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History of True Disciples Part 7

History of True Disciples Part 7

Leaving my job, I drove down the mountain with not a notion as to where I was going or as to what I was going to do. I didn’t have many belongings, but I did have a Pitbull that went about everywhere with me. I guess that was my only limitation. Since I had no specific direction, and no emergencies, I stopped by to visit my sister who lived in Sweetwater, Idaho at the time. We visited, and I explained a little about what I was up to. In the conversation, she mentioned that she had an extra room if I wanted to stay with her for a while. That made sense and on top of that, she had no pet restrictions.

Searching for what I was “supposed” to do, returning to college came to mind.   Maybe I did not give it enough thought, however, not wanting to waste time, I signed up for some classes.  Soon after, I received a phone call from the leader of the Work and Witness team that had gone to Honduras the year before.  I was surprised to hear Bob Shea’s voice, and even a little more taken back by the conversation. He was putting another team together to return to Honduras with the objective of finishing the church building that we worked on. He was asking if I would be interested.

Of course, it seemed like a nice thing to do, but I just did not want to go.  I enjoyed the first trip, but you know, once was enough, “I had other things to do.” However, he continued to call, expressing the need for a welder.  They were going to put up the roof structure and needed a welder on the team.  I still didn’t want to go. But he called again, and then again, insisting that I should go. Eventually, it was my brother who convinced me: “Oh, go ahead and go.  You can pick up your classes when you get back.”  The next time Bob called, I said “okay.”

Back then, you had to mail in your passport to obtain a visa to enter Honduras.  I mailed in the passport and days went by.  We did not have a lot of time to lose as the date for the trip was rapidly approaching. As the departure date drew near, I called Bob: “Hey Bob, God has spoken.  The U.S. mail has lost my passport.”  He wouldn’t hear of it. He responded: “Why don’t you come on over to Spokane, and we can go to the immigration office in Seattle and get a new passport.  

I still don’t know exactly how he did it, but I met him at the airport, and he handed me the new passport with the visa stamped in it. We were on our way to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  It was January 1983. 

From the beginning, the trip just felt different.  I can’t explain what I mean by that, but it was different.  Upon arrival, we got settled down in the Las Colinas Church in Tegucigalpa, the same place we stayed the year before. We had the option of sleeping on foam mats on the floor or on the church benches.  I don’t remember anyone complaining. 

One night I had a dream.  In that dream we were working on the Pedregal Church which was situated on something of an elevated area close to the airport. I envisioned that I was at the East side in the sanctuary, looking towards the open double door to the west.  The sun was setting, making it difficult to see clearly.  However, I could make out the silhouette of missionary Paul Jetter standing in the doorway. It was easy to know it was him as he is very tall and thin. In that dream state, I walked over to where he was and said: “Hey, I’ll stay and finish this if you want.”  Then I woke up.  That was it. 

It was strange, but I didn’t think much of it until a couple days later when Paul stopped to talk as we were leaving for work. That conversation was about as strange as the dream.  He just kind of got on with it: “Hey, you don’t suppose you could stay and help me for a while?”  My immediate response was: “What? Well, no, I have things to do.”  While in all actuality I had no concrete plans; “I just happened to have things to do somewhere else.”  Nevertheless, Paul went on to explain as to how he was the only missionary in the country and then went down a long list of his responsibilities.  I guess I just didn’t see where I fit into that scheme. 

Over the next few days, I could not help but think as to how strange it was for Missionary Paul to invite me to stay without really knowing me.  Oh, I had been with him and the others for a couple of weeks the year before, but that certainly wasn’t enough to get to know someone.  I tried to put it all out of my head as our departure day approached.  

Just like the year before, all the team members had worked hard for two full weeks, however the church was still not quite complete.  We did get the roof on so that was a big step but there were many details left.  The day before our departure, we were picking things up after work.  I had brought my own welding tools with me and was in the process of packing all that stuff up in a big duffel bag.  As I knelt on one knee, placing everything in the bag, I happened to look over my shoulder.  There it was, just exactly as I had seen it in the dream. 

The sun was setting, but I could make out Missionary Paul’s silhouette in the open-door frame.  I could hardly believe it as it was so exact.  I knew once again I had a choice.  I could do the logical thing and get on the plane with everyone else the next day, or I could continue the journey that God was laying out for me.  None of it made a lot of sense right then, but I did know I had to decide. 

