Update on "Zacchaeus" (3)

A few weeks ago, we shared an experience (see Nov. 28) in a coastal city on the first night of an evangelistic revival. As I struggled whether or not to preach on Zacchaeus – and right after I finally decided to try to obey God – "Zacchaeus" walked in. He had never been in an Apostolic Christian church before - or anything remotely like it – but God touched him that night...

The Greatest Gift Involved...GOING.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God [lit. "thought it not something to hold on to"]: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ––Philippians 2:5-8

The greatest gift imaginable – the greatest gift that could ever be given – was the life and blood of the Son of God. No, not a second "Person" of God, but Jehovah God Himself, in a human body which He fathered in Mary's womb. "Immanuel" – God With Us!

Just Wait...

When Opportunity Knocks

“The opportunities for using our financial resources to spread the gospel and strengthen the church all over the world are greater than they've ever been. As God raised up Esther for just such a time as hers, I'm convinced he's raise us up, with all our wealth, to help fulfill the great commission. The question is, what are we doing with that money? Our job is to make sure it gets to his intended recipients.” ― Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions and Eternity

God!

He really is amazing...

Someday, before I die or before He comes, this missionary will learn (perhaps) to not fight against the urgings of the Holy Ghost.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful today!

Thankful to my Savior for His dearly-bought Salvation...thankful for sons and family...thankful for good friends and fellow-servants...thankful for supporters of what we're trying to do for and with God. Thankful for the great privilege of being allowed to serve Him as a foreign missionary.

Thankful for a promise made to me during West Coast Conference by a God Who never fails.

Thankful for our Blessed Hope! Thankful that it's almost over...that the last bend appears to have been rounded...that the finish line is in view. Soon and very soon!

Happy Thanksgiving to all; may you be truly and richly blessed.

Latest Update from Taiwan - the Brackens

Click below for the report:

Quote

"To stay here and disobey God — I can’t afford to take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed." — A. Smith

Have you heard the voice of God saying, "GO" ?  Please obey...

The Promise-Keeping God (photos)

When this missionary resigned the pastorate of the church in Parker, Arizona in January of 2013, my deepest regret was not having been able to leave the congregation in the hands of a good replacement pastor.

The Two-Edged Sword of Prayer

“Just a word of warning. Passionate prayers not only change the world, they have a way of transforming the people who pray….God’s goal is to recruit every one of us for His search and rescue team.”—Debbie Meroff, True Grit, p. viii. 2004

New Photos

...on our Recent Guests page. Click here to go there.

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” ― Jim Elliot

Think About It.

"But he is unworthy the name of a minister of the gospel of peace, who is unwilling, not only to have his name cast out as evil, but also to die for the truths of the Lord Jesus." — George Whitefield

Spend Them Well

"I hope you will be a missionary wherever your lot is cast ... it makes but little difference after all where we spend these few fleeting years, if they are only spent for the glory of God.  Be assured there is nothing else worth living for." -- Elizabeth Freeman

Certain Sounds

Peru is a fascinating country, filled with distinctive sounds.

Any Peruvian can instantly tell you what this sound is:

Missionary Kids (MKs)

MK.

If you're not one, those initials probably mean nothing or little more than that. But if you're one of the privileged few to have been born into a missionary family, they are a badge of honor.

Update from Missionaries Bracken in Taiwan

Click on the image to enlarge it...amazing opportunities opening up! They need help...

Update from A2Z (Apostolics to Zimbabwe) Missions - Pastor/Missionary Greg Riggen

Click on the images to enlarge them...this is a truly worthwhile and needy missions investment opportunity. God is doing some amazing things in hungry hearts!

Myron...MK Given of God

You were born on August 24, 2005...ten years ago today.

Keep Going...It's Worth It

"Sometimes I feel...that my cross is heavy beyond endurance... My heart seems worn out and bruised beyond repair, and in my deep loneliness I often wish to be gone, but God knows best, and I want to do every ounce of work He wants me to do." ––C.T. Studd

 A favorite song of several years has been Gerald Crabb's Through the Fire:

Move Your Feet!

