Author Archives: Stokingthefires

Hello all,

Just wanted to quickly let you all know the tornado that hit Missouri was CLOSE to us but we did not get hit by it here in Roach. The main touchdown of the storm was in Branson, which is about 30-40 minutes from where we are. Thank you all for the concerns you showed. No worries, we are fine! 🙂

Everyone has multiple fires (or passions) within themselves (for many things; i.e. sports, cooking, entertainment, God, etc.). We want our passion for God to grow, and for a fire to grow you must “stoke” it (to stir up, feed, and tend to a fire). We want our fire fed and tended so that, we can be set ablaze for God. We (Nicole and I) want to “stoke” the fires within people for God. We desire that God would use us and tend to people’s fires and grow them, so all of God’s saints can be on fire for Him, both foreign and domestic.

As the English Hymn and good ole camp song goes:

Lord the light of your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness shining

Jesus light of the world shine upon us

Set us free by the truth you now bring us

Shine on me, shine on me

Shine, Jesus shine

Fill this land with the Father’s glory

Blaze, Spirit blaze

Set our hearts on fire

Flow, river flow

Flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth your word

Lord and let there be light

Lord I come to your awesome presence

From the shadows into your radiance

By the blood I may enter your brightness

Search me, try me, consume all my darkness

Shine on me, shine on me

*Coming soon: “Stoking the Fire” is the title for our newsletters

An example was given to us is class with the passage Ephesians 2:8-9.

“…By grace you have been saved through faith…”

If someone were to get definitions via an Internet dictionary, they might find the following:

Grace- a lady down the road, earned favor, elegance of form, mercy

Saved- rescue, keep, to avoid spending

Faith- something you believe in really badly, confidence, belief on something without proof, belief in anything

(Fill in the blanks)

“… By ________________ you have been ________________ through _______________”.

“…Take nothing for granted.”-Dr. Howard Hendricks. We need to learn how to approach everyone from this standpoint. We were challenged to change our evangelism, not only on the foreign field but also here in America. I don’t want to get too preachy, so I will stop here J the point is: There must be proper communication to bring about true change.

I (Nicole) am ministering with Mary Ellis at Laclede County Jail. We are teaching through the book Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, which takes an all-inclusive approach to the Bible and its historical context. We get to meet with the ladies for about an hour. There has been as little as three women to eight at a time. Each week is different. Most of these ladies are in jail for drug related offenses. Camdenton area is the meth (crystal meth) capital of Missouri. This drug has caused A LOT of harm to the people here, and has ensnared them in a lifestyle that is very hard to break free from. It has been really exciting to see these women engage in the Word of God and make it their own. Many of the women have a general understanding of the Bible but have a big disconnect when it comes to application of the Truth. Mary and I are trying to find ways to make more application for these ladies. Two weeks ago I shared my testimony with the ladies and this seemed to really encourage them that there is hope to break free from the chains of addictions. I am really excited to see how God continues to use Mary and I in this jail. Mary and I will alternate the teaching, and this week will be the first time I get to teach the ladies. PRAY for me, as I have never taught a lesson to more than one person at a time. I do get nervous. PRAY for the ladies as they await a court visit, to hopefully get treatment for their drug addictions, and to get out (in God’s time) and be on bench parole. Also, PRAY that Mary and I can convey Truth in a way that it impacts these ladies at their core beliefs, and causes them to change at a worldview level(a set of personal beliefs in which they interpret life in both their inward thoughts, and outward actions).

I (Seth) am ministering with Jim Turek and Jamin Peck at Camdenton County Jail. Together, we get opportunities to build relationships with the inmates, through Prayer, Bible studies, and spending time with them. These men are our brothers in Christ; they are going through daily struggles just like we all are. We are given time with them, to encourage, challenge, and love them. Some of these men came to the saving knowledge of Christ in jail, and others are learning to make their faith real in jail. There are so many parallels with these men and Paul, which is why we are going through one of the prison epistles (Ephesians). It seems God has allowed this epistle to come at the right time for these men to minister to them in their struggles. Right now we are in chapter 4 talking about the unity of the body and how this is possible with the strength that came from chapter 3! Love is something we all must learn to grow in, that is why the scripture says, “to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled”.  This is a never ending process we all are growing in, and as men, our culture/media looks down at men being lovers, men are suppose to be stoic and “tough”. Last week I challenged them to be different! To love everyone as Christ and Paul loved everyone, that is what God is teaching us in Ephesians. PRAY for these men, they are at a crucial point in their life and learning how to “live out” their faith.

