"been around the world yeah yeah yeah"

Monday, October 13, 2008
We had a great time in NOLA for the NAMB commissioning service, we got to spend some time with Chuck and Christy Rheam from San Diego, they are planting San Miguel Community Church. Chuck and Christy have been such an encouragement to us. There are so many similarities between the two of us Abby and Christy have so many similarities and Chuck and I are such kindred Spirits (except he’s a germ-a-phobe, which I am not).

Matt and Becky West are also in San Diego but they are in La Jolla (pronounced Hoya) Barabbas Road Church. Matt is one of those guys that is so in your face that you know you are in the presence of someone anointed by Christ to take his Gospel around the world. Matt has a keen sense for seeing holes in peoples worldviews. Becky and him are perfect for one another they are extremely out going full of conviction and so good at ministering to those around them. Another couple starting Elevate Church, Kevin and Susan, were such a blessing to get to know.

Lastly Max and Sara Stabenow, they are truly a blessing. He serves as associate pastor for a Church in Phoenix(that I couldn’t find on Yahoo so Max if you read this post your URL in a comment). They also minister with a group called Apartment Life, with which they connect with an apartment group and work something out with the complex to get an apartment for its people and in turn they do events in the community. Great idea and it has really gotten my brain working on the possibilities. Max and Sara are a few weeks behind us in the bun in the oven and we enjoy so much spending time with them.

We got back to a quiet apartment but we know the decision we made was the right one. While we were in NOLA local Churches invited those being commissioned to come and attend their Churches. Abby and I we privileged to attend St Bernards Baptist and First Baptist Chalmette, both of which were destroyed by the hurricane and the ensuing after math. While we were looking at the list of Churches that NAMB gave us we noticed that Abby and I were the only couple that were by themselves. We were picked up by “brother Kenny” a true saint of the Faith. When we got there the two pastors asked us if Abby and I were both preaching, well I tried to think fast, and I didn’t want to embarrass anyone so I said “Oh we think it would be best if I did”, He then asked “How long were you wanting”, I said, “20-25 mins would be perfect. So with 5 mins before the service, I was now preaching for two congregations and three mission teams whom were used to having 2 sermons a Sunday. I preached from Romans 10 and shared about what Abby and I were doing in Fargo. After the Sermon the Pastors were so compelled by the Spirit to invite the congregation to take up a love offering. I want you to see how the Lord works, the amount they took up was just the amount we needed to pay for all the vet bills we incurred with all the stuff with Wilbur. Oh how the Lord works…..


And lastly a shout out to our landlords and neighbors, Lowell and Rachael Disrud, and our upstairs neighbor Mike. They took Wilbur to the vet, got a second opinion and then they stayed around while he was put down. While this all blew us away there's more. They brought him back and buried him for us and put up a little stone there with a sweet poem. Anybody else have a landlord that would do that. Thanks Disruds and Mike.

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