arrested in hickory
It is truly a sad day in America, the supposed "Land of the Free." Last night, my brother (Matthew) and I were arrested for "tresspassing on public property" simply because we were distributing Gospel tracts freely at a free public access event on the town square in Hickory, NC.
south asia 2008
In February of 2008, Full Proof Gospel Ministries returned to South Asia for three months. During this time, the work of Project Jagerna was furthered; two evangelism teams were brought in to mass distribute the Word of God--one in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and one Nepal; and the Gospel was proclaimed in remote areas of Nepal's Far West.
from kathmandu
My travels thus far have been good and busy. Coming through Delhi allowed me to share the Gospel with several on those chaotic streets. And, my arrival in Kathmandu brought back many memories. Since last Sunday, I have been laboring diligently with Bishnu Shrestha, my national partner, in the work of Project Jagerna.
podunk towns
In the past weeks, we have assumed a little bit different of an approach for taking the Gospel to our “Jerusalem and Judea” (i.e. our local area--see Acts 1:8). Going to the loitering kids in Hickory on the weekends got old, and we grew weary of dealing with the same blasphemers and haters of God. Matthew 7:6 was ever before our minds. Therefore, we set a goal of hitting the central district of ever single town or community, fanning out from Hickory, NC, even if the so-called town was nothing more than an intersection with a post office.
northern europe
In Scandinavia and Northern Europe, much like FPGM's efforts in South Asia, our objective was to assist, supplement, and partner with national believers and the existing work of long-term church planters. We did this by way of bold Gospel proclamation, Scripture distribution, and evangelism training.
south asia 2006-2007
In South Asia, from the Fall of 2006 to the Summer of 2007, FPGM aimed to assist, supplement, and partner with national believers and the existing work of long-term church-planters by boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, printing and publishing the Word of God, and saturating hitherto unreached areas with the Word of God.
the Lord halts an entire nation for one man
Sometimes, God has to do big things to get a man’s attention. In this situation, the LORD literally shut down an entire country so that one man could get saved. Isaiah 55:9 immediately comes to mind.
spiritual medicine
In addition to the above, there have been numerous other struggles lately, and earlier today, after dropping Beth off at the airport, I found some aatmaako aushadi (Nepali for spiritual medicine), something to ease the mind and remind me about why we are here. I went down to New Road (a very busy street in central Kathmandu) and started handing out Gospel tracts and Bibles. Before long, I had a curious crowd, and the Lord allowed me to preach the Gospel boldly and publicly.
leh
Presently, it is very early in the morning, and I sit in my bed (a mattress on the floor) in our domicile here in Leh. I gaze out our huge bay windows and again take notice that we are surrounded by aspen-like pencil trees, rocky crags, and mud-brick houses. To the immediate south lies the immense Indus Valley with Ladakhi villages scattered about. Beyond that, the mighty Stok Range boasts 19-20,000 ft. peaks crowned with snow and ice. Smaller “hills” (12-19,000 ft.) ring the city, and some of these feature chortens, religious shrines, and/or Buddhist prayer flags.
no luggage
Because of crazy restrictions, we had little carry-on baggage, so we basically have no clothes, no gear, and most tragically, no tracts and Bibles. All I have is a small stack of Hindi tracts, and they are almost gone. You could literally stand on these streets and hand out tracts 24-7. Despite our current situation, the Word has gone out in several instances today.
patagonia
In February of 2006, Full Proof Gospel Ministries visited the wind-swept regions of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia with the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. The FPGM team took Bibles and Gospel tracts into places like Rio Gallegos, El Calafate, El Chalten, Ushuaia (the world's southernmost city), and backcountry border areas on the Chilean frontier (i.e. hitherto unplowed ground). Numerous locals and foreign trekkers were confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
northernmost to southernmost
Beginning in Quebec, just across the international border from Escourt Station, Maine (the northernmost point of land in the contiguous United States), Jesse Boyd mounted his trusty bicycle and pedaled 3,412 miles to the southernmost point of the contiguous United States in Key West, Florida.
mission accomplished
Greetings from sunny, warm Key West, Florida in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (I Timothy 6:15-16). By God’s grace and according to many of your prayers, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
8,200 miles
I rejoice to announce that my brother and I finally made it back after an 8,200-mile cross-country circuit, whereby the Gospel was preached across this land. We arrived home after four weeks on the road, and finally, I was able to get all of our stuff out of Washington and back to North Carolina. Jamie and Bethany also returned safely from their journey to Guatemala. There, they enjoyed a blessed time with missionary friends; and seeds of the Gospel were sown in abundance.
sowing sparingly
In recent days, the Lord has convicted my heart about all the missed opportunities from our last journey. True, as I pedaled across America on a bicycle, there were many opportunities to proclaim the Gospel and many people heard. But, the Lord keeps bringing II Corinthians 9:6 to my mind as he initially did back on that beach in Olympic National Park the day before I completed that coast-to-coast ride.
an ending, a beginning
At 5:45pm on December 8, 2004, our first missionary journey came to a full and final end as we safely pulled into Jamie’s parents’ backyard. There, the trailer will be parked for the next several months, and this place will temporarily be called home. I can only sit back and marvel when I think of all the Lord has done for us and all that he has brought us through since this whole thing began in the spring of 2003.
coast to coast 2003-2004
The first missionary journey of Full Proof Gospel Ministries began in Surf City, North Carolina on July 13, 2003. There, on the sands of the North Carolina coast, Jesse Boyd mounted a bicycle and began a ride that would take him all the way to the northwest corner of the contiguous United States. After 4,712 miles of pedaling, Jesse pedaled his bicycle into the Pacific waters outside of Neah Bay, Washington on October 30, 2004.
the long road home
About three weeks ago, the coast-to-coast bicycle journey for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ finally came to a conclusion in Neah Bay, Washington. Notwithstanding, the work of the ministry and the public proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ carries on. Much has happened.
the finish line
He that began a good work in us hath surely brought it to completion (Philippians 1:6). On Saturday, October 30, at 6:00pm (Pacific Standard Time), my bicycle rolled up onto the sand and then into the waters of the Pacific Ocean along a beach just outside Neah Bay, Washington after 4,712 total miles pedaled for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. “Coast to Coast 2003” is finally accomplished.
a stronghold in the day of trouble
In the past four days, the Lord saved our lives from certain serious injury, saved our truck from near destruction, and miraculously saved me from being stranded on a lonely mountain highway in the snow. In three separate incidents, He proved to be a stronghold and our Protector. All praise, honor, and glory be to his name.