Don’t ask God to guide your footsteps if you’re not willing to move your feet. — Unknown

Sacrifice?

If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?  –– David Livingstone

A Lighthouse for the Central Coast

A dream come true! Prayers answered!!

Pastor Robert Davis (Wheelersburg, OH) was praying one day when God impressed him to fill a very great need:

No Substitute

Sympathy is no substitute for action. ––David Livingstone

The Root of the Problem

I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond! — Isobel Kuhn

A world in a downward spiral that is verging on totally out of control. The religion of Antichrist bursting across borders and swallowing cultures and faiths, as it slices, chops,

His Very First Sermon

I surprised my Dad tonight...announced that he would preach his very first sermon, from 60 years ago... :)   (He had asked me to teach in his stead tonight).

He kindly acquiesced. "Put On the Whole Armor of God" was his first sermon, 60 years ago - and again tonight.  God blessed once again...many were touched.

You can listen at https://www.spreaker.com/user/7788493

Congratulations, Missionary Robert Nix!

July 2, 1955 - July 2, 2015

On the Second of July, 1955, sixty years ago today, God called my father to preach this glorious Gospel.

Six decades of preaching this glorious Gospel! The effects of this ministry are incalculable. How many preachers were raised up by him...how many churches got their start, directly or indirectly...but most of all, all four sons living for God and preaching the Gospel in their own right.

Thank you, Dad...Pastor...Missionary. Many heartfelt congratulations! 

Puerto Maldonado, Peru

92,024 people call Puerto Maldonado Home.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Maldonado

First National Marrieds Camp - Chosica (Updated)

It got started last night, with a beautiful presence of God.

Singing to their Missionary

..."His" young folks. Happening now. Beautiful.

My Missionary Dad

HE BEGAN PREACHING when he was 14...almost exactly 60 years ago. Not long after that, God called him to be a missionary.

"Who Is Jesus - REALLY?" Website Launched in English

We're pleased to announce the launch of www.jesus-really.com.

Noah...the Covenant MK

Noah (or Noach, in Hebrew) means rest. Eight years ago, we had you...and we rested. :)

Please Pray for the A2Z Missions Team in Zimbabwe this week...

From their website:

June 2015: ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN HARARE

In June of this year, we will once again return to the city where this great revival began. We will be

The Latest Apostolic LAMP Newsletter

...is here.

There's more inside...

Huaraz

High in the heart of the Andes Mountains, at the foot Mt. Huascarán, Peru's tallest peak (23,000 ft.), sits the city of Huaraz (Wah-RAHSS).

www.go2peru.com

Flooding in the Amazon Basin

Please help us pray for the churches in the city of Iquitos and along the riverbanks of the Amazon River in the Department of Loreto, Peru.

The Men We Need

Men of an amiable, yielding temper, willing to take the lowest place; to be least of all; and the servants to all…who live near God, and who are willing to suffer all things for Christ’s sake without being proud of it – these are the men we need. --Ann Judson 

So you feel God has called you to foreign missions? Then get ready...

A Great Opportunity!

This missionary was just given a missions opportunity: two short interviews by a large Christian radio station in Lima which has national coverage. We have purchased 100 radio spots this week for our city-wide crusade this weekend, and

Good News from Taiwan!

The latest from the Bracken Families in Taiwan – with some good news of a miracle or two!

My Missionary Mom

She was only 27 when she first set foot on Peruvian soil. She was immediately and forever in love with the Peruvian people.

Congratulations to the Short Family!

The James Short family (evangelists and former missionaries to the Philippines) welcomes the arrival of their newest member, a little boy. Congratulations!

Kirby, the Worshipping MK

May 2nd, 1999...we met our first very own MK (missionary kid).

You woke us up early and kept us all day long. Finally, a little after 8:00 PM, you made your grand entrance – and "grand" it was, at 9 lbs., 10 ounces!

