Colorado Crossroads

Christmas 2011 Newsletter

2011-12-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Below is our Christmas 2011 newsletter- again the newsletter itself won't enlarge for reading so the content is below-I think blogger changed the way it is storing the files or something- or geez could it be me???

QUESTIONS

I just received an email from a friend that directed me to a youtube sight where the recent song “Where’s The Line To See Jesus” was sung.

If you haven’t heard this song I encourage you to listen to it. It is a challenging question for each of us in this season, a time when the commercialism, materialism, and many activities tend to pull us into their grasp. As I listened to this song the other question seemed to be – when we sit with Jesus what do we say or ask? That question really catches my attention as I examine the Christmas narrative. Will I come before Jesus as the Magi did?

Mat 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

or will I just present Him with my personal wish list?

There have been many times this year when we have had opportunities to explore profound questions with people. Questions like “How do you view God?”, “Who do you believe Jesus to be?”, “Do you know about the free gift that God desires to give you?”, and “What is a gift?”. These and other questions may come up at Coffee & Chat, the food and clothing pantry, camps, sitting at the bedside of a hospice patient, or any place when the Holy Spirit is opening the door.

As a volunteer chaplain with hospice, my first encounter with our patients/family is to inquire of their desire for Spiritual Care. Even when they decline Spiritual Care services, we make sure the door is always open in the future.

One patient who declined, within a few days called me to come as a volunteer to sit with and assist the patient for most of the day. So throughout the day we talked of his ranching, his career as a geologist, worked on his motorized wheelchair, had wheelchair races (he has 2), helped him with tours of his art gallery, worked on his rototiller, and talked about his struggle with believing in God. Meanwhile Mary was spending the day with his wife.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the mystery now manifested in His saints is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is why one of my prayers is to be invited back. Every time we step into a home, we know that Jesus is present and He will orchestrate a right time for the important questions to be raised.

Family News

We were so blessed to have both Jonathan and David with us for a week in October. It has been at least 7 years since we were all under the same roof . (Yes, Jonathan made it safely back from his motorcycle trip to Central America) We had a great time clay pigeon shooting and getting the compound bows out.

Jonathan worked so hard while he was here removing awnings, patching stucco and pressure washing the outside of the house in order to get it ready to paint this spring.

The next weekend I (Mary) met my sister Kathy in Albuquerque to bring Mom up to Colorado for the week. We had a great time and it went so fast. I think she was ready to go home as we had her running with all the things we do.

Then we were blessed again by getting to go to Alamogordo to spend Thanksgiving with family.

This is just a glimpse of why we can’t thank those of you who faithfully pray and faithfully give financially, enough for allowing us to be available 24/7 to bring the power of Christ’s redemption into life’s situations and homes in the frontier regions of SE Colorado.

Most of all thank you Jesus for your Gift to all who will believe!

Search and Rescue And Dancing With Jesus and Grace

2011-10-23T15:04:00.003-07:00

Below is our October 2011 Newsletter.

Please click on page- it will come up in a new window. If you will then click on that again it will enlarge so that you can read it!
For some reason it is not wanting to enlarge so the content of newsletter is below picture of newsletter
(will I ever get this computer stuff figured out????)

God continues to amaze us with His delightful and unusual ways of using His children - Hope you will enjoy reading a few of those unique encounters.

Search and Rescue

Labor Day Mary and I decided to take the day off and drive up to Cordova Pass at 11743 ft. elevation. This pass is closed because of snow more than it is open. Here you are in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks and the view is spectacular. Soon after beginning a short hike we heard a Sheriff’s deputy calling someone’s name. Wondering if we could be of help we circled back and met up with the deputy. He had determined the lost man was somewhere out on a ridge off to the right. We found out the lost man’s name (Tim) and said we would take the top of the ridge and try to intercept him. Without going into all the details, Mary and I found Tim out on the ridge. We chatted for a bit and then began leading him out of the woods. We soon met up with the deputy who had gotten a little turned around. On the way out Mary and I each asked Tim if he had been doing any praying while he was lost. We were hoping this would open up some conversation. Each time Tim just said “no”.

As we were coming out a deputy who does Search and Rescue showed up with a 4 wheeler. We made it back to the cars and the 2 deputies, Tim, and Mary and I were standing around talking. The deputies told Tim how “lucky” he was to have been found and brought to safety so quickly. They assured him they would have found him, but also explained that they have never had it happen so quickly.

As we talked, Tim turned to me and said “you know when you asked me if I was praying and I told you no. Well I want to tell you that I had a peace about the situation out there.” Mary interjected “well we were praying for you”. Tim went on to tell how when he has been in the area before, his cell phone has never worked, BUT it did today. It seemed to me like a great time to give thanks to God and I asked them if they would mind me praying with them. No one objected so we stood in the parking area of Cordova Pass and thanked God for His provision and care that day.

It is moments like that and many other situations that make InFaith a great name for our mission and what we do.

Dancing With Jesus and Grace

“Grace” has End Stage Alzheimer’s/Dementia and on my prior visits I have wondered if any ministry was actually taking place. But today we found “Grace” in her room and asked her about her pictures. You can’t understand most of what she is trying to say. Grace likes to hum and as we stood talking to her she began to hum. Mary listened close to try to figure out what she was humming. Being unsuccessful, Mary asked if she could sing Amazing Grace. She smiled. As Mary sang that and several other songs Grace took our hands and swayed with the music and smiled the biggest smile. That day there was no doubt that Jesus was in the midst of that room ministering to Grace.

We walked across the street to see “Joy”. As she came to the door and saw us she exclaimed “God sent you when I really needed you”! Not only has she lost her husband this year, but last month her sister who raised her passed and she was having a really rough day. For the next couple of hours we encouraged her with God’s words to us to comfort and strengthen us in times like this. We also talked about how He uses these situations in our lives to stretch us and equip us for what He has ahead of us.

Same Mission– New Name

The mission we serve with, which has been known in the past as The First Day Society, The Adult and Sunday School Union, The American Sunday School Union, and (most recently) American Missionary Fellowship, has changed its name to InFaith. As missionaries, we walk in faith daily, depending on the Lord to meet all our needs, and to place us exactly where He desires to use us each moment as we serve Him right here in the United States.

InFaith missionaries are called to a variety of ministries around the nation, but we are all united in our faith in Christ and our desire to tell others about Him. In changing our name, we have not changed our core theology, our day-to-day ministry, or our focus on the United States. We have simply changed the way we present ourselves publicly, in the hope that we can better communicate what we do as a mission.

Thank you for being such a vital part of this ministry with your prayers and support! We are so blessed to have you as part of the team!

We are Changing Our Name!

2011-09-09T17:19:00.003-07:00

Have you ever had the thought that you would like to change your name? Maybe something that had a little different ring to it or that you thought fit you better.

Well our ministry has not changed, but the mission that we serve with, American Missionary Fellowship, has changed its name to "InFaith." The mission continues to serve the Lord by bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people across the United States, as it has since 1817. In fact our ongoing effort to communicate the unchanging truth in a changing world is the primary reason for our name change. The new name is intentionally shorter and, we believe, more memorable. We pray it will open doors to growth for our mission and for the church in the United States.

We ask you to join us in prayer for the release of this name and for our mission to continue to reach many people with the good news of God’s sacrificial love as we walk in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We still need your support! Please help us spread the word that former American Missionary Fellowship missionaries continue to serve across the United States, now under the banner of InFaith.

The things you love about our mission—our people, our passion for serving Christ in the U.S., our
history, and our love for each other—remain

Mary and I will be using a new email address. Please change our email in your saved address book to bglidden@infaith.org

Email Problem Finally Fixed!

2011-08-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering why you haven’t seen an email from us in awhile. Well there were some changes made in our email and we were not able to get to our contact list until recently. But we are back and have a lot to share.

In one of our updates I talked about this area being categorized as “frontier” rather than rural. I should clarify this a bit in that that is true for most of the approximately 20000 square miles that we serve. The city of Pueblo (population approx.105,000) is on the north edge of our ministry area and is the closest town of any size to provide many of the essential needs.

Our ministry area is larger than 9 of the states in our country. This area takes in the counties of Alamosa, Baca, Bent, Custer, Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, and part of Pueblo.Some of you asked, after reading my encyclopedic update, “what are some of the challenges to ministry in a “frontier” area?”

One of the very obvious challenges is the distances of travel. That really boils down to amount of time spent traveling and cost to travel. This can make for some long days and as we are all aware the price of fuel is not cheap.

More later.

On June 4^th -7th we again were involved in the La Veta Rodeo Bible Camp. Mary was again involved with keeping the campers and staff well fed. I was asked to take on a different role this year as a team leader. This involved bringing devotions 2 times a day, and spending time one on one with a group of young men assigned to me. I also spent time watching them learn their particular events. Most of that watching was done while keeping the cattle moving into the chute for the team ropers. Being with them at their events at times gives insight as to possible individual needs. What a great time as we saw some accept Jesus as their Savior and others move closer in their relationship with Him.

In July we went to Alamogordo to close on our house in Tularosa (again). Thank you so much to all you who have been praying for this!

Kissing Camels at Garden of the Gods

Before we headed back to Colorado we picked up our 11 year old friend Ashton. He would join us for Junior High camp at Homestead Bible Camp. Ashton camped out with us for almost 2 weeks. He had never been to Colorado before so we showed him some sights in our area. He was surprised at all the vehicle time to get to places ( must be that Frontier thing again!)

This year we were blessed to be the Bible speakers at this camp, and spoke on being “Connected to God”. We got to speak to this great group of kids 6 times. Mary and I shared the times and again we saw some accept Jesus as Savior and many others deepen their “connection” with Him.

Prayer and Praise

In the course of a conversation with a recent high school graduate, about her plans for the future, Mary discovered that her reading level was very low. We already knew that another member of her family does not know how to read either. Mary is praying and talking to them about the possibility of letting her teach them. Would you be praying for this also. Satan wants to keep people in the darkness.
Also if anyone has taught adult reading please contact us with any helps or suggestions you may have!

Jonathan and Andreas have made it to Panama this past Saturday (Aug 27) and are making their way back up through the same countries they traveled to get to their destination. The trip has been awesome for them so far! Thank you for your prayers and please continue!

We are always in need of strong Christians to come along side us.
So many more opportunities for ministry are available, After school Bible club, teaching parenting skills, etc. The needs are so great- the opportunities abound- The rewards eternal!

