God-ordained delay
Witnessing on the Streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Greetings in the divine grace found only through Christ Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, and the Saviour of the World:
It has been several days since I penned the last post, and since, the lay-over has continued. However, we have come to understand that this “leaky camper shell” delay, like the first “leaky camper shell” delay, was God-ordained for the glory of His Word and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.
On Saturday morning, we awoke and decided to drive to McHenry, Illinois (northwest of Chicago) and join a Life Action Ministries Revival Crusade for a couple of days. My sister is on the revival team that was leading this two-week crusade up there. Her team will be on the road for the next year. They travel to churches across America and put on these crusades in hopes of seeing genuine revival. It was quite edifying to be with young people sold out to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see them communicate a heart for revival in a church that is lukewarm, at best. I was also impressed with the revival preacher on this team. His no-nonsense proclamation of God’s truth (whether it is comfortable or not) was a breath of fresh air. On the road, it is hard for Jamie and me to find solid Bible-believing churches that can minister to us effectually on the Lord’s Day. Thus, we were long overdue for some good preaching. We went to McHenry, Illinois hoping to be ministered to. Speaking retrospectively, the whole experience was uplifting and mutually edifying. Don’t get me wrong, the church itself was a spiritual corpse. Jamie and I, of course, were visitors in this church body and not really affiliated with the revival team (aside from the familial kinship with my sister). Over the course of two days and three services, three people in that congregation made the effort to speak to us. When asked about ourselves, I shared about our Coast to Coast ministry. What we received in return were blank stares and chuckles (as if I were joking, or something). Needless to say, if I were a lost person or perhaps a new believer looking for a church home, I would never return to this Baptist Church in McHenry, Illinois. The sad thing about such an assessment is that it is TRUE and TYPICAL. Can anything bring revival to Laodicean America? I came to esteem the young people on the Life Action Revival Team because I saw hearts for ministry in the midst of a spiritually depressing atmosphere. In a big way, Jamie and I can relate to this. It is only our love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ coupled with the abundant grace of Almighty God that ultimately keeps us pressing forward on our journey. Such motivation was obvious in this team, its leader, and including my sister. Such boldness and determination is refreshing; it aids in curing the ailments of the “Elijah Syndrome” that so often plague my spirit along this seemingly endless journey (cf. II Kings 19:4-18). If you all think about it, please pray for this spiritually destitute church up in McHenry, Illinois. May it be resuscitated by the Spirit of God so as to go forth and genuinely carry out the Great Commission of our Lord and Saviour to its fullest extent. Only the outpouring of God’s power can bring back America’s churches from the dead in these latter times. Those churches who stand on the BOOK and carry out genuine New Testament ministry (as opposed to the plethora of human programs and strategies) are few and far between these days. Oh God, help us; bring revival to our land! Alas, there is little time for sulking and spiritual depression over the sad state of things. We determine to press forward under the banner of the Gospel, fulfilling our duty as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
We arrived in McHenry, planning to camp out of the back of our truck for a couple of days in the church parking lot. We were even content to use the showers in the church gym. However, some of the young people on my sister’s revival team pooled their money together and put us up in a nice hotel room for three nights. I am talking about people who live by faith and largely by the support of fellow believers. This was a sacrifice, and we were truly blessed. If any of you guys are reading this, blessings upon you from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). May the Lord return to you tenfold (Luke 6:38). Also, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Do your duty, and keep pressing toward the mark of the high calling of our God and Saviour (Philippians 3:14-15).
These young people all pitched in to secure us a nice hotel room for 3 nights.
On Monday, we took the day to travel up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin so as to take the Gospel once again to the streets. My sister was allowed to accompany Jamie and myself. Her boldness was a blessing and a joy in the eyes of an older brother. We were able to distribute lots of Gospel tracts, quite a few Bibles, and some fresh socks for the homeless. It was also an inspiration to see other Bible-believers on the streets being bold for the cause of Christ. On one occasion, we ran into an older married couple working a street corner and handing out Gospel tracts. Another time, I stumbled upon Ray Eldridge—an elderly man IN A WHEELCHAIR and MISSING AN ARM (he lost his right arm in WWII). Ray was parked on a busy street corner handing out Bibles and tracts, beseeching lost folks to come to the Lord—He was the epitome of speaking the truth in love. Such an example was inspiring, a spiritual shot in the arm. Such examples should spur us all to OBEDIENCE.
We started things out down in Veterans Park along the shore of Lake Michigan. There were very few people out, but the Lord did give a good one-on-one opportunities. Interestingly, I ran into a Muslim man walking down the bike path. The Lord pricked me to speak boldly. I presented the Gospel to him succinctly and bluntly, promulgating without shame that JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN. Instead of flying into a tirade like that black Muslim in Indianapolis, this guy reached out and took the Gospel tract from me. He expressed gratitude and then immediately sat down on the nearest park bench and began to read. May the Word of the Lord work effectually unto salvation in his heart.
