THE DIFFICULTY OF PRAYER

The Difficulty of Prayer (and a solution)

GOING THROUGH A TRIAL

GROWING IN CHRIST

A GIANT

Bob Porterfield

TEAM HAITI: the last day

From Edie Dille:

In my scripture reading this morning, this verse seems so perfect for our Christian friends in Haiti: "I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich." Rev. 2:9.

Bertran, one of our interpreters last year but he now works at the Children's Hope clinic, shares the gospel to everyone he encounters in the clinic. He is inspirational in his love for Jesus.

If we didn't have Meri, Fabian, JP, and Blaise, our work here this week would have been much harder, if not impossible. They are our brothers and sister in Christ and we work as a team.

Lunda and Melita have provided us delicious meals each day so that our bodies were nourished every day for our work.

Katia, Ramsey, and the other security team have guarded us so that we could rest peacefully.

Day is breaking now on our last morning at the Alabama House. The roosters have been crowing for an hour. I can hear the first of the children outside talking and playing.... we'll be leaving for the Jacmel airstrip at 8:30 to take the small plane over the mountain to Port Au Prince.

Yesterday, Mike, Eddie, and Jason went with us to VBS. They enjoyed sharing their love with the people who came. The people were more willing to engage in the Bible story discussions yesterday sharing their stories about times in their lives that they had been afraid as Peter was afraid when he took his eyes off Jesus when walking to him on the water.

ESL was cancelled yesterday afternoon as Pastor Mark's church was preparing for a funeral. Dena, Kim, and Linda did pedicures for the last of the nannies. Katia did pedicures for our ladies. I have a great picture of Dena trying to bear the scrubbing of her feet!

John H came in during the afternoon. He's a hoot. He'll be overseeing the Alabama House while Allison and Scott go home for a short weeklong break.

We had a good discussion after our devotion last night as we talked about how we could try to keep the enthusiasm and energy for missions going as we go back to our daily lives. Local mission activities seemed to be the best way suggested. John shared some ideas for future Haiti trips such as bringing three additional people and splitting into two teams of six.

We packed and went to bed. Anna has come down with something and had a fever of 102 last night. Thankfully, it's down to 99 this morning.

LIFE IS BEST

Life is Best = equality for the unborn!

Summary of the GOP Debate

HAITI: From the Field

By Edie Dille / September 16

Yesterday was a good day. We had our routine down a bit better and we had Blaise, JP, Meri, and Fabian as interpreters. They do a great job of getting the Bible Schoolers singing in both English and Creole. We have a good number of teenagers and about the same number of little children as teens and a few adults. Still about 45 coming but it seemed like more yesterday. A tiny little girl screamed and ran halfway down the side when she saw our puppets but after she watched a little bit, she liked the puppet skit.

ESL went well with the beginner class. The advanced class was a bit challenging as two female students weren't engaged. But the men were so it was still good.

The construction guys did projects around the house and orphanage yesterday. They repaired a leaking sink and the damaged cabinet in the kitchen, put up a projection screen in the orphanage lunchroom/education room, started making benches for the orphanage, and repaired two soccer goals. A lot of work!!

The women did pedicures for four of the nannies and Lunda, our culinary genius yesterday.

Kelly taught ESL at the Clinic.

As we came back from VBS yesterday, we stopped at a little house where a young woman sat in the yard with a beautiful baby girl. The baby looked about 6-8 months old. Junior, our driver, got out and put a large sack of rice and a large can of beans and some other things out in the yard. Later, we learned that Junior supports five families with the wages he earns at Children's Hope. That woman with the baby is one of them. She was going to give her baby away because she couldn't afford to take care of her. So Junior is providing for her. God is so good!

In our devotion time last night, we discussed how we are getting caught up in the work we are doing and not focusing on God and the fact that we are doing these things for Him. Kelly put it well when she said, we are busy but not "in the moment." We also talked about how Junior is true to his faith through his sacrificial giving. While we have so much more but we do not give sacrificially.

Ft. Belknap Needs

September 14, 2015

Good day to all,

I am writing to let you know about a couple of impending financial needs for Montana Indian Ministries.  In the past, many of you have told me that you cannot help unless you know of the need.  Many of you have supported us for years in ways which are way beyond my understanding and even beyond my faith.  So with a humble attitude and faith from God I am turning to my brothers and sisters in Christ for help.

At the end of a very busy and productive summer, we find our ministry needing to have major work done on one of our vehicles.   We have pushed our Ford F350, 4 x 4 diesel pickup as far as we can ask it to go.  At 256,000 miles, we have had to put it in the shop for major repairs which will cost $4,500.00.  After praying about this, we have decided to go ahead with the repairs.  This pickup has a 7.3 diesel engine which, after new injectors are put in, should give us another 150,000 miles.  Our other ministry vehicles are a 4 x 4, 2001 Ford 250 truck with 306,000 miles and a 2004 Chevy, all-wheel drive van with almost 230,000 miles.  [As I wrote this letter, the van quit.  Hopefully, it is just a starter!]

