarborough was out of town due to the sudden death of his sister, we enjoyed Mrs. Yarborough's extremly kind hospitality. Her Christlike spirit and her gift for winning people's affection was incredible. We went to town with her the next day, and we were amazed at how many people knew and loved her. While we were in town two people told her they would like to come to her church. Her testimony revealed to us how very much you can " affect others" by you attitude. We learned a lot by watching her and were sad when it was time to leave. Mrs. Zenker is definitely blessed with a wonderful mother.