June Newsletter

2011-06-24T21:10:00.006-07:00

We're having a problem accessing our email list of those who desire to receive the newsletter by email instead of snail mail. I (mary) am not sure how to remedy the problem and want to apologize. I am trying to work on it but if you know of others who may have mentioned they haven't heard from us would you give them this newsletter link to go to- Thank you! A prayer that I can access the very large number of email addresses would be appreciated too!

Below is our June 2011 Newsletter.

Please click on page- it will come up in a new window. If you will then click on that again it will enlarge so that you can read it! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to see what the Lord is doing in SE Colorado!

The Wild Frontier

2011-02-09T23:20:00.011-07:00

I thought I would share with you a fact that I recently learned about the area where we live and serve in ministry.
I keep telling you that we are in rural South East Colorado.
But I was informed recently that we are not rural, we are considered frontier.

Here is the definition that explains that determination:

Frontier areas are sparsely populated rural areas that are isolated from population centers and services. While frontier is sometimes defined simplistically as places having a population density of six or fewer people per square mile this does not take into account other important factors that may isolate a community.

What are some of the challenges facing frontier areas?

Answer: The isolation and distances that classify an area as frontier results in long trips to attend school, shop for groceries, get health care, and reach other basic services. Public transportation options are often limited or unavailable in frontier areas, making access to needed services difficult for low-income households, the elderly and disabled. Frontier areas face seasonal travel barriers that can make travel difficult. For those living in mountainous areas, some roads and passes may be closed in winter, leading to longer travel times. Residents may find that winter driving in the frontier extends travel times because they need to slow down to adequately account for road conditions and limited visibility. Flooding caused by melting snow and heavy rains can force the closure of main roads for unexpected and extended periods of time in both mountainous and flatland landscapes.

The economy in frontier areas is usually based on a few specific resources or activities and so are more at risk of downturns and boom-bust cycles. Tourism, farming, ranching, logging, and mining are some of the businesses that are common in rural areas. Frontier communities may be more vulnerable to less desirable sources of business income, such as nuclear waste disposal. Frontier areas where much of the land is federally owned may lack an adequate tax base to pay for needed services. (In SE Colorado most of the land is privately owned ranch land which is taxed but not at the level of residential property, leaving the counties with a low tax base for services).

This information is from the Rural Assistance Center website. My added comment in parenthesis.

My intention is not to bring you facts that you can add to your trivia bank. My desire is to give you something that forms a picture, a mural if you will, of the people and the challenges to ministry in this area. For the sake of keeping this update from getting too long I am going leave you with this info and let the Spirit of Jesus paint a picture in your mind.

Next update I will give you some snapshots to add to this mural.
Tonight I will also extend the invitation of “come and you will see” John 1:39.

Blessings

A little update from Mary-

Happy Birthday Sweet William!

Bill with his Mom and Dad this January

Christmas Newsletter

2010-12-17T10:13:00.008-07:00

Below is our Christmas newsletter. To view double click on the page- it will come up in a new window. Click once on page and it will be full window size for easy reading!

Merry Christmas!

A Week In New Mexico-

2010-11-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

After a week in New Mexico to take care of the house situation I, Mary am home. I sit here trying to figure out a way to concisely tell you of my week- I am not sure how successful I will be at the concise part!!

First, thank you so much for all the prayers that were prayed on my behalf. It is such a wonderful blessing realizing so many care and are praying for us!!

My week started with much of the same run around from different agencies, sheriffs dept., Magistrate court, etc. It seems no one really wants to deal with things like this so the buck is passed. After talking to a real estate friend, he suggested I go and speak with the Tularosa Chief of police. He was a real blessing and though he said that I would probably have to go to court and need a lawyer he suggested that we go and speak to the tenants. So the Chief followed me and we talked to the young woman about needing to leave the premises. That night around 10:30 the buyer called Bill asking if we could work something out and that she wanted to pay all the back payments and other costs that were involved.We decided to sleep on it and in the morning I felt that I was supposed to meet her for coffee and talk in person instead of the phone thing. As we talked about the house situation God just opened the door for me to share Jesus and His desire for her life. We spent much of our time talking and I prayed with her before leaving.

Bill and I are feeling that God is calling us to extend grace to her. We have experienced His grace and mercy time and time again in our lives and I believe that we are just, as Bill likes to say, conduits for Jesus to flow through. We don't know exactly just all of what this will look like in this situation. For right now it is giving her till the end of the month to get our home in order to turn back over to us. We also have hooked her up with a dear friend who helps families with their finances by showing them God's principals for money and helping with budgets etc. Other questions and ideas are still in the air which we are just waiting on the Father's leading.

I spent 2 days at the storage unit of which the contents were given us. Much of the time was sorting and taking lots of loads to the garbage dump. I had 2 precious friends, Alisa and Monette and Monettes' boys bless me tremendously by helping me with this task. Thank you so much friends!!

We would appreciate your continued prayers concerning the house situation and also for the family involved.

Thanksgiving is upon us. A day set aside to ponder and mediate at the wonderful blessings given each one of us. I am thankful for the blessing of knowing-

Jesus loves me, this I know. Our prayer is that you may know more deeply the reality of Jesus' love for you.

Thankful for you!

Bill and Mary

Asking for your prayers

2010-11-14T09:32:00.002-07:00

I (Mary) am heading down to Alamogordo for the difficult task of the process of evicting the family who bought our Tularosa house August of last year. We were owner financing the home and because of default of payment this is the unfortunate conclusion. Bill has many obligations here in CO and it seemed logical for me to run down to NM.

We have been unsuccessful at this point knowing just where to go from here so my first stop will be the Sheriff's department as it seems we have all paperwork in order. From neighbors in the area it sounds like the older son may be the only one really living in the house. He is violent from what they say. Would you pray that the house doesn't get vandalized during this event and that God would somehow be glorified even in this situation.

I do not know how long this process will take and so may be in Alamogordo till Friday or Saturday. Would love to go to coffee or see you!! I still have a NM cell phone# 921-2104. Give me a call!

We also were blessed with a storage unit there in Alamo (from someone who now lives in Colorado!) that is full of things that have been given to us to sell and use the funds for the food and clothing pantry so I will be trying to go through the unit and sorting as to what goes and needs to be thrown.

I am so glad we have you beside us- thank you for praying-it means so very much!

Bee Blessed

mary

FUN FUN For Everyone!

2010-10-18T21:39:00.011-07:00

We've been busy and having so much fun since we last talked!
Fellow AFM misionaries , the Craigs, came and spent the night-
It was so fun getting to see them again!

(CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE THEM)

I (Mary) have been doing a lot of this! We have been blessed with gifts of apples, peaches,pears,etc and now we have wonderful jars of goodies in our pantry-
I even made candied crab apples and a new recipe
Peach Salsa-- It is yummy!

This Sunday I (Bill) was talking about knowing God,
and that one way we can know Him better is by observing what He is up to in our lives.
I really desire to take note of and learn about Him from some of the easily unnoticed things that He is doing.
So can I tell you about some of the things He is doing here?

First, let me tell you about our need for clothing racks.
In response to our last email a number of you came up with some good suggestions.
But I am not going to use any of them. Do you want to know why?
Well one of our supporters has come up with approximately 10 racks from a department store. These are very nice racks!
Do you think maybe God wants to tell the people of Aguilar
"this is just a sample of how much I LOVE YOU"
by giving them nice racks for their clothing pantry?

If any of you in Alamogordo area have some nice gently used clothing you would like to get rid of - let us know- we will have plenty of room in between the racks. We are especially in need of baby, childrens, and mens clothing. We will be coming down this Thursday Oct. 21 and heading back very early Sunday morning to get back in time for the Aguilar Fellowship that evening.

Next, the food pantry gave out 59 boxes of food on Oct.1.
This helped 140 people!
Several people came in the day we were trying to organize and get the boxes together.
They saw that we were at the building and just came to help-
WHAT A BLESSING!

Getting boxes ready to distribute!

We reorganized how the boxes were given out in order to spend a little more time getting to know people.
We were able to chat with a number of them.
One young man I have tried for two years to be friendly to and to strike up a conversation with absolutely no success.
But while they were waiting for their box of food I got to talk to him a bit.
Then a few days later as I was unloading my pickup full of boxes of clothing I saw "Danny" coming down the street.
I quickly asked God what do you have planned for this moment?
Well he came by and asked if I could use some help.
WOW!
Another wall crumbling.

(person at desk is signing up to get a box while Bill chats with another friend)

To keep from making this too long let me just say Mary and I have had the privilege of meeting a number of new people.
Some through the food boxes, some through hospice, and others by some asking us to go by and meet their friend.
It is so exciting as we observe God opening doors into the lives of people -
many who have been marginalized and some just flat out forgotten.

Prayer requests

1. It is looking like we may be getting our house in Tularosa back. This will create a financial burden for us. Would you pray that this can be resolved.

2. Volunteers for the Food/clothing pantry and other areas of ministry we are seeing needs for (ex. after school Bible Club) but needsomeone to come along side and see this as their calling.

3.Would you be praying about standing in the gap spiritually for specific families and people we are working with?Many here have no one who prays for them and they come to us knowing we are and will be praying.

We would love to have you "adopt" someone that you will faithfully pray for.

We can never say "thank you" enough. Thank you for your financial and prayer support. Thank you for your encouragement and love for us!

l last picture of the building with its fresh coat of paint. You can see way in the back clothes hanging. That will be our clothes sorting area. The tables to the left have free puzzles, devotional books, Our Daily Bread, and tracts. To the right is the coffee bar and then where you cannot see except for a tiny bit (bottom right corner) are more chairs and small table where people can sit and drink their coffee and have a donut while they are waiting for their food boxes. I wish you could see it in person- This building is such a blessing!

A Pipe Dream

2010-09-20T14:47:00.008-07:00

We are seeing both good progress and minimal progress in getting the clothing pantry in Aguilar up and running.

Many hands make light work"- that was so true the Saturday we painted the inside of the building! Several from our fellowship and Pastor Dan from Colorado City came out to help spruce up the inside. My, it is amazing what a little paint will do!!

Always good to see someone on his knees! (Pastor Dan Carlson)

Ken was a paint rolling machine!! Blue and pink were old colors-

Custom mixed (Ken and Bill hand mixing ) flat white paint that was graciously donated and
a variety of oops paint colors made a beautiful golden tan -

Mary was holding her breath till it got on the walls as it looked not so good in the buckets!

