I want to invite you to be with us for our first year anniversary Celebration here at Vision. God has been so good to us. He has allowed us to see several people saved and baptized. He has allowed us to grow to an average of 115 in attendance and to give more than $140,000 in Faith Promise Missions giving. He has allowed us as a church to see His Hand mightily on us and I want to invite you to come and celebrate with us.
I hope you will be praying for Jeff Bush and the need in Argentina. Here is the latest letter that he sent out:
Yesterday we took up the “Sacrificial Love Offering” that the church had been praying about through the month of January and February. The offering surpassed much more than we could have imagined - the total was $4,984.53. Amen!!! There were a couple more families that said that they will be giving their gift next week. Besides this offering, the church takes up a special offering every Sunday morning and night for the new property and construction of the church building.
Praise the Lord for what God is doing and we encourage you to please help us in this need also. We were amazed and felt extremely blessed how the Lord is working in the hearts of our people here. We know that many do not make a lot of money and yet they are definitely sacrificing for something that they love. Would you please pray and consider helping with the $68,000 we need for the new church property here in Argentina? If you would like to help or are planning to help, please email us at bush@reachingall.com and let us know!
Well God really blessed today and all that I can say is how much I love Him and thank Him for what He is doing. I also thank you for all that you do to make this church be blessed and used of God. We have finished our last Sunday morning in February 2007. God gave us an average of 89 in this month for Sunday School and 112 for the church services. God has truly blessed us in this short time.
This morning it was raining hard and very dark outside. My faith was weak but I must say that God blessed and did more than I could ever have thought. Thank you for your faithfulness and the way you invite visitors.
Well we are two weeks away from Celebration Sunday and I sure hope that you are actively inviting people right now to be with us. This week I will share some of the plans for that day and I hope you will really be thankful for all that God has done in this past year.
Tonight we have the Wedding Vow Renewal service and lots of couples are excited about that. Also the Calvary Quartet is going to be with us. I look forward to seeing each of you.
Also don’t forget the couples retreat. It looks like more than 30 couples are planning on going and so I know that you will not want to miss this very special time. More information to follow in the next few days.
Well the Whites and the Montenegros are doing a great job here in Cochabamba. I am very impressed by what I see God doing. Last night we had 87 I believe and again there were several professions of faith. The place was packed out and people were sitting outside. I am hoping to get you some pictures when someone around here gets some to me.
Beth is an excellent hostess. I have been very impressed by the way she has cared so well for so many. As far as I am concerned my wife, Betty, is the greatest but Beth is trying to give her a run for her money. Thank you Beth for all the kindnesses you have shown to all of us that are here visiting.
My mother came through the surgery alright and I thank all of you that have called or written and those that have visited her and tried to be a blessing. I especially thank Emily Crabb for being so kind to take care of my sister, Felecia. Betty has also been a real trooper like she always is.
I can’t wait to get back home and see all that God is going to do on this special Sunday. The team is hard at work making this a very special day. I hope you will be there early and ready to see all that God is going to do. The wedding renewal service is going to be great. Well I love you and just wanted to keep you updated and so look forward to seeing you on Thursday evening
I just got the following email with two pictures and wanted you to see it:
Bro. Gardner,
We had 33 in attendance yesterday. Dr. Hamby preached, Lubabalo translated. I did all the in between stuff. It went pretty well. Sipho’s dad and mother came. That was a great for Sipho. We had several old ladies, the one older man, a few young men and women and some children. The thirty three is including all the white people that showed up. Corli, Clark and I, Dr. and Mrs. Hamby, and Corli’s mother and sister. So 26 Xhosa people were there. Lubabalo did much better with his message on giving this week. We worked on it alot. I gave him some things to study and then made him write out his entire message and preach it to me a couple of times and he shortened it to the length it needed to be.
No one got saved, no surrendering to missions but I think that we are growing together as a church team that will see God do great things soon! I really don’t care about the numbers but it is encouraging to see that people will actually come and that the guys are doing something to invite people.
Today has been one of those wild and crazy days. I am here in Cochabamba, Bolivia with Kevin and Beth White. They are doing a great job in their new church. God gave them over 60 people in the service tonight. I again had the privilege of preaching and there were more professions of faith. Beth is a tremendous hostess and a great wife for her husband. I am very proud of them.
I also had the privilege of seeing several folks from Arequipa that are here helping in the ministry for a while or were kind enough to make the trip over here during this meeting. Velda Salazar and Maria her mother came over. They are two of the finest ladies that I have ever known. I was privileged to be their pastor for a number of years and can’t think of a greater privilege. There are also several young people from Arequipa here helping as well.
Also Jorge and Jenny Montenegro are doing a tremendous job as they work in the church as missionaries sent out from the church in Arequipa. It is a real blessing to get to see people you know that God gave you a chance to have a small part in their lives doing such a great work for God.
The church had a great day with 89 in Sunday School, 106 in the morning service and then 68 tonight. I thank God for good friends like Tony Howeth that did such a great job today at Vision. God is moving in the lives of people and we are thrilled.
My mother is in the hospital with a broken hip and I am all the way on the other side of the world but we have such a great church that people are just picking up and helping like crazy. Emily Crabb took my sister home with her. Ryan and Crissy Murphy were the first to get to the hospital to visit my mother. Hugh and Elizabeth Watson were right there helping as always. Several let me know that they would be there for my parents. You are wonderful people and I thank God for Vision Baptist Church.
My mother will be operated on tomorrow morning at 8:30, Lord willing. I thank you in advance for your prayers. My dad is hurting about as bad emotionally as my mother is according to Betty. Thank you for encouraging them.
I thank God for the greatest wife in the world and the way she just takes care of everything. Though I am not there she is working like a wild woman to meet the needs of my parents. God blessed me with a wonderful wife for sure.
I am having a great time here in Bolivia but I still can’t wait to get back to you all and to my wife. I am the most blessed man that I know. No one could ask for a greater church. God bless you and thank you.
Today while I was here in Bolivia my mother arrived at the church and had a fall and broke her hip. She is currently in the hospital and will be having surgery this week. I just want to ask you to please pray for her and her health. I will not be able to be back in the country until Thursday so I thank all of you that will give her a call or visit.
I am very happy to see the work that Kevin and Beth White are doing here in Bolivia. Jorge y Jenny Montenegro from Arequipa are also here working with the Whites. Today in their Sunday morning services they had total of 73 with 3 professions. God is really using both couples. The church is only 6 months old.
I thank God that Vision has the privilege of supporting missionaries like the Whites and Lord willing we will be able to take on the Montenegros in our mission’s conference this year.
I also heard wonderful news from Vision today with the 106 in attendance and a wonderful message from Brother Tony Howeth. I thank God for each of you and look for each of you to be greatly used of God.
Well today is Trent and Stephanie Cornwell’s wedding anniversary. I am so excited that God allowed us to have such fine young people to lead our youth ministry. Trent’s heart for God and the ministry is wonderful. I thank God for the day I met this young man. I can’t be there so I want to ask you to love them especially for me.
Things are going well here and I am praising God for what He is doing here but I do miss you very much. I look forward also to seeing all of you for the service Thursday night when I get there and also for the last day of our family series on the 25th and especially for the wedding renewal service.