I got up from where I had been gathering my stuff and walked over to where Paul was.  I supposed it would be better to just stick to the script: “Hey, I’ll stay and finish this if you want.”  He thought that was a great idea.  The next day, everyone got on the plane except me.  I went back to work on the church. 

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

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History of True Disciples – Part 6

History of True Disciples – Part 6

Two weeks after giving notice, I loaded my few belongings in the back of the pickup and headed down the mountain.  Leaving a good job that I liked, did not appear to be too logical, however it seemed like the thing I was supposed to do.  I certainly did not have extensive, profound biblical knowledge, but over the course of a couple of years I had learned enough to conclude that “following God is precisely the most logical, common-sense thing a guy can do.” To be a true disciple of Jesus, you had to listen and respond.  Discipleship is not a sedentary vocation. This passage from the book of John explains that we should not fool ourselves: (James 1:22) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

It is probably one thing to allow others to fool us once and a while.  I mean, people can be tricky and any of us can fall into the trap at one point in time or the other.  However, it is disillusioning when someone does trick us into believing something that is just not true.  After something like that happens, you often feel betrayed and cheated.  But if we are the ones that are fooling ourselves, all the negativity just multiplies.  We need to be able to count on ourselves while we trust in God’s Word.

A person might be uneasy or a little anxious when they feel God calling them to a task.  In fact, I believe that to be a very common response, but there are plenty of accounts in the Bible where those who decided to follow God’s guidance were called to carry out endeavors that from a secular perspective, appeared to make little or no sense at all.  However, biblical history repeatedly conveys the blessings of “walking with the Lord.” Think about it; Moses could have focused on being a “good Egyptian,” while profiting from his royal status in Egypt, enjoying delectable cuisine, excellent education, nice designer clothes, surrounded by servants attending to his every whim and need. 

After many years of affluent and pampered existence in the palace, Moses could have enjoyed the option of dying upon an exceedingly comfy bed along with the subsequent pleasure of being buried in an extraordinarily luxurious tomb. But he didn’t do that.  He first took on the vocation of an exile, then a shepherd, before accepting God’s challenge to free the Israelites from slavery. In the name of Jehovah, the Sovereign God of Creation, he took on the most powerful man in the known world.

It was a daunting, almost impossible task to lead God’s Holy nation to the Promised Land, but Moses did.  At times, it appeared to be the most thankless, undertaking that a person could imagine.  No more had Moses led them out of enslavement to the Red Sea, and the people began to complain.  They continued to complain for the next 40 years as they wandered around in the desert. 

Nevertheless, just think of the life adventure Moses was blessed with.  Of course, there were trials, suffering, tribulation, etc. but the blessings far outweighed the challenges. Moses walked before the Lord, taking directions directly from God in a way that brought God to call him “his friend.”

Now, you might be thinking; “Yeah, but after all that, Moses did not get to enter the Land of Milk and Honey.  That is true.  Because of a spontaneous act in a weak moment of almost justifiable human disobedience, God did not allow him to cross the Jordan.  Moses had to leave that privilege to his disciple, Joshua.  However, after his long life of challenge, adventure, trial, and blessings, he evidently made it to the real promised land as we read in the book of Matthew:  

​1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-3)

No doubt if we could ask Moses today, if he wished he would have stayed in Egypt, the answer would be a resounding “no.” Most certainly he was much better off by attending to God’s calling, living out the adventure that God had prepared for him while looking forward to eternal peace with his Creator which he is presently enjoying.

You know, life is difficult no matter how you stack it. That has been the design since we left Eden.  The struggle on the way back to Eden is what gives life meaning.  Without any challenges, or opportunities to venture into the unknown, life tends to fall into predictable routine, and become redundant.  Yes, we need to understand that there will be challenges and those challenges can turn into adventure if we allow it to happen.  Yes, life should be lived as an adventure worth experiencing in an attitude of great expectation.  And you know, there is no one better to lead you on that adventure journey than God himself. 

I am afraid that many people miss the adventure that God has prepared for them. 

Only looking back after the passing of so many years and experiences as testimony,  am I able to  believe I may make the following statement: “In January of 1983, God would provide me with an opportunity to embrace the privilege of taking another step in the adventure journey he had prepared for me.”