We are being blessed with a good amount of clothing donations, and are ready to start sorting. The one big hold up is racks to hang the clothing on. Clothing racks seem to be hard to come by so we have decided that we would just make some racks out of pipe. I have checked out the price of black pipe to construct 5' long racks double decked. The materials to build 1 (one) rack will cost $108.00. I am sure that you have figured out pretty quickly that that is waaaayyyyyyy out of our reach financially at this point.

My next thought was maybe, just maybe some of you would know where there is some pipe laying around that needs a new home and purpose. I have wire brushes so the condition of the pipe doesn't have to be new, although new is good. Any heavy duty clothing racks that you have laying around in your garage will do too!! :)

I suppose my biggest dilemma here is that I feel that the majority of any money that comes in should go to buying food for the people of this town. Yet there is a need to provide good clothing for them also.

So here I am before Father God and you seeking wisdom and input in this time and with these 2 needs. We appreciate every one of you so much!

Other Prayer Requests

In my last email we asked you to pray for Peggy, who had had 2 strokes. On Friday Peggy passed from this life. Our prayer was that during this time the Spirit ministered to her spirit to bring her to a place of assurance of salvation beyond the religious teaching she was familiar with. Please continue to pray for her family.

Would you also pray for Pastor Al Dagel. He has a blood infection that the doctors have not figured out as yet. We were blessed this last Sunday to be able to fill in for him at Grace Community Bible Church in Pueblo. We always enjoy being with this church.

Blessings,

Bill & Mary

Did you know you can give on line? Check out the right sidebar for details!

2010-09-03T21:58:00.006-07:00

Aguilar is not a very big town but there are some very big needs there.

Last Friday our desire was to make a little difference in the need for food, in some homes, at the end of the month. For many it gets pretty skimpy at that time of the month. The new food pantry in Aguilar gave out 51 boxes/bags of food to help feed about 135 people. When I placed the order for the food I was thinking we would be able to do about 25 -30 boxes.

Charlie and Ken getting boxes ready

I wasn't intentionally thinking small. It was that another food pantry in Walsenburg was paying for the food this time to help us get started. Simply stated we were pretty amazed at what took place.This all happened in a little over 1 hour. It went very well and God has given us some ideas on how to do it a little different. The changes will allow us to spend a little more time with the people, getting to know them and to speak and live the Gospel out before them.

We are in the process of painting the inside of our building and hope to create a warm and comfortable environment for those who come next month. The next painting day will be Sept.11. If you are available and would like to help we have a brush just for you. Just give me a call if you can help.

One of our desires is to have some food that will be available at anytime of the month for emergency needs, as well as having a good supply for the once a month distribution. We are open to donations of staple foods,canned goods,etc. We have no refrigeration facility. Also financial donations will allow us to purchase food from Care and Share at very very low prices. A lot can be purchased from them for very little. Checks can be made out to "Unspeakable Gift Fellowship" (yes our we finally have a name! Many called us the No name church in Aguilar )and sent to 137 W. First St. Walsenburg,CO 81089.

Peggy, one of the precious women of Aguilar that we have been working with, had a stroke Saturday. We visited her in the hospital,in Pueblo, on Monday evening. The hospital released her on Tuesday and before she made it home she had another stroke. She was flown to Denver and at this time is still not able to talk or understand commands. Please be praying for her and her family.

Bill and Mary

Summer news!

2010-08-22T21:22:00.003-07:00

Below is our summer newsletter for this year. To read simply click on image- a new box will appear with the newsletter. If you click on image again it will enlarge to make it more readable.
Thank you for taking the time to see what the Father is doing in SE Colorado!

Prayer update

2010-05-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

To our faithful praying friends,

This has been a very different and difficult week.

On Wednesday afternoon we received a call letting us know that the young lady, a hospice patient we have been ministering to, had taken a turn for the worse. Then Friday morning we received a call that she had went to be with her Savior. This came quickly and the family is struggling as they deal with this. Pray also for us as we minister to them.

This morning we received a call that our former Regional Director, Stan Spiess had "graduated" and now stands in the presence of his Lord and Savior. Below is the note from Jan.

Greetings Dear Friends,
At 4:03 this morning, Stan graduated to be with His Lord. We praise the Lord for his witness to everyone around him during his battle with cancer. God has used him in an amazing way to influence others. Thanks for your continued prayers along this line. He has loved you and appreciated you so much. Please continue to pray for me as I continue on without the love of my life. At this time, I plan to stay around and continue his Prayer Chaplain work with American Missionary Fellowship. God bless! Jan

For those who might be planning to honor him by attending his funeral services, here are the times and places.

Services: 1st Evangelical Free in Colorado Springs at 820 N.30th
Viewing 9:30-10:45 at the church,Wednesday 26th
Funeral service: 11:00 AM (after viewing)

Thursday 27th
Graveside Service in Boncarbo, Co (West 0f Trinidad) at "The Refuge". Call me for directions. 719-574-2474.

We do not have a date for the other funeral as of yet. The family desires Bill to do a graveside service when they receive their loved one's ashes.

We have asked you to pray for both of these in the past and now ask that you continue to remember their families and friends in this time of loss.

Love in Christ,
Bill & Mary

2010-05-08T18:09:00.005-07:00

God has recently led us into some ministry opportunities that have again stretched us in different ways.

In the last month we have come in contact with several elderly widows who are in poor health. These are women that live alone and have no relatives living near them. We were contacted about one of the women by her niece who lives in Alaska. Are you wondering how she came to contact us? Well so are we.

Mary has taken one to the doctors several times and to the emergency room. This woman’s house payment recently increased by $72.00 a month. This amount, on her small fixed income, is beyond her ability to pay. We are praying with her and trusting that God is in control and this need will be met.

One of these dear women is what you might say a little cantankerous and she is NOT hard of hearing so “please don’t yell at me”. She told Mary that she didn’t need people in her life. These words were spoken while Mary was rubbing her back at her request. She tells us she has not had a real bath in 2 years. She just doesn’t have the strength and has had no one to help her. Pray with us as we allow Jesus to flow into this tough situation. She doesn’t want us to talk religion, and that’s ok because we really desire to only talk about Jesus and His desire to set us free by His redemption.

I was blessed to be asked by a teacher at the Aguilar Public Schools to speak in 6 Jr. High and Sr. High English classes. This last Monday I spent 6 hours with these students. This is another great story as I had never met the teacher that asked me to speak in her classes. Being somewhat limited on what could be said, the desire was to at least make connections with these young people, letting them know who we are and what we are doing in their town. I believe that happened and I am looking forward to what may come from this time. The teacher initially asked us to pray with her for revival in the school. Would you pray with us that these young people would begin to seek Jesus?

Mary and I have been providing spiritual care for a young hospice patient with pancreatic cancer. This week it was estimated that the patient has about 2 weeks to live. Pray with us for the patient and family. Pray also that we will be able to minister to the family in the future.

This next week we will be in Pagosa Springs helping again with the “Training of the Twelve” discipleship/spring turkey hunt.

In Christ alone,

Bill and Mary

Spring Newsletter-

2010-04-24T19:45:00.007-07:00

Here is our Spring Newsletter for all you who want it via email instead of snail mail. If you will click on a page it will go to another window then click on it again and it will enlarge so that you can read it! (if you have any problems reading it please contact us!)

Thank you again for your prayers and support of this ministry!

“You took me to the next level in my walk,"

2010-03-07T22:21:00.001-07:00

“You took me to the next level in my walk, in my relationship with Jesus and I can’t thank you enough!” These were the words of one of the inmates Wednesday evening as we met for the last time and again dug into God’s Word. Most of the other men echoed this same thankfulness and what a joy it was to see that the Holy Spirit has indeed, as promised, been at work in their lives. I also expressed my thanks to them for coming to this Bible study and making an opportunity for me to share what Jesus is teaching me. One of my challenges to them was, since you learn even more when you teach others, go and teach other men what Jesus is teaching you.

One of the men, originally from Mexico, has in the past shared a song in Spanish for us. This night he asked if he could share a song he had written in English (he doesn’t know how to read or write English). What a blessing as he sang to us of God’s constant love and working in our lives.

Christ in you, desiring a deep intimate relationship with you and wanting to be the source of every aspect of your life, was always the central focus of these studies. Pray with us that they will live in that truth.

I failed to mention in our last update of a little different opportunity for ministry that has come my way. We have mentioned getting involved as volunteers with Sangre de Cristo Hospice. Late last year I was asked to consider being on the board of directors for this amazing organization. They were interested in having some representation from the southern part of the area they cover. As I interviewed with 2 of the board members, they also expressed a desire for me to bring to the board the perspective of a missionary to this area. This is of importance, I believe, for several reasons. One of those is that we are in the process of searching for a new CEO. The founder and recently retired CEO was very strong on the importance of providing, when requested, spiritual care in addition to medical care. This is an area that could too easily be seen as not really necessary and a place to cut costs. Another aspect I want to explore is in meeting with people in this area to let them know about hospice care that is available to them. This will give me some more great opportunities to meet people, always looking for those open doors to plant seeds and to share the Gospel of Jesus.

It looks like we will be renting the building we mentioned in our last update. We will be looking for some folding chairs and tables to equip this building. We will be going to Alamogordo on Tuesday for Millicent Shyne’s memorial service. If any of you down there know of some chairs and tables that would be available we could bring the truck.

In Christ alone,

Bill & Mary

Prison closing- Buildings and Bible Studies-

2010-02-24T12:31:00.008-07:00

Occasionally I will begin the Bible study at the prison by asking the men what their "take away" was from last week . This can sometimes be a less than encouraging moment, as I am always hoping that they heard something that the Holy Spirit used during the week to convict, grow or stretch them in their walk. One night one of the young men asked if he could use my marker and come to the white board. He told us that what he heard last week and was illustrating on the board had been impacting him all week. What a great joy to see the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in changing lives. It was particularly exciting to me as that same night I had learned that these Arizona inmates will be going back to Arizona in March. Having only been working with these guys for seven months my thoughts were that it hasn't been enough time of taking them into scripture to deepen their relationship with Jesus. I must be content to have the opportunity to plant some seeds.

With the loss of this contract with Arizona, this prison now has no contract with any other state to house their inmates. What that means is that the prison here in Walsenburg will be closing. This could be short term or…..? This means the loss of about 200 jobs in the area as well as other revenue generated by the prison. For a small community, this will have a very large impact. Doing a Bible study with the Colorado inmates and then the Arizona inmates has been an adventure that has been rewarding. With both groups I was blessed to have men that were desperately hungry to find the Source for a drastically changed life and to learn to allow (die to themselves) the Source, “Christ in you”, to flow from them.

