An illustration worth reading............

One of my favorite illustrations that I love to share is found in  1 John 5: 11-12
"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

I was in a prison preaching to some men and I took out a $20 bill and told the men to pretend that the bill was a million dollars.  I said, "I have a million dollars to any of you that want it.  It is free for any of you.  However, if you want the million dollars, you must take my Bible."  Then I placed the bill into my Bible.  Again I repeated, "If you want this million dollars, you must take my Bible because the million dollars is in my Bible and the two are inseperable."

I had one man say, "If I have to take your Bible, you can keep the million dollars!"  Most agreed that he was a fool and told him such.  (Don't you just love the way they speak freely in prisons!) I told him that it was his choice and I cannot force him to take my Bible in which was found a million dollars.  Another man said, "I can just work for my own million dollars!"  I replied, "You can work all you want, but this million is free and you can't work for this one."  Most however, without hesitation, agreed to take my Bible.

Then I showed them,  1 John 5:11-12   ..............
I then took the illustration a bit further.  I said, "Let's pretend that the $20 bill is eternal life and my Bible is Jesus Christ.  This Bible verse says that God is offering to each of you eternal life, it is free and for anyone who chooses to accept it.  However, eternal life that God has is placed in Jesus Christ.  If you want the gift of eternal life, you must take Jesus Christ because the two are inseperable." 

One man said, "You can have your Jesus Christ.  I am trusting Mohammed."  I replied, "Sir, you can trust Mohammed all you want, but eternal life is only found in Jesus Christ and only in Jesus Christ; not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Mary, nor in any other person or place.  You see, God is the one that offers eternal life, He is the one who paid for it with the blood of His own Son, and He has chosen to place it 'in His Son'....and again I quoted the verse, "he that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."  Another man said that a person must work for eternal life.  I again replied, "Eternal life is the gift of God and cannot be worked for.  You must simply accept Jesus Christ and believe, putting your faith and trust in Him."  It is your choice and your choosing, but Heaven and eternal life are only through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father but by me."  Several men that day, took Jesus as their Saviour.  And in doing so, they received eternal life....life that will be spent for eternity in Heaven!

Praise The Lord for 2 New Churches!

In the last post, we praised the Lord for Emmanuel Baptist Church (West Palm Beach, FL) & Pastor Thomas Hunter for adding our family to their Mission's family.

We also want to praise the Lord and thank Central Baptist Church (Center, TX) & Pastor Danny Dodson for also adding our family to their Mission's family!  Praise the Lord!

We can see the Lord putting everything together for us and getting us ready to be able to leave for St. Barthelemy!

Gettin' Closer!

Our schedule is almost full for the month of March and we are excited about what the Lord is doing to get us closer to leaving for the field.  We will be in 3 mission's conferences in March and also have a couple of meetings as well. 

We also want to thank Emmanuel Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, FL (Pastor Tom Hunter) for adding us to their Mission's Family.  We praise the Lord for them and look forward to the many years in working together reaching souls for Christ in the West Indies!

When the roll is called up yonder....he'll be there!

We have been traveling on the road and trying to take advantage of every possible opportunity that we can.  Last night we drove 2 hours to be a part of the Winter Revival at Bethel Baptist Church.  It was a great meeting and we really enjoyed the singing and preaching.  On the way home, we put in a message to teenages by Dr. Phil Kidd.  Wow, he sure got with it!  People around us on the interstate probably thought I was nuts as I "Amen-ed" and shouted.  What a great message!

This past Monday morning, on our way back from Bradenton, we stopped by Perkins for breakfast.  (By the way, the breakfast is very good at Perkins and we fed our whole family of 7 for very little.)  It's great to be able to stop and get something good to eat instead of junk food and donuts for breakfast!  The hard part about being on the road is trying to feed a family of 7 on a low budget and also trying to eat "healthier" as well.