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History of True Disciples Part 5

History of True Disciples Part 5

After that first mission trip to Honduras, it became crystal clear that God had intervened to resolve a large portion of my financial challenges.

At the same time, if you remember, I had a particular problem with a certain beverage. A lot of studies have been done over addictions, the causes, and the cures. However, it is apparent that a person must have a strong desire to change for anything positive to occur. I truly believe that God will and does help us as we go along life’s journey, but He most certainly will not invade an area of our lives that we do not give up to him. Nor is He willing to do for us that which is our own responsibility. Sometimes we must act drastically to resolve issues in life.

It became obvious that I needed to separate myself from certain environments to overcome the challenges that were before me. The logging contractor I was working for gave me permission to use an old shed on skids which was on his property outside of town. There was no running water or indoor bathroom facilities, but I did get a light bulb hung up after a fashion. A friend loaned me a little wood stove, and I could take a shower at the office down the hill, so I was all set. It wasn’t exactly the best situation as the fire would usually go out in the night and it would get cold, even to the point of freezing sometimes, but I could get by. I needed to distance myself from the influences that facilitated and even encouraged the consumption of the bubbly, golden nectar; “aka, beer and the like.”

At that time, logging was a booming industry. I decided to stay in the little cabin/shed to save money, stay away from the pub, work as much as I could and pay off the remaining bills. Some friends had urged me to take out bankruptcy even before I had sold the houses, but I had read enough Bible by then to know it wasn’t the thing to do. Every month, I would concentrate on one outstanding bill, pay it off and throw the paperwork in the stove. I just did not spend on anything else except food.

In December 1982, I paid the last bill. What a feeling to be debt free. I was still making a good salary and had learned to live in a frugal manner. Once you have the basics covered, there is time for other endeavors. When you are not focused specifically on survival, other emotions have permission to infiltrate the thought processes. I began to dream a little about future possibilities.

I was standing outside on the crisp snow-covered ground, leaning on the tires of a low-boy trailer that was used for hauling big equipment. It was a sunny day with the sun reflecting off the snow. Despite the 20-degree temperature, you could wander about in shirt sleeves and feel comfortable. Leaning on those tires, I began to contemplate the future. “Mmmm… making good money, not spending, could save up and then do this or that, etc.” The future looked inviting. Then I heard a “No.” Oh, I don’t know if it was audible or not, but I heard it. No one else was around to back me up.

I understood the voice saying, “No, you are going to leave this place.” I didn’t understand why or where I was supposed to go specifically, but I understood the message. So, I did the natural thing and began to argue the case. “I had quit bad habits, was going to church regularly, liked my job, etc. etc.” No one argued back. But I could not get the “No,” out of my head. I could see the discipleship curriculum diagrams which described the connection between the spirit and soul functions, floating around in my head. I understood the battle, and I understood it was my decision, responsibility, and privilege to act accordingly.

I walked down the hill and explained to the owner that I would be leaving in a couple of weeks. He wanted to know why. I didn’t have the courage to say, “God spoke to me.” So, I just said it was time to do something else. Two weeks later, I loaded up my few belongings and headed off the mountain to some place, but I did not know where. I had not a clue as to what I was doing. I only knew why. Well, I certainly am not a prophet and don’t mean to compare myself with any of the biblical personalities. But I could not help but think of the passage in Genesis where God is calling Abram:

​ “The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) God just spoke to Abram, telling him what he needed to do. He did not provide many details other than he should pack up and leave what he was comfortable with, that place where he felt safe. God would show him where he needed to go.

It appears that is how faith works. We will move upon God’s direction in accordance with our own conviction. It is obviously one thing to believe in God, and another thing to “believe God.” The Word explains: “ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

In occasions like these, we must ask ourselves if we truly believe that God has our best interest at heart. If we are convinced that God wants what is best for us, we must know that He has a plan, realizing that in His sovereignty, He can equip us for the journey as he leads us every step of the way.

“ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:23)

It becomes evident that God is man’s friend. However, the question that arises is: “Am I God’s friend?”