Pray with us that these men who have found Jesus as their Savior, will run to Him as their only source when faced with every aspect of life.

Tuesday's Coffee and Chat have brought several new people to the mix of regulars-
A couple of weeks ago, during our Sunday evening fellowship/worship time we had a potluck dinner. We were blessed to have 2 new families join us for this time. We are planning to have potluck at least one Sunday a month as this makes it possible for these families to come.

Today we looked at a building in Aguilar to rent. There are not many in this little town that are in any condition to occupy. We are praying for a place where we can meet for Bible studies, Sunday worship/ fellowship, after school Bible club for children, and possibly a clothing and food bank. The building we looked at today will accommodate those needs. The couple that owns it are excited about this and offered to rent it to us for $300.00 per month and they will pay all utilities. This will give us a consistent place to meet eliminating being “bumped” by other groups. Pray with us that this is where God would have us.

Mary is planning on starting a women’s Bible study after meeting with several women on individual basis for some time. Please pray for wisdom as to material to use as this is a very diverse group with many different needs.

In Christ Alone

Bill and Mary

Look at Fun we had Today!!!

2009-12-22T19:28:00.008-07:00

60 plus

Home Baked Goodies

25 bags filled with crayons, candy, pencils, and small toys bought over this past year on clearance-

Loaded up all the bags and most of the breads

Took them to Aguilar where we have our Coffee and Chat

and Bread Distribution-

received a
lot of Happy faces and Hugs!!

Couldn't ask for a better Christmas Gift!

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be Jesus to this needy community!

Now it's time to stoke this

Thaw this,

And set this-

for Christmas guest - between 10 and 15!!

Jonathan and David will not be here this Christmas (we have not had David home for the past 4 Christmases due to his job)
but
we are thankful that we can be family to those who are here who have no one near -

May you experience the true JOY of Christmas- Immanuel- God with us
This Christmas Season
and every day of the year!

Blessings
Bill and Mary

December Newsletter online

2009-12-22T17:10:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas!! You can read our December newsletter here- just click on the picture below and it will enlarge-

**We have had several responses to the need of a small tv with VCR- We now have one!! Thank you!

Chilly, Chili and lots more news!

2009-10-26T20:04:00.006-07:00

To our praying family and friends,

I think I am past due on an update of what God is doing around here. So here we go.

We have now had 3 amazing Sunday worship times and Bible teaching at the Aguilar Community Center. The first Sunday we met at 9:30 a.m. and had freezing rain for weather. Ten of us Body parts attended. We decided to start meeting at 6:00 pm. So the 2nd Sunday with beautiful weather we had 9 attend. Yesterday evening with snow coming down there were 11 of us meeting to worship Him and dig into His Word. I am not yet convinced that we should pray for bad weather on Sunday.

Hey, remember me telling you that on Oct. 25 the historical society was going to use the Community Center for their annual chili dinner. Mary and I went to the chili dinner, and what a great time to get to meet some more new people. Well they had some chili left over and asked if we would like to have it for our meeting time. Our service last night started with 2 flavors of great homemade chili, salad, and cupcakes. Everyone that wanted more took some home. Whew, were we ever ready to praise our Savior. The singing time would have been great but I am not doing very good at picking out songs that the people know. I am going to try to convince them that we are following Ps.33:3. "Sing to Him a new song" We were thinking that some cd's with just music on them, to sing along with might be helpful. Any suggestions? We will also be looking for a white erase board. I often like for people to see what I am saying, making that visual connection.

Did I mention we have had snow? I just went and bought my 2nd snow shovel since moving here. I found another older couple today who needs someone to shovel their snow. The cup of coffee and great conversation afterward is a nice compensation. Oh and yes always a hug. Our neighbor Wendy calls these our "gumdrop" trees! They were drippin with snow!

It snowed last Wednesday. We got 9 inches in that storm. It was still snowing when I went into the prison for Bible study. I decided these Arizona boys are all from southern Arizona as only 5 braved the elements and would walk a couple hundred yards to the education building. It really turned out well as I believe it was all orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. One of the guys who is a very new believer had some questions and we were able to talk about them easily.

I still kinda get a kick out of some of the corrections officers here. They seem to question why I would show up on such a bad weather day. "Well you see I have to be here. No my boss doesn't make me, but Jesus compels me." "And you know some of these guys really look forward to this time."

You may remember this spring I had the privilege of turkey hunting with a great group of guys. Marvin Robbins aka "Boss gobbler" lead the "Training of the Twelve" on how to hunt turkey, how to call turkey, and how to BE a follower of Jesus. I had a great time being in the field with this big man of God who also happens to be one of the best turkey hunters/callers in the country. I got a call yesterday telling me that Marvin, while deer hunting, had had a heart attack and now stands in the presence of his Savior and Lord. Please pray for his wife,family, and many friends. This morning I was reading several of the Arizona outdoor blogs, all full of condolences, sorrow, and memories of Marvin. He touched many lives in the hunting/ conservation world with his passion for hunting and even more with his intense love of Jesus.

Update on my mom, she is going through radiation treatment the next several weeks. Please remember her in your prayers.

Thank you each one for being there for us!

In Christ Alone,
Bill & Mary

Sunday Services in Aguilar- They're on again!

2009-10-09T07:59:00.001-07:00

To our praying and loving friends,

I want to update you on the moving towards having Sunday worship & Bible teaching in Aguilar.

On Monday, about 4:30pm we were heading out of Trinidad, CO with our camper in tow. It had been used for a hunting camp, 50 miles east of there, by the Fairs (fellow AMF missionaries and wonderful friends). I received a call from a brother in Christ who is on the Aguilar Town Board, telling me that they would be meeting at 6pm that evening. One of the items on the agenda was our use of the community center. That meant a very quick trip home, change clothes, and go down to Aguilar.

All that said, it was voted to let us rent the community center temporarily. So we will come together this Sunday and see what God desires to do. One question was " what happens when someone in the community needs to use the center on Sunday morning"? The mayor answered by stating that if we are paying rent then we would have use of it regardless. I sensed the Spirit tell me that that isn't how He wants to work in this time. I asked to address that question and told them that we wanted to be flexible and allow the community center to always be for the community. We could on those occasions meet at a different time or ? The next morning that was put to the test as the lady in charge of the historical society came to me at our coffee time and explained that she had forgot to reserve that center for Oct.25 for their annual chili dinner. "Pat you need to go ahead and plan your dinner for that Sunday". I believe that the light of Jesus is going to overwhelm this little community and possibly through times like this.

In all this we have had one of the little churches in town offer us the use of their building, if we don't mind meeting in the afternoon or evening. Several people from this church were at the town board meeting to support us.

He is worthy to be praised and thank you for your prayers.

Last night at the prison was a great time starting with getting to talk about Jesus and a relationship with Him to the CO (corrections officer) at the front desk, both when I came in and upon leaving. The time with the inmates was great too as we dig into what does an intimate relationship with Jesus look like. We spent some time talking about the incidences that 2 of the men had this week. Then we explored how those moments could have looked different and had an impact on those observing if Jesus had been the Source of the flow from them in everything said and done. I desire that so much for my life and it is stirring to watch as these men begin to grab a hold of this way of living and begin to desire it also. I encouraged these two men to make a positive impact for Jesus by going to those involved and asking for forgiveness.

Last week as the inmates were again thanking me for coming and giving to them of my time, I took the opportunity to tell them that it was possible only because of some very special people, our supporters. I asked them, as they pray to thank God for you and to pray for His blessings on you. Last night several came up to me and told me that they have been and will continue to pray for you. I hope knowing that just makes you feel blessed all the way down to your toes. You are having a great impact into the lives of people here in SE Colorado.

Seeking Him,
Bill & Mary

Sunday Services in Aguilar- Delay and more delays

2009-10-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

To our praying friends,
Many of you are inquiring how Sunday services went in Aguilar. Well we got bumped from using the community center as someone else reserved it. So we were planning to start for sure this coming Sunday. That is until I got a call from the mayor today. She explained to me that we could rent the center but first she wants to have the town board approve it. This is after she had previously said that it would be alright for us to use it. Also until we get that approval I cannot use it for the Friday night mens Bible study. We have been doing the Bible study there since March. I was immediately reminded of Eph. 6:10-19.
Would you all be praying for a resolution to this. No doubt, God has a plan and He is not caught by surprise in all of this. Jesus is the Light and the darkness cannot overcome it.
At the Cross,
Bill & Mary

"Have anything you need help with?" Sept 21 update

2009-09-21T16:38:00.008-07:00

"Hey do you have any work that you need help with?" I hadn't seen Matt in several weeks. But yesterday he passed by the house on his way to ??? Matt is one of the teens I have met while helping at the Morning Star Youth group. I have been waiting for this moment for almost 2 months, I just didn't know who God would send. You see I had a trailer full of "stuff" in front of our house- the last load of our things from Tularosa. "How hard do you want to work Matt?"

Matt was up to the challenge. As we carried stuff in and wrestled some furniture up the stairs, I learned a little more about Matt and his family. In previous conversations I had learned that Matt is really into Star Trek, Star Wars and all the deep space research. We were almost done when Matt asked me what I thought was going to take place in 2012. "HMMMM well I know there are a lot of people making predictions based on a lot of things. But I know only this- that God our Father is the only one who truly knows what will happen in 2012 or any other day. Matt did you know that even Jesus doesn't know when He will return? We can trust in Him today and every day for our salvation and for every aspect of our whole lives." I knew Matt has accepted Jesus as his Savior. Now it's time for him to become grounded in scripture and discover what a relationship with Jesus is all about.

Whoa! It is snowing like crazy here today.

Would you be praying as we begin Sunday morning worship and Bible teaching with some in Aguilar this Sunday Sept.27. We have had some ask us about doing this and believe God is leading us to this need. We desire to respond to Him.

Also would you be praying as we seek a location to have an After School Bible Club in Gardner. We had a VBS there this summer and desire to continue working with the children and their families.

Seeking Him,

Bill and Mary

August Newsletter

2009-08-16T21:00:00.003-07:00

Summer Summary

The last part of May was spent preparing for 2 VBSs in our area. Being new and not too many people being familiar to AMF, I believed it was important for

people to see us face to face. I now have quite a few more miles on my boots, and

I got to meet more people.