From Veterans Park, we drove up Wisconsin Avenue, parked in a cheap parking garage, and worked the surrounding blocks for a couple of hours. Almost immediately, we ran into Jarvis. His 1991 Chevy Caprice had broken down on the corner of 6th and Wells. It was a busy intersection, and someone was helping him push the car over to the side. We trotted over and offered our assistance. To make a long story short, I was able to use my AAA card so as to get a tow truck out there FREE OF CHARGE. This opened the door (I John 3:17) for a long and intense presentation of the Gospel with this young black man who was married with three small children (he could not have been much older than 21). Anna (my sister) and Jamie were especially instrumental in this. Jarvis did not accept Jesus Christ, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he walked away knowing his need for a Saviour. A seed was planted; may God give the increase. I truly believe this one instance was why we were supposed to be in Milwaukee at that particular time. Instantly, in my mind, the whole “leaky camper shell” delay became more than worthwhile. I could almost here my Master speaking to me: “O ye of little faith. My ways are so much higher than yours.”
Other witnessing encounters included two homeless Vietnam veterans, a very irate and rude homeless gentleman, two female Goths who blasphemed Christ and acted demon-possessed, Antwan (a young black man playing his guitar on the street corner), two young black gentlemen in front of the Grand Mall (Anna conversed with these two for a long, long time), a homeless woman named Tina inside the mall, a guy in a gold polyester pimp suit, and MANY, MANY others. Please pray for these folks. Only eternity will show the fruits of the labor.
My Sister Handing Out Gospel Tracts in Downtown Milwaukee
We had to leave Milwaukee around 2:30pm so as to get my sister back to McHenry in time for her scheduled team meeting. I was sad to leave those streets; there seemed to be so much potential. However, I had given my word that I would have here back on time. Just before we pulled into McHenry around the close of the business day, I received a surprising telephone call. Mr. Combs, the president of ASTRO-CAP finally returned my call. I was dumbfounded when he apologized for the hassle and offered to refund the money for the purchase price of the original camper shell. He also arranged for me to drop the defective cap off at a plant just down the road from where I would be picking up the new top. Thus, I will not be offering you all a harsh pronouncement against ASTRO regarding its business and its products. Their image was totally redeemed in my eyes with this phone call. In the end, ASTRO and its president proved NOT to follow in the footsteps of the typical American business (an assessment of which I offered in the previous email). I praise God for this and ask him to bless the integrity that eventually manifested itself. All in all, this whole thing was another instance of God using a seemingly inconvenient delay to get the Gospel into the ears of those who might otherwise not have heard. All praise be to the Most High God. This situation also taught me the value of persistence and the truth of Jesus’ parable found in Luke 11:5-8.
After another revival service in McHenry on Monday night, Jamie and I said goodbye to my sister (only the Lord knows when we will cross paths again) and hit the sack back at the hotel. We left around 6:00am in hopes of beating the Chicago traffic only to discover that it seems impossible to ever beat the traffic that infests Chicagoland like a canker. I thought Los Angeles was bad. Nevertheless, things could have been worse. By God’s grace, we made it back to Niles, Michigan in about 3.5 hours. This afternoon (Tuesday), we dropped the old camper shell off at a plant in Elkhart, Indiana. Then, we proceeded just down the road to CoverCraft and had the new A.R.E. top waiting for us. He, being the manager, took about two hours to install the thing HIMSELF (as opposed to the 15 minutes that those teenage knuckleheads at the Leonard/Astro dealership in Raleigh, NC took to wrongly install the other top) so as to make sure that everything was done decently and in order. He also took the time to do some extra work in the truck bed so as to help minimize other avenues of possible water intake. I could tell that I was dealing with an honest man who took pride in his work. May God reward him for such diligence. Leroy also gave me a great deal on the new top. With the refund coming from Astro coupled with the money that God has provided in recent days, we will almost break even. This top was quite a bit more expensive than the other one, but we are both satisfied that we have a quality product that will keep us dry in the wintry months ahead. All praise to God. Though the delay and the hassle was unexpected, the respite was sweet; and the adventures that resulted were invaluable. I would not trade them for all the leak-proof camper shells in the world.
The New Camper Shell: God never guides where He does not provide.
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday), we will be leaving this sweet abode out here at the Life Action Ministries retreat center. The respite has been blissful. Lord willing, we will be driving to St. Ignace, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula so that I can resume the Coast to Coast bike ride. In essence, we will be changing latitudes but backtracking about 60 miles to the east. It’s a long drive to the UP, so we will be stopping at a relative’s house northwest of Detroit tomorrow night. I trust we will complete the drive to St. Ignace on Thursday morning, and I will begin pedaling along the shores of Lake Michigan headed WEST. Even in the midst of this transition, please pray that our eyes will be ever-vigilant for opportunities to boldly proclaim the blessed Gospel of Truth.
More adventures await. Stay tuned . . .
Two Fools for Jesus Christ,
Jesse & Jamie Boyd
Full Proof Gospel Ministries
Philippians 2:12-16