While at Perkins, I had the opportunity to talk to a man named Aaron.  As we talked, the Lord allowed me to share the Gospel with him and sitting there on the bench outside, he bowed his head and trusted Christ as his Saviour!  I gave him directions to a good church just a few blocks away and I hope he makes the right decision to get into church.  I am so thankful to be able to share Christ with others.  As we left, he looked at Joshua and said to him, "You have a great dad..."  What a privilege to be able to have my kids see first hand people make decisions for Christ!

The "Road" to recovery....

(The good thing about sick kiddos.....they like to cuddle!)

(Callie was the first to start feeling better....her favorite place is in your arms and she's got your attention!)

Our family is doing so much better except for coughs.  I am still on antibiotics and I hope that in the next couple of days, my chest clears up and I can quit coughing.  We hit the road this Sunday and traveled up the interstate to get into a couple of new churches.  It was great for us to get back on the road and finally leave the house!  We are giving the kids a special treat today (Monday) on our way back home.  We are stopping at a Goodwill used book store on the way home.  The kids are so excited and can't wait to get their hands and eyes into some "new-to-them" books!

We have a mission's conference scheduled in 2 weeks and are trying to line up a couple more.  We are excited about what the Lord is doing in our lives and are very excited about what lies ahead in the near future.  

Some have asked about what kind of vehicle we are looking at getting for St. Barths.  It has to be thin to fit on the roads there, have 4x4, lower horsepower, have low miles and fit a family of 7.  I think I have narrowed down our search to a Suzuki XL7.    The suzuki will allow us to get parts more easily in the event of a breakdown.  The mid-2000's  have the 2.7L V6 engine which put out about 180 horsepower versus the newer 3.6L which puts out 252 horsepower.  The reason that I would like the 2.7L is the yearly tax on the vehicle would be substantially lower and is based on the horsepower of the vehicle.  If you happen to come across this kind of vehicle and the price is decent, send us an email and a pic!

Update on our family..........

-The kids are doing so much better.  Still coughing a bunch but the doctor said that the coughs will get worse before they get better.  Joshua (who had pneumonia) is doing so much better.  I on the other hand, still have the bacterial lung & sinus infection.  Straining at times to breathe is tough and is wearing me out, but I am so glad that none of us have any fevers.

-I just sent out our latest prayer letter today.  If you would like to receive a copy via email, just email my wife Kami at kamishay@aol.com and she will get you one right away. 

-Our meeting this past Tuesday evening went well.  Even though it was only 2 hours away, it was our first time leaving the house in over a week.  We were exhausted but also thrilled to be a part of a Mission's Conference! 

-Please be in prayer for Kami's grandmother, June Willoughby.  She has been in the hospital and rehab center for over a month now.  We just celebrated her 90th Birthday in November but her health has taken a toll on her as of lately.  As I sat with her in her room for a visit, she asked me to pray.  When I asked her, "How do you want me to pray?", without hesitation, she pointed towards Heaven and said, "I am ready to be in Heaven!"  Please pray for her as she is very tired and she is ready to be with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Fevers finally broke!

Well, it seems that all fevers have broke and the antibiotics have begun to work.  The kids are all on 3-day antibiotics that is supposed to stay in their systems for 10 days.  (I have never heard of such a thing.)  Today is the last dose for the kids.  My antibiotics are prescribed for 10 days but just after 1 dose, I feel better already.  Except for runny noses and awful coughs, I think we are on the road to recovery!  In fact we are going to venture out to our scheduled meeting tonight on the East coast of Florida which is just over 2 hours away.   We are all wiped out but this is an important meeting and one that we really need to try to keep.

Joshua is a different kid since starting his antibiotics.  He is back to his normal self, bothering his sisters.  He has a doctor's appointment next Monday to make sure that his pneumonia is fully cleared up.  It is great to be on the mend especially since the fevers started over 1 & 1/2 weeks ago!  Kami has done a great job as nurse and doctor. (Kami asked me to put that in bold.)    I am just glad that she was only sick for 3 days, or we would all be in trouble!

The doctor's diagnosis.........Pneumonia

Kami took all five kids to the doctor today at noon.  After examining all of the kids the diagnosis is:
Joshua has pneumonia, and the rest of the kids have bacterial infections in their lungs. 