VBS week was May 25-29. Curtis Rhoadarmer brought Ray, Matt, & Alex to lead the VBSs. We recruited Rebecca Rice from the Fairs to add a feminine touch. Good thing she came too, as the VBS in Gardner was attended by 13 girls, 0 boys. In Walsenburg we had the VBS in our backyard and it was attended by 15 boys and girls.

Between the 2 VBSs there were 15 kids who asked Jesus to be their

Savior!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your faithful praying on behalf of this ministry! God is working!!

La Veta Rodeo Bible Camp What a great time we have helping out at this camp. This was our 2^nd year here. Mary again assisted Barb Fair in preparing some great meals for these young cowboys & cowgirls. I helped with the Shooting Sports part of the camp.

Building Fences and

Relationships

Mary decided to get into the bee raising business. One of the things she needed was a “bear proof” enclosure for her hives. Manuel lives in Aguilar & he has built fence most of his life.

Having Manuel come help me would be a good way to continue building a relationship with him. Mary brought us lunch & we spent the next 2+ hours talking about Jesus & His gift of redemption for us. Manuel is now also coming to the Friday night Bible study in Aguilar

RATTLESNAKE BITE!

June 27 Mary was seeing to the needs of her bees and was bit on the toe by a rattlesnake. Minutes after getting to the emergency room she went into anaphylactic shock. We are so thankful that we were at the hospital at this life threatening moment. She was

intubated & flown to Pueblo where she spent the next 5 days in a coma and a total of

10 days in the hospital. We don’t begin to know the reasons why this has happened but we have had opportunities to tell people about God’s love, provision, & healing. We were privileged to get to pray with & encourage several families as well as staff at the hospital. About 10:30 one evening I was prompted to go get something to eat. There were several long painful & restless nights for Mary as she came off the sedation.

Getting on the elevator, I discovered I was with the CEO of the hospital. I just had to thank him for having such a wonderful & caring staff. We began talking & he wanted to know about Mary’s condition & how it happened. No way to let this conversation go by without giving praise to our Father & His healing touch. I also got to share with him what we do as missionaries in SE Colo. The last 2 months have been quite different than we had planned & thought was God’s plan for us. Thanks to the thousands of people all over the world that have been praying for Mary.

Prayer and Praise!

● For Mary & the healing that has taken place, & as her body continues to heal.

● Our home in New Mexico sold! PTL—we closed July 28th!

● My mom (Bill) had surgery for breast cancer at the same time as Mary’s incident. She is now going through chemo treatments and all the emotions and complications that go with that.

● We are preparing to start after school Bible clubs for the kids in Gardner & Aguilar

● Some people in Aguilar have asked us to begin Sunday services there

● The Bible studies at the prison with the Arizona inmates. We have had between 12 & 21 attend each Wednesday night .

Glidden update 7-21 - Update on Mary's progress

2009-07-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Computers- frustrating things at times! My computer died back somewhere the middle of June. I have our master email list on my computer. We never could figure out how to get it transferred onto Bill's computer. If you have not received our email updates during the past few weeks we are so very sorry. It was not intentional and since that time we have remedied that issue by hand typing all the addresses back in the computer. If you are receiving this email and do not wish to be on our email list just give us a quick email asking to be taken off. I couldn't get to just the ministry email list- I could only access the entire list so I may have added some names that do not wish to be on our update list.

With that said- we thought we should give everyone an update as to the events of the past several weeks- please just skip if you have already been informed of the RATTLESNAKE INCIDENT! Below the summary of what happened is a current update in red.

Saturday June 27 our son Jonathan had brought our 5th wheel back to us as we were heading out to speak at a Sr. high camp the next week and needed it for our time there. Many of you know I became a beekeeper and while we were out at the land I decided to check the bees water. Without warning I felt a prick on my left big toe and told Bill something had just bitten me. I then saw the rattlesnake there by the water tub.

Bill drove me to the Walsenburg hospital where they administered a pain killer Fentanyl- immediately I started with an allergic reaction and felt my face and body begin to swell. I went into anaphylactic shock. The team induced a coma and put me on life support and then Flight For Life took me to St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo. There I basically fought for my life for several days as antivenin and meds kept bringing allergic reactions.

Finally on Tuesday they told Bill they would start the process of bringing me off the ventilator as the swelling in my airway had decreased. I guess I didn't like the thing, as before they could begin the process I somehow got that thing out of my throat while still being tied down!

I continued to have allergic reactions to the antibiotics and meds they were giving. Finally after 10 days in the hospital I was allowed to go home with, what I call , House arrest instructions- totally off foot- foot elevated at all times- no outside activity.

Bill has been taking care of me wonderfully and my sis, Kathy came out one weekend to help him get a bit of a break!

We went to the Dr. on Friday (July 17) and I can start putting some weight on the foot and hope to be able to start walking with out a crutch in a few more days. My toe is looking pretty good- just the inside part of the big toe has some dead tissue. From talking to others this is a miracle in itself, as most of the time rattlesnake bites will affect the entire limb. Our neighbors brother was bit years ago. His whole arm was affected and he lost the finger that received the bite.

The Dr. also gave me permission to travel so we are planning on going to Tularosa, NM later this week to close on our house and pack the rest of our household!! Yes, after 2 years on the market our home has SOLD!!!

I am so thankful for God's protection and healing grace to me! Your prayers have been such an important part of my healing process and I so wish I could thank each of you personally for lifting me up in prayer and sending cards & plants & flowers, calling, making meals, etc. We have been surrounded by so many who have made me feel so loved and cared for during this time!

Today, Tuesday, I was able to go to our chat and coffee and bread distribution that we have in Aguilar- I so missed this great bunch of people and was blessed to be back. I am still needing to work on building up my strength and endurance- everyone was so sweet about wanting to help. We have grown to love these precious friends so much!

We look forward to seeing how God will use this snake encounter for His glory in the future. It has been a great conversation starter as it seems news got around fast about the lady who got bit by a rattlesnake in Walsenburg!

Praising God for His Abundant Mercy and Grace!

Bill and Mary

Mary came home!

2009-07-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

We brought Mary home from the hospital yesterday(Tuesday) afternoon. She got some pretty good rest last night. She is under "house arrest" and is to stay off of her foot for 10 days. Keeping the foot from becoming infected is the concern right now. The platelet count did go up. Again thank you for all your prayers and love!

Mary's account of Rattlesnake ordeal!

2009-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am simply overwhelmed with emotion as I look back over the last week of my life. I am sitting in my hospital bed at this moment feeling like I am actually going to make it for the first time 7 days. Many have asked what happened last week and so I will try to give you a glimpse of my very interesting week!

Last Saturday our son Jonathan had brought our 5th wheel back to us as we were heading out to do a church camp the next week and needed it for our time there. The camp had issued a paper stating no sandles would be allowed do to snakes- I had ordered a pair of sneakers and thought -well no time like th present to start breaking these puppies in. When Iwent to put them on they ended up being too small and since we were just making a quick trip to the land to unload the trailer I put a pair of sandles on. Many of you know I became a beekeeper and while we were out there decided to check the bees water. Without warning I felt a prick and told bill Something had just biten me when I then saw the rattle snake there by the water hole. Bill immediately drove me to the Walsenburg hospital where they administered a pain killer Fentenye- immediately I started with an allergic reaction and felt my face and body begin to swell. I went into Antifilatic Shock. The team induced a coma and put me on life support and then Life flighted me to Saint Mary Corwins hospital in Pueblo where I basically fought for my life for several days as anti venom and meds kept bringing allergic reactions. Finally on Tuesday they told Bill they would start the process of bringing me off the ventilater- I guess I didn't like the thing as before they could begin the process I somehow got that thing out of my throat. I can not begin to tell of the ordeal of all that went on and yet in the midst of it all Jesus was there in each Doctor, nurse, tech, cleaning lady etc. that ministered to me in my time of need. There is some difficuty with my platelet levels, antibiotic reactions etc but I feel blessed to have been given another day to live for Him. My foot is oh so sore and they feel with all the reactions the antivenon may not have worked. My Fibromylgia is in full flare mode after being bed ridden for 8 days now. I can not put any pressure on my foot for now and hopefully by tomorrow the team of Drs will have some conclusions as to where to go from here. Maybe home? Even so it will be a long recovery time. I am not the most patient person and ask for prayer that I will let God be God during this time and rest in Him and His timing./ My DH has been absolutely a Godsend,our boys were here, my Mom and sisters, tons of precious prayers going up on my behalf- Thank you.

Turkeys, Bees, and VBS!

2009-06-06T05:18:00.004-07:00

OK where do I start? Let me just tell you that the last 4 weeks have been an amazing time of watching God work.

* "Training of the Twelve". By the time we got camp set up it had turned into the "Training of the Four", and everyone that was supposed to be there was there. What a great time of getting into the Word, dealing with life issues, fellowshipping together, and hunting with and learning from some avid turkey hunters. Promise not to laugh? The turkey whisperer called one in for me and....... I missed.

* Got home from hunting and quickly shifted gears to promoting for the 2 VBSs that were held May 25-29. One week to let 2 towns know about the VBSs. Being new and not too many people being familiar to AMF, I believed it was important for people to see us face to face. I now have quite a few more miles on my boots, and I got to meet more people.

* VBS Week. Curtis Rhoadarmer brought Ray, Matt, & Alex to lead the VBSs. We recruited Rebecca Rice from the Fairs to add a feminine touch. Good thing she came too, as the VBS in Gardner was attended only by girls. A great big applause for Mary who did all the cooking for this crew and making sure everyone was comfortable. Me - well I got to play and talk to some of the parents and play and burn hotdogs.

**If you will click on any of the pictures below they will enlarge
Gardner- we had 13 girls attend and made some great friends. On Friday at the end of our time we invited families and friends to a weiner roast. We talked briefly about the possibility of a weekly kid's Bible club, since there is nothing going on for the kids in this little town.

Walsenburg- we had 15 boys and girls attend here. It was great to see our backyard full of activity in the afternoons. We met new families here in town through this VBS. We look forward to getting to know them better and find God's directing to minister to them in the future. Between the 2 VBSs there were 15 kids who asked Jesus to be their Savior!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your faithful praying on behalf of this ministry! God is working!!