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History of True Disciples Part 3

History of True Disciples Part 3

Attending church wasn’t exactly my favorite thing but it seemed like the thing to do. Then, in June they decided to have an outdoor service in the woods. Pastor Dan’s pastor preached but I can’t recall much of what he said except for that; “without God, you. are not complete. Without God, you have an empty place that you will try to fill with something else and that never works.” That part made a lot of sense. After he got through preaching, they asked if anyone needed that void filled. In book of Romans, it says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Well, I knew I had sinned plenty, so it was easy to see what he was talking about. I cannot say I understood everything said, but it made sense when he explained that if we wanted to be “whole,” we needed God and the way to come to him was through Jesus Christ. I stood up and they prayed for me. I didn’t feel anything. No lights came on and no bells went off. I just came into agreement that I was going to walk with God. A couple of weeks later, Preacher Dan asked me what I thought of the decision I had made that day at church out in the woods. I had no knowledgeable reply, so he did his best to explain it. I remember him asking something like: “If a log fell on you tomorrow, would you go to heaven?” I thought about that one for a minute before responding with a resounding: “Mmmm…I don’t know about that.” You see, I still wasn’t perfect by a long shot. I tried to explain all that to him without going into a lot of detail. He went on to explain; “You belong to God. You were adopted by Him through the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. You are saved by grace, not by doing good stuff. You cannot be ‘good enough’ on your own. It is a gift you do not deserve, but God has given it to you.” That all sounded too good to be true, but he appeared to be certain that was the way it works, and it did kind of clear some things up. I did not have to work my way to God. He called me, I answered, and now I belong to him. That was good; I could continue with that foundation. However, as you have no doubt noticed, most positive things in life are not automatic or easy. Somehow, over the years, I had developed something of an irresistible fondness of a certain, cool, golden nectar that was peddled in the bar side of Headquarters Bar and Cafe. It was common that I would stop by the Headquarters Bar and Café to have dinner after work. Of course, the pool hall was in the bar. That was kind of a complication. As far as diversion, there was absolutely nothing to do in Pierce, Idaho during the 1970’s. There were only two or three boring channels on television which all went off air about 8:00 p.m. leaving you to stare at a snowy screen. Inevitably, after dinner, a friend would invite you to play a game of pool. It seemed like the natural thing to do. Then, someone would buy you a glass of “golden nectar.” It would be an insult to turn it down, so you drank it. Before you knew it, they were closing the establishment at 1:00 a.m. You needed to be at work at 6:00 a.m. so that wasn’t good. After one such occasion, I was welding something at the contractor’s shop. I happened to look down to see a couple of preacher-type shoes standing right beside me. I cautiously lifted the welding hood only to find the preacher in those shoes. I did the polite thing and momentarily stopped what I was working on to shoot the breeze. Somewhere along the conversation, Dan made the comment: “Hey, I noticed your pick-up on main street really early this morning.” One thing I was never good at was making stuff up, so it just kind of came out: “Yeah, and if you had looked inside, you would have found me and my dog. I fell off the wagon and that is where we spent the night.” He didn’t say much for a minute before sharing: “Yeah, I had the same problem. You just need to keep working on it.” He didn’t chastise me, read me some rules, or run me out of the church. However, he did let me know that for obvious reasons, I needed to be working on that aspect of life. So, I did. Like I say, nothing is automatic. Somethings take a lot of effort and some time. Sometimes, progress demands radical decision and action. But it is always good to know you have someone on your side.
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History of True Disciples Part 4

History of True Disciples Part 4

Pastor Dan answered the phone. After a short conversation, he caught the receiver: “Hey Dana we are going to Honduras with some people from other churches to build a church. Do you want to go?” I glanced up from the Field and Stream magazine to reply; “Uh, yeah, okay.” It was 1981.

Where Honduras was, I had not a clue. Nor did I have any idea as to why they would be going there to build a church. With time I understood that it was part of a volunteer, short-term missions program of the Church of the Nazarene. A group of 10 to 15 people would get funding together, travel to a mission field somewhere and help the national people build their church.

When I agreed to go, I had not considered that the trip was going to cost around $1,000.00 which was substantial money at that time. Also, my financial situation had changed considerably. It is a complicate story that doesn’t matter now. Despite the fact that I had a good paying job; I had accumulated debt, along with two properties that I could not sell or rent. If you are old enough to remember, the late 70’s and early 80’s was a difficult financial period for all.

However, when the plane left for Honduras, I was on it with a bunch of people I did not know. That was a little difficult to begin with as I was not used to, or much liked being around a lot of people. We landed in the capitol city of Tegucigalpa in January 1983.

