Days 1 & 2 (January 25-26th)

The trainees and local saints in the Greater Pittsburgh area got together for a time of blending after the trainees arrived yesterday evening. The time consisted of a love feast, a brief round of introductions, prayer, and singing.

This morning, the church in Pittsburgh met in a classroom on the Carnegie Mellon campus, and approximately 50 were present in the Lord’s Table meeting. We continued our time of blending, after the meeting, with another love feast and a brief tour of both the Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh campuses. We ended the day by having dinner with the local saints.

Prayer Burdens:

• The health of the trainees as some on the trip are ill.
• Tabling on both campuses (Monday to Friday) that will culminate in a Bible seminar (Saturday).

The London/ Guelph ON Team arrived in Toronto on Friday January 24th. That evening, the team drove to London ON where the first half of the gospel trip will be. Many others, full-timers and local volunteers, from eastern Canada including Toronto and Montreal traveled to London as well.

On Saturday 1/25 the full timers, full time trainees, and local volunteer saints all gathered together for an orientation of our time in London. The two major burdens for the first week in London are:

1. To establish a testimony for the Lord at Western University and King’s College through our table, gospel outreach, and truth seminar on Friday.
2. To reach the local community saints, most of them from the Mennonite background, in the local towns of Dresden and Aylmer through door knocking and truth seminars on Tuesday. The orientation was followed by a tour of the aforementioned college campuses.

On Sunday 1/26 after the Lord’s table meeting the full time trainees as well as the full timers shared their testimony to all of the saints in London for mutual encouragement. That afternoon a number of saints from the team went out to Dresden and Alymer to knock on doors, pass out tracts, and send out invitations for the Tuesday truth seminar.

Statistics:

• Tracts passed out: 265
• Bibles passed out: 9

Prayer Burdens:

• For the Lord to have a way to move on the local college campuses Western University and King’s College through our gospel outreach and Friday Seminar
• For the Lord to prepare the seeking ones in the communities of Dresden and Aylmer, to bless each invitation and door knocked on today, and the truth seminars in both cities on Tuesday
• For the health and well being of all the attendees of this gospel trip

Praise the Lord for His move in Lexington, Kentucky! All of us arrived safely at Lexington yesterday, and we had our first Bibles for America (BFA) distribution at Walmart where we distributed 16 Bibles, 9 Basic Elements of the Christian Life booklets, and got one contact information. It was quite cold standing outside for two hours but nevertheless, it was a joyful experience serving with the local saints in Lexington.

Today, we had a wonderful time enjoying the Lord together at His table. We then walked around the campus of the University of Kentucky (UK) to see where we will put our tables for Bible distribution. As we walked around the campus, our burden for the campus grew much as we saw the students there. Tomorrow, we will go to the UK campus to distribute Bibles and ministry literatures.

Prayer Burdens:

• For the Lord’s blessing during our time on the campus of UK
• That the local saints would be available to serve together with us during these two weeks

A burden for the trainees here is that we would strengthen the saints through fellowship and visitation. Over the past three days, the trainees have been splitting up and entering into the daily lives of the saints in all kinds of ways, from cheering on a couple’s son at his elementary school basketball game to attending a rock-climbing lesson at a brother’s attic. Please pray that the trainees would continue be an encouragement and supply to the saints in such normal ways for the strengthening of the Lord’s testimony in Cincinnati.

Today was our first day entering into the campus labor at the University of Cincinnati. We distributed 125 flyers and contacted 29 students for the Wednesday on-campus Bible study. With fewer saints and no full-time team, the saints in Cincinnati are less burdened for gaining additional contacts and more burdened that the trainees would participate in caring for existing contacts. May the Lord open the way for us to be effectively integrated into the existing labor of the saints on this campus!

January 29

Some of us went to a community meeting where we went over The Normal Christian Life, while the majority of the team went to the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) campus. At the campus we reviewed the list of students we have contacted over the past week to invite them to the Bible study on Thursday night.

January 30

In our morning coordination we received fellowship from visiting saints, encouraging us to join the Lord in the two main things He is doing in His heavenly ministry: praying and ministering God into man. “But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4)

We traveled to UMSL for tabling and multiple follow-up appointments. One very positive student even joined us tabling and boldly handed out flyers to her fellow students.

In the evening, we met in a home near the campus for dinner and a Bible study. Our feeling was that the Lord blessed this time above all that we could ask or think. Seven new ones joined us, many of whom were local Missourians. The atmosphere was full of the fragrance of Christ and mutual care for one another. One even shared that this was the best Bible study he has ever been to and that meeting us was the answer to his prayers. Some of these new ones will even join us for the home meeting tonight (Friday 1/31).

Prayer Burdens:

• The proper transitioning of care to the local saints.
• For the positive ones to establish strong connections with the local saints
• At least 10 remaining fruit (particularly burdened for local Missourians)