The next need is a praise-the-Lord opportunity to install propane heaters in two of our cabins and plumb four others for heaters down the road ($1185 per unit).  Our Montana State Disaster Relief Director with NAMB funding has offered to pay 50% of this project.  The total cost will be $3,600; therefore, we need to come up with $1800.  The installation of heaters will allow us to take steps toward opening the camp for activities in colder weather.

From time to time, ministries like ours must ask for help.  We are grateful to currently be meeting our basic monthly expenses, thanks to monthly support from churches, associations, and individuals.  We bless each one who gives.  Every spring, I travel to other states, raising financial and prayer support, sharing about our ministry, and preaching the Word of God.  However, sometimes when big expenses like this come up, I find it necessary, though difficult, to send out a plea for extra help. 

Recapping, our need is for $4,500 for the pickup repair and $1800 for the propane heater installation, for a total of $6,300.

If you have any questions please email or call me.  Thank you for prayerfully considering these needs.  Thank you for all you have already done in making this ministry possible to help my Indian people. 

God is in control; He has a way.  God is good — all the time!

Sincerely,

Pastor Bruce   Montana Indian Ministries Ministries                                                                                              

bruce@montanaindianministries.org    406-230-0415

PRAYER

"Miracles don't come out of methods; they come out of the context of prayer and faith. The life of a Christian is the life of prayer. The lifeline of a church is the prayer line. We don't need smarter people or more money as much as we need people who will pray. God, and God alone, is our source for the power and authority to move mountains, make change and build the kingdom." Michael Catt, Prepare For Rain.

Are you devoted to prayer? I mean that moment each day when you and Jesus are alone and you are focused on the rhythm of His heart and the sound of His voice. Where you unmistakably know your Lord and Savior is talking to you?

ROMANS INFOGRAPH

TEAM HAITI

From Edie Dille 9/14/15 - I thought yesterday would be a lazy Sunday with church and playing with the children, but it was a full day. We went to church. Then unpacked and separated supplies for ESL and VBS. We practiced our puppet skits for vbs. the construction guys (Eddie, Jason, and Mike started on the first of four construction projects - making a foldable cot frame for a man who has arthritis to get him off the floor of his tiny house.) we went on a tour of Children's Hope. It is amazing to see the hydroponics system actually operational and the health clinic in operation. The clinic is extremely nice with examining rooms for physical needs and dental needs, a pharmacy, a lab, and a nice sized waiting room that can double for educational purposes. Kelly will be working in the lab this afternoon. Last year the clinic and hydroponics were just being framed. We spent time with the children in the orphanage. They are so precious! After a meal of pizza and spaghetti, the men went back to work on the cot and we practiced the skit again. Devotion time for all with a recap of the day. Good day. Awesome God!

WORLD | Evidence mounts for viability of babies not considered legally ‘human’ | Courtney Crandell | Sept. 11, 2015

WORLD | Evidence mounts for viability of babies not considered legally ‘human’ | Courtney Crandell | Sept. 11, 2015

9/11 - Ten Years Ago

A Parable

PARABLE - Let’s say I have a neighbor, and I want to “preach Christ” to him using my deeds. I greet him over the garden fence. I invite him and his wife round for dinner, where I show them the best hospitality of which I am capable; I explain that I am a Christian, but make no attempt to shove the gospel down his throat. Noticing that his garden could use a bit of work, I offer him my lawnmower, which he accepts, and eventually, through repeated usage, breaks. I do not complain, or ask him to replace it; I replace it myself, and continue to allow him to use it whenever he sees fit. I help whenever I can. In all things, I seek to display unconditional kindness towards him, and to love him as I love myself. Eventually, he dies. What have my actions preached to him?

Have You Decided to Follow Jesus?

Have You Decided to Follow Jesus?

Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis time-lapse FYV 1080 HD

BELIEVABLE CHRISTIANS

Tuesday morning staff meeting. Planning, solving, and strategizing. It is great to work with Patrick Roddey, Bill Pittman, and Wendy Branham: especially when we look forward into the coming weeks and months of serving the Lord Jesus Christ at Harmony Baptist Church. I am excited for what God is doing at Harmony as He uses each of us to share the love of God.

Our devotion today was about being believable Christians. W. Glyn Evans (Daily With The King) wrote; "When you come right down to it, a disciple is only as fruitful for his Lord as his credibility is to people who listen to him." Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:1; "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

So, what do people hear when you speak?

THE FIRST

The pressure is off for a few hours. It is Monday, September 07 and I am spending a lazy morning creating this new blog to capture my thoughts and considerations. It is a good day, as most of my days are, and as I write, I can watch my beautiful wife cooking for our daughter. It is peaceful and productive as most of my days are. It is good to be a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Dena, a father to Kate, Adrienne, Bailey, and Olivia, a grandfather to Saylor and Susannah, a son to Bill and Susan, a brother to Wendy, Michael, Stephen, Nancy, and Brian, and a Pastor at Harmony Baptist Church.
                                                                                       It is a good life!!