So Much to Celebrate

We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July holiday this weekend. Yesterday we celebrated with our church family. It was so good to be with everyone again after our week and a half long mission trip. Several students who attended the trip shared stories of things they saw God do throughout the trip. It's our prayer that God used that to really solidify in them the things He spoke into their life during that week and a half. After service? One big family dinner with smoked chicken and sausage, baked beans and potato salad. And, oh the desserts! Then, Sunday night? Fireworks and swimming with the girls!

As I ponder over how much we have to celebrate and be thankful for, I can't help but reflect our times we've shared at the Grand Canyon. We spent our honeymoon there, vacationed there, and taken several mission teams there at the conclusion of our time on the Apache Reservation. This year was especially memorable, even though brief, because our little girls got to really experience it.

I've learned to really cherish the Fourth of July holiday, because I become increasingly sensitive to the fact that our freedom could be taken away. Then when I think on the largeness of the Grand Canyon I am reminded of Psalm 125:1-2. "Those who turst in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever." This fourth, I'm not just celebrating my American freedom, but the fact that when my security is in the Lord my God, I do not have to fall apart when it seems as though my world does. I can trust in the One who created it. So can you!

Aubrey, Kylee, & Hannah overlooking the Grand Canyon

Kylee & Hannah
Can you tell they were big buds?

Aubrey

Kylee & Hannah
Kylee finally poses for me!

Well, this one's just for kicks!

Finding Ministry in Laundry

It's 11:30 on a Saturday night with Sunday and 4th of July Celebrations full force ahead, I'll keep tonight's post brief, but I do want to share about a man we were able to encourage while we were catching up on some laundry during our trip.

His name is Bill, and he owns the laundry mat in Whiteriver. Notice I said, THE laundry mat in that small dot on the map. He was curious as to who we were and why we were there. As Lauren and I got to share with him, he began to pour out his heart of God's goodness and faithfulness even while Christians on the reservation are under persecution. Many are continually losing their jobs and unable to obtain jobs. He's owned and managed his small business for decades now, and his job became threatened. Keep in mind that the systems work differently on the reservation than they do elsewhere in the U.S. To make a long story short, instead of his position being terminated, he not only was able to maintain his business, but the admistrators there ended up paying him money! It was so encouraging to listen to his faith. We asked if we could take his picture so we would not forget him, but rather that we would continually lift him up in prayer. He gladly complied and asked that we would not just pray for him, but for his family as well. So if you read this post, and see this picture, take a moment right where you are, and lift him and his family before God. He and his wife are raising grandchildren because their children are not serving God. God's promise of salvation and abundant life is not just for us as individuals, but for our families! Believe with us for this precious man's family! Even though you may never meeet him on this side of eternity, your prayers can be the difference in eternal life or death for not only his children, but the people he has influence with on the reservation who still need the saving power of Jesus Christ!

Reason for Hope

We are so thankful for God's traveling mercies and protection over our trip to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation! Yesterday we arrived back in Shreveport around 1:30. Parents were so happy to see their kids, and wives were so glad to have their husbands back. Our feelings were bittersweet as we were glad to be home for some much needed rest, but missing those precious people we were able to minister to on the reservation.

We had hoped to blog throughout our trip, but at times internet access was difficult and would have interfered with our undivided involvment on the reservation. We felt that God had us in that place for a few days and we wanted our time there to be as effective as possible, so we decided to fill you in on all the exciting details about what God did and what He will continue to do when we arrived back home. Over the next week, we'll post different stories about our trip, so keep checking our blog! If you haven't signed up to be a follower, please do so you can leave comments and we can see who is reading our blog!

The theme for this year's mission trip to the reservation was "Reason for Hope." God burned that theme in our hearts because every year we visit the reservation we see so much hopelessness. On the faces of the people we so often see so much pain, sorrow, and often a question of wondering if anyone truly cares. So, with our Shreveport and Colorado group combined, we took a team of about 70 to canvas the area and tell people that there is hope for their situation, and life abundantly for those whose trust is in God.

One of my favorite parts of a mission trip is simply walking door to door offering to pray with people. We had only a few people reject the prayer, and we will tell you about some of those in another post, but so many people were so receptive and hungry for someone to care enough to pray with them. On one of these "prayer walk" occcasions, a 12 or 13 year old apache girl named Krista joined us on our walk. We had about 4 or 5 different groups spread out to canvas the neighborhoods surrounding the church, and Krista stayed with our group. Our last visit was actually to her house where she lives with her great grandmother. As we talked with this sweet woman, tears rolled down her face as she shared with us that she hasn't been able to muster up the strength and courage to go to church since her husband passed away a year ago. We prayed with her and encouraged her. God's presence was so sweet in that moment. There was no doubt He spoke to her heart and worked things in her life that we will never even know. Later that day, some of her family members, 3 sisters, came to have lunch with us. We were able to talk with them, bring encouragement, and invited them to come back for burgers that night. One of the sisters had a precious 5 month old with a head full of hair! Kylee and Aubrey were pretty fascinated by her. My heart rejoiced when the three sisters came back that night for burgers and brought Krista's great grandmother with them! I knew God had done a great healing work in her, because ordinarily she would not leave her house to go have burgers.

