Opportunities in Mainville
Dear Family of Faith & Eternal Friends,
The world seems a lot different than it was just 45 days ago when I sent our family’s first update from the field in Eastern Pennsylvania. But it just seems that way. Yes, the way we interact & experience the world has shifted quickly & dramatically, but consider with me for a moment the BIG picture the Bible paints for us.
In the first 2 chapters we find a pure & good creation that even now still reflects God’s power & Person, as Romans 1:20 reveals so eloquently, but the human population of 2 was only innocent, but they were able to sin. No one needs to remind any of us they did. We can see & feel the effects of sin’s presence every day & the presence of one of the consequences of sin—pestilence—is on everyone’s mind right now.
In the final 2 chapters we find a redeemed & restored creation, with a human population that will never sin again alongside the elect angels who have never sinned (so there have been extra-terrestrial, non-human beings visiting earth constantly since the beginning!) loudly proclaiming “Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power & riches & wisdom & strength & honor & glory & blessing!” (Revelation 5:11-12).
The middle 1,185 chapters tell the story of how the Lord Jesus was sent by His Father by the power of the Spirit to cure what some Godly preachers have referred to as the S-I-N virus. There’s a 100% infection rate & 100% mortality rate. No human being or group of human beings could ever combat such a bug, but the God Man Jesus Christ did it & WON!
None of that has changed. Not one syllable. This is a time for we who believe this true story to take time to familiarize ourselves with the details of key passages like Matthew 24 & Luke 21 where we find Jesus letting us know about diseases & others signs like wars & famines & earthquakes, becoming more frequent & more intense like a woman's contractions just before she gives birth. Then the end will come, He says.
Though it’s possible, it’s unlikely this coronavirus will be THE birth of the end times, but it's surely a painful contraction designed to warn the world the time of that birth is near, we are weaker than we think we are, we are in danger, & we ALL need Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Have you set Christ apart as Lord in your heart & are you ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess, as God has commanded you to do in 1 Peter 3:15?
You are a missionary, too, in the middle of this sign where so many are frightened & will notice that you are not, giving you an opportunity to be the best thing you can be—a sign that points others to Jesus Christ.
A friend sent me a note earlier today calling this an “amazing time!” I agree.
Next: STORIES FROM THE FIELD—KEEP READING…
There have been many opportunities here & the efforts I wrote to you about in January, like our partnerships with the local Gospel mission & campus ministries & homeschooling groups continue. I’ll report more as those develop. In the meantime, we have a few amazing STORIES FROM THE FIELD to share:
Some of you know how much John is interested in Teslas. On our family adventure day, he asked to visit the Tesla dealership in the Philadelphia area. The salesman approached me thinking I was the one “driving” the visit. We talked cars for a bit, then Shannon & John wandered to look & climb in & pretend as Patrick, the salesman in the picture below, figured out we weren’t really in the market to buy. He was kind & patient & joyful anyway, but the conversation turned to our family being new to Pennsylvania. When he asked why, I shared Christ! He was engaged, asked questions, & more than half an hour passed quickly. We exchanged numbers & were texting about getting together for coffee to continue talking when the virus hit. Please pray the Lord will continue to draw Patrick close & save Him!
John won 2nd place in the AWANA pinewood car races on March 9th, but that's not what's special. His Ephesians 4:32 KIND heart stuns me sometimes. That kiddo next to him in the picture came for the first time just the week before, too late to build & enter his own car, so John wrote that boy's name on his car, they raced it together, & then when they won 2nd, he asked me if he could keep the trophy, but give the car to his friend! Please praise the Lord for answered prayers for friends for John as our missionary journey continues & for John’s heart after Christ’s own that God is shaping in John!
On Sunday, March 8th, just a few minutes before our morning service was to begin, a man named Paul walked in the front door & told our greeter he wanted to talk with the pastor. I let Paul know I’d LOVE to talk with him, but we had less than 3 minutes before I needed to walk up the steps to welcome the congregation. He said he was here to worship with us! Great. I introduced the couple that was closest & asked them if Paul could sit with them. Big smiles all around. After the service, we took Paul to lunch & asked how he had found our church because no one drives by our church without driving there on purpose. The building sits on top of a mountain that’s a 5+ mile steep drive from the main roads below. He told us the story about how he’s from Montana, came out to where his parents were from here in Pennsylvania to find work a few years ago, but the work dried up & now he needs to go back to live with his brother in Montana. He had saved $1,000 for the 2,300 mile trip, but his truck broke down & the repairs left him with almost nothing. He said he drove until he ran out of gas & trusted the Lord would lead him to someone who would help. He was about to run of gas on I-80 at the Mainville exit, so he got off the highway, asked the truck stop attendant where the closest good church was & the attendant told him to follow the signs up the mountain! We only gather here on Sunday mornings & the Lord brought him at that exact time! We had the honor & blessing of getting to fill this man’s gas tank, buy his lunch, & offer him enough beyond that to get him a good way down the road toward Montana. When I asked him where in Montana he was going, he said, “Hamilton.” Guess where there is a Village Missions church?! Hamilton, Montana! Paul was in tears thanking us for taking care of him & the best part is we got to explain that we are supported missionaries, that there was a good church waiting for him in Montana, & that Jesus Christ & those who support us were the ones who were really blessing him. We prayed with him before he left, asking the Lord to lead, fill, & keep Paul in His Psalm 16:11 way as he drove, trusting He would. It really is true that “neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants & he who waters are one, & each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field,” as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:7-9. Thank YOU for working with us just as surely & powerfully as if you were here with us!
DIRECTLY FROM SHANNON’S HEART:
Just in the past few weeks, I've become more acquainted with several women in the church. Two women in particular are so hungry for God's Word and have expressed their desire to deepen their relationship with Him. I am hoping that we can meet together soon and encourage each other through Bible study and prayer.
DIRECTLY FROM JOHN’S COMPUTER:
Hello! I Love PA so far!! and i met a 7 and a half year old named Sully which is short for Sullivan! He Comes with me to AWANA and we placed 2nd in the AWANA Grand Prix!! and in February we went to Philly and found a FLAG SHOP! And I also went to King Of Prussia and Valley Forge And It Was VERY FUN seeing our local tesla store! we also saw VERY historical things at Valley Forge!! and i really love Pennsylvania!
Be encouraged, friends! Something FAR more powerful than this virus is being spread:
"...He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus...all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart..."
2 Corinthians 4:14-16 "...pray...that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored"
(2 Thessalonians 3:1). We continue to be thankful daily to those of you have committed to exercise the spiritual gift of generous giving to support His work in the people & places you believe He’s working—including our family & those here with us in Pennsylvania.
If the Lord’s leading you to join our ministry’s work through giving as well as prayer, you can do that by visiting give.villagemissions.org, clicking on “Find a Missionary” & searching for us by our last names or by finding us under “Pennsylvania.”
Living for Jesus,
Dave, Shannon, & John
Dave’s email TeachingSomethingGood@gmail.com
Shannon’s email VinitaReading@yahoo.com