We worked long hours for a couple of weeks. It was a different situation back then as most of the team members were either farmers, mechanics, builders, or had some other skilled vocation. Most everyone had the ability to work with their hands on some aspect of the construction. Also, a number of the men were WWII veterans. No one seemed to mind working long hours or living in somewhat uncomfortable situations. Some of their wives were able to cook good meals in the make-shift kitchen. Everyone slept on mats on the floor in one of the churches and you heard no complaints.

The two weeks went rapidly, and a lot had been accomplished. The building was far from being completed but we were out of time. All got on the plane satisfied with the experience, feeling as though they had served the Lord in some capacity. We had also been exposed to the mission field and had been able to meet folks in the churches. The experience had been good. However, on the return flight at 30,000 feet, while staring at clouds through the window, I began to contemplate my situation.

The thoughts bounced around somewhere in the back of my mind: “I had just spent about $1,000.00 that I did not necessarily have. Mortgage payments on top others were waiting as were other bills. While listening to the rhythmic hum of the engines, I tried to envision what the next few months were going to look like. It didn’t look too good.

We got off the plane and I made my way to my sister’s house in Lewiston, Idaho where I had left my pickup. I needed to get back up the mountain to work. As I asked her for the keys, she handed me an envelope explaining that I might want to go talk with the real estate agent before leaving town as my house on Prospect Avenue had sold. The house had been on the market for 9 months without a single call. The market was in a slump. It seemed strange that I no more than got off the plane and the house was sold.

The next Sunday in Church at Pierce, a young couple approached me: “We have noticed that your house in the Pine’s Addition has been vacant for quite a while. Is there anyway we could get into it?” It didn’t take me too long to reply: “There sure is.” That house had been on the market for over a year.

In less than two weeks after the trip to the mission field, two properties that absolutely would not move were sold and I had signed the papers. That was $970.00 every month in mortgage payments I would not be making.

It certainly was enough to make a guy think. Could it be?

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

(Matthew 6:33)

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History of True Disciples Part 2

History of True Disciples Part 2

Sitting there as the new ugly duck in the puddle, in that little white church, while everyone did the church stuff was uncomfortable. For one thing, I did not connect with the music. The piano led hymns were nothing like ZZ Top, or Carlos Santana so as you can imagine, all their well-prepared chorus and worship songs were out of my league. After a bit, they got to the preaching part. That was what I was waiting for. I needed an answer to life questions. No doubt the message was biblical and well conveyed. However, it was way over my head evidently as I just could not glean any revelation out of it. No huge answers invaded my soul, and I was anxiously ready to leave. But the preacher of a little white church with a handful of people, in a tiny burg of a logging community, was astute. Pastor Dan Swan had someone else take care of the closing prayer while he beat it to the door. Even though I was in the back row, close to the exit, he won. He was at the door to find out who I was, where I lived, and what I was about. Reverend Dan was able to squeeze a little information out of me before I was able to breathe the fresh mountain air just outside the building. As I walked across the lot, I could hear the gravel crunching beneath my logging boots as the lament rang in my head: “Wow, that was stupid, now that guy knows where I live and what I do. He will be after me like a Black and Tan Hound after a raccoon on a clear, moon-lit night. That preacher is going to do whatever he can to weasel out of me as much hard-earned cash as he can. Well, that isn’t exactly what happened. Two or three weeks had passed before he pulled up in his rusty, little Volkswagen station wagon. Right off the bat, that was the wrong car for that community. You see, the logging industry was good during the 1970’s and the Pierce people in charge of taking trees to the mill had money in their pockets. That meant you needed at least a nice pick up. I had a nice pickup and a cool jeep. It just did not appear as though the preacher was hauling in the cash. He pulled up in front of the house and got out of his car as I reluctantly shut the lawn mower off and walked over to the curb. We visited for a while, you know, just shooting the breeze, nothing serious. As he drove off, I was thinking: “No wonder that guy has such a small congregation. He doesn’t know what he is doing. He did not have his Bible under his arm, and he did not ask me why I had not been back to his church.” That was odd. But he was odd. He started appearing at the Headquarters Bar and Café at 5:00 a.m. That is when everyone would show up heading out to work. That is where people told big stories, used excessive bad language, and smoked Camel and Marlboro cigarettes. There was a constant bluish hue smoke cloud lazily wafting about to the rhythm of the clientele’s movement. Today, they call that second-hand smoke. Back then, we just called it smoke. It was extremely perplexing because anyone could tell you that preachers do not need to get up that early for one thing. They only work on Sunday. Also, they should not be in that environment, you know, where regular people hang out. Then, I began to see him at the NAPA parts store. That part wasn’t too difficult to figure out; I supposed that he had taken on a second job obviously to compliment the paltry offerings. Being a mechanic, I frequented the NAPA store so visited with him from time to time. Then he would show up at the shop once and a while. He began to appear to be a normal, easy-going guy. I kind of felt bad that he did not have a huge gathering at his little white church. So, Sunday mornings, I started visiting the little white church on the corner, in Pierce, Idaho just to add one more to his attendance sheet.
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History of True Disciples Part 1