We took the team to Bishop's Castle and to Westcliff for some food and bowling as a thank you for all their help-

We kinda sorta thought we would just have a light week this week to prepare for the LaVeta Rodeo Bible Camp starting tomorrow. God thought it would be cool to mess up our plans- it was :>)

Real quick- the condensed version. 14 guys showed up at the new Bible study at the prison. Shared Jesus with Manuel who helped us build fence around Mary's new beehives. 2 new guys at tonights Bible study (one being Manuel). Several opportunities to help/ minister to people in the community. Talked to a couple of neighbor boys who missed VBS but keep asking when we are going to have "church" again.

We also have unexpected guest here this weekend while we help at the Rodeo BIble camp then Mary's sister Maureen, and family will be here Monday and staying the week- Look forward to spending some time with family!

You guys, our faithful support team, are amazing!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Seeking Him,

Bill and Mary

The new beekeeper in town!!

Happy Mothers day! May 10 update

2009-05-10T19:18:00.007-07:00

Blessings to you and Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mommas.

Mary hosted a wonderful Mother’s Day Tea Saturday afternoon. There were 7 here being treated to Mary’s lavish hospitality. Chocolated strawberries, a variety of teas, and many other treats that you only get in the world’s finest places.

playing dress up

Puppet show for the Mommies!

This update I thought I would start off with letting you know some things to pray for in the upcoming weeks.

1. Next week I will be in the Pagosa Springs area for “The Training of the Twelve”. This is a discipleship time / spring turkey hunt. I am really looking forward to this and being with AMF missionary Bill Fair. I will tell you about this time when I return. Mary will be holding down the ministry at home and hopefully planting her garden. (If it doesn’t snow) :^(

2. Upon returning we will move into promoting the 2 VBS that we will have the following week ( May 25-29). Curtis & Rachael Rhoadarmer , AMF missionaries in NE Colorado, will bring a team of summer missionaries to conduct these VBSs. There will be one in the morning in Gardner. And one in the afternoon in our backyard here in Walsenburg.

3. At this point it seems to be cleared for me to go back into the prison with a Bible study on June 3.

4. On June 6 we will again be working at the La Veta Rodeo Bible Camp.

Now I know the way I worded those prayer requests that it sounds like us “doing” things. As you pray, let me remind us that this is about people and their eternal life, and that what we are to be about is responding to Him. Pray that we will be sourced only by the Father and that what happens will be from Him flowing from us.

I’ve got to tell you about some of my new friends here in Walsenburg. They range in age from 8- 12. Nicky and Andrew are brothers. Santana and JJ are brothers. I met them helping out down at the Morning Star Youth Mission on Thursday nights. We’ve cut wood together and pulled weeds together. They come by looking for work to earn money, and I let them work so that they can have opportunities to hear more about Jesus. Pray for these boys and our times together. Also would you pray that this will open the door to their families and ministry to them.

Mary and I are so thankful for your prayers and support. We know for sure that many of the things that we have seen happen in the last 1 1/2 years here, have happened because of your dedication to pray.

Blessings to you and Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mommas.

Seeking Him,
Bill and Mary

Quarterly newsletter- May 09

2009-05-03T19:34:00.007-07:00

(This is the information we sent out in our quarterly (snail mail) newsletters- If you would like to receive a paper copy just give us a quick email and we will add you to our list!)

Love in any Language (or Culture)

One of the notable aspects of Jesus' ministry is that He spoke to people in the "language" of their culture. When He talked to farmers He used illustrations and examples common to an agrarian society. He did the same with fishermen, shepherds and others. The Ethnic Summit Conference, we attended in March, gave us the stimulus to discover the cultures of the various ethnic groups we work with in order to speak about the Gospel in the words that they relate to. Pray with us that God will take us to those doors that need opened in SE Colorado.

Enjoying fellowship together at the Ethnic Summit in Arizona

One cold winter evening, sitting by the wood stove, I discovered Facebook.com. What I discovered was a media through which I could connect with people I hadn’t seen or talked to in years, many I had lost track of. Patrick, one of the teens in our youth group-30 YEARS AGO, was one of my connections. It wasn’t long before I got a message in my inbox with this question- “Could you put me on track to some passages referring to ...finding the way to God, ...faith. How do I put aside everything that I believe is
logical and give myself to Jesus?” We communicated back & forth for a month. We had lunch with Patrick as he lived in the same city that the Ethnic Conference was held. Mary and I shared with him a number of scriptures, primarily Luke 15, about our Father who desires the return of His repentant son and the awesome picture of His extravagant love. A few days later we received an email from Patrick –“ had a
wonderful lunch with you two...thank you. I came home and thought about our discussions ...later I sat in my room and realized that the only right thing to do was ask for forgiveness and to come home....I prayed on it. The last time I actually prayed was 20 years ago …. I felt a burden off of me....I will continue to learn and do my best to listen.... I want to continue to have fellowship with you and direction....thank you for pointing me in the right direction.” Pray for Patrick in his new walk with Jesus.

We were blessed to spend 4 days in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. in March, skiing, sightseeing and enjoying time spent with our youngest son David, who works ski patrol on the mountain

PRISON MINISTRY
The prison ministry is on hold. All Colorado inmates are being transferred to other
facilities. This prison will begin accepting inmates from Arizona. There will be many changes in this move, like no Faith Pod. We have a great chaplain here and he is
working hard to assure that there will be solid Biblical teaching taking place. Continue to pray for the men that we were blessed with as we looked at “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Financial Support Update

During these challenging economic times we have seen a 20% /month drop in our support. Pray with us for new financial ministry partners who will join in this exciting time of reaching SE Colorado with the Gospel.

Marveling!

2009-04-11T17:00:00.006-07:00

“But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, MARVELING at that which had happened.” Luke 24:12.

Mary and I spent last week visiting David at Mammoth Lakes, CA. We spent 4 days in various activities such as skiing Mammoth Mtn., cross country skiing, walking around Alabama Hills at the foot of Mt. Whitney, observing tufas at Mono Lake, and of course checking out any and all thrift stores in the area. Most of what I did was MARVEL at the magnificent site of the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. It is one thing to appreciate the beauty and wonder from a distance but my heart wanted to be right in the middle of these mountains, finding and seeing more. I wanted to see what John Muir saw as he explored these same mountains, valleys, domes, and waterfalls.

MARVEL: to become filled with surprise, wonder, or amazed curiosity.

In our Bible study at the prison we have been looking at Col. 1:13- 2:19. We spent quite a bit of time looking at 2: 2-3. This is talking about exploring and MARVELING, causing more exploring and more MARVELING into the “true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” As these men leave and are moved to other facilities, I desire for them to constantly MARVEL at the Word of God which will cause them to seek more, to seek more of Him.

I am still not sure of what the future holds for ministry at this prison, with the changes. Pray with me that I will hear God’s direction.

Many of you are praying for and ask about the Bible study in Aguilar. The attendance varies, and we are seeking God’s direction as to stimulating the MARVEL, the amazed curiosity of God and His word. Thanks for your prayers!!!!

OK so I have to ask this question to me and you. Do you MARVEL? Do I walk around constantly surprised, in wonder and amazed curiosity? “And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts BURNING within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32.

At the EMPTY tomb MARVELING,
Bill & Mary

"For I am the Lord; I do not change...'

2009-03-13T17:32:00.008-07:00

“For I am the Lord; I do not change…..” Malachi 3:6 I am so glad of that!! Being a new missionary, in a new location, meeting lots of new people, making new friends, & doing things I have never done before (Bible study at a prison) I was pretty sure I didn’t need anymore change in my life for awhile. Apparently that is not the way our Father sees it.

Tonight I was told that ALL the inmates at Huerfano County Correctional Center will be moved to other CDOC facilities & this prison will house inmates from Arizona. Relationships were just beginning to be built and trust that we would examine scripture to find truth and not opinion; it is too quickly being put to an end. At least that’s the way it seems to me. I don’t know all the changes this will bring about for me, but we will seek His direction in this.

Pray for these guys that they will find some good spiritual teaching at their new facilities. Praise, two of the inmates that have been a part of the study will be released in the next couple of weeks. Pray for them.

Friday night Men’s Bible study is off to a good start. The first 2 weeks I had 1 man join me. I know, it wasn’t the 6-8 that I was expecting. Last week it DOUBLED & there were 2 studying with me. Continue to pray for this time & the men of Aguilar. There is a battle going on, we are invading territory, and the battle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, powers, & the spiritual forces of darkness. Hey wait, don't send this out yet. Just got back from Friday Bible study and I have to tell you I was joined by 5 men tonight & we had a great time of looking at Col. 1:13-23.

I can’t tell you enough of our deep appreciation for your support of this ministry through your prayers and generous financial gifts. You & us, as a team, with Christ at the head, we will see great victories!!!!

Blessings!
Bill & Mary

2-18-09 update- Famous Footwear, Prison Stint, New Bible Study!!!!

2009-02-13T04:16:00.008-07:00

I'd like to give you a brief break from FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, and all the rest of the purveyors of "news".

Prison update

I have told you how the inmates at HCCC expressed an appreciation for me coming and doing a Bible study with them. The last couple of weeks that has changed to "we really appreciate what we are receiving and learning about "Christ in you" moment by moment." Last week, towards the end of our time 3 men asked for forgiveness from their "brothers" for the ways they have acted and spoke. (Sorry Randy but I just have to borrow this from you.) :>) YEEEEEEEEE HAAAW!!!!!! Don't stop praying for these men - pray that they will BEcome "agents of redemption" at the prison and on the street when they are released.

Did I mention another birthday? Didn't I just have one of those? The great thing is they say with age comes wisdom. HMMMM maybe I'm younger than I think.

Aguilar Bible Study!

This Friday evening a new Bible study will be starting in Aguilar with some men. (the women look disappointed they can't come) Looks like we might have between 6-8 there. We will tell you more about this on our next breaking news.

Famous footwear!

Last week we were very privileged to have the new Executive Director of AMF in our home. Yes that's the one - the guy wearing the red tennis shoes-Ridge Burns. Our Regional Director Stan Spiess, brought him to meet and visit with us. Ridge (don't call him Dr.) has been traveling around meeting the missionaries and learning about the workings of AMF. Apparently he was curious to get a peek at some "rookie" missionaries. We had a blast! Took him to Aguilar and by the prison so that he could not just hear about but see. The community center was open when we arrived and so Ridge got to meet a few of our Aguilar friends.Did I mention we had a blast? Wasn't that more refreshing than the news ?

Be blessed,

Bill & Mary

Glidden update 1-30-09

2009-01-30T12:42:00.019-07:00

I was just thinking how even though the holidays are past, we NEVER stop celebrating and rejoicing that Jesus our Savior and Redeemer has come to us!!!