E-equipping

-(Through)

L-listening

I-interacting

N-nurturing

C-challenging

This is almost like a small group, but with a more purposeful focus. We (Rachel Myers, Crystal McGrath, Rachel Neville, Mike & Kristi Day, Jeremy & Mandy Hambrice, Jon & Adie Leedahl, and us!!) get together in this group with two facilitators (leaders): Dave & Laura Percy and Keith & Angela Duncan, two times a week. They orchestrate the meetings in a way so that we can get to learn about one another, and learn from one another. We all get together and talk about what God is teaching us and what we are taking from the classes we are in, as well as our involvement in church and outreach ministries.

Nicole and I are falling in love with each and everyone person in this group. We are learning so much from everyone and are becoming close friends. We get together way more than that allotted time; we also get together for dinner, games, and of course coffee!!!!! We see God using this group to make life-long friends.

It’s an epidemic! PRAY that we stay health! Nicole caught a little something and I got it pretty hard last week with all these people traveling carrying their diseases with them down here. There are quite a few of us living in close-confines with one another and this encourages sickness to strike! The second week of school, last week, and this week it seemed that everyone was dropping like flies! Classes looking like they turned into a ghost town; a nasty fever, upset stomach, and sore throat attacked the compound and many people were hit, even little ones (your heart goes out for the infant that suffers).

We hope we saw the last of it, and pray we are not in the “eye of the storm” where the second wave will soon attack.

Classes are going great! We are learning a lot! So far we had Culture Language Acquisition (CLA): where you learn how to talk, relate and live like a certain culture, even here in the U.S. We just finished Worldview Analysis, and that class challenged us in how we approach someone before we ever speak! (Proverbs 8:13). We were challenged to focus on the heart of the matter like Jesus did with the lady at the well (John 4:4-30). Our teacher used questions to attack the heart of the matter: true worship, no distinctions between people before God, eternal things not temporal, and so much more!!!!! We are currently in Foundational Bible Teaching (FBT) and Love and Respect. The latter is known by most, and how it focuses on the principles of Ephesians 5:33(more to come on this topic). FBT is the system on which the Missions organization focuses its strategy for evangelism. The teaching really stresses the need for a solid foundation because of the syncretism that takes place within the mind of an animist (spirit worshipper/manipulator) to add Jesus to their list of many “gods” if their slate is not per se “wiped clean”, and THEN started the missionary can being built up anew. The focus is God and His centrality in the entirety of the Bible. To focus on God not the people of the Bible; Noah found favor in God’s sight, yes, but God was the one who sought Him out, provided a way for the righteous and Judges the wicked Righteously. The people within the Bible are there to relate to and make a personal application, but the focus always is and should be, God. God is the Eternal Creator, Preserver, Judge, Faithful Friend, Persistent Pursuer of man and so much more!

Neither Nicole nor I would be considered “farming” people. We would probably be considered “city folk”. We are currently attending Bethel Community Church in Kansas, which is about a 2 and a half hour drive from the training center one way. Its slogan on the billboard and website says “its worth the drive”, and they are no kidding. Pastor Greg Stine is a close friend with our home Pastor, Kurt Skelly. Pastor Stine is an excellent expositor and we are being blessed by his teachings. He and his family are especially blessing us along with the other church families who are making us feel at home and welcomed; however, we really miss our home church though!

We are growing in love for the people of this church, we are getting to know them and learning about what life on the farm is like. We had chances to; milk both cows and goats, collect eggs, feed many animals, see cows giving birth aka “calving” (a first experience for both of us), and we got to play with various other animals (I never realized how loveable a baby lamb was). We are loving the church and it makes us feel at home, please continue to PRAY for our car as it is a 5hr round trip on Sunday.

P.s. I (Seth) got to start a basketball camp for the kids at the church, and I am loving this time with the kids and having fun while doing it!

What is this?! A foreign language? No, these are the four basic learning styles we are going through in our “Learning Styles” class.

A-Abstract

C-Concrete

S-Sequential

R-Random

Would you believe Nicole and I do not share the exact same learning style?!  We do not have the same outlook (global/analytic), or even share the same “way” we learn (audio, visual, kinesthetic). We are pretty much opposites and this class has helped us out tremendously to see how one another learns, process, and relate to life. This has improved our marriage and communication so much! We are learning to live in light of how God made us perfectly different and unique for one another. How we can best compliment and build up one another despite our apparent opposing styles. They aren’t opposing they are gifts!