Yesterday, all the trainees arrived in Folsom, CA. We had dinner with some of the local saints followed by a brief door knocking orientation and preparation for upcoming sowing activities.

Sowing activities started today, 1/28/17, with sixty-five saints participating. Sixteen teams went out door knocking in the surrounding neighborhoods and one team set up a table at a local Walmart. Overall, there seemed to be some good sowing! We gave out 21 Bibles, contacted around 75 people and had several who prayed to receive the Lord!

Lord, keep sowing in Folsom!

Prayer Burdens

• There would be adequate follow up for those who were contacted today and they would receive proper care
• The local saints would build up a habit and taste for contacting and shepherding people

This winter, saints from the churches in North America participated in sowing trips to nineteen cities in the United States and Canada. From January 23 to February 7, local and visiting saints coordinated to preach the gospel, give away copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and ministry books, and shepherd people in appointments and home meetings.

Watch the following summary video about the sowing trips, with encouraging testimonies and highlights.

Here is a final summary report regarding the Peoria gospel trip in Peoria, Normal, and Champaign, IL. We are all so appreciative and thankful to the saints who have been praying for us and for this trip and for all of the sweet coordination from beginning to end. Everything was prepared so that we just entered into their labor. There was a real three fold cord of labor among the trainees, students, and community saints during this time.

In Peoria, there was a young man who prayed to receive the Lord earlier this week at our table at the university, and he came to spend time with the saints for Friday’s home meeting, met with a local saint to read the Bible, and came for dinner with all the saints and trainees on Saturday. The local saints have met him before, but his attitude was completely different after his salvation: he was very warm, open, and receptive of the saints. We’re so thankful for our new brother and we pray for his continued growth in the life.

Three trainees met a middle-aged man while door knocking on Saturday. Once he found out they were Christian, he invited them all in right away and opened to them. Despite all of the human suffering he has experienced, he said that he really wanted to know who Jesus was and to have faith, but he also said that he didn’t know how. He was very open to receive the trainee’s enjoyment of the Lord, and responded by saying through their speaking there was “a way to get out”. A local saint was able to meet up with him again the same day and, he was moved to tears when they read the tract, “Lost and Found”.

In Champaign, a contact that we met Thursday has still been open to meeting with us, and the reports from Champaign have been encouraging! She went to a home meeting the day after, went to the Lord’s Day meeting, and she found that all of her questions about the church were answered by the saints’ prophesying on the local ground of the church. She came again last Lord’s Day as well. In another situation, two trainees came up to a young person who was sitting alone, and found out that he was from one of the other churches. We had been trying to contact him in the fall semester, but he was not responding. It seems that the Lord knew he was now ready. He has been a regular in the meetings since then. We pray that these two, among other contacts we labor on would be remaining fruit. Last Monday, the students spent time during their student coordination considering which students can follow-up with each person we had contacted while we were there. We pray that out of the 25 new contacts the Lord gave us and the 118 conversations we had, the Lord will give us at least five remaining fruit.

In Normal, there have been two young men who the saints have been in contact with again. One of them came to a home meeting after the saints met him. We met the second man at the table and he immediately wanted to volunteer for Bibles for America; the saints met up with him again Saturday morning. There was also another sophomore who had been reading a Normal Christian Life and leading Bible studies before he met us. We were encouraged that there are people like this out there. Two of our students and one gained last semester are all now the core group of their weekly Bible studies; this sister from last semester is also bearing the burden of the Bible study. Right now there are six who are consistently in Bible studies, appointments or home meetings. The saints are looking to the Lord for at least two more out of the roughly 60 total contacts to remain for them to labor on.

The saints in Normal had prayed for eight new ones to remain from GTCA. The saints are looking to the Lord for at least two more out of the roughly 60 total contacts to remain for them to labor on.

The saints in Champaign prayed for five remaining fruit out of the 25 contacts who left their contact information, and they believe they will gain those five as the students begin to take care of these ones.

Prayer burden:

• Pray that out of the 30+ warm contacts there would be five remaining fruit.
• Pray that there would be one couple that would migrate to Peoria.
• Pray that there would be a lampstand in Peoria by the end of the year.

We arrived in Gainesville on Lord’s day evening and had a time of dinner and fellowship with the college students at the sisters’ home. The students that attended the college meeting were mostly already meeting with the saints and the club and are very open and full of enjoyment, even overflowing with joy! We shared our experience in our college years and in the training to the students, due to the fact that a couple of them are praying to attend the training starting Fall 2016.

These two students are friends whose friendship “has been resurrected” according to one of them, and now they are pursuing together as companions towards the FTTA.

On Monday morning, we had coordination with the serving ones and went to University of Florida campus to pass out Bibles to the students. A few students accompanied us with an exercised spirit and a burden for the campus. Some trainees also joined the appointments with the students during this time. Our time at Gainesville ended at 1:30 PM, where the trainees all departed to go to three separate localities. We are assured that the Lord will continue to bless the labor on this campus.

Final Stats

• Flyers for bible study: 118
• Bibles: 50
• Contacted: 33

Prayer burdens:

• For a corporate follow-up with the new contacts
• For more students to be connected to the saints
• For the Lord to strengthen His testimony in Gainesville

The last few days we have visited Tallahassee, Florida. Our time in Tallahassee has started with warm greetings from the saints. After we arrived in Tallahassee, we had an orientation relating to the schedule and the general direction of our labor here by brother Tim Seay and the saints in Tallahassee. The main burden of the church in Tallahassee is to gain remaining fruits from the campus work. The Lord has already prepared many families who are willing to open their homes to shepherd new ones. Also, the Christian club on campus at FSU has just started from Fall, 2015. On Thursday we were grouped into two groups rotating our labor on campus from 11am to 6pm. Each team had one hour at the table, one hour of roaming gospel, 45 minutes of reading and 45 mins of prayer. There were 37 contacts who are interested in college meeting on campus and the Bible study.

On Thursday night we had the college meeting. Twelve new students whom we met at the table or received a flyer came. The topic of truth was on companions. It was an engaging and impactful sharing for the students and many were actively overflowing after. Also, the new students were able to connect with the community saints who were there. We pray that the Lord would place a desire in these students to have companions in the Lord and to find them in the campus club.

On Friday, the Christians on Campus held the weekly Bible study on campus in the library. Before the Bible study began, many students were invited by flyer near the table set up outside the library. There were three new students and one student who has been regularly meeting with the club at the Bible study. We went through John 14 and enjoyed that the Lord has prepared a place for us by going through death and resurrection. Now as the Spirit, He abides in us and we abide in Him. The students appreciated even more that the temple of God has been enlarged to include all the believers as the Body of Christ!

There were several home meetings on Friday night, in which three new ones, and other current students who are part of FSU Christians on Campus joined. The three girls really enjoyed the fellowship, asked helpful questions, received the ministry and the word really well and even shared relatable experiences with the saints. Two of them even stayed an hour after the meeting finished just to talk! It was very encouraging to see these ones open to the saints. Praise the Lord for His move in Tallahassee!

Prayer burdens:

• For some young full-timers to be released to serve here with the campus work
• For a corporate follow-up with the new contacts and ones whom saints are caring for already
• For current students to become more companionized with new contacts
• Student contacts will attend the college conference in Athens and college training