Each is on antibiotics and the doctor said that they should sound worse in the next couple of days before things begin to clear up.  He seemed very concerned for Joshua and told us that if he continues to have a fever by Wednesday, we will need to take him to the ER.  We would appreciate all of your prayers about this for us. 

The Flu's still here...............

Temperatures for last night:
Joshua 104.4
Elisabeth 100.7
Brenna 101
Silas 103.8
Callie  102.5
Me 102

The flu is still hanging on to our family and although Kami has gotten over her symptoms, she is exhausted taking care of the rest of us.  She has 5 appointments today at the doctor's office for each of the kids.  This makes one week that our kids have had flu symptoms and fevers.  Please pray for our family to heal up as we have a mission's conference this Tuesday night.

Things accomplished....back home with sick family....

Well, first things first:

We got back yesterday morning at 3AM before everything was said and done.  I was extremely exhausted yesterday but glad to be "home".  Although we didn't find a house to rent, we have done a lot of legwork and have a lot of people keeping an eye out for us.  Here are some things that the Lord did do for us:
1)  I was able to share the Gospel with several people.  The seed was planted in there hearts and that was the most important part of the trip. 
2)  I found out that in order not to lose my Florida's Driver Lincense, I need to get an international Driver's License at the French Consolate in Miami.  This is important as I do not want to lose my CDL nor my motorcycle endorsements on my license nor do I want to lose my U.S. license altogether.
3)  I also found out that some paperwork that I am needing for us to proceed with the process of getting our French passports is in the Magistrate's office in Paris waiting for his "OK"... This paperwork can sometimes take up to 5 years to get accomplished, ours is in his office after just a year &1/2.  Please pray that he will give us the "OK".
4)  I also found out about the price of a vehicle, shipping costs and requirements to have a vehicle sent in.  We really need to raise the funds to either purchase the right car here and have it shipped or buy one there. 
5)  We learned about a "Vignette" tax that we didn't know about.  This is simply a tax you pay every year based on how much "pollution" your car puts out into the atmosphere.  It's not based on actual exhaust tests but on the size of the engine in your car.
6)  The Lord really planted my heart there in St. Barths.  Normally, when coming back into the U.S., the border guard will say, "Welcome back home!".  We cheer or have even cried to be back in the greatest country there is.  However, this time, I cried leaving St. Barths.  It was different this time.  I wanted to be there, the place where God has called my family. 
7)  We need just a little more support.  Things are so expensive there and we need just a little more support to be able to live on St. Barths.  We have a meeting next week and will be contacting all of the churches we have been to, to tell them we are ready to leave, we just need their support.

Running a clinic for our sick family:
     When we got home, I found that every member of my family had the flu.  Each with fevers as high as 104.3 and some throwing-up.  So, we are currently running a make-shift clinic!

Well....here's the rest of the story.....

I will leave out tomorrow to come back "home" (if you don't have your own place and live in someone else's house, is it really "your" home?)  The past week has opened my eyes to many things:

1) This island is a depraved place and very far from the Lord.  Sin has permeated every part of their culture and they have really no concept of what is right or wrong.  Morals...what are morals?

2)They are a precious people who want to be loved and want to love on you.  You are welcomed into their homes and they give you of what they have (mostly alcohol, but don't worry, I didn't indulge!)  I can see from the look in their eyes, they want to know the truth, they want something that they can count on but Catholicism and false religion has ruined their wanting to trust in God or His Word.  For instance, I met today the part time guitar player for the English speaking Anglican church today.  Nice fellow, invited me to sit down with him for a beer! (Don't worry, I didn't indulge!)  It may sound funny that I keep saying that "I didn't indulge" but when I say I do not drink alcohol, they look at me funny and I have had several tell me, "The priest drinks alcohol....or indulges!"   After I mentioned that I do not drink alcohol, one man said to me,"That's the best thing you can do, never touch it the first time....."  He had been drinking already this morning.  It was as if he was amazed that alcohol had no power over me.

