Most of the people who came for Winter Camp
Winter Camp
Presidents’ day weekend is traditionally the time for our winter "camp" for Bible study, prayer, singing and time together. Dan Bunting prepared an excellent series of lessons on Amos and about 78 gathered to analyze the book and spend time together.
As usual, I enjoyed seeing our young, spiritually minded counselors talking with the teens, many who face daunting challenges, praying with them and encouraging them.
Tiffany Guzman, on the right in the picture, was baptized into Christ. She has attended Sherman Avenue in New York for over a year and has been taught by Tim Bunting. Tim has a gentle, sincere way of teaching that makes him extremely effective with young people.
Snow!
Most of you have heard of our record snows in January and the first part of February. It didn't disrupt our work too much. I only had to cancel a few home Bible studies because of it. Workers remove he snow off the roads quickly so, the main problem is finding a parking place amid the mounds of snow. (Picture, left)
Internet Contacts
Because of our paper, Creced, I receive a steady stream of Bible questions from the Internet and try to answer them to the best of my ability. Eighty-five year old Wayne Partain keeps a record of all the questions and requests for materials that he answers. When I think that I’m beginning to be weighed down with email and correspondence, I just look at his load. He has at least twice as many questions and requests as I have to deal with.
Angel Barrera wrote me about a little congregation in La Boquilla, Chihuahua, Mexico where hit men assassinated two brethren with automatic weapons after Sunday services because they refused to pay protection money. The gang later executed the preacher of the congregation. Thirty-seven of the traumatized brethren fled the town under the cover of darkness, requested asylum at the American Consulate and are now in New Mexico hoping for permanent sanctuary.
The northern states of Mexico are becoming increasingly lawless because of drug gangs.
New Personal Studies
* Elisa Quiñones attended Fair Lawn as a teen but left for a number of years and started attending a Pentecostal church. She has seen a few things there that have shaken her, but hasn’t left yet. She has agreed to read Acts with me.
* Francisco has just arrived from the Dominican Republic. (It was amusing to watch him as he saw his first snow.) He is a friend of Alejandro Sanchez. He and his mother, Carmen, are reading Acts with me on Tuesdays.
* Juan Carlos Feliciano is an Adventist from Boston who was fascinated by an old debate between Gene Frost and an Adventist. He contacted brother Frost, who contacted me to study with Juan Carlos in Spanish.
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
I enjoyed visiting the church in Perth Amboy, started by Brigham and Esther Eubanks. Picture is below Brigham is a teacher and Esther works in biomedical engineering but they spend almost all their free time building up the Lord’s work. Jerry Falk is a tremendous help to them.