History of True Disciples Part 1

Blessed beyond measure would be a description of my life. Not to say I have a bunch of gold in the coffers or anything like that, or that I have had an easy ride for that matter. Nevertheless, I have been blessed with a life of adventure that I would not trade for anything. Sometime back as we were talking about history and happenings, I asked my friend Chad Wilks: “Do you know anyone who has lived a lifelike mine?” He was quiet for a while before he responded: “No, I can’t think of anyone who has lived a life like yours.” Sometimes things happen that you just cannot explain. You see, I walked into a church on an Easter Sunday Morning, I believe it was 1979. A lot of people might do something like that, but then I found myself on the mission field in 1983. I have kind of been there since. Not many people do that. I hadn’t gone to any seminary or taken missiology classes. I just ended up on the Mission field. One day, I was a welder, mechanic for a logging contractor in the little mountain community of Pierce, Idaho, and the next day I was a missionary in Honduras, Central America. Only God does things like that. And over the last four decades, time and time again, I have seen God do what no human being could have done. That is what I mean by “blessed beyond measure.” You have heard the testimonies of probably a 100 people as to how they came from the dark to the light, so I won’t go into much background stuff. You already know the story and I will not bore you with mine. How’s that? But you must start someplace, so I guess I will start with the sign out front. Pierce, Idaho only had about 900 habitants at the time. That might provide you with an idea as to the size of the community. You could not get lost and had driven all the gravel streets several times. I had cruised by that little white church without paying much attention on several occasions I suppose. There was one thing did catch my eye, however. They had a sign out front. There was a pigeon with fire coming out the backside, flying into an open book. I thought that was interesting but had not a clue as to what they were trying to get across. I supposed the book would be the Bible, but the bird had me perplexed. The sign also had written around the edges: “Church of the Nazarene.” I supposed that was the name, but it didn’t communicate much to someone who did not know what “Nazarene” was. Painted on the sign, above the book, was written: “Holiness unto the Lord.” That made sense. I could remember a few things from Sunday School, and I knew that God was Holy, Holy, Holy. I could go with that. Anyway, obviously whoever painted that sign did not understand how to communicate with people who did not attend church. The “welcoming message” just did not come across. But you know that Easter Sunday morning, way back in the 1970’s I walked right into that church and sat in the back row, close to the door in case of the need for an emergency exit. Only God does things like that. That was a start. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:44)
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Speaking with Boldness

Speaking with Boldness

Reading these passages, we see Peter and John had just ministered to a man who had been lame from birth. After being healed, this man jumped to his feet walking and praising the Lord. When the religious leaders of that time heard of what had taken place and the fact that Peter and John were sharing the news of Jesus, they became afraid and jealous. They caught the disciples up, held something of a trial and put them in jail for the night. Then, they threatened the apostles before allowing them to go. Of course, after being released, Peter and John returned to “their people” to share the news, to praise the Lord and pray. In a situation like that, you could probably think that they would have prayed for safety, but that simply was not the case. In chapter 4, verse 29, we can see as to how they prayed that day: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Today, Christians are obviously being threatened and censored. We are, indeed being threatened by “religious leaders and their followers.” However, these people are not Christians, but followers of Baal. For reference’s sake, you see, from time to time, the Israelites turned their back on the Lord to worship Baal, the god of fertility, the pagan god of another nation. While carrying out this evil act of worship, they participated in perverse sexual acts, and if that were not enough, sacrificed children to the fire at the altar of Baal. The Israelites probably sacrificed hundreds if not thousands of their children. Where do you suppose we are today? Our society promotes perverse, unnatural sexual behavior while having sacrificed 60,000,000 unborn, innocent children as well. It is time to plead with God to give us the power to speak His Word with boldness. And as he gives us that ability, we need to go out and do it without compromise. In vs 4:18 we can see the spirit of Peter and John as they responded to the religious leader’s threats: “But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!”
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Shantelle’s Trip