Well, the story gets even better. Saturday evening, most of our guys were camping in the mountains for a Royal Ranger camp. We had a handful of guys stay behind to be there for the girls. That evening, we made one last journey to Prayer Mountain, a hill with 3 crosses overlooking the reservation where we go as a group to pray over the Apache people. After being on the mountain at the camp all day, we were all pretty tired upon returning to the church. It would have seemed easier in that moment to stay at the church, get showers, and get to bed early. However, we knew God was drawing us to go pray one more time on Prayer Mountain. That night, after the devotion was given, Krista came to the center for prayer. After praying with her for a few minutes, I asked specificallly how to pray. With tears streaming down her face, she said, "I want to accept Jesus." We prayed with her through the sinner's prayer. God's presence was so powerful, Krista could not even stand. She fell to the ground, overwhelmed by His goodness and love.

Later, she told of how she misses her great grandfather. Each night he would read the Bible to her before she went to sleep. After he was gone, she kept his Bible hidden so that no one would try to destroy it, because most of her family members do not believe in it. Even though she had not accepted Jesus, when things were unstable or even scary at home, she would close the door and hold that Bible close to her heart. Her great grandfather planted a seed that we had the joy of harvesting that night on Prayer Mountain. Keep Krista and her family in your prayers. God has begun a great work in them. We are believing for Him to sustain them even in times of persecution on the reservation.

Krista and Delaney
Delaney is a precious student from Colorado.
God impressed it on her heart to give Krista her very own Bible because
she felt the notes she had written in it for her personal study would help
Krista learn to study God's Word.

Week of Fasting

Today begins our one week fast for our mission trip to the Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, AZ June 21 - July 1. If you are attending, you are well aware of this fast. Each time I begin a fast, the beginning is difficult. As I stick with it, my Spirit becomes more in tune with God's Spirit, and I begin to see breakthroughs in my walk with Him. At that point, it becomes easy because I know I am sacrificing something so small in comparison to the battles that are being won in the Spirit realm. If you are reading this and are not a part of the trip, but would like to contribute by fasting yourself, we would be delighted to hear! The way Josh and I are fasting is we are eating only one meal a day for four days. Then we will do a "water only" fast for the last three days.

Here are some focuses for our prayer time during our fast:
1. God's protection over our group as we travel.
2. Spiritual breakthroughs in the people on the reservation.
3. Spiritual breakthrough and renewal in our personal devotional lives.
4. Spiritual growth in our team through evangelizing and ministering to the people on the Rez.
5. Wisdom and favor among the people
6. A complete healing work in Asheigh McIntyre's body

We encourage you to create your own list. Include prayer focuses for the reservation, but also include prayer focuses for your own personal life. Some things come through fasting that do not come by prayer alone. So we encourage you to go for it, and see what God will do!
As you fast, read chapter 58 of Isaiah. This chapter breaks down the promises of true fasting. We miss so much in our walk with God when we overlook this spiritual discipline! Our prayer is that God will give you the strength and determination to make the sacrifices necessary to see sweet rewards and breakthroughs in your life!

Congrats to our Graduates!

We'd like to take a moment to give a shout out to all those graduates out there, whether high school or college, we wish you the very best! We are so proud of our graduates from Gateway Church, and so wish we could have been at the ones in the Ruston & Jonesboro area! Brittany & Hillary, we are so proud of you!
We posted a few pics from our graduation banquet and the few graduates we were able to catch to get a picture with right after graduation ceremony!
"May the favor of the Lord our God be upon you, and establish the work of your hands; yes, establish the work of your hands." Psalm 90:17

Virginia

Viriginia with her family

Tiffany with her parents

Joey & friends

Kacey (Kayla's lil' sis), Tiffany, Amelia, Virginia, Kayla

Amelia & her parents

Virginia & her mom, Monica

Virginia & Kayla

Jill & Kayla

Virginia & Jill

Kayla & Alicia

Still Believing

We are praying once again for Ashleigh McIntyre. We spent this morning at her check up, where she was told she will be admitted into the hospital again tomorrow. Ashleigh has battled Cystic Fibrosis her entire life, but believes God has begun a healing in her body. We are believing with her for Him to complete what's been started! Pray for complete peace in her heart as she spends the next week or two in the hospital. We love you, Ashleigh and are so proud of the step of faith you take daily! Remember, He is your constant source of stability!

Paperwork

Aubrey chillin' in the waiting room

Does that look say "mischief" to you?

Ashleigh's bag is full of treasures!

"I'll brush your hair, Ashwee!"

Ooooo, ipod.

Love me an ipod.

Is this what they'll be like when their teens?

Entertainment while we wait for the doctor.

Aubrey and Dianne Hill celebrating Josh's 32nd Birthday at staff lunch.

Yum!

Pastor John giving thanks for the food.

Kylee was so tired.

Cutie!

"How do I look?"

Jill & Ashleigh

Happy Birthday, Pastor Josh!

Welcome Pastor Richard & Brenda Exley

We are so pleased to announce that Sunday night, Gateway Church voted to bring in Dr. Richard and Brenda Exley as our senior pastors with a 100% vote! We know beyond a doubt that God has sent them, and that He is working greatly in our midst!

Their first opporunity to speak to the body as pastors.

Pastor Richard & Brenda Exley walking in after our congregation voted.
They have such a sweet & humble spirit.