The Scope of Our Plans

If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small. — P. Morley

Today, a Oneness, Apostolic preacher addressed

The Circumstances of Our Duty

"The accidents of ease or difficulty, of apparent safety or danger, of man's approval or disapproval, in no wise affect our duty." ––Hudson Taylor

Often, we put all sorts of conditions on God  – or our loved ones do for us, if we don't – in

Chimbote (Pics & Audio)

On Thursday of this week, Bro. José Sotomayor (Natl. Secy.) and I made a lightning trip to the city of Chimbote, 6.5 hours North of Lima on the Peruvian Coast. We were going to evaluate and assess the remodeling of a recently-purchased church facility there –– purchased thanks to the great generosity of people in North America.

What is the Peruvian Coast like?

Quote

"I used to ask God to help me.  Then I asked if I might help Him.  I ended up by asking Him to do his work through me." –Hudson Taylor

Mission Field Worship...(with Audio)

It's just one of the reasons I love working for Him in this capacity.

Our Certainty and Our Hope

Yo tengo un Cristo vivo; Su nombre es Jesús
Yo tengo un Cristo vivo; Su nombre es Jesús
Qué bueno es amarle, también glorificarle
Qué bueno es tener un Cristo de poder

What is "Home?"

“The great Pioneer Missionaries all had 'inverted homesickness' –– this passion to call that country their home which was most in need of the Gospel. In this passion all other passions died; before this vision all other visions faded; this call drowned all other voices. They were the pioneers of the Kingdom, the forelopers of God, eager to cross the border-marches and discover new lands or win new-empires.” ― Samuel Zwemer

Apostolic LAMP Website Updated

Apostolic Latin American Missionary Projects' (Apostolic LAMP's) web page has been updated with current news.

35 Years Ago

On Sunday afternoon, March 31st, 1980, a very skinny, 14-year-old Missionary Kid became something more: he became a preacher of the Gospel, answering a call that could not be ignored.

Quote

"The best remedy for a sick church is to put it on a missionary diet." ––Unknown

Zimbabwe Update (Pastor/Missionary Greg Riggen)

The latest from Pastor/Missionary Greg Riggen; this is a cause well worthy of supporting:

Ayacucho Regional Conference 2

Pictures:

Ayacucho Regional Conference

Daytime view from my hotel window:

Ayacucho (with Audio)

Huamanga, Ayacucho...

Between the Plow and the Altar

 "Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either." ––Charles Spurgeon

I See a Cloud

17 years. That's how long it has been since I've seen rain on that mountain outside my door.

Such Were Some of You

My father and I, along with Bro. José Sotomayor, visited our Southernmost church in the city of Lima tonight, a place called La Tablada de Lurín.

Mission Field LOLs 2

Only on the mission field...

Do you have to worry about the possibility of animals falling through the roof!

Quote

"As we stand on the precipice of a life of ministry, we will have to answer the question that Jesus poses to each one of us: Are you willing to count the cost?" ––Erica Fye

The City of the Dead

We buried a saint of the most High God today. Not a perfect man, but a vivid portrait of mercy...who thanked God for the illness that took his life, for it also brought him back to the feet and the fellowship of the One Who redeemed him with His own blood.

Can You Imagine...

...having to climb a staircase like this one to get to your home when you get off work?

Quote

“God's command 'Go ye, and preach the gospel to every creature' was the categorical imperative. The question of personal safety was wholly irrelevant.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

Quote

“People from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company of those who make my life worth living” ― Katie J. Davis

Bible School Year Cleanup/Social Opener

Bible School - nothing like it! An essential part of missions work...equipping preachers, and also training men and women to labor in all areas of the Kingdom. There is a place and a job for all who will serve!

Some live shots of our opening cleanup/orientation/mixer night, happening now:

How to Pray for Missionaries

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified..." ––2 Thessalonians 3:1

Missionary Tim Joiner – Prayer

Missionary Tim Joiner (Belize) buried his mother today.

Saying Goodbye is never easy, and especially when one is in a distant land when the loved one's departure takes place.

Please remember this soldier in prayer...  UPDATE:

UPDATE on Botswana – Pastor Greg Riggen

"At the conclusion of the service today, I asked how many wanted to be baptized in Jesus' name

QUOTE

"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him." ––Hudson Taylor

The Little MK Who Got Away

Sunday, March 7, 2004. A big, big day...