We made a trip to Alamogordo at Christmas to be with family this year. Mary thought she would get to warm up for a few days. :>) I guess the cold weather and snow followed us down there.

Then on the 7th of January we headed to Phoenix. on the way we stopped in Bosque Farms,N.M. to visit a friend of mine from grade school and his family. (there is quite a story behind this) This is our annual trip to Phx. as we for the last 9 years have attended the Cross Style Conference there. But this year we were also blessed to get to celebrate my parents 60th wedding anniversary!

We detoured to Alamogordo on the way back as Mary's grandmother was getting very close to passing from this life to the best life. Mary,sister Kathy, brothers John & Jim, & mom left for Texas to be with family & attend the funeral.

Bill's sister Jan, Husband Dave, Mom and Dad and us at 60th

Between trips I made sure I was here for 1 Wednesday Bible study at the prison since I would be gone the next 2 Wednesdays. Last week the question came up "can we really live as Jesus did and taught us to live, as Paul lived and the disciples lived?" There are 2 ways to respond here. I can answer a resounding YES when it is "Christ in you". Or we can look at and talk about what the Bible says & let you come to a conclusion. Both responses seemed appropriate here as I never know whether I will ever see some of these guys again on this earth. But my main emphasis was on let's look at the Bible and you tell me what the answer is. YOU take the words of Jesus, Peter & Paul & let the Holy Spirit kneed those into your heart & then YOU conclude the answer. My prayer is that God will use me as a catalyst to stimulate the discovery of the TRUTH.

Aguilar Coffee and Chat Time

Continue to pray with us for the town of Aguilar. More and more the conversation over a cup of coffee turns to Jesus. Last week I was privileged to talk to a woman, who has been reading "Da Vinci Code" type stuff, about Jesus. This week another man expressed interest in a Bible study. We are hoping to start a study very soon!

Thanks to the Myers, Mary made it back home. Joe stayed with us for several days. We only got We only got to give him a small glimpse of what God is up to here as we kept him busy helping me blow in 12" of much needed insulation in our home. I can't thank him enough for his generosity of time, & servants heart in this help.

To show our appreciation we took him to a "Chile Cook Off" at a church in Pueblo. He left here still breathing fire.

While at the Chili cookoff we got to spend a little time with our Regional director and wife Stan and Jan Spiess. Please continue to pray for Stan as he deals with chemo treatments and an upcoming PET Scan.

Sunday we had a dinner and invited all the pastors and those in ministry plus their spouses for a time of food, fellowship, and prayer. It ended up being a small gathering of 7 but we are trusting that it will be a beginning of living out the call "that they will know we are His disciples by our love for one another" John 13:35

We pray for you that you will be blessed & a huge blessing to those God puts in your path!

Come see!

Bill & Mary

PS - for those of you not familiar with blogging you can click on the little tab right below here that says comments and leave us a comment, prayer request, question or just say hi and let us know you were here! Would love to hear from you!

PICTURE TOUR -White Rock, CO

2009-01-27T02:20:00.002-07:00

We live in a beautiful state! It is fun to take pictures of the different places we travel and I thought it would be fun for you to travel along with us via pictures! We won't say alot along the way just let you soak in God's beauty and some funny or interesting things we see along the way.

You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Our first stop is White Rock, Colorado

Old Coal Mining Town

2009-01-04T15:14:00.002-07:00

THis is one of many old coal mining towns that you can see in the area. This particular one is about 5 miles south of Walsenburg- click on photos to enlarge

Christmas Letter

2008-12-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

And He said to them, “Follow Me (or come here after Me), and I will make you fishers of men.” Matt. 4:19. I think an amplified paraphrase might say it like this- Run hard after Me in a singular, passionate pursuit. Come close in proximity and intimacy with Me, so that ALL of your choices, thoughts, and responses in life come from Me. Then you will catch men. You will catch them off guard, you will catch them by surprise, you will catch them wanting this for themselves.

As Phillip and I walked toward the last locked gate, that on that night only I could go through, he told me good night and goodbye as he was to be released on Tuesday. I challenged him to seek Him, desperately seek Him. Seek Him for your every breath, your every decision, your every choice, your every response. Let Jesus BE your every thought and movement. Oh how I wished for more time with Phillip. You see a few weeks before, Phillip had asked me, “So are you trying to tell me that my physical life and my spiritual life intersect, that they overlap?” I stepped up close and looked him in the eye and asked. “Can you take even a breath on your own?” “Can you make it to work on time without Him?” “Can you make the right choices all the time unless it is Jesus flowing through you?” Pray for Phillip and pray that he will find a man to continue mentoring him and hold him accountable. Pray for those in the prison Bible study.

On Dec. 7 we had 17 graduate from another Financial Peace University class. What a joy it is to see people begin finding the joy and peace of handling our finances as stewards and following the plan and design of the Father.

Mary and I recently spent 16 hours over 2 Fridays going through Hospice training to be spiritual care volunteers. This area has had one volunteer and at times run him pretty thin. We are looking forward to having the opportunities to talk to some of the clients and sometimes their families about God’s plan for them and His desire to redeem them; with others it will be a time of rejoicing with them.

In Aguilar we have been pleased with the “Coffee & Chat Time”. It is a good time of getting to know some in the community & about the community. We have also been able to meet some as we go around handing out surplus bread. Mary has taken some meals to the elderly that are having a hard time caring for themselves. We want the people of this little town to know we care and by that to see that Jesus cares.

Thanksgiving found us sharing our table with (from l-r) Gilbert, from Aguilar, Ray who has been living with us for about 6weeks, Bill Biss, Bill, and Wendy our neighbor. Mary treated us to a wonderful turkey dinner with all the fixins and a lot of love mixed into every part of this day. She has a special way of making everyone feel welcome and special in our home.

In the past couple of days our home has taken on the appearance of celebrating! Thanks to Mary’s wonderful decorating gift, we have a heightened level for celebrating “the Gift”, His Son, our provision for salvation and the power living in us.
“And when they saw the star, they REJOICED exceedingly with great joy.” Matt.2:10

SNOW!

2008-12-13T01:46:00.000-07:00

Dear praying friends,
I can’t believe it has been a month since my last update to you. Winter is showing itself here lately. This means it is back to shoveling snow for several elderly and a friend who had knee surgery recently. We are enjoying our wood burning stove after gagging on $500+ gas bills last winter and not being warm. In working on cutting our wood supply for the winter, I have had opportunity to spend time with a couple other guys as we work on getting them some wood too.

Our Tuesday last week found us surprising many, in Aguilar, that we would plow through the snow to bring them bread and other commodities. We so desire them to see Jesus and to know that He desires to give them the bread of life.
.
Wednesday night, as I was unloading my pockets so that I could pass through security without setting off the bells and sirens, the lady correction officer at the front desk asked me “so what makes your Bible study different than the other Bible studies”? The opportunities God gives us sometimes just amaze me! My answer- “I don’t really know what is taught in the other studies, but in ours we look at what the Bible teaches about and then life application of Jesus living in us. We talk about such intimacy with Jesus that when I am faced with choices He and He alone is my source. We learn to identify our pride, self-centeredness, and idolatry in order to run from them and to Jesus our hope.” I shared this with the guys in the study and there were many smiles and praise God as they told me “you know she’s not a believer”.

The attendance has been down the last couple of weeks as about a ½ dozen have been released. Would you join us in praying for these men as they go back home and around the environment that influenced them? Pray that they will constantly and desperately seek Jesus for all their answers and choices.

Building relationships is a big step here to getting to talk to people about Jesus. I have been building relationship with Simon this last year. Sometimes I wouldn’t see him for awhile.. But the week before Thanksgiving he found me to ask me to feed his horses for about 2 ½ weeks. The guy who was supposed to left town, and Simon remembered that I have told him numerous times that any time he needs help to please give me a call. :^)

Mary had a Christmas dinner for some ladies last Wednesday while I was in Prison. She is having another dinner this Wednesday with the desire to start up a Bible Study with those who have interest after the 1st of the year.

We look with great anticipation to the work that God is beginning, knowing that He will continue to completion what He starts.

REJOICING in HIM,
Bill & Mary

Steam Locomotive

2008-11-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Steam locomotive that comes through the town of La Veta, Colorado

2008-11-13T01:54:00.002-07:00

This week will end with us celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary. Mary must be the most patient and tolerating person on this earth.

Last Friday & this Friday have been spent in training as Hospice spiritual care volunteers. There has been 1 pastor covering many square miles of southern Colorado by himself in this ministry. So we hope to give him some relief. Here we find ourselves again in something totally new to us. What an exciting thought to have the opportunity to bring Jesus and his desire to redeem, to people in their final days on this earth. With others it will be a time of rejoicing with them as they journey towards that long awaited homecoming.

Wednesday I received a long awaited call telling me I could go back into the prison, as they had been on lock down for 2 weeks. We had some great learning and praise time in both the morning & evening. During the Bible study we focused on the prodigal (wasteful, lavish, extravagant) love of the Father for us, Luke 15:11-32. This is very difficult for many of these guysto wrap their hearts around. Their backgrounds give them little to relate this to.

The evening ended with very mixed emotions as one of my “brothers” told me goodbye & thanked me for coming & giving to him. He will be released on Tuesday. Pray for Phillip & his wife. I know a great Pastor where Phillip lives & have contacted him, praying they will get together.

Continue to pray for the family staying with us, that God will provide the right job & also reveal His great design & desire for their lives,compelling them to seek Him in every area of their lives.

Update on our regional director; Stan was diagnosed with colon cancer & is going through chemotherapy treatments. Pray for Stan & Jan & for the new people God has brought into their lives as they share the truth of Jesus with them.

At the Cross,
Bill & Mary

Psalms 42:1

Stonewall, Colorado

2008-10-29T03:23:00.009-07:00

You know I can't pass up a yard sale!

2008-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Just in case you are kind of tired of listening to the news lately, can I, as Paul Harvey would say, wash your ears out with what God is up to in SE Colorado.

Tuesday we had the "Coffee & Chat Time" in Aguilar with 4 people showing up. Some great conversation was had. We then took some surplus bread to the low income housing and were blessed to meet 9 new people. One man expressed a desire for a Bible study and several young women are looking for practical helps on being a better wife and mother. Pray with us as we seek what all God wants to do as He moves us through these opening doors.