3) God wants to do some amazing things in people's lives here.  I have had a few opportunities to present the plan of salvation and the love of God in its entirety.  It is totally foreign to them, but the seed has been planted in several hearts already. 

Well, the rest of the story is that we still have no house to live in. I did find one house today that I was really excited about it but after talking to the owner, it is way out of our price range at $4,080 per month. I have talked to so many people, combed the streets, put ads in the paper, made so many phone calls and had so many phone calls made for me. The prices are very expensive and most places are unavailable.   But my God is great who shall supply all my needs!  I will return to the states and plan out the next month.  Please pray for our safety as we travel back tomorrow!

Lunch....can be so much more than a sandwich!

(One good thing about being on an island, you get to eat some great seafood!  This was my lunch yesterday.  There just happened to be some lobster in the freezer and our hosts made an wonderful meal for us.  Oven roasted lobster with onions, potato halves with fresh spices, and mixed veggies! MMmmmmm!!!)

Paradise...is serving where God has called you.

(These rocks are actually under water on the shore.....That's how clear the water is!)

(In fact, to prove it.....there's the fish in the middle of the picture.)

(I love this little sign.  No matter where a missionary serves, when he is

in God's will, the place or foreign county that God has called him to becomes "Paradise" to him and his family.  For some "Paradise" is in Africa, Europe, America, Australia, etc, for us it is the West Indies.) 

Take the plane...It's an adventure!!!

(Yes, it's for real.  Although this pilot is cutting it very close, they do fly right over the road on this hill.  They zip down the side of the mountain and get to the runway before it ends into the water.  Not much room for error.  From time to time, planes end up crashing into the sand on the beach!)

-  Still no house yet.  We spent the day searching yesterday and contacted many by phone throughout the afternoon.  (It is amazing how we have a network of people calling on our behalf!)  However, still no places available that are open or affordable.  There was a 3 bedoom that was available, at least is was yesterday, but the price is out of our range at 3000 Euros per month ($4,200 U.S. dollars). 

-  We put an ad in the local St. Barths News which is a small little paper, about 5 pages total which is printed on 8 x 11 regular paper.  Everyone reads the paper so we'll see how it turns out.  My ad reads : "Famille ch. une maison à louer.  3 Chambres."  Translation: "Family is looking for a house to rent.  3 Bedrooms."  Then I put a contact number as well.  My short ad cost 20 Euros ($28 U.S.)!

-  Am I discouraged?  No not at all.  God is the one who has called us here and He is the one who will sustain us and provide a place to live.  As my pastor told Kami this week, "Don't get discouraged, it wasn't until the 4th-watch that Christ walked upon the water!"  I am not into signs and wonders but God did speak to my heart yesterday afternoon in a special way:  As I was looking out the patio from the house we are staying at here on the side of the mountain, I was asking the Lord how all of this is going to work and why is it that we are not finding a place to live.  I turned my head for just a second and turned back and there in the sky was a rainbow.  As I saw it, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "I still keep my promises."  As you can see from the picture below, it was a cloudless sky...

(Our Bible verse for this trip is

Jer 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee,

and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.")

Few Pics and Update:

(This boat's a long way from home!)

(Maybe it's for rent, I could still say that I live in Ft. Myers!)

(A town that needs the Lord)

(Conch.......It's What's For Dinner!)

Well, after another full morning of house hunting.  I have ruled out many places that I cannot rent.  When Thomas Edison was asked  if he felt like a failure when he had tried 1,000 things that failed to work when making the light bulb, he said, "No, I have discovered 1,000 things that do not work!"  That's the way I feel.  So I must be closer to finding something that will work!

I stopped and talked to many folks today along the streets, in businesses, and in their yards.  They each said the same thing: "This is the wrong time of year to find a house.  You need to wait until April when the hotels let their seasonal employees go and houses open up."  I'll just have to see what opens up in the next few days.