You joined our family that Sunday morning, eleven years ago today.

For your Daddy, it was love at first sight...

Please Pray Today! (Check back for the latest UPDATES)

This is truly the joy of missions!

God has been doing a marvelous work in the nation of Zimbabwe, Africa among Trinitarian believers who are hungry for truth...and now it is spreading to Botswana, Malawi, and who knows where else?!

“The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” ― Carl F.H. Henry

Cusco, Peru

For information and pictures related to the very ancient city of Cusco, which became the capital of the Inca Empire before being eventually conquered by the Spaniards, click here or go to the Missions Spotlight page and scroll down.

Worth Pondering

"The will of God is always bigger than we bargained for." –– Jim Elliot

Sullana

To read about the old and storied city of Sullana, click here to go to the Missions Spotlight page; then scroll down...and pray...and maybe listen...

My Only Joys

"My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it." –– C.T. Studd

A Great Church

"The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity." ––Mark Stachura

Update on Missionary Marc Schreckhise!

This message came just a few minutes ago:

"Thank you for all your prayers. Yesterday they exrayed me and found the stone in the tube going from my kidneys to the bladder. This morning it was gone! I did not eject it out so it must have been the Lord who healed me! Even the doctor said it was God."

Thank God for answered prayers, and a miracle!!

Piura, Peru

Go to the Missions Spotlight page and scroll down for information on the oldest Spanish city in South America...

Prayer - Missionary Marc Schreckhise

Please pray for Missionary Marc Schreckhise, in Honduras.

He is in great pain and suffering due to a kidney stone. They have hospitalized him and, unless God intervenes, they plan surgery tomorrow.

God is able – thanks in advance for praying!

Cuba!

The team traveled to Havana without this missionary this year. I would have loved to go; however, circumstances made it not advisable at this time.

The latest report is that 81 people were filled with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost!! Thank God for what He is doing there.

PLEASE PRAY for Cuba! The need is greater than can be expressed via this medium.

New Song by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

"The harvest is ripe, the fields are empty

Jesus said, "Who will go?"

Can't you see the workers are few?

Could the Lord be calling you?

Who will go...who will go?

People everywhere; they need Jesus

People everywhere; they need Jesus

Jesus...

Can't you see the workers are few?

Could the Lord be calling you?

Who will go...who will go?"

(Find it here)

Who will go…?

One Passion

“I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.”—Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

Quote

“Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any tie, but the ties that bind me to your service and to your heart.”—David Livingstone

Mission Field LOLs

Things just… go better with Coke, don't they? :-)

New Stuff

Check out the "News & Links" page for some resources.

Reagan - Steadfast MK

You almost weren't born...the cord was too short. After 39 hours of labor, the knife made the way, and we heard your voice for the first time.

Tacna, Peru

Check out the "Missions Spotlight" page for pics and comments on Tacna.

They Went Bellowing

There's something disturbing about a bellowing cow. While the mooing of cattle is a peaceful sound associated with the quietness of country life, a bawling cow is unsettling. Something isn't right when a cow bellows.

Missionaries

"If God calls you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." ––Wesley Deuwell

There can be no greater privilege in this world than to share the only saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone who might otherwise never know.

We must face it: the Message of the Gospel, as found in Acts 2:37-39, is the only message that offers hope to a sin-enslaved world. Nothing else will take away sin! Nothing else will give hope beyond this life.

If that be so – and it is – then ours is not just an honor: it is a duty. We must tell them.

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" ––2 Corinthians 4:3

It is my privilege to serve God in the country of Peru and beyond. This blog will share some of what we're blessed to be a part of, as well as plans and projects for the future. God is doing some exciting things!

It is this missionary's earnest desire that this life be consumed with one purpose, expressed in the title of this blog:

"That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations." ––Psalm 67:2

As Jim Elliott wrote, "God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like You, Lord Jesus." That is truly my desire.

There is a place for you, too. If you have obeyed His gospel, You are a part of His plan.

Are you willing to be used of Him? Consumed for Him?

Come along, then. Perhaps you'll hear Him directing you as we journey together.