Along with the Wed. nite Bible study, last week I began leading a Wed morning study called, "The Power for True Success- How to build character in your life". This takes place in the Faith Pod at the Huerfano County Correctional Center. This week I came in as the men were finishing their praise and worship time. What a joy it was to hear 35 of them sing and lift praises to Jesus. We had a good lesson on Joy vs. self pity. The interaction with these guys is great, and they have no problem going for 1 1/2 hours. This time abruptly ended with a call for an emergency lock down. And you know what that means - no one leaves. The biggest problem here was, it was lunch time and I was ready to eat.

That evening at the Bible study as we looked at our justification, we had some great discussion, and I believe we all went away with our relationship with the Father a little deeper. A real highlight for me was hearing several express how really grateful they were to be at this prison. I know that doesn't sound quite logical until you hear them explain that they are learning the real meaning of being a follower of Jesus and deepening their walk with Him. This coming from guys who are not new to the prison system, they are frequent flyers. But deep in their hearts they desire a transformed life, a life under the control of the Creator of the universe, with Him flowing from them. I don't know if I can fully communicate, to you, the gratitude they express weekly to me for coming to them. I always tell them it is because of some of the greatest people I know, our supporters, who make it possible for me to be there. Would you consider yourselves thanked by these men and me for your generosity, until the day we can all face to face thank you.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Pray for our regional director, Stan Spiess, he is in the hospital with a lot of abdominal pain. The doctors are looking at the possibility of tumors causing this.
2. As I write this we are working with a family, (they are presently staying at our house) who are in a lot of need. Mostly they need to fall at the feet of Jesus and let Him BE in control of their lives. I will say there are some serious financial needs that we believe will be met as they choose to live in God's design and plan for them.
3. Tomorrow we will travel to Denver Seminary on a recruiting mission. Pray that some will consider the mission field of the U.S. and hear God's call to them.

Seeking Him,Bill and Mary

Prison Stint!

2008-10-09T02:05:00.000-07:00

Well I just got back from my latest stint in prison. Hope this doesn't effect my "reputation". That was some of what we talked about tonight. Am I more concerned with building my own reputation (as the Pharisees were) or is it about "Christ in me, the hope of glory".

One of the best questions of the night was "so do you mean that my spiritual life & my physical life overlap, that they are not segmented?" YES!!!!!!!!!! Don't you just love it when we get right down to the meat of the issue. That we would begin to discover that Christ in me encompasses every breath I take, every word I speak, every move I make when we get ourselves out of the way, surrender to Him, and seek Him.

Pray for these 17 guys. Some have a very good knowledge of the Bible(lots of time to study). What is needed now is for it to trickle down and their hearts to get a hold of who they are in Christ. One other guy boldly expressed that he is looking for a God that will change his life, he is tired of his old life. He is a believer, and desires to become a follower.

Tuesday was the first coffee time in Aguilar. We had 7 people show up and all were so appreciative of us coming out to their town just to have coffee and get to meet them. Julia called later that day again just to say how very blessed she was that someone cares for this little town. Extra bread from Dorcus CIrcle was handed out and we hope to see what other ways God desires to meet the many needs of Aguilar.

Mary is in NM for about 10 days. She is speaking at a missions conference, taking care of mowing and upkeep at the Tulie house (please keep praying for a buyer to come along!) and then has a wedding to attend next Saturday before heading back home.

Seeking Him,

Bill and Mary

Current Ministry and Future Goals

2008-10-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

One of our supporting churches asked us to write a summary of our ministy and goals - we thought it might be useful to anyone interested in what is happening in SE Colorado - This was written September 08

Future Goals

a. Begin a ministry at the Huerfano County Correction Center. This is a medium security prison just outside of Walsenburg. As a volunteer with the Faith & Citizens Program/ Colorado Dept. of Corrections, the desire that has been put in my heart is to help inmates know Jesus as their redeemer/ savior. Then to guide them and others who are believers, into a relationship with Jesus. When I speak of relationship I am thinking of scriptures like Gal.2:20 & II Cor. 4:11 where we become the skin of Jesus, responding only to His moving in me. Recidivism is a huge problem and I believe there is only one solution - Jesus manifest in our mortal flesh. Anything less will result in being squeezed back into the mold of their old ways & old friends, responding to the culture rather than to Jesus.
b. We are praying about and beginning to explore new ministry in Aguilar/ Gulnare area. All the information we have so far is that there isn't much interest in Bible studies/ church. We want to explore what are the felt needs of the people and begin there.
c. Begin meeting with some men in Colorado City/ Rye area. They are mostly young Christians. Rather than a structured study, we will meet for fellowship, sharing what is going on in each ones life and then see what Scripture has to say.
d. We want to be involved with Dorcas Circle, a ministry to people of the community in need of food and clothing. We see this as a way to meet more people here and to have an opportunity to talk to them about Jesus.
e. Get the training needed to begin work as Hospice Spiritual Care Volunteers.
f. Facilitate more Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace University” classes to instill Biblical financial principles. Normal in our society is broke – so be “weird” don’t conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Spiritually - (personally) Two passages that I have been chewing on this year are Matt. 9:9-13, & I John 1:1-3. In Matthew, Jesus' words to the Pharisees seem to be telling them to go back and learn more of who God is, and what His compassion really looks like. Then what they see Jesus doing, they will easily recognize as God at work. This is drawing me to know more about His nature and to see those I come in contact with through His eyes. Also that how He calls us to engage in the lives of people may not have any resemblance of my preconceived ideas. Then I hear John saying let us (eyewitnesses of Jesus) tell you what we heard, saw, touched, and beheld that you might believe and have fellowship with Him. This begs the response from me as to what I have heard, seen, touched, and beheld that convinces me and hopefully convinces others that Jesus is the Christ. (Ministry) We have seen 2 things in this area, 1) evidence that God is preparing to move in this place 2) most of the pastors and a lot of the people in the churches are discouraged. We desire to be encouraging and reminding that the darkness cannot overcome the Light.

Our main ministries this last year (being new to this field and this work) have been, taking every opportunity to meet new people, see what ministries are in place already, and asking God to show us what He wants to do through us in SE Colorado. We have been amazed at the number of people God has opened the doors for us to meet and begin building relationships. We have people that we pray with on a regular basis. Meeting with pastors to encourage them and pray with them. Mary has been helping a small business owner by working as needed for free, to allow her some time off. Living in snowy country we have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know some people by shoveling snow for them or going with them to help feed cattle, etc. We have enjoyed surveying parts of our area to find out what needs are there and what ministries might be needed. This summer has taken us to 3 camps. We helped in all areas as needed at La Veta Rodeo Bible Camp. Then we were the missionary speakers at 2 Jr. High camps at Homestead Bible Camp. I have been able to have some good talks with a man that is helping me rewire this old house we bought. We pray for many more times to share Jesus as we work along side others. We facilitated a 13 week course of Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" at a church in Pueblo, CO. This is a great class teaching Biblical financial principles. Also our goal is to equip churches with this as an outreach tool.

I am personally excited about the ministry God is opening the doors to here. Our expectations are that God is going to stretch us way beyond where we have ever been and are "equipped" for and do more through these clay vessels than we can even imagine.

During the last year I have often been reminded of a quote from C.T. Studd, missionary to China, India, & Africa. He said "Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell". I don't know what that might look like for us, or where all it will take us. So far it has put us in a town, a neighborhood with a lot of poverty, drug abusers and drug dealers. This has provided the occasions to meet & talk with some. When I read Matt. 9:36 it causes me to pray "Jesus let me see these people the way you see them and let me feel the compassion for them that you feel for them". For such a sparsely populated area ( the largest town is less than 10,000 people) there is a large diversity of culture. I am reminded of Paul's words "I have become all things to all men that I may by all means save some". The possibility of that happening is only in Jesus manifesting Himself in us.

We are very blessed and thankful that you, lead by God, have locked arms with His ministry through us. It means so much to us to have great partners standing with us. Your support makes it possible for us to be full time and always available to the people and needs of this rural area of our country. Please keep us aware of how we can be praying for you individually and as a church.

September Newletter by Blog!!

2008-09-25T19:58:00.010-07:00

I just started this blog so that I can send the newletter in a format that hopefully all will be able to read clearly. If you have any trouble reading this would you please let me know.

We hope to use this for our occassional updates also. There is a place at the bottom of each entry we have for your comment- we would love to hear from you. You don't have to even sign in- just enter as anoymnous!!

Ok- enough of that- on to the news!

Summer Memories

The obvious signs that summer is coming to an end are all around here. It’s hard to believe it went by so fast, yet the great memories will remain.
In June we were blessed to get to help at the La Veta Rodeo Bible Camp. Here’s a group of cowboys & cowgirls who have a passion for Jesus & the sport of rodeo, & a desire to show kids Jesus’ love. The rodeo on the last day is pretty exciting as you watch these kids exhibit the skills they have honed during camp. Better than that is the excitement of kids that are not spiritually the same as when they came. With some there has been a total transformation!

July brought a return trip to Homestead Bible Camp. It was great to be with some of the kids we had worked with last year & to meet some new young friends. This year we talked about our confidence & boldness coming from Jesus abiding in us. One really fun exercise was working on sharing Jesus without using “christianeze” talk so that our friends will understand. The next day we did some role playing sharing what we have seen& heard (I John 1:1-3, & check out John 4:39-42) using plain language.

Prison Memories?

I will be starting a Bible study at the prison here in Walsenburg on Oct.1. My heart is to share with them Jesus as their personal Savior/ Redeemer, then guide them into scripture to discover His intense desire for a relationship with them. Imagine for a moment with me, men back home, faced with the environment & conditions that they, in the past, let shape them, holding on to anchor points like Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6:6, Gal. 5:24, Gal. 6:14, Rom. 8:10, Rom.8:37, & Gal.1:4. Would you pray with me that these men will become transformed by Jesus & become “agents of redemption” in their culture?

Many of you have been praying with us about the town of Aguilar. We will be having “coffee time” there starting Oct. 7 & possibly take some surplus commodities to give to the people there. This will help us to meet people & open doors to share Jesus with them

The Car God Bought!!!

A lasting memory is an email we received on July 3 from one of our supporters. Our God of all provision had put it on their hearts to give the money needed to meet the need of a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Their desire & request is that God & God alone get the praise and glory for this & we agree. We now own a 2009 Subaru Forester free and clear and believe this will serve our need of safe dependable transportation for years to come. What a huge blessing this is to us & this ministry!

Miscellaneous Pictures of Colorado

2008-08-08T15:31:00.000-07:00