Shantelle’s Trip

For much of my life, I had dreams and aspirations of becoming a Developmental Psychologist. Summer of 2014, my mom and I were convinced by Dana Benscoter that some children in Honduras would enjoy learning to play the piano. As a 15-year-old, this was my first time leaving the country, and I had no intentions of working daily with kids in the future, because of my interest in studying brain development. I was hesitant to be with the kids, especially with the language barrier, but had experience working in children’s’ Sunday School at church so figured it wouldn’t be much different. Summer of 2015 changed all views I had for the plans of my life. Getting to know those children at the church in La Ceiba and teaching them the piano so they could express their love for Jesus through worship completely flipped my life upside-down. I knew I had to go back, but most importantly; this was when I realized God had a different plan for my life. I am currently in my third year of school at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID with the intentions of becoming a teacher. I attend Lewiston First Church of the Nazarene where I am fully supported with my love for both domestic and international missions. Summer of 2019 was my next time (and most recent time) back in Honduras after attending a few other mission trips with my church from back home. I’m grateful that Dana and Mirtza Benscoter are such supportive family friends who were willing to let me invade their home for much of June, July, and August. As expected, this summer gave me new insight and a more concrete vision for my life and my walk with Christ. I was given the opportunity to work with the teachers and students of the Evangelico Nazareno school in Calan. I have never seen a more God-fearing or respected group of individuals so dedicated to educating children. The students were inviting from day-one. Again, a big fear of mine was the language barrier, but these students helped solidify the fact that a love for Jesus isn’t anchored to one specific language or culture. The teachers and students were ready to make me feel welcomed and loved each day that I arrived. A major virtue of Evangelico Nazareno that stuck out to me was their partnership with people from all different states within the United States. I got to see the opportunities that were given to the children because of the generosity from individuals who hold child sponsorships. The students who are being sponsored are provided with uniforms for the school, a meal each day, and supplies/curriculum to help further their knowledge in many school subjects. True Disciples is a remarkable program that supports a number of schools and organizations in regions through much of Honduras. I saw the mission of True Disciples being lived out each day through Dana, Mirtza, and each of the employees at the school. They are making unbelievable change in not only student lives, but whole family lives as well. God calls us to make disciples of ALL nations, and I couldn’t think of an organization who better represents their ability to do so. I’m abundantly thankful for opportunities provided to me this summer to not only further my experience as a teacher, but to meet incredible people who are doing incredible work in the Kingdom of God.
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Honduras Mission Team returns from Life-changing Trip!

Honduras Mission Team returns from Life-changing Trip!

A short-term mission team of twenty-seven people from both the Piqua and Troy Campuses of The Valley Church went to the North Coast of Honduras as part of our on-going partnership to build the church, change lives and encourage the people of this area.


During their 8-day work trip, the team delivered Children’s Bibles, purchased with the money you gave just a few weeks ago through our crowdfunding effort called Bibles for Niño’s, to the local schools. They also provided much-needed school supplies to those same schools, held a two-night Vacation Bible Adventure, and worked on a new church building in La Confianza.


The trip was filled with God-moments as the team visited three of our partner churches in La Ceiba, Saba, and La Confianza. Our relationships continue to grow with the pastors, their families, the church members, and the local community. Many lives were impacted and changed on this trip, both Honduran and from our team.


Highlights of the trip included a weekend with Maximo Missions, a mission team of young adults from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. These young adults traveled as far as 35 hours on buses to come to the training center we helped build a few years ago in La Ceiba. After arriving, they were able to have a very powerful weekend evangelizing, praying, praising the Lord, and teaching children through a Vacation Bible Adventure.  They blessed the community around the church by sharing needed supplies to them.  Our team joined with the nearly 100 member Maximo Mission team, and we were all blessed and encouraged to serve together, truly experiencing the passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”.

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