I have to say, my French is getting better.  I still have trouble understanding people when they talk.  They use Creole and Patois and mix it with French.  I think it will be a long time before I understand the mix of languages that they use.  However, when most find that I am learning French, they speak to me in just French.  They are so kind and friendly.  Please keep praying that the Lord will open up a place for us as my time here on this trip is coming to an end.  My family (especially my wife) is ready to have a "home" again, a place to call "ours"............

My Lunch

I thought you might like to see a picture of my lunch today:

Beans & Rice with Fried Coulirou (Fried Jacks: which is a type of fish)

(This fish is caught only at a certain time of the year and it takes several fishman working together to draw the fish in the nets and then they build a corral in the water to keep the fish.  I was told that this is the first time in three years that these fish have been caught.  To find the fish, the fisherman go out to sea and dive under water to spot the schools of fish.  It is a "hit & miss" type of thing.  Most people here eat the eye-balls and heads but I chose to bypass the head altogether!)

Update on search for a house...

Well, the house that we had a lead on and really fell in love with is now out of the running.  The owner emailed back and said that he wanted 5,000 Euros per month ($7,000 U.S.) plus we would pay for the electricity and all repairs.  The house was in very bad shape and the electricity didn't work through out the house.   He also explained to me that the electricity would go off in heavy rain.  I am still in shock that he wants this amount of money per month!

I traveled around the island today and stopped and asked different people about places to rent.  Several people took my phone number and said they would look around for me.  One lady had a place to rent but it would not be available for several months.

I did look at a 2 bedroom house this evening that is being renovated.  We could make it work but it would be a tight fit for 5 of our children in one bedroom.  The price is 2,000 Euros per month ($2,800 U.S.).  We would be responsible for electricity and water if the cistern runs dry.   The location is not the best and I am told in heavy rains, the road floods and we would need a boat.  (I think he was kidding about the boat!...at least I hope....)

Please be in fervent prayer for us about this matter.  This is a heavy burden on our hearts. 

The good thing is that I have had a lot of practice using my French today and everyone I talked to said my French was excellent.  It gave me a boost of confidence although I still have a ways to go in being able to understand their Patois and Creole!

Update from the West Indies

After traveling from 4 AM  to 7 PM on Monday, I finally arrived here on St. Barths.  The weather is nice and cool and the ocean breeze is fabulous!

I thought I would list a few things that transpired thus far to keep you updated:

1.  The search for a house is slow, but we have one that I have looked at and is very workable.  The kitchen is outdoors and you have to go outside to get to each bedroom.  I am waiting for the owner to email me back to find out how much he wants for rent.  Please be in prayer for this matter as this house would fit our every need......including two golden retrievers that live there! (Do the dogs speak french?)

2.  I understand a good bit of french and am able to communicate slowly as I still have to process the words in my head.  However, most people here when they speak, use a Creole/ Patois.  I cannot understand any when they speak like this.  To understand what it is like, just picture someone who just learned some English trying to understand a Redneck. (ie: Whutcha havin' = What you going to order?)  There is a French way to say a word or phrase, a Creole way, and a Patois way.  Then they mix the three languages when they speak!

3.  Yesterday morning I was overwhelmed as I looked from the hillside where I am staying out over the houses and homes below.  I was overwhelmed at the fact that God has given to me, this island.  The responsibility of reaching a people who have no desire to know him.  I said to myself, "I can't do this.....they won't listen to me......"     Then last night, God gave me exactly what I needed.  As my mom and I visited with one of my aunt's and uncles, they asked about me being a Baptist preacher.  (Everyone here has been taught that Baptists believe in some strange false god).   They began to ask questions about Christ, how to get salvation, praying to Mary, and about the repetitive prayers that they pray from their Catholic book of prayers.  We spent over an hour giving them the Gospel and the truth from the Word of God.  They listened with intent, and my aunt began to cry as the truth began to open her eyes.  This is totally foreign to them and it will take time, but God showed me that there are some who are willing to listen and there are some who are going to trust in Him.  It was a victory not only for them, but also for me.

Thank you Lord......