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There is a church on a neighboring island that is for us a source of refreshment. Occasionally we have the opportunity to visit and reconnect with our friends there, and this past weekend we made the trip up for their 2011 Missions Conference.
Of the many churches in our vicinity the People’s Church of Spanish Wells is a special one. They have a long history of missions involvement both in receiving and sending. For us it is special because their style is close to what you will find in the US on a Sunday Morning, and their substance is fully Christ-centered and mission-focused.
For this year’s conference they hosted long time missionary friends, Dave and Denise Love and Greg and Dawn Sanford – both missionaries with New Tribes Missions. Their stories were inspiring, and their testimony was uplifting. They told of their involvement with peoples who have never heard the name of Jesus before, speaking of places you can only get to by flying in a plane over the jungle for 2 hours, isolated, forgotten, and lost.
Throughout the conference the church will also hear from two of their missions start-up churches among the Haitian population from Pastor Gabaniel Baptiste and Pastor John Pierre. And the church is presently in the process of sending out another of their own, right over to us here in Eleuthera as missionaries: Nicholas and Tamsin Rogers! We invite you to pray with us for God’s leading and provision for these new mission appointees.
One noticeable change from other mission conferences that I’ve attended was the frequent mention of America as a mission field. It seems that the 3rd world countries and developing nations are grasping a concept of missions that is now challenging my own country. At the conference they showed the video below. I’d encourage you to take a minute and watch it – its pretty amazing.
We are so thankful the Lord gave us this time to spend with our friends on Spanish Wells, and we trust that He will continue to guide and lead this congregation in truth and love as they partner with Him